I just noticed this hidden tribute to the real-life couple whose love story inspired When Life Gives You Tangerines

Netflix's latest K-drama, When Life Gives You Tangerines, took International audiences by storm with its heartwarming love story and lovely Jeju visuals.

The series follows Ae-sun (IU) and Gwan-sik's (Park Bo-gum) endearing love story from childhood to old age through Jeju Island's four seasons. While Ae-sun's life was marked by tragedy, her childhood best friend (and later husband) Gwan-sik stood by her like a pillar.

While the show's incidents were mostly fictional, they were inspired by the real-life story of a Jeju woman. I even found a hidden tribute to her in Episode 1, when a taewak (a floating device used by female divers) bears the name Hong Kyung Ja on it.

This quiet tribute, etched on the taewak, was to honor the woman whose childhood and love story inspired this K-drama.

More on the real-life inspiration behind When Life Gives You Tangerines in our story.

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Meet the real-life Jeju woman who inspired When Life Gives You Tangerines

The hidden tribute in When Life Gives You Tangerines sent me down a rabbit hole, and I found out that the K-drama was, in fact, inspired by a real-life Jeju couple.

While the incidents of the K-drama itself are fictional, weaved together beautifully by the writer, the endearing love story between Ae-Sun and Gwan-sik is inspired by a Jeju woman, Hong Kyung-ja.

Born in 1950 on Jeju Island, Kyung-ja's story was also filled with hardships and obstacles, much like Ae-sun's. She lost her mother at a young age of five, after which she was thrust into a domestic life caring for her siblings.

In When Life Gives You Tangerines, Ae-sun grows up with an absent stepfather after her mother dies. However, Kyung-ja grew up with a stepmother and cared for eight other siblings. Talking with KBizoom, Kyung-ja reminisced about her difficult childhood:

“My childhood was spent looking after my sister, diving in the sea to catch octopuses, and selling them at the market so I could buy snacks for her,”

Much like the female divers depicted in the K-drama, Kyung-ja also fed her family by becoming a haenyeo and selling octopuses and squids in the market.

Like Ae-sun's difficult life depicted in the K-drama, Kyung-ja fought for basic necessities in her life. She wasn't even allowed to attend school initially, but Kyung-ja fought hard and was eventually enrolled in a school.

However, the duty of household work and her siblings still kept her away from education, as she told Kbizoom:

“They told me I couldn’t go to middle school. I cried and fought for the chance...I’d always be late or absent because I had to cook and feed my siblings before going to school. That was my reality.”

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When Life Gives You Tangerines brought Kyung-ja's heartwarming love story to life

While Kyung-ja endured a difficult childhood, she had her best friend and diving partner by her side. She eventually fell in love with him and the two tied the knot after six years of dating.

Much like Gwan-sik's resilience and determination to make Ae-sun's life better in When Life Gives You Tangerines, Kyung-ja's husband stood by her side, and the couple navigated life's hard waters together. All the female attention Bo-gum's Gwan-sik has been getting lately, it is comforting to know that it is rooted in reality, and men like him still exist in real life.

With her husband's support, Kyung-ja eventually became her village's leader when she took part in the local elections. Reportedly, Kyung-ja's husband's efforts and love for his family were recognised by the Jeju YWCA, and he was awarded with ‘Beautiful Husband Award’ in 2002.

Just like tragedy struck the couple in When Life Gives You Tangerines' last episode, Kyung-ja's husband also passed away seven years ago, leaving behind his love and three beautiful children for Kyung-ja.

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Also Read: After his breakthrough role in When Life Gives You Tangerines, Park Bo-Gum will star in an action K-drama