When Life Gives You Tangerines- Episodes 7-8

Protests, Politics, and a Diamond Ring Disaster

Episode 7 kicks off with the 1988 Seoul Olympics casting its shadow even over Jeju. Local fish market sellers are suddenly told to pack up and move—the Olympic torch relay is coming through, and apparently, small-time sellers are bad for the view. The village is furious. Livelihoods are at stake, and protests break out.

But Sang-sil, ever the opportunist, sides with the authorities. Just as things start to feel hopeless, Ae-soon shows up. No shouting, no banners—she just lies down on the road in silent protest. It’s bold, it’s brave, and it works. The torch route is forced to detour. Ae-soon: 1, System: 0.

With elections around the corner, Sang-sil isn’t done being petty. He launches personal attacks on Ae-soon, digging into her family life. Turns out, while Geum-myeong is a top student, her younger brother is not following in her footsteps. Ae-soon gets called into school where she hears the wildest thing: her son has been running small businesses on campus—including stealing letters off teachers’ car nameplates to resell. Entrepreneurial? Yes. Legal? Definitely not.

Back on the island, Sang-sil is still parading around like a front-runner until the haenyeos, including Ae-soon, catch him massaging the feet of another woman. (Not his wife, obviously.) Ae-soon doesn’t waste a second—she threatens to spill the tea if he keeps trying to smear her name. Sang-sil folds and drops out of the race.

And just like that, Ae-soon becomes the first female village chief. The town loves her. Gwan-sik is over the moon. There’s a full-blown celebration, and later that night, Ae-soon quietly remembers the day she told her mother she wanted to become “president.” That little girl actually made it happen.

Meanwhile, in Seoul, Geum-myeong’s got her own challenges. She’s secretly tutoring students to support herself, which is already bending the rules. But then it gets worse—one parent straight-up asks her to commit fraud. The woman hands her fake documents and asks her to take an exam on her student’s behalf. Geum-myeong is stunned.

At the same time, Gwan-sik unexpectedly shows up in Seoul after finding out his daughter can’t stay in the dorms. While waiting for her, he bumps into Yeong-beom, home on break from military service. In a hilarious mix-up, Yeong-beom introduces Gwan-sik to strangers as “Geum-myeong’s friend.” (Iconic dad moment.)

But just as things start looking up, Geum-myeong’s employer retaliates after she refuses the scam. She accuses Geum-myeong of stealing a diamond ring. The episode ends with Geum-myeong facing a completely new kind of injustice—one that could ruin her future.

Rings, Regrets, and One Last Goodbye

Episode 8 opens with Geum-myeong in deep trouble—she’s hauled into the police station over a false theft accusation, and to make things worse, she can’t even admit she was tutoring for money, because that’s illegal. She’s stuck, humiliated, and scared.

Meanwhile, Gwan-sik is grilling Yeong-beom about his relationship with his daughter. Turns out, it’s complicated. Geum-myeong has turned Yeong-beom down eight times, but he’s still hanging in there. As they talk, Gwan-sik sees something familiar in the boy—a younger version of himself. And Geum-myeong? She’s becoming more and more like Ae-soon.

Back at the employer’s house, just as things look bleak for Geum-myeong, a quiet hero steps in—the housekeeper. She’s seen everything and finally snaps. She threatens to toss the original diamond ring unless her employer drops the fake complaint. The twist? She’s the same woman Ae-soon and Gwan-sik once rescued in that shady guesthouse in Busan years ago. She never forgot their kindness—and now she’s repaying it by protecting their daughter, even if Geum-myeong doesn’t know who she is.

But Geum-myeong is still overwhelmed. She’s terrified her parents will find out what happened. She calls Ae-soon to come to Seoul, only to find out Gwan-sik is already en route—fresh off winning a governor’s award for saving a life at sea. They reunite over a tense dinner, and Geum-myeong finally lets everything out. The frustration of growing up poor. Of sacrificing her dreams. Of always having to be grateful when she wants more.

She also finds out Gwan-sik made a long detour just to see her face.

After he leaves, she says goodbye to Yeong-beom too, who’s heading back to the military. In a flash-forward, we see her at her wedding, holding back tears as her father walks her down the aisle.

Back in Jeju, life goes on. Ae-soon and the haenyeos attend a student poetry contest—one of the aunties even submits her own poem (iconic). At the very café where Ae-soon once clashed with Sang-sil, she’s now preparing to open a small shop with the other haenyeos. The place that once held conflict is becoming a space for community.

Then, news from Seoul: Geum-myeong’s teacher wants to sponsor her long-delayed dream of studying abroad in Japan. Ae-soon isn’t immediately thrilled. She doesn’t want Geum-myeong to go unless it’s something she truly wants. A tense but honest argument follows.

That decision leads to a big one—Ae-soon and Gwan-sik agree to sell their beloved home to make the trip happen. That night, Ae-soon dreams of her mother once more. But this time, the dream feels final. Her mother comforts her, and Ae-soon also says goodbye to her late son. It’s closure. Painful, but healing.

The family relocates to Seoul. Geum-myeong leaves for Japan, weeping over the stack of money her mother quietly saved for her. And in a poetic full-circle moment, Ae-soon’s poem wins the student poetry contest—but when the school looks for the student named “Ae-soon,” no one comes forward.

DramaZen's Opinion

Episodes 7 and 8 had me feeling everything—pride, heartbreak, frustration, and so much quiet love. Ae-soon lying down in the middle of the road to protest the Olympic torch route? Legendary. And seeing her become the first female village chief after everything she’s endured? Absolutely earned.

Meanwhile, Geum-myeong’s storyline in Seoul took a darker turn, and it hurt to watch her deal with injustice alone. The diamond ring accusation had me holding my breath—but the reveal that the housekeeper was someone Ae-soon once helped? Full circle magic. These moments hit so hard because they’re rooted in quiet, decades-old acts of kindness.

And then came the gut-punch: Ae-soon and Gwan-sik selling their home so Geum-myeong could finally chase her dream. That goodbye scene, and Ae-soon’s dream of her mother and late son, wrecked me.

These episodes remind us that love isn’t always loud—it’s sacrifice, it’s memory, it’s lying down in the middle of the road because you believe something’s worth it. This drama just keeps getting better.