When Life Gives You Tangerines- Episodes 9-10

Storage Closets, Awkward Love Triangles, and Artistic Struggles

Episode 9 opens with yet another chapter of sacrifice. Ae-soon, Gwan-sik, and their son Eun-myeong have sold their beloved home to fund Geum-myeong’s studies, and now they’re squeezing into a tiny apartment. Ae-soon also steps away from the haenyeos’ shop project and goes back to selling on the street—one more dream set aside so her daughter can chase hers.

Meanwhile, in Japan, Geum-myeong breaks down when she sees a photo from home. The weight of what her parents have given up for her is crushing. She knows their sacrifices run deep.

Back in Seoul, Geum-myeong moves into a cheap rental and finds herself in a sitcom-worthy moment—helping her landlord’s daughter sneak her boyfriend into the room... only for the guy to get caught hiding in Geum-myeong’s storage bag. Not exactly Mission: Impossible.

And she’s not the only one dealing with surprise houseguests.

Ae-soon suspects her son is hiding a runaway boy in his room, only to discover a girl crammed into his storage cupboard. Cue the dramatic reveal: meet Bu Hyeon-suk—Sang-gil’s daughter. Yup, that Sang-gil. Eun-myeong introduces her as his girlfriend. Apparently, Hyeon-suk’s mom once pointed out Ae-soon and told her to marry a man like her husband. So, she found the son instead. Bold move.

Back to Geum-myeong: despite having a degree from Japan, job hunting isn’t going great. Enter Park Cheong-seop—the same guy she helped hide from his girlfriend’s dad. Turns out, he’s an artist-slash-struggling-theatre-designer who constantly gets scolded for not making ticket-selling posters, but the theatre owner lets him stay anyway. He pulls some strings to get Geum-myeong a gig at the ticket booth.

Things get complicated when Yeong-beom shows up. He visits her at work, and they chat in an empty theatre—unaware that Cheong-seop is watching from the shadows. Later, Yeong-beom makes a snide comment about the poor neighborhood Geum-myeong lives in. She shuts him down instantly, telling him to leave instead. Cheong-seop overhears the whole thing, quietly amused.

The next day, Geum-myeong brings lunch to Cheong-seop and finally gets a peek at his art-filled office. But before anything tender can happen, in walks his girlfriend—mid-fight, mid-rant, and totally unimpressed with his artistic career. Geum-myeong tries to stay hidden, but of course, she gets spotted.

Awkward silence. End scene.

Breakups, Black Dragonflies, and a Near-Death Wake-Up Call

Episode 10 comes in hot with Sang-sil being, well, Sang-sil—a full-time menace to his wife and family. The chaos doesn’t stop there. His son starts berating Hyeon-suk for dating Eun-myeong, dragging up the messy past between Sang-sil and Ae-soon. But Hyeon-suk? She’s not backing down. She's all in.

Too bad Eun-myeong isn’t feeling as fearless. Pressured by Hyeon-suk’s aggressive brothers, he tries to call it quits—but neither of them can actually go through with it. Their failed breakup plays out in front of the ever-watchful haenyeo aunties, who are more entertained than surprised.

In Seoul, Geum-myeong walks straight into emotional landmines. She runs into Yeong-beom’s mother on his birthday, and the woman wastes no time tearing into her. Later, in the quiet of a car ride, Geum-myeong breaks. She sobs, asking Yeong-beom why she keeps getting treated like she’s not enough—when she’s just as capable, just as ambitious. Her words hit like a punch to the chest: "I can’t live like this anymore."

But the episode isn’t all heartbreak.

At the theatre, Geum-myeong notices a woman loitering outside, selling tickets. At first, she assumes it’s a shady scalper, but as she watches, she sees the woman genuinely admiring the art. Intrigued, she follows—and boom—plot twist: the woman is Cheong-seop’s mother.

Geum-myeong offers her a ticket to the next show, and the theatre owner, overhearing their chat about Cheong-seop’s lifelong love for drawing, suddenly reveals his softer side. He hands over more tickets, no questions asked.

After the show, Cheong-seop’s mother is beaming—she just watched her first movie. They all head to her tiny shop for dinner, where she gifts Geum-myeong a bag full of English books. It’s a quiet, generous moment. Cheong-seop walks her home after, the connection between them growing.

Meanwhile, in Jeju, Ae-soon prepares for her parents’ ancestral rites and is pulled into a haunting memory from childhood. One day, while chasing a black dragonfly (a symbol of bad luck), she met a strange woman at a bus stop who sent her off to get change—twice. The second time, a man in a truck was waiting. Ae-soon was moments away from being kidnapped, when her mother suddenly appeared, eyes sharp and instincts sharper.

Her mother didn’t just stop the abduction—she tracked down the woman behind it, learned she was trafficking kids, and rallied the village to make sure justice was served. Ae-soon remembers her mom’s words clearly: “Mothers need eyes on the back of their heads.”

Later that night, both Ae-soon and Geum-myeong are haunted by nightmares of the typhoon that took Ae-soon’s youngest son. And then—the most harrowing moment of the episode.

Ae-soon, in Seoul for a visit, finds Geum-myeong unconscious, poisoned by carbon monoxide from a leak in the wall. She calls for help, alerts the landlord’s family, and Cheong-seop, ever dependable, carries Geum-myeong down the stairs just as the ambulance arrives.

DramaZen's Opinion

Episodes 9 and 10 were an emotional rollercoaster—equal parts chaotic, hilarious, and gut-wrenching. From kids hiding their lovers in closets (literally) to surprise cameos by long-forgotten side characters who end up saving the day, the drama keeps tying its threads together in the most satisfying ways.

Geum-myeong's struggle hit especially hard. Watching her juggle financial pressure, toxic judgment, and heartbreak—only to end up nearly dying from carbon monoxide poisoning—was brutal. But Ae-soon showing up just in time? A full-circle moment that reminded me why she’s the heart of this show.

Also, shoutout to Cheong-seop. Quietly dependable, a little awkward, and totally endearing. The scene with his mom, the tickets, and the bag of books? Softest moment of the series so far.

These episodes really balanced tension and tenderness. The stakes are high, but the emotional payoff is so worth it.