When Life Gives You Tangerines' IU and Park Bo-gum Improvised This Romantic Moment in Netflix K-Drama

Among the first episodes of Netflix's latest romance K-drama When Life Gives You Tangerines, one scene stands out as the undeniable emotional climax. In Episode 3, "Yesterday Was Your Spring," Ae-sun (IU) and Gwan-sik (Park Bo-gum) faced separation for the first time in their lives. And Gwan-sik swam across the literal ocean to reunite with his first and only love.

The pair grew up together on Jeju Island, with Gwan-sik being Ae-sun's most steadfast friend in the years since her mother passed when they were children. After moving to Seoul to train to become a professional runner at the encouragement of his family, Gwan-sik boarded a ship and left Ae-sun behind with her worst fear: to be stranded alone on the island she's been desperate to leave. Only the ship didn't sail far before Gwan-sik decided he's headed in the wrong direction. In true K-drama fashion (read: entirely grandiose and highly unrealistic), Gwan-sik jumped off the ship and ripped through the waves to return to a dejected Ae-sun at the port. 

"In that scene, we wanted to really convey that definite conviction between the two — that what they feel for each other is mutual," IU told TV Guide over Zoom. This is significant because up until this point, Ae-sun in particular has kept her feelings toward Gwan-sik close to her chest. She even rejected him against her true desires in order to motivate Gwan-sik to leave Jeju and nurture his athletic talents. "I believe that she has been head-over-heels in love with him from the beginning," IU said. "But even though that's the case, Ae-sun is someone who's too proud to admit that."

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She set all pride aside when Gwan-sik emerged from the ocean and sunk into her arms. IU wanted to portray a sense of longing in this moment. "It was almost a point where they would never be able to see each other again," the actor explained. "But through all of that, they meet each other — we wanted to convey that idea of them now being together forever."

"When they finally are in each other's arms and everything, I believe it took us only one take to get that right," Park Bo-gum shared. He also highlighted one particular moment. "You will see that first we hug and hold each other really closely, and then detach from one another, look at each other's faces," he said, as both him and IU together imitate crying while hugging once more. That final hug with the loud sobs wasn't in the script, according to IU. "It came about naturally between the two of us," she recalled.

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To make the scene as realistic as possible, Park swam in an actual ocean. "It took up about three takes, maybe more," the actor said. "I had to do multiple takes because we had the far away drone shot, the close-up, and then a couple other angles." He also filmed for one day at an indoor pool. The result is a heart-pounding action sequence, with dozens cheering on Gwan-sik as he approached the shore. "What is he, a whale?" One character yelled. 

IU also had a physical challenge of her own. Prior to the reunion with Gwan-sik, Ae-sun had run out of a tailor shop — where she was trying on wedding dresses for her union with an older man she has no interest in. Ae-sun sprinted across the town in heels, and under the pouring rain, to reach the dock where she'd be screaming for Gwan-sik to return. "I remember the running aspect of it being extremely hard," IU recalled. "The distance is quite far because she runs from the tailor shop to the port. And I had to do multiple takes."

The weather also proved difficult. "It wasn't warm outside yet, so I was really cold, having to run through the rain," IU continued. "However, I thought that it was demanding for me — but Gwan-sik had to swim in open waters. So I would say that what I had to go through physically is probably nothing compared to what he had to go through."

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The first four episodes of When Life Gives You Tangerines are available on Netflix. Four more episodes will premiere every Friday through March.