From tender to tough love, discover who’s your favorite mom from When Life Gives You Tangerines

Meet the Moms of When Life Gives You Tangerines—Who’s the Best?

Netflix K-Drama When Life Gives You Tangerines couldn’t have dropped at a better moment—Women’s Month. If you haven’t caught the buzz, it stars IU and Park Bo-gum, set against the dreamy backdrop of 1960s Jeju Island. It delivers every shade of motherhood you can imagine—selfless, smothering, heartbreaking, and downright absent—basically all the raw, messy realness we secretly crave. So, brew some tangerine tea, grab a box of tissues, and settle in to celebrate the fearless women shining at center stage.

The Selfless Mother—Ae-sun’s Mother (Madam Choi)

when life gives you tangerines k-drama ae-sun's mother madam choi played by Yeom Hye-ran
Image source: Pinterest

Madam Choi is the human embodiment of a warm hug (with a side of tough love) in When Life Gives You Tangerines. She’s a haenyeo—a fearless female diver making a living off Jeju’s seas—and a mom who silently shoulders everyone else’s burdens. Rather than waxing poetic, she shows her devotion through small, meaningful gestures: sewing up tattered shirts, wolfing down her worries in private, and hustling day after day. She’s proof that sometimes real heroes don’t wear capes; they wear dive suits and cook your lunch, all while wondering if you’ve eaten enough.

Heartbreaking moment: When she sells her cherished heirloom to give Ae-sun a shot at a better life, proving that the greatest sacrifices don’t normally come with a big announcement.

The Overprotective Mother—Gwan-sik’s Mother

Gwan Sik's mother Kwon Gye-ok played by Oh Min-ae
Image Source: Pinterest

If you’ve ever hid in your room because your mom was demanding to know every detail of your day, you’ll vibe with Gwan-sik’s mother’s (pictured right) brand of “extra.” She’s so busy barricading him from life’s troubles that she doesn’t see she might be part of the problem. She may come off as overbearing, but deep down, it’s all about wanting the best for her kid—even if she’s driving him (and us) a little crazy in the process.

Heartbreaking Moment: Realizing her iron grip might have pushed Gwan-sik further from what truly makes him happy.

The Adoptive Mother—Ae-Sun’s Stepmom

when life gives you tangerines k-drama ae-sun's stepmother Na Min-Ok played by Uhm Ji-won
Image source: Pinterest

Motherhood stories are K-drama catnip for a good cry, and this show serves up a heart-wrenching yet heartwarming take. Enter Na Min-Ok, a mother who proves that love is a choice, not a birthright. Blood? Optional. Commitment? Non-negotiable.

At first, she’s the reason Ae-Sun bolts from home, their relationship tangled in tension. But motherhood has a way of reshaping perspectives, and as Ae-Sun navigates her own maternal struggles, she starts to see Na Min-Ok in a different light. Behind the tough exterior, her stepmother has always had her back—quietly covering her rent, slipping in small acts of care, and offering a lifeline when in-law troubles hit hard. “Call me anytime,” she tells Ae-Sun, proving that some bonds go deeper than DNA.

Heartbreaking Moment: When she whispers, “You may not have come from my body, but you came from my heart.” All the chills. All the tears.

The Free-Spirited but Fiercely Loving Mother – Ae-Sun

when life gives you tangerines k-drama ae-sun played by IU
Image source: IMDB

Ae-sun’s path to motherhood is far from ordinary. Shaped by a rough upbringing, she learned early that survival hinges on resilience—a lesson she clings to as she raises her daughter. Every ounce of her grit goes into ensuring that child’s future, with Ae-sun and her husband, Gwan-sik, hustling day and night (and sometimes sacrificing their own dreams) to make ends meet.

But her devotion isn’t just about putting food on the table—it’s about teaching her daughter to stay strong in a world that doesn’t always play fair. Ae-sun chooses tough love over gentle reassurances, knowing that only by embracing life’s challenges head-on can her daughter truly learn how to stand on her own two feet.

Heartbreaking moment: After years of struggling to balance her dreams and motherhood, Ae-sun finds herself standing outside her child’s home—hands full of carefully chosen gifts, yet unable to step inside. She watches through the window as they laugh, their world seemingly complete without her. For the first time, she wonders if leaving to chase freedom was worth the cost—a bittersweet ache that lingers, even as she forces herself to walk away.

At the end of the day, there’s no such thing as the “perfect mom”—just a bunch of women winging it in their own style. Some believe in sweet words and cozy embraces, others show love through home-cooked meals and paid bills, and then there are the tough-love champs who swear a little struggle makes us stronger. But here’s the thing: motherhood isn’t a cookie-cutter gig. Every mom is shaped by her own past, pains, and plans, which means love surfaces in countless messy, beautiful, and one-of-a-kind ways. And that’s why their stories resonate so deeply—because no matter how they show it, love is always at the center.