In Episode 4 of "When Life Gives You Tangerines," time leaps forward several years, revealing Ae-soon entangled in a web of challenges posed by her demanding in-laws. Subsequently, she finds herself lending a supportive hand to Na Min-ok, her former stepfather's wife, as she welcomes her newborn into the world.
It transpires that Min-ok tied the knot with Ae-soon's stepfather a decade after the latter's mother had passed away. Over the years, Min-ok softened, evolving into a nurturing figure for Ae-soon's half-siblings. As Ae-soon assists her, a quiet camaraderie blossoms between them, erasing the remnants of their strained past.
Ae-soon arrives home laden with gifts for her family, including a tricycle bestowed by Min-ok for Geum-myeong. However, when she pitches the idea to her in-laws, Gwan-sik's grandmother sternly opposes Geum-myeong learning to ride it, firmly believing that such activities are unsuitable for girls.
Later, as Ae-soon and Gwan-sik retire to their chamber, Gwan-sik, acutely aware of the trials Ae-soon faces within his family, inquiries about how he can offer assistance. Ae-soon earnestly implores him to allow Geum-myeong to learn how to ride the tricycle, fearing that denying her this opportunity would restrict her to the confines of the kitchen, much like Ae-soon's own fate. She articulates her profound wish for her daughter to taste the freedom she herself had been denied.
The following day, Gwan-sik acquires another tricycle, one so lavish that his family would hesitate before parting with it for mere sweets. This guarantees that Geum-myeong possesses a tricycle to ride, delighting Ae-soon immensely.
We then leap ahead to 1996, the contemporary timeline. As Geum-myeong narrates her mother's saga, we witness her grappling with her own set of hurdles. She secures employment and encounters her fiancé's mother, who hails from a powerful family and holds her in contempt due to her humble upbringing.
The woman disdains Geum-myeong for her meager origins. Geum-myeong bears the insulting comments until her fiancé's mother insists that she relinquish her job upon marriage. Recognizing the immense sacrifices her mother made to secure her independence, Geum-myeong stands her ground and defiantly refuses. Later, she firmly informs her fiancé that she is not eager to marry him out of desperation.
Meanwhile, as Ae-soon and Gwan-sik eagerly anticipate the arrival of their second child, a starting revelation strikes Ae-soon like a thunderbolt: Gwan-sik's family is secretly grooming Geum-myeong to become a haenyeo, a perilous occupation for female divers. Enraged, Ae-soon's anger bursts forth like a volcano, her voice trembling with defiance as she declares that Geum-myeong, her precious daughter, will never don the diving gear of a haenyeo. She recalls with bitterness how her own mother perished from an illness, a tragic legacy of years spent toiling beneath the waves.
This proclamation ignites a fiery confrontation with her mother-in-law, whose hand lashes out in a cruel slap. Just as tempers flair to their zenith, Gwan-sik returns from his arduous fishing shift, stepping into a maelstrom of emotion. Witnessing the unjust treatment meted out to Ae-soon and Geum-myeong, his patience snaps. Unable to bear the injustice any longer, he gathers his loved ones and strides out of the house, leaving behind a life marked by strife and stepping into the unknown with resolute determination.
The couple settles into a modest rented abode, complete with a humble kitchen. Not long after, they discover to their bewilderment that someone has anonymously covered their rent for a span of three months, leaving them utterly clueless as to the benefactor's identity.
Days stretch on until one evening, when Gwan-sik returns home with a finger conspicuously bandaged and broken. Ae-soon's heart sinks at the sight of his injury, and later that night, her distress deepens as she uncovers additional bruises adorning his person. Her concerns mount, but she brightly bids him farewell the next morning as he heads to work, only to proceed to Sang-gil's residence afterward.
Sang-gil, the man who once stood on the brink of marrying Ae-soon, happens to be Gwan-sik's employer. From the lips of a village woman, Ae-soon learns a harrowing truth: Sang-gil has been inflicting abuse upon Gwan-sik. Shockingly, even after Gwan-sik's hand sustains injury, Sang-gil callously refuses to halt their fishing expedition, thereby deliberately exacerbating his plight.
Elsewhere, we witness Sang-gil renew his mistreatment of Gwan-sik, steadfastly denying him the reprieve of returning home after their arduous fishing shift. As Sang-gil launches into another kick at Gwan-sik, Ae-soon bursts onto the scene, her voice resounding with fury as she declares that Gwan-sik's tenure under his employment is over.
As they make preparations to depart, Sang-gil unleashes a torrent of vitriol upon Gwan-sik, prompting Ae-soon to finally retaliate with a forceful kick to his shin.
The narrative then reverses to the year 1996, where we find Ae-soon tending to Gwan-sik, now encumbered by a lame leg—a testament to years of arduous labor. The episode concludes on this poignant and heart-wrenching note.
