Yang Gwan-sik: A pillar of strength in When Life Gives You Tangerines

In an era of constantly portraying toxic masculinity and absent fathers on-screen, Gwan-sik came as a breath of fresh air and he is not leaving my mind anytime soon!

Dear Gwan-sik,

Through your actions, you've taught me that love isn't always loud or grand; sometimes, it's found in the subtle moments, the shared silences and the everyday sacrifices.Your journey with Ae-sun, from childhood companions to lifelong partners, is a testament to the famous internet saying “If he wanted to, he would”. You've shown that true commitment isn't about perfection but about being present, supportive, and understanding. Your willingness to stand by her side, even when the world was against you, speaks volumes about your character.

But while you were a stellar husband, your role as a father was what really touched my heart. You truly have set a new benchmark for fatherhood. The way you raised your children, ensuring they knew their worth and the importance of self-respect, is a lesson many could learn from. Your words, "If you ever feel like quitting, I'll be right there. You can come running back to me," resonate deeply, reminding us all of the value of unconditional support and what healthy parenting can look like. 

You worked hard day and night at sea till your hands had calluses on them. You dealt with bullies at work. You slept in pain, covered in bruises and still showed up at work the next day just so that you could see your wife and kids smile and put food on the table. Your relationship with your daughter, Geum-Myeong is one that will always be close to my heart. She was the apple of your eye, just like I am to my father. Parents always say that they don’t have a favourite child, but with you it was a little too obvious. You loved her the most and treated her like a delicate flower. You made sure she knew that you always had her back. When your family treated her differently for being a girl child, you gave her wings to fly high and aim for the stars. 

You made her the most confident and independent version of herself and set the benchmark for her so high that she never let a man consume her entire life. Even when she came so close to marrying the wrong one, she took a step back and was immediately reminded of who raised her all her life. She was the daughter of a man who showed her at a very young age what it’s like to stand up for your partner against the whole world. So it went without saying that she wasn’t going to settle for a mama’s boy thanks to you! In your eyes, she was always that little girl who melted your heart the day she was born. As the father of the bride, you represented girl dads all over the world through the scene where you cry your eyes out at her wedding!

But it’s not like you were only an ace as a girl dad. You showed the world how to raise a son. It’s not a secret that a father is the first person a son looks up to so everything that he does becomes a blueprint for the son as well. You could have easily been like any other family that has an absent father, puts their son on a pedestal for no reason and constantly shows him how to disrespect women. Instead, you showed yours what a real man looks like. You taught him to love gently but passionately, you taught him to stick by his woman no matter what and basically replicate your own love story in a different generation!

You might not have been quintessentially ‘rich’ but you were rich in building a close knit family that the entire town was envious of. Every man was either appalled at how different you were from them or just lowkey wanted to be a dad like you. But there always was and always will be only one Gwan-Sik in all of Jeju Island and in all of the K-drama world! You will go down in history as one of the best portrayals of fatherhood and your story will be passed on to generations to come!

Thank you, Gwan-sik, for being a beacon of what it means to love deeply and truly. Your story is a reminder that the most profound impacts are often made through quiet acts of love and unwavering loyalty.

With deepest admiration,
An elder daughter who loves her dad to bits!

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