"When Life Gives You Tangerines" IU mentioned her boyfriend Lee Jong-suk's reaction.

On the morning of 2nd, an interview with IU, the lead actress of the Netflix series "When Life Gives You Tangerines," took place at the Ambassador Seoul Pullman Grand Ballroom in Jung-gu, Seoul.

The Netflix original series "When Life Gives You Tangerines" unfolds the life of 'young rebellious girl' Ae-soon (played by IU) and 'blundering iron' Kwan-sik (played by Park Bo-gum) across four seasons, starting from their adventures in Jeju in the 1960s. Writer Lim Sang-chun, known for her relatable stories that have been loved by viewers in works such as "When the Camellia Blooms" and "Fight for My Way," joined forces with director Kim Won-seok, who has offered empathy, comfort, and encouragement through works like "My Mister," "Signal," and "Misaeng." The production cost was about 600 billion won, featuring performances from IU, Park Bo-gum, Moon So-ri, Park Hae-joon, Yeom Hye-ran, Oh Jung-se, Kim Seon-ho, Lee Joon-young, and Kang Mal-geum.

Compared to previous cases where Netflix released all episodes at once, this scheduling was striking. Starting with the first act (episodes 1-4), containing spring, which was released on the 7th of last month, a total of 16 episodes were presented over four weeks, with 4 episodes released weekly. It reached the global TOP 10 series (non-English) category, securing first place in its third week, and after the release of the fourth act, it recorded 6,000,000 views (the value of view time divided by the total running time of the work), ranking third in the global TOP 10 series (non-English) category, marking a successful conclusion.

IU took on dual roles, portraying young Ae-soon during her teenage years, her marriage to Kwan-sik in her twenties, and the middle-aged Ae-soon's daughter Geum-myeong. Notably, in the first act, the lovely chemistry between IU and Park Bo-gum elicited explosive responses; however, while IU appeared continuously in the fourth act, Park Bo-gum's presence dramatically diminished after the second act, sparking discussions about his 'missing screen time.'

This year, IU is actively working not only as a singer but also as an actress, filming the MBC series "21st Century Great Husband" (working title) with Byun Woo-seok, in addition to "When Life Gives You Tangerines."

"The response has been so good, both domestically and overseas," she said, noting, "I’m really happy, and I’ve received a lot of supportive messages from people around me. It’s nice to hear from those who I haven’t been in contact with for a long time. It feels like a connection has formed across various generations. I felt fulfilled and happy. This is my first Netflix original series, and I didn't know what the standard for success was, but every time I saw someone's face, they looked happy and congratulated me or showed satisfied expressions, so I thought, 'It's doing well.'"

IU has been in a public relationship with actor Lee Jong-suk since December 2022 and recently, the two donated 200 million won and 100 million won, respectively, to support recovery efforts for wildfire damage in Ulsan, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam regions.

Regarding her boyfriend Lee Jong-suk's reaction, she commented, "He is very busy. So he probably hasn't seen it. That's my assumption. I know he's really busy," adding humorously, "Since 'When Life Gives You Tangerines' is the last promotion until today, I only know Kwan-sik. I only know Yang Kwan-sik. (laughs) Maybe it's okay to talk about my boyfriend tomorrow."

[Photo] Provided by Netflix

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