Director Kim Won-won-Suk Talks about Love, “When Life Gives You Oranges”

Kim Won-Suk directs some of South Korea's most acclaimed and compelling TV series. He is the creativity of the 2018 hit series My sirstarring IU and Lee Sun-Kyun; 2016 drama signal and Lee Je-Hoon, Kim Hye-Soo and Cho Jin-Woong; and the 2014 drama Misaengplays Im Si-Wan and Kang Ha-neul. One of his early projects, the 2010 Drama Sungkyunkwan scandal, Promoted the careers of actors Park Min-Young, Song Joong-ki and Yoo Ah-In. So when Kim signs the guidance, expectations are high When life gives you oranges. The TV series became another hit song for the director to receive multiple nominations at the 2025 Baeksang Arts Awards, including Best Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Actress.

Kim's K-drama Success Recipe is simple. He chose projects that he found interesting and wanted to share with those around him.

“The story and the character are important, but I put it more emphasis on the character,” King said. “I was attracted to the work that the character felt alive, the storyline was striking until the end, and the humor was woven together in a seamless weaving. If all of these elements exist, I would accept the project, no matter the genre.”

When life gives you orange Focusing on two characters, the strong willed intelligent AE-Sun played by IU, later played by devout Gwan-Sik played by Moon So-Ri and Park Bo-Gum, and later played by Park Hae-Joon, the characters in this script certainly attracted Kim, but there are more.

“Lovely, multidimensional characters, writer Lin’s features and humorous dialogue and deep storylines – it’s hard to point out one aspect that appeals to me because I’m attracted to all of this.

Lin is also the screenwriter behind the drama fighting and When camellia blooms. When life gives you orange It was the first collaboration between the director and the screenwriter. This is Kim's second time working with singer actress IU. exist My sir She plays a desperately poor young woman who participates in the blackmail attempt. Her character When life gives you orange More powerful and more resilient, but both characters' lives are changed through good behavior.

“Working with IU My sirI first-hand knows that she is an actress’ diligence and meticulousness,” said Kim. “The role of Ae-sun covers multiple stages of life – college girl Ae-sun, young mother Ae-Sun, college student Geum-Myeong and young mother Geum-Myeong. It's natural to think of IU first, because she has the ability to capture all the nuances and various aspects of the character. ”

IU plays Ae-Sun as an adult, and her daughter Geum-Myeong.

“Gem-Chong is a character who looks very similar to the mother's appearance but has a slightly different personality,” King said. “The most important thing is that there is a gap of about 20 years between their eras, which makes their experience even more different. I think both characters that have IU play will emphasize the similarities and differences between AE-Sun's life and Geum-Myeong.

The storyline slides back and forth in time. Jangling with scenes from different eras, this illustrates how children often don’t know the parents’ struggles earlier or the dreams they cherished when they were young.

“I chose this approach to more efficiently and interestingly highlight the differences between the lives of parents' generation and children,” King said. “And it shows that our parents now look ordinary and have their own radiant, young moments.”

In one scene, Geum-M-Myeong feels exhausted from living in Seoul and spends her love life, telling middle-aged Ae-Sun that she doesn't want to live like her mother. Ae-sun replied that she was happy in her own way and that her life was full of vitality and fulfillment.

“At that moment, the scene shortened the flashback of the young Ae-sun, quickly waving goodbye to Gwan-Sik from the narrow kitchen,” Kim said. “Although she had to give up many dreams to work in the kitchen, she found her husband happy to watch the young Gaim Min-won ride freely on her bike. This happy moment in struggle wouldn't be incredible without the scene scenes of Geum-Myeong's frustration.”

By weaving parents’ past struggles with their quieter gifts, King also tries to avoid the audience feeling overwhelmed by suffering.

“For example, in an emotionally dynamic scene, AE-Sun bid farewell to Gwan-Sik in Jeju Port, and the current conversation between middle-aged AE-SUN and GEUM-MYENG introduces the two,” Kim said. “Not only does this arouse curiosity – did the young couple separate? What happened to Gwan-sik, and who is missing AE-Sun's life now? It also shows that despite such painful separation, AE-Sun does not have a totally unpleasant life right now. This storytelling method helps stop the audience from experiencing excessive emotional fatigue.”

Since the structure of the drama involves intersecting with the timeline, ensuring a smooth and natural transition is crucial.

“It's not difficult, but thanks to the meticulous planning of the script,” King said. “The similar expression or pose of one character, the parallel movements of another character, and various ways of depicting the passage of time are described in the script, which makes the process both clear and engaging.”

One surprise to the audience was Kim Seon-Ho's late arrival, who played Park Cheong-Seop. star Hometown Cha cha, start up and tyrant So popular that his appearance is notified in advance may cause more buzz, but Kim Won-Suk chose to surprise the audience with the extent to which the actors appeared.

“Kim Seon-ho plays Chung-Seop, later becoming Geum-Myeong's lover and later her husband,” said King. “While his character is mainly important in the later stages of the series, he is not a central character that promotes the entire narrative.”

When life gives you orange Mainly following the lives of AE-Sun and Gwan-Sik, the story expands among the people around.

“If Kim Seon's appearance was announced from the outset, it could shift the focus from the core story the TV series intends to convey,” Kim said. “He was considered a special look, and in South Korea, when guest stars intend to be surprised later in the series, it is usually not clear about their involvement beforehand.”

In King's many dramas that have won Suk, there is an inspiring character – a person's kindness, compassion, courage and loyal behavior inspires the audience to do the right thing in their own lives. In a recent interview with Park (Bo-Gum), playing Gwan-sik inspired him to be a better person.

“There is no huge reason behind it – I love making dramas that make people feel warm inside,” King said. “This particular drama is made through ideas, 'I hope people hate each other less.'”

exist When life gives you oranges There is much more to appreciate about AE-Sun’s determination and Gwan-Sik’s loyal dedication.

“We live in an era of hatred,” Kim said. “In Korea, there are countless walls between generations, gender, regions, and these divisions are only becoming more and more solid. The drama I created is basically about living together. The world has been a difficult place to live, both in the past and now, and if we don't want to stand together, we need a love, we need a love, and we can recognize around ourselves that we need a love. Between partners, between friends, between families – these emotions make this world a place worth a visit.”

When life gives you orange aired on Netflix.