D-Day: Episode 10

by odilettante

We’ve officially hit the half-way mark, but I’m mostly left wondering how many times Director Park will keep trying to close the hospital before it sticks and in fact remains closed (is there a drinking game for this yet?). I’m not sure we’ll ever find out, especially since Hye-sung always seems to barge in and save the day at the last second (but not without paying for it on his end, of course).

For an episode that is woefully absent of Ddol-mi, it’s still surprisingly zippy as our minor characters begin to step up and reveal their strengths. It also helps that we’re actually beginning to experience the world outside of the hospital and getting a glimpse of how the general populace is getting through the aftermath of the earthquake.

EPISODE 10 RECAP

Ddol-mi is left on the plane to transport the patient to Busan while Hye-sung, Dae-gil, and Ji-na prepare to head back to Mirae Hospital. Hye-sung wishes her well over the two-way radio, but the flight attendants won’t let Ddol-mi use hers, so she has to content herself with waving from the window of the plane. Aw, it’s sweet and sad how Hye-sung watches the plane take-off and fly away.

Back at the hospital, So-yul, Sister, and Jung-won are sterilizing the stainless steel tools in a bot of boiling water since they’ve run out of disinfecting alcohol. Chief Kang points out they they can boil the metal equipment, but they still need to find a way to sterilize the plastic and rubber tools. The electricity may be back on, but their supplies are perilously low.

A fact that Director Park’s right-hand administrator delights in pointing out to Chief Kang, because in addition to the low supplies, they’re also still low on fuel for the generator. She yells at him for using up so much fuel on taking the elevator when he and Director Park beat them to the heli-pad. Ha! Even so, he says that with no supplies and limited power, they should just give up and close the hospital, for real this time.

Ja-hyuk is busy trying to get supplies to the hospital, but because the bridge is out, the support team isn’t able to get through. The fire chief promises to look for another way, but Chief Kang is on the radio, calling for Ja-hyuk and demanding to know when they’ll be getting supplies and support.

He explains the situation to her and she reminds him that if they don’t get the promised governmental help, they won’t be able to continue. She cuts off his excuses about the delays to tell him that this isn’t about who is at fault, it’s about saving lives. Voice breaking with emotion, she explains the pain of seeing a patient die in front of her eyes that she could have saved, and living in the hell of knowing that her son is out there among thousands of others who may be dying, too, yet they are helpless to do anything about it.

Ja-hyuk sounds like the quintessential politician as promises that he’ll find a way to get her the supplies soon, she just needs to wait a little longer. But as soon as he sets aside the radio, he bitterly wonders if he should stop acting the politician with hollow words of apology and reassurance, and instead tell Chief Kang the truth.

Woo-jin is not impressed with the way that the staff is trying to sanitize everything and he refuse to use the tools since there’s a chance it will cause an infection if they weren’t disinfected properly. But it’s not like they have another choice — unless, of course, they close down the hospital.

It’s two-against-one for hospital closure as Chief Kang fights back, insisting that they’ll be getting supplies soon. But Woo-jin refuses to put his patients’ lives in further danger and risk infection. A very smug Director Park reassures Chief Kang that she has done admirably as the Director of Emergency Measures, but because they didn’t get the aid they were promised from the government, the hospital must now close.

For the final time, Chief Kang sits down in front of the hospital’s intercom. Taking a deep breath, she begins her speech, informing everyone that due to the damage from the earthquake and the lack of supplies, the hospital will be closed starting from now. Her apologies aren’t enough to keep a riot from breaking out as a few furious guardians blame the twins’ father for deciding to use their hard-found fuel for the generator instead of the boat and their escape.

Just then, Hye-sung and his crew return triumphant with a fuel tanker and supplies truck following them. Yay! When he realizes why there’s such a melee in the waiting room, he rushes to the intercom office and turns it off, wanting to know what she’s doing now that the supplies are finally here. He takes her seat and turns the intercom back on, telling everyone that the hospital will remain open.

Furious, Director Park runs through the hospital to yell at Hye-sung, demanding to know why he’s going against the hospital director’s orders. Hye-sung plays innocent, pointing out that they were originally closing due to lack of supplies — but now they have supplies, so there’s no need to close. Simple!

Woo-jin reminds him that these supplies will run out quickly and they’ll just have to do this all over again. Does Hye-sung just live for today without thinking of the future? Hye-sung: “I have to live for today so that there’s a tomorrow.” He adds that while Woo-jin and Director Park may believe a hospital should only provide care to patients if there’s no risk or danger, for him, if there are doctors and patients, it’s a hospital, no matter what.

In the quiet of the break room, Hye-sung idly wonders about Ddol-mi — if she made it back safe, if she reunited with her family and enjoyed a home cook meal, if she’s washed off the stench of Seoul.

As he tries to get some sleep, he studies the notes stuck to the top of his bunk — one of the notes has a wad of gum on it with a note from Ddol-mi, warning everyone that she’s going to claim it again (and that she hasn’t brushed her teeth in three days). Puts the kiss in a new perspective. But Hye-sung reaches for the radio in his pocket and tries to call Ddol-mi, even though he knows she won’t be able answer. Aw, poor love-sick puppy.

Ja-hyuk arrives at the hospital, wondering why there are so many people leaving after the supplies and fuel arrived. The hospital kept good on their promise to return the fuel that was given for the boat and so some of the patients will be sailing to safety.

He’s there to meet with Director Park, who informs him that they won’t be able to use the supplies he sent, so they should be sent to another hospital. They just don’t have the staffing available to keep the hospital open, even with government support. Ja-hyuk promises that Mirae Hospital will get priority assistance, especially now that they roads are starting to open, so they don’t need to worry about running out of supplies.

Plus, he’ll make sure that the government will create a special emergency law to prevent lawsuits against the hospital in this time of emergency. Now that’s reasoning the director understands, and it looks like the hospital will stay open. For now, at least.

Chief Kang is so happy to hear this, but Director Park has a condition — he’ll keep the hospital open only if Hye-sung leaves. Everyone knows it’s a power play, and Chief Kang is furious that Director Park would fire one of the most competent doctors they have while they’re so short-handed. Ji-na asks if it’s just because the VIP patient Hye-sung saved has been safely transferred, so Hye-sung is no longer responsible for any patient.

Director Park agrees that’s partly it, and then points out that Ji-na also handed in her resignation, so technically she no longer works here, either. But it’s also because Hye-sung challenges authority and performs risky surgeries without permission. He broke his promise to obey the hospital director, and so he — and his mother — are officially kicked out.

Even if Hye-sung has to leave, it’s cruel to evict his comatose mother, but Director Park reminds Chief Kang that they need that bed for other patients they could actually save, and besides, wasn’t she the one who discharged sick patients to free up bed-space for those on life-support?

She’s ready to argue with him, but Hye-sung quietly agrees to leave. However, he begs for them to continue to care for his mother since it’s impossible for him to take her with him. Ugh, Director Park practically beams with glee at Hye-sung’s humble bow, but he still insists that Hye-sung needs to take his mother and go.

Ji-na follows her father, ordering him to cancel his order. She warns him that if he doesn’t let Hye-sung and his mother stay, she won’t let it rest. He’s not intimidated by her threats though, and says that if necessary, he’ll even abandon his daughter. No surprise there, since he’s made of evil. He points out that she would have had a better chance if she’d come to him begging instead of using threats.

The nurses are prepping Hye-sung’s mother for transport as he quietly sits by her side. But Woo-jin enters the room and orders them to stop — he’ll take care of Hye-sung’s mother.

When Hye-sung thanks him, Woo-jin reminds him that even though he’ll be caring for her, he can’t guarantee that nothing will happen to her. But the best way to make sure she’s safe is for Hye-sung to avoid the hospital completely so the director can’t use her against him. Aw, that means he won’t be able to visit her.

Ji-na overhears this and as she approaches, Woo-jin asks if she’s just there to yell at him for stepping in too late. Instead, she quietly thanks him. As he walks away, she calls out that he’s not like the director, after all. Thank goodness.

Outside the hospital, Hye-sung leans against his motorcycle and gazes at the building that’s made up such a huge part of his life. Ji-na finds him there and hands over a note from the twins’ father. He thanks Hye-sung for everything he’s done, and promises on the twins’ birthdays, he’ll tell them about Hye-sung. As the twins’ father and mother make their way to the boat, they pass the place where Hye-sung freed her from the car, saving her life — and the life of her sons.

That’s the reason Hye-sung is a doctor — to save lives — and it perks him up enough to get ready to go find his brother to tell him about their mother. He’s surprised when Ji-na starts putting on a helmet, too, and she reminds him that she no longer works at Mirae Hospital, either. They ride off along the cracked streets of the city.

Aw, both the deaf girl’s father and Mr. Kang are surprised that the other didn’t get on the boat and instead decided to stick around to help out at the hospital. Mr. Kang: “I’m a person who gets uncomfortable in a comfortable environment, so this hospital is perfect for me.” These two are the best.

Hye-sung and Ji-na find the firefighters as they’re continuing their endless search-and-rescue, and when Captain Choi spots them, he waves them over to come help with the victims they’ve found. At the sight of a hand sticking out from under a sheet covering a dead body, Hye-sung flashes back to the moment when he tried — and failed — to save the men trapped in the hospital rubble.

He’s sweating and shaky from the anxiety attack as he checks out the patient on the table, and even though he tries to hide it, Ji-na still can tell something’s wrong. She respectfully takes over while Hye-sung discreetly tries to gain control of his nerves. The paramedics don’t have all the necessary supplies, though, and the patient will need to be transported to the nearest hospital.

Captain Choi is delighted to have Ji-na and Hye-sung with him, because it feels like they can now actually start to save people instead of just find them. But in order to save people, they’re going to need better tools and medicine, so Hye-sung tells Ji-na to stay there while he goes back to the hospital to get more supplies.

As he rides through the streets, he slows down to watch the people pick through the rubble, looking for anything usable as they attempt to put their lives back together.

Ji-na is organizing the supplies from the paramedics when Woo-sung arrives, and she tells them that they actually came here for him. Since Hye-sung isn’t allowed back into the hospital, he needs Woo-sung to be the one to regularly check on their mother.

Hye-sung may not be allowed in the hospital, but he’ll stand outside of it to talk to Chief Kang. She’s incredulous that, having just been fired, he would beg for such a large amount of medical supplies. He warns her that if he doesn’t get some supplies, the majority of the patients transferred to the hospital will be corpses. There’s a wide world of difference between experiencing the earthquake from the relative safety of the hospital versus what it’s like out on the streets.

If she can’t help him, then just let him in and he’ll steal what he needs, and she can deny she knew about it. He’s already treated as a criminal here — who cares what else will happen to him so long as he can try to save some lives out there. Chief Kang angrily reminds him that if he acts too rash now, he could lose protection for his mother. But she also can’t bear the thought of people dying, so with a sigh, she tells him that she’ll get the supplies for him.

Director Park happily relaxes in his office, enjoying a hot cup of coffee. Woo-jin, to his credit, seems to be unable to relax, and Director Park asks if it’s because he’s upset that they canceled the order to close the hospital. Woo-jin says he knows the director has a reason for everything, and Director Park turns those words around on Woo-jin, since he believes that Woo-jin must have had a reason, too, to go against his orders and keep Hye-sung’s mother. It’s apparently the first time Woo-jin has disobeyed the director (and here’s hoping it’s not the last!).

Just then Chief Kang knocks on the door. She’s armed with her most diplomatic manner as she politely requests the hospital institute a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT). Annoyed, Director Park wants to know why she’s trying to stir things up again, and Woo-jin points out that the nation isn’t equipped for DMATs, much less a small private hospital.

But Chief Kang points out that’s the reason they should institute it — it will look impressive that the nation’s first private hospital is able to do something the government can’t even do. Director Park is momentarily swayed by the promise of glory, but he points out they don’t have the resources. She reminds him that they’ll be getting government support, and the more patients they see, the more profitable it is for the hospital.

Woo-jin says there won’t be any medical staff willing to go out on the front-line, but Chief Kang reveals that Hye-sung came to her, asking for supplies to help the wounded out on the streets. That’s not exactly the name to use in order to get Director Park’s support, though, and he accuses her of just trying to get Hye-sung reinstated. But if Hye-sung is willing to do the dirty work saving lives while Mirae Hospital gets all the credit, then they might be able to come to an agreement. Deal!

Chief Kang gets the supplies ready and, aw, Hye-sung just assumes that Sister will be joining him out in the field. Yay, the little Han River Hospital team is reunited!

In his office of evil delusions, Director Park practically licks his chops as he realizes that this kind of action could propel him to greater things — or richer things, at least. Even Woo-jin seems disappointed by Director Park’s greed.

Chief Kang isn’t just losing some of her staff to DMAT, she’s also losing So-yul, who’s decided that the shelters will be in more need of psychiatric care than the patients here, since she knows there will be people struggling with PTSD. Chief Kang asks her to look for Dong-ha while she’s at the shelters, and So-yul creates a flyer to add to the wall of missing people.

As she enters the school gym that’s been set up as a shelter, she stops in shock at how many people are there, lying side-by-side, their only belongings what they could fit into a suitcase. As she settles in at the volunteer table, she spots a familiar profile — it’s none other than cranky Myung-hyun, who’d walked out of the hospital the day before.

He’s sleeping on his little strip of gym floor when she slaps him awake, in disbelief that he could just sleep when there are people who could use his expertise. She orders him to help her, but he refuses, not willing to take that responsibility. Ugh.

She tells him that Mirae Hospital is still open now that they have plenty of supplies and fuel for the generator, so he’s essentially playing hooky. He’s surprised to hear this, then scrambles to his feet and digs out his white doctor’s coat as Ja-hyuk arrives with a fleet of reporters in tow.

Ja-hyuk is there to hand out bottles of water and meet with those in the shelter, where he also does his political duty of reassuring the people that the government is working night and day to help restore the city. Meanwhile, Director Park is writing up the terms for the DMAT, much to his administrator’s surprise, but Director Park’s got his sights on obtaining more power without enduring any of the risk.

As Ja-hyuk is getting ready to leave the shelter, So-yul confirms that they’ll be getting more support. She also wants to know if he’s heard anything from the other shelters about Dong-ha, and he admits he’s been busy with his work so he’s had someone else looking for him, but he reassures her that he loves Chief Kang’s son like he was his own.

Aw, Dae-gil is the intern assigned to the DMAT (along with Sister), and even though he grumbles that he’s only a representative of the hospital sent to take care of the supplies, Hye-sung is delighted to see him again and hug-drags him to the medical tent.

It’s now 60 hours after the earthquake, and as the firefighters try to clear a way through the rubble from the swimming pool, they accidentally set off a small avalanche of broken walls. They scramble for safety, and once the dust clears, Director Park’s brother-in-law, still trapped, coughs as he looks over to his son. He calls out his name, but the boy is motionless and unresponsive.

COMMENTS

Well, thanks a lot for such a depressing cliffhanger, Show. At least I can remind myself that this is Dramaland and we’re not going to kill off a kid, especially one who has a name and who is important to other characters in this drama.

In fact, this is possibly a way that Hye-sung might be able to get back at Director Park — by being the one who saves his nephew’s life and the life of the man who actually owns the hospital. That would be sweet justice, wouldn’t it? The doctor Director Park fired is the one who saves the president of the hospital.

I’m glad that we’re finally venturing out of the hospital walls, even though I’m not sure why it took us until the halfway mark to get there. I’m excited to see the kind of drama that will take place as brother and (literal) brother work alongside each other rescuing people. This was the kind of medical show I thought I was getting into at first — one that showed the drama of being first responders on site, not just the political intrigue of trying to avoid malpractice suits.

I’m also excited that So-yul is out with the people. I’ve been a little frustrated with her for feeling so helpless, because I’d think people who’ve just gone through the grief of losing family members and their entire home to a national disaster could surely use her professional expertise. So I practically cheered when she decided to take that step and go out to care for the people in the shelters. She’s been a pretty inconsequential background character up until now, but I’m hoping she’ll be able to take charge and make sure everyone is doing their duty all the while she helps people through their PTSD and grief. And hopefully find Dong-ha, too.

As much as I appreciate Ja-hyuk working so hard to save the citizens and the hospital, I’m a little suspicious that he’s all talk and no action when it comes to Dong-ha. I suppose I shouldn’t be since, hey, he is a politician. But if Chief Kang finds out that Ja-hyuk has been too busy doing press jaunts to make him look good on tv (while still being helpful, yes) and little effort has been made to find her son, well, I have a feeling that’s going to be the end of the relationship.

Like I said above, I don’t believe Dramaland will kill off a kid, so I’m pretty sure we’ll find Dong-ha eventually. But I’m not sure it will be through Ja-hyuk’s efforts.

Maybe Ddol-mi will find him, because there’s no way this show will convince me that she’s not coming back. Of course she is! And not just because she’s one of the leads and it’s ridiculous to have her disappear halfway through, but because she won’t be comfortable just staying in the safety of Busan if she knows she can help save lives in Seoul. Plus, I’m pretty sure she’d like another chance at that kiss, now that she’ll have had a chance to brush her teeth.

At any rate, our little team needs to be reunited so they continue to save lives and sass each other and be the heart of this show. I need my little ramshackle family, born in a state of emergency, to continue to save the day as the fight against mother nature and the greedy powers that be.

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