Doctors: Episode 11

by lovepark

While Ji-hong and Hye-jung’s relationship has met a bump in the road, Ji-hong’s relationship with his father continues to be tender and brimming with love. In a dramaverse filled with incompetent parents who lower their children’s self-esteem, Director Hong remains a shining beacon; proving, again, that good parents exist. Nevertheless, having a good father won’t solve everything, since Ji-hong will have to fix his relationship woes by himself.

 
EPISODE 11 RECAP

On the hospital roof, Hye-jung confronts Ji-hong and asks why only she has to change. To her, this is a “nuisance love,” and Hye-jung walks away. Ji-hong watches her leave and narrates, “Sincere love lets you meet a sincere person. It touched a part of me I didn’t know. I didn’t know I was this kind of man.”

He chases after Hye-jung, who’s already inside the hospital. She receives a call, and it’s from Myung-hoon, though he hangs up the phone without talking. Hye-jung recognizes that the number is from the hospital and puts the clues together when Myung-hoon calls again.

Hye-jung answers his call, and from behind, Ji-hong calls out her name. She momentarily looks, but having more pressing issues, Hye-jung turns the corner to continue her call. She knows that it’s Myung-hoon, and tells him that she’s surprised that he called her himself. Myung-hoon is startled to be found out, and hangs up on Hye-jung again.

Myung-hoon is puzzled over Grandma’s guardian’s identity, and his secretary enters the office to hand him a disciplinary action resolution. Myung-hoon tosses aside the file on Hye-jung, frustrated to be bothered with (what he deems) a minor issue, but his secretary informs him that Seo-woo was the informant.

The emergency room is in chaos with patients crying from every corner and doctors running to and fro. Kang-soo wonders where the staff doctor is, and on cue, the doctor arrives: It’s In-joo!

She immediately checks on a nearby patient who’s been in a car accident, and she rattles off orders to a resident. Another patient is wheeled into the emergency room, and Joong-dae looks over the unconscious patient as her husband (cameo by Jo Dal-hwan) begs him to save her.

Kang-soo checks over the unconscious patient (oh my goodness, it’s a cameo by Han Hye-jin), and Joong-dae blocks the husband from barging into the restricted area. Joong-dae tries to get the crying husband to explain how she lost consciousness, and the husband says, between sobs, that she fell down the stairs.

Ji-hong quietly drops off some food for his father, but Director Hong wakes up. He thinks Ji-hong is visiting too frequently, but Ji-hong is more than happy to be by his father’s side. Director Hong starts to tear up, and apologizes to Ji-hong for not being a better father.

Director Hong wistfully says that he wants to see Ji-hong married, and Ji-hong reassures his father that he’ll live long enough to see his grandchildren, too. Allowing the moment to control him, Ji-hong decides to do something out of character and hugs Director Hong (a mirror image of Hye-jung hugging Grandma at the hospital).

Pa-ran runs up to In-joo in the hallway, cheerful as always. In-joo asks why he kept Director Hong’s surgery a secret, and he reminds her that she told him not to bother her before her official arrival. Pa-ran suggests drinks with Ji-hong after work, but In-joo wants to visit the director first.

Hye-jung is checking on the director, and he mentions that Ji-hong was here just moments ago. She ignores the comment and asks him, on a scale of one to ten, how much his scar hurts. Director Hong laughs at the situation, now being the one to hear the words he so often asked his patients.

In-joo walks in to visit Director Hong, and recognizes Hye-jung. She scolds Director Hong for letting his condition go unchecked, and Director Hong changes the topic and introduces the two of them.

In-joo greets Hye-jung familiarly and comments on how she’s grown a lot. Though In-joo acts friendly, Hye-jung squirms on the spot, clearly feeling awkward around her. Luckily, Hye-jung gets a call, and Director Hong tells her that the patient always comes first.

Kang-soo explains to Hye-jung that the patient lost consciousness after falling down the stairs, but Hye-jung wants more details about the accident. The husband is crouched on the ground in front of the restricted zone, and he gets up when Hye-jung approaches. He tells her that it’s his fault for calling his wife to his office, where she fell down the stairs.

Hye-jung examines the patient and tells the general surgery resident to contact their staff doctor. In-joo receives the call and quickly heads over. Meanwhile, Hye-jung looks over the scans when Ji-hong enters. They share a terse conversation filled with formal, curt questions and answers. Ji-hong asks about the general surgery doctor, and from the hallway, they hear In-joo yell at the resident for not informing her about the patient’s head injury.

In-joo comes in and high-fives Ji-hong, their relationship still filled with friendly banter as it was thirteen years ago. Hye-jung excuses herself to get ready for the surgery, and Ji-hong tells In-joo that they’ll perform surgery first. She agrees, as long as they finish in two hours.

Ji-hong meets with the husband to inform him about the upcoming surgery. Afterwards, the husband walks into the restricted area, and kneels down next to his wife. His demeanor changes in a flash, and his expression hardens as he leans in close.

In a menacing voice, he whispers in her ears that she can’t escape from him, and her finger twitches at his threat. The doctors arrive and reprimand the husband for walking into a restricted area, but he returns to his act of the caring husband.

Hye-jung washes her hands for the surgery, and Ji-hong approaches her in his usual, casual manner. She asks him if his concept is the “Giving Tree” or perhaps “Daddy-Long-Legs” because she can’t understand his placid attitude. Ji-hong admits that he is a little mad at her, but it doesn’t satisfy Hye-jung.

Hye-jung gets the patient ready for Ji-hong, and in the balcony, Pa-ran and In-joo watch. In-joo asks if Ji-hong is dating Hye-jung, and Pa-ran is surprised to hear the news. During the surgery, the patient’s vitals start to drop.

Nurse Su-jin and Kang-soo stand in front of Tae-ho’s office, unable to knock on his door, but Tae-ho catches them idling outside. Nurse Su-jin and Kang-soo tell Tae-ho that they’re the ones who convinced Hye-jung to let them ride the expensive car. Tae-ho dismisses them, and Nurse Su-jin and Kang-soo think all will be well now. However, the look on Tae-ho’s face doesn’t look too promising.

Back in the surgery, the patient’s blood pressure continues to drop, but Ji-hong remains calm while giving out orders. He continues the surgery, and once the patient’s vitals stabilize, Hye-jung lets out a sigh of relief.

In the balcony, In-joo notes that Ji-hong is the same, and Pa-ran playfully asks if In-joo’s affections are still the same. She nudges his finger-heart sign away, and says she’s not in her twenties anymore. Ji-hong orders a nurse to contact In-joo, but In-joo turns on the microphone to let him know she’s here.

Director Jin visits Myung-hoon in his office, and notices Myung-hoon’s slightly disheveled look. He scolds his son for giving up so easily. Myung-hoon explains that he kept all the files of his medical malpractices over the years, and Director Hong took one out recently. Unfazed by his son’s confession to multiple malpractices, Director Jin tells Myung-hoon that he should have thrown those files away, and orders him to visit Director Hong with him.

In-joo washes her hands, and Ji-hong tells her that he finished on time, as promised. In-joo corrects him since the surgery isn’t completely finished, but Ji-hong is confident that Hye-jung will be out within five minutes. Less than a second later, Hye-jung comes out, and In-joo flicks water into Ji-hong’s gloating face.

In the waiting area, Hye-jung talks with Psycho Husband, telling him the surgery was a success, and she lets him know that he can see his wife later. If it wasn’t already obvious that the husband was crazy, the creepy background music indicates that he’s evil.

In his office, Ji-hong calls Tae-ho and asks about Hye-jung’s disciplinary action punishment. Tae-ho is going to meet the director later, and tells Ji-hong to be more familiar with him since they’ll be butting heads frequently.

Myung-hoon and his father visit Director Hong, and Director Hong asks Myung-hoon if he’s upset at him. Myung-hoon admits that he is, and whines about the unfair treatment. Before Myung-hoon can embarrass himself further, Ji-hong comes in, and as they leave, Director Jin rebukes Myung-hoon for groveling in front of Director Hong, and tells his son to trust him.

Ji-hong pours his father a cup of tea, and Director Hong explains that Director Jin and Myung-hoon are supported by President Jung and Representative Nam. Ji-hong asks if he can help with the stock scandal, but Director Hong wants his son to just be a doctor.

Myung-hoon calls Seo-woo to ask why she reported on her department’s fellow for taking bribes, and tells her to come meet him. After Seo-woo hangs up, Hye-jung enters the fellows’ office, and Seo-woo tells her that she was the one who reported her. Hye-jung admits that the situation is ultimately her fault, but her mild response only riles Seo-woo.

Seo-woo says that she hates Hye-jung because she gets everything easily. Hye-jung doesn’t mind Seo-woo hating her—in fact, she prefers Seo-woo’s outright dislike—but she won’t stand to listen to Seo-woo assert that Hye-jung gets everything easily. She explains that she can’t control whether Seo-woo chooses to hate her, so neither can she control whether Seo-woo chooses to like her. Thus, why does she have to receive Seo-woo’s misplaced anger? Seo-woo admits that Hye-jung is correct, but doesn’t understand why she’s still like this.

In Myung-hoon’s office, Seo-woo explains that she reported Hye-jung because taking bribes is against hospital policy. Myung-hoon is frustrated at Seo-woo’s close-minded approach, and rips up Hye-jung’s file. He wants Seo-woo to be friends with Hye-jung since, in his mind, a doctor who receives bribes is destined for greater things. This is why Director Hong wants to fire you, Myung-hoon!

Psycho Husband sits next to his wife and holds onto her hand. Ji-hong and Hye-jung come by to check on her, and In-joo arrives with her resident in tow to check on the patient, too. Ji-hong tells the resident to check diligently, and In-joo tells Ji-hong not to nag her resident since that’s her job. Ji-hong playfully pushes her, which Hye-jung notices.

As they leave the ICU, In-joo invites Hye-jung to their party this evening, but Hye-jung declines. In-joo wonders aloud if the two of them fought, and Ji-hong explains that Hye-jung picks fights with him. In-joo thinks that’s a good sign since that’s what she used to do, and comments on Ji-hong’s tendency to push people away.

She muses that, in a relationship, if one party isn’t allowed in the other’s life deeply, then he or she will be lonely. In-joo turns to leave, but remembers one last thing to tell Ji-hong. She admits that she made a mistake with Hye-jung in the past and apologizes.

Hye-jung receives a call from Tae-ho, and meets him in his office. He called her because of the disciplinary incident, and Hye-jung apologizes for causing trouble. Tae-ho smiles and says that Myung-hoon decided to let it go. Hye-jung thanks Tae-ho, and he tells her to give her gratitude to Ji-hong because he went out of his way to ask for a favor; something Tae-ho’s never seen him do.

Hye-jung visits Ji-hong and asks about the favor he asked in her behalf. He tries to change the subject, but Hye-jung won’t let him. She tells him that she tried to stop him from entering the darkest parts of her life because she didn’t want him to be hurt.

She knows that Ji-hong gives everything for her, but she doesn’t like how he doesn’t let her do the same. She wants to be a part of his life, just like how he’s taken over her life, because she’s afraid of what will happen when he stops loving her. Ji-hong says that it’ll never happen, but Hye-jung believes nothing is certain in life.

Hye-jung tells him that the thing she’s most afraid of in life is being abandoned. Ji-hong asks what he can do, then, and Hye-jung gives him a simple yet difficult answer: “Change.”

Yoon-do exercises alone at home, thinking back to Hye-jung’s words that if she started to love, it would only be with Ji-hong. He tries to collect himself but keeps thinking of her. At home, Hye-jung gets a call from Yoon-do, and he says that her words from before mean that she isn’t in love right now. He admits that, regardless of Hye-jung, he’s going his way, even if it’s ignoble.

Hye-jung stares at the dolls Ji-hong got her from the arcade, and in his home, Ji-hong listens to the CD Hye-jung got him. He thinks back to earlier when Hye-jung told him to change, and Hye-jung holds onto her doll.

The next morning at the hospital, Hye-jung and Ji-hong act awkwardly, and they run into Yoon-do, who asks Hye-jung when she’s eating lunch. She says that she doesn’t know, and Yoon-do’s latest attempt to pursue Hye-jung fails.

Ji-hong and Hye-jung meet the wife who’s now awake. She blinks in response to Ji-hong’s questions and can even follow his movements with her eyes. However, she can’t speak or move her body, and Ji-hong orders MRI scans immediately.

Looking over the scans, Ji-hong guesses that it’s locked-in syndrome, and Hye-jung asks if the patient can recover. He says that the success rate is very low, and tells Hye-jung to inform the guardian.

Ji-hong takes Director Hong out for a stroll. Director Hong jokes that it feels like Ji-hong is treating him like a person who’s about to die (You’re jinxing yourself!), and Ji-hong jokes that he won’t show his face anymore. It would be a sweet moment if I weren’t sitting on pins and needles.

Young-kook walks with Hye-jung to meet Psycho Husband, and wonders what the husband will do. Hye-jung says that the patient is still alive, which means that there’s still hope. Young-kook then mentions how the husband is popular among the nurses because he’s so devoted to his wife.

They meet Psycho Husband in front of the ICU, and he confronts them about his wife’s condition. Hye-jung tells him to calm down, but he yells at them, asking how he could be calm in this situation. Hye-jung and Young-kook are caught off-guard by the outburst, but Hye-jung quickly composes herself.

Psycho Husband returns to his wife’s bedside and softly chuckles. The doctors told him that she can still hear and feel emotions but can’t move, which he thinks isn’t so bad since he won’t have to see her flirting with other men anymore. Psycho Husband tells her to look at him, but when she refuses, he whispers that he loves her. The wife opens her eyes and stares at him while he gives a triumphant smile.

Seo-woo is at the front desk with Young-kook when Yoon-do arrives. She notices him trying to leave and calls him out. Psycho Husband passes by, and the nurses squeal over him as the devoted husband who only loves one woman. The nurse next to Su-jin even turns a bright red color and hides her face.

Seo-woo says that she knows someone like that, and Nurse Su-jin asks if she’s talking about Yoon-do. Seo-woo scoffs and calls Yoon-do garbage. Yoon-do has heard enough and excuses himself, and Seo-woo leaves in the opposite direction.

Young-kook follows Seo-woo and reminds her that this is her workplace. He doesn’t like hearing her being the topic of gossip. Seo-woo asks why she’s getting so hung up on a boy, and Young-kook says that it’s because she’s a girl.

Ji-hong takes his friends to Soon-hee’s café, and Pa-ran uses the exact same pick-up line he used on Hye-jung on Soon-hee. In-joo drags Pa-ran away, and Soon-hee asks why Hye-jung didn’t join him. He tells her that she’s mad at him, and like a true best friend, Soon-hee says that he must have done something wrong.

Hye-jung visits the wife and holds her hand. She knows the wife can hear and feel, and tells her that she has to fight to get out. The wife blinks rapidly at Hye-jung and internally begs Hye-jung to help her.

Director Jin rummages through Director Hong’s desk, wearing gloves to hide his fingerprints, and looks for his file. Later, Director Jin confronts Director Hong and asks why he kept another copy of his slush funds. He asks Director Hong how they became this way, but Director Hong wants to ask him the same question.

Director Jin declares war between them and their sons, but Director Hong is shocked to hear Ji-hong’s name. He begs his friend to keep Ji-hong out of their fight, but Director Jin won’t let Myung-hoon be the only son involved. Director Hong tries to chase after him, but collapses to the floor.

Ji-hong is drinking when he gets a call from Tae-ho, who tells him to hurry to the hospital. Ji-hong runs as fast as he can, and at the hospital, he looks at Director Hong’s scans with Tae-ho and discuss surgery. They walk down the hall, but then suddenly hear a code blue.

They rush towards Director Hong’s room, and Yoon-do and Hye-jung are already there, helplessly standing next to Director Hong. Ji-hong asks for a defibrillator, but Yoon-do reminds him that the director didn’t want to be resuscitated.

Ji-hong ignores Yoon-do, and desperately attempts CPR. Watching Ji-hong struggle, Tae-ho barks at them to bring a defibrillator, and Hye-jung complies. Tae-ho sends two shocks, but Director Hong’s heart doesn’t restart. Ji-hong continues CPR, but everyone in the room knows that it’s futile. Ji-hong narrates, “To a man, the existence of his father is the same as himself. To lose your father is like losing yourself. That day, I lost myself.”

 
COMMENTS

I love In-joo, and I’m glad that they brought her back. She’s bubbly and straightforward, and I did secretly cheer for her to be with Ji-hong. It’s also great to see her with Pa-ran because they have a great friendship with one another, though it mostly consists of Pa-ran joking around and In-joo keeping him in check. I’m also glad that In-joo didn’t get a personality switch during the time jump and is still her cheerful self. It was nice to see her greet Hye-jung warmly, and she also seems to be pushing Ji-hong and Hye-jung together. I’m a little wary about the “mistake” In-joo made with Hye-jung, because it can’t just be about the comment she made to Hye-jung about being a stumbling block in Ji-hong’s life, right? I feel like that’s such a non-issue because, in a sense, Ji-hong getting caught in a scandal with Hye-jung would have been damning. Nonetheless, her approach was tactless, and I’m sure In-joo didn’t have the purest of intentions back then. However, she must have done something else to have this be brought up, and it would explain Hye-jung’s awkward behavior around In-joo. Needless to say, I’m glad In-joo is back, and my only complaint is that it took too long.

I’m pleased to see the show introduce a new case this episode. It’s doubly exciting because it’s cameos by Jo Dal-hwan and Han Hye-jin, whom I love from previous works. I must admit that I knew the husband would be evil once he mentioned that she fell at his workplace, but that was probably just my skepticism kicking in. I found Jo Dal-hwan’s performance chilling, and though I find him to be sort of a goofy, thoughtful actor in real life, that previous image only heightened the change in his character for me. I got goosebumps when he smiled, and I wanted to scream at everyone for falling for his doting-husband routine (Do you people not watch dramas? Those guys are always the shadiest!). Han Hye-jin was also brilliant in the limited amount of space and action she was given. With just her eyes, you could see her fear when she was with her husband, and her look was so pleading in the scene with Hye-jung. I look forward to this case and their acting.

Ji-hong and Hye-jung’s relationship slowed to a crawl this episode, as they each separately brooded about the other. I don’t mind the separation since, as I mentioned previously, I think it’s good for them to reflect and address this issue. Some people might like being protected, but Hye-jung, most definitely, doesn’t want to be in a lopsided relationship. She understands Ji-hong’s standpoint because she’s similar to him, but I agree that if he wants her to change, he should also be willing to change. However, I don’t want them to be moody by themselves, and continue watching them walk on eggshells around each other. I want them to communicate more and talk about what they each want from their relationship. Luckily, Ji-hong seems to be reflecting, and (fingers crossed) they’ll get back together in the next episode. I would much rather see them being adorable around each other, and dancing like fools in the rain or running on soccer fields like lunatics.

I really like Hye-jung as a character, and seeing her expose her vulnerability so openly to Ji-hong this episode made me love her even more. Having been abandoned continuously during her formative years has left a scar in Hye-jung’s heart, and as a result, she involuntarily triggers defense mechanisms when people try to approach her. Thus, now that there’s a chance someone is passing her defenses and entering her life, Hye-jung is worried about abandonment again. She admits that Ji-hong would have that power over her, which makes her cautious in starting a relationship. Though Hye-jung is a brave and strong woman, she harbors deep insecurities when it comes to relationships. However, by opening up to Ji-hong and being vulnerable, she’s shown a bit of herself she hides to the public, which is a daunting task.

A part of me knew that they were going to kill Director Hong after seeing that hugging scene with Ji-hong (it was exactly like the scene between Grandma and Hye-jung before her surgery), but I wanted to hold onto a small sliver of hope that he’d last a couple of more episodes. It was sad to see Director Hong die because he was a great dad, but it was Ji-hong’s desperate attempt to revive him and his final narration that made it heartbreaking. I can’t even image what it would be like to lose a parent, but to be a doctor and witness your parent die in front of you must be extra devastating. Dramaland seems to like to kill off good parents, and bad parents seem to have a better survival rate. This might make me cruel, but I wouldn’t have shed a tear if Stepmother died, and I definitely wouldn’t be this heartbroken if Director Jin died instead. Hopefully, no more kind characters will die, but since this is a medical drama, someone could suddenly have a fatal accident or be diagnosed with a terminal disease. I’m just going to be in my corner shielding Tae-ho from any harm because I don’t think I’ll be able to continue if anything happened to him. You can’t hurt him, writer-nim! Not only would it make no sense, but he’s the best side character on this show! Plus, Jang Hyun-sung doesn’t need more dramas where he dies; he already has enough of those.

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