Live Up to Your Name: Episode 3
by Laica
Modern-day Seoul continues to surprise our Joseon doctor as he discovers that despite all the shiny new conveniences it contains, it can be a cold and unwelcoming place. Still, Im is relentlessly cheerful in the face of every obstacle—and he lets neither place nor circumstance stop him when he sees someone in need of help.
EPISODE 3 RECAP
Expecting to be thanked for saving Ha-ra’s life, Im is taken aback at Yeon-kyung’s anger. She slaps him in the face and yells at him for making Ha-ra run with her weak heart, adding that she’ll kill him if anything happens to her. Im stares forlornly after Yeon-kyung as she takes Ha-ra away, before security drags him outside. Ha-ra says, “Your boyfriend didn’t do anything wrong,” but Yeon-kyung ignores her.
A police detective (let’s call him Grumpy) arrives to arrest Im, and poor Im doesn’t understand as he explains that he only performed acupuncture on a critical patient. Grumpy points over at the Eastern Medicine wing of Shinhye hospital, and says that Im should have done it over there, then. The police force the protesting Im into their cruiser and take him away.
Yeon-kyung and hoobar Min-jae check the heart monitor Ha-ra wears and see that her heart had, in fact, stopped and restarted. Min-jae asks if Yeon-kyung brought Ha-ra out of cardiac arrest without a defibrillator, but Yeon-kyung remembers Im mentioning that he restarted Ha-ra’s heart.
In disbelief, Yeon-kyung goes to the security room and asks them to show her the CCTV footage of the incident. She and the security guard watch in amazement as Im brings Ha-ra back from the brink with acupuncture.
Meanwhile, Im cowers at the police station, and we see through his eyes the unexplained horrors he observes: detectives abusing people with their notebooks, people locked up like animals, a restricted area only staff can access. Grumpy asks his name, misunderstanding it and writing it as “Heo Ga-im,” and takes down his age (thirty years old). He reaches out a hand for Im’s ID, only for Im to tentatively reach out and take his hand. Ha!
Im hands over his actual ID, a wooden block with his name inscribed on it, which baffles Grumpy. As Grumpy excuses himself for a bit, seemingly having stomach troubles, Im miserably wonders why he’s being treated this way for saving someone’s life. Thinking back to Joseon interrogation methods, he wonders if he’s going to be flogged as punishment.
At that moment, Yeon-kyung’s grandfather enters the station with a police officer, dragging along a man he’s accusing for selling fake products. The man swears the branch Grandpa is waving around is genuine aloeswood, but Grandpa snaps that it’s obviously doctored. Im, watching the two men argue, also declares that it’s fake.
They all look at him in surprise, and he gives them an encyclopedic summary of the evidence. The police officer drags the man away, and Grandpa looks Im up and down as though he can’t believe his eyes.
Grumpy finally comes back and irritably throws Im into a holding cell. Im peers through the bars and, remembering feeling Grumpy’s pulse when he was arrested, says that the reason the detective’s stomach is upset is because he used too much “energy” (ahem) last night. Grumpy draws close and whispers, “How’d you know?” Im just gives him a cheeky grin.
Outside, Grandpa repeats, “Heo Ga-im?” but mutters that such a thing can’t happen twice.
Im places a warm cloth on a shirtless and twitchy Grumpy’s stomach, saying with a smirk that the man’s body parts (he glances down at the man’s fly, omo) are overtired. Im is in the midst of applying needles when Grumpy spots Yeon-kyung in the doorway and flinches, causing Im to stab his foot.
Outside the station later, Yeon-kyung asks him if he’s a con artist, or perhaps an unlicensed quack. Offended, Im says that he’s the best doctor in Joseon. Yeon-kyung says she noticed he pierced all ten of Ha-ra’s fingers, and asks who he learned that from. And for that matter, she asks, how long did it take him to learn it? Three months? (This is how highly she thinks of acupuncturists.)
Im asks why she’s interrogating him, and she asks who he thinks he is to save her patient with acupuncture. He tells her his name, his hometown, and that he is from Hanyang (old Seoul) in Joseon, but she just walks away from him, fed up.
He follows her, saying that he was simply answering her question. She turns around and says she doesn’t care if he jokes or lies, but he can’t fool around with acupuncture—someone could die. She warns that if she sees him doing it again, she’ll take him to the police herself.
She gives him some painkillers and anti-inflammatories, telling him that they’re for his arm, and he hunches over, near tears in sudden realization of the pain. Yeon-kyung can’t help smiling a bit at this, and she tells him to come to the hospital tomorrow so she can change his dressing.
Im is surprised at her kindness; he observes that although she doesn’t think he’s crazy anymore, she doesn’t seem to trust him either. Yeon-kyung replies that she’s taking responsibility like he said… er, as a doctor, that is, since Im got hurt because of her patient. Right.
“Responsibility,” repeats Im with a big smile. He mentions Ha-ra, but this makes Yeon-kyung angrily berate him for being proud of his dumb luck in saving her, especially when Im made her run to begin with. As Yeon-kyung warns him to stay away from the girl, Im tries to explain about Ha-ra’s emotional state, but Yeon-kyung is gone, and he pouts that she always speaks her piece and leaves.
Im begins his hunt for a place to stay for the night, announcing himself the way he would in Joseon by declaring himself a traveler in need of lodging for the night. But it doesn’t go so well: He tries a day care but gets scared off by the alarm when he knocks on the window, he rings the bell of a house and gets cursed at, and then, he stands in the parking lot of an apartment complex and resorts to calling out for whoever can hear. The residents just yell at him to go home if he’s drunk, and he’s soon chased off by security.
Yeon-kyung stops by her grandfather’s place to tell Bok-man (the dog) about her insane day, all because of a “very weird man.” Grandpa comes out to hear her asking why Bok-man didn’t finish his rice and grumbles that she cares more about the dog than her old grandfather. Grandpa gives Bok-man some kimchi fried rice instead and asks hopefully if Yeon-kyung will spend the night, but she says she has to go.
He reminds her to eat properly and gives her some herbal medicines, but she refuses them. Yeon-kyung says goodbye to Bok-man, but not before assuring him that she’s doing well so that he won’t have to worry.
In her car, she smacks her own head in frustration and remembers the time before her mother died, when she’d been fascinated by acupuncture and had dreamed of inheriting Grandpa’s clinic.
Now, she looks at a picture of herself with her mom. “Don’t be upset,” she says to the picture, as she promises her mom that she’ll become an amazing doctor.
Im wanders the streets, dismayed by the disappearance of hospitality. He finally finds a nook to relieve himself in… except on the other side of that wall, Bok-man perks up, and his owner comes out to see why. Seeing what Im’s doing, Grandpa is quick to scold him, at least until the two men recognize each other from the police station.
Back at Shinhye Hospital, Professor Hwang tells Yeon-kyung to keep quiet about Im saving Ha-ra, since he’s worried that Yeon-kyung will get in trouble. Yeon-kyung points out that he’s more worried about his own skin, while fellow doctor Kang Man-soo listens from around a corner.
When she returns to the ward, Yeon-kyung’s friend, Nurse Jung, tells her that Ha-ra has also asked that Yeon-kyung not tell her parents about Im. Nurse Jung adds pointedly that sometimes, it’s good to listen to one’s patients.
Yeon-kyung finds both of Ha-ra’s parents with her, and apologizes for what happened. Her father thanks Yeon-kyung profusely for saving his daughter, and then yells at his wife for leaving Ha-ra. As the couple argues, Ha-ra miserably curls in on herself, and Yeon-kyung firmly tells Ha-ra’s parents to leave so the patient can rest.
Back at the house, Im asks Grandpa why his clinic is called Hyeminseo (where he used to work), when he’s heard that establishment closed down long ago. Grandpa simply frowns at him, and Im assures him hastily that he’s not crazy. “Did I say you were?” asks the old man.
Im enters the gate, observing the paraphernalia of traditional Korean medicine, and Grandpa tells him he can spend the night outside. When Im’s stomach grumbles, Grandpa takes him to the kitchen, and Im marvels at the quantity of kimchi fried rice Grandpa sets before him. Grandpa just says that he’s lucky Bok-man didn’t want to eat it as Im gratefully falls upon the food. Oh dear.
Im also takes the medicine Yeon-kyung gave him, chuckling bashfully at the thought of her “taking responsibility,” although he grumbles about her moodiness. At the bitter taste, he downs a carton of milk he sees on the counter.
A man arrives at Shinhye Hospital the next morning, and he has the same face as Jin-oh from the royal infirmary back in Joseon—but this is YOO JAE-HA (also played by Yoo Min-kyu).
Jae-ha goes to the ER, where a tired Yeon-kyung is trading barbs with Man-soo, who is making sexist remarks about how unkempt she looks. Jae-ha teases that he’s seen her looking much worse, and Yeon-kyung punches him playfully, looking pleased to see him. She goes for a high-five, but he pulls her in for a hug, prompting giggles from nearby nurses.
She extricates herself, and he tells her that he came straight here from the airport to see her, referring to her by name. She puts him in a headlock for not calling her “Noona,” but he protests that they’re only a year apart, and besides, he’s not a kid anymore.
She counters that he’ll always be her younger brother and declines his dinner invitation, although she says she’s sincerely glad to see him again. He watches her leave, reflecting that after two years away, he only got five minutes with her.
Grandpa’s staff screams to find a snoring, half-naked Im passed out on the clinic floor. Their screams wake Im up, and he screams too—but suddenly feeling his bowels clench, Im rushes out to the bathroom.
Grandpa’s found the empty carton of (spoiled) milk, and shakes his head at the hapless man, telling his male assistant that he’ll need his help. When a pale Im exits the bathroom, Grandpa’s female assistant recoils at the mess Im has made… on the floor. Oh, gross.
Im sees Bok-man and excitedly goes over to him, petting him and hugging him despite Grandpa’s warning that the dog hates strangers. Im remarks happily that the dog is the first one to be glad to see him since he came here, and asks his name. Grandpa tells him, and Im compliments the name… until realization hits. Im sees Bok-man’s food dish and promptly gags.
Inside the building, Grandpa muses over the strange comments Im made as he searches Im’s belongings. He gasps when he finds the magical needle case. “How could this happen again?” Grandpa wonders.
Jae-ha visits his grandfather, who is the director of the Shinhye Eastern Medicine Hospital. The old man is preparing to set up VIP wards so he can hopefully beat the director of Shinhye Hospital for the chairman position.
Grandpa leaves Im with his male assistant, and Im proceeds to make a nuisance of himself in various ways, eventually getting himself thrown out onto the street. Searching for a way to get to the hospital, Im finds a child’s bike and mounts it, careening down the hill until he crashes into the front of a truck. He mumbles to the shocked woman inside to call for an ambulance.
Yeon-kyung watches Ha-ra, who has refused surgery, and thinks of the girl’s mother pleading for her to convince Ha-ra to get her lifesaving surgery.
Just then, Shinhye Hospital’s Director Shin Myung-hoon (identical to the corrupt war minister in Joseon and also played by Ahn Suk-hwan) calls Yeon-kyung into his office, furious at the video of Im saving Ha-ra that has been anonymously uploaded to the hospital website. Yeon-kyung says that Im is just a passerby and assures the director that he won’t be back.
Yeon-kyung runs into Man-soo next, who asks if she’s cheating on her boyfriend with Jae-ha. She asks Man-soo if he’s the one who uploaded the video of Im, and he freely admits it. He knows that Yeon-kyung bailed Im out, and pointedly remarks that treating someone without a medical license probably carries heavy penalties.
Meanwhile, Im is on his way to the hospital, clutching at the side of the ambulance and trying to convince himself he’s riding a horse. Im notices that the EMT looks ill, and though he keeps telling himself that he’s the patient, in the end, he’s unable to resist.
He has the EMT lie on the gurney and fights both his nausea and the rocking motion of the ambulance to treat the man’s indigestion. (Dude, needles in a moving vehicle?!) By the time they arrive at the hospital, both have returned to their places.
Yeon-kyung is paged to the ER, and she arrives to find the nurses giggling as Im proudly waits for her. She takes him outside to change his dressing and gives him the supplies, telling to do it himself once a day now that he knows how. She tells him to come back in a week to get his stitches out, but not before then, and to leave through the back gate.
With a hangdog expression, Im asks what he’s done wrong now. He asks if she knows what he had to do to return to the hospital as she asked, but she tells him he shouldn’t use an ambulance for such a trivial purpose, or keep lying that he’s her boyfriend—doesn’t he consider how embarrassing that is for her, at her workplace?
Im asks about Ha-ra, and Yeon-kyung sighs that she’s tired; she’s been looking after her patient all night, and now that patient is refusing surgery. She doesn’t have time to deal with Im’s questions, or wonder who he is, or whether she should get him put in jail. “So hurry up and leave before anyone sees you,” she tells him. “Get lost.”
Im finds a spot to sit down and bandage his knee, which he hurt in the bicycle accident. Just then, he spots Ha-ra leaving the hospital in street clothes and calls out to her. Ha-ra ends up fixing his wound for him as she scolds him for always getting hurt. Now a bit more companionable with each other, Im innocently asks Ha-ra what a “boyfriend” is, and she explains that it’s a term for a lover. Surprised, Im now finally understands why Yeon-kyung was so upset.
He asks Ha-ra if she has a place to go, and says he’s envious when she says (a bit too strongly) that she does. Suddenly spotting Yeon-kyung, Im scrambles to hide, but not before smacking Ha-ra on the head so that she cries out, alerting Yeon-kyung.
Yeon-kyung approaches, and Ha-ra asks if the doctor is here to convince her to get surgery. Yeon-kyung says that it’s Ha-ra’s decision, but there are many people who don’t get the privilege of making that choice. She tells Ha-ra that the future she’s thoughtlessly throwing away is one that many are desperate for.
Yeon-kyung admits that she doesn’t have the best bedside manner, but says that she keeps her promises: “My promise to save you. Because that’s why I became a doctor.” With that, she leaves.
Im, who has been listening from his hiding place, remembers little Yoon-yi, and now we hear the words he’d whispered in her ear: “Hang on a little longer. I will come back and save you for certain.”
A bit later, Ha-ra returns to her hospital room, where her parents and Yeon-kyung are waiting. She announces that she’ll have the surgery, as long as her mom and dad promise to get divorced. She tells them that she knows they’re unhappy together, and since she knew that they were only staying together for her sake, she’d wanted to die so that they could get divorced and finally be happy. Aw.
But now, she says she’s realized that she doesn’t want to die. “I want to ride a rollercoaster with my friends. I want to grow up and dance at a club,” she says, looking over at Yeon-kyung. “I want to have an awesome dream. Mom and Dad, let’s all be happy together.” Her mom hugs her, sobbing.
Later, Ha-ra tells Yeon-kyung that it was “that ajusshi” who convinced her to change her mind. We see how through a flashback:
Im had told Ha-ra that the hardest thing for a doctor was losing someone they wanted to and could have saved. “In my world, there are more people that I can’t save than people I can. But what can I do? Human medicine isn’t advanced enough to treat their diseases. But when I lose patients I could have saved, that day I cannot eat or sleep. I feel so resentful.” After saying this, he had laughed ruefully.
He went on to tell her that an illness can be cured only if the patient is willing to overcome it—the doctor’s job is only to help their patients in that fight. “That day, I didn’t save you. You saved yourself, with your will to survive,” Im had told Ha-ra.
Ha-ra finishes recounting this to Yeon-kyung in the present and asks if Im really is a doctor from Joseon.
Inside the neighboring Eastern medicine building, Jae-ha’s grandfather, Director Ma, watches the CCTV video of Im and orders his secretary to find out who the man is.
A hungry Im goes back to Shinhye Hospital, and upon seeing Yeon-kyung in the lobby, he’s about to flag her down when he sees her with Jae-ha. Jae-ha presents her with a bouquet, and as he watches her laugh and chase Jae-ha, Im’s face falls. “So she does know how to smile,” he notes with a sad smile of his own.
Im lingers outside, and soon sees multiple ambulances arriving with what the EMTs call traffic accident victims. Im doesn’t know what that means, but he remembers the word being mentioned during Yeon-kyung’s fainting spells. Jae-ha passes by and confirms that she’s in the ER, and Im darts over there.
He finds her in a daze in the center of the hectic ward, her stethoscope lying at her feet. Im sees a gurney headed straight for her, a long metal rod poking dangerously over the edge. He dashes forward, enfolding her in his arms from behind and catching the blow on his own back… and they both disappear.
Im awakens on a forest floor, Yeon-kyung lying unconscious next to him. With shock and dismay, he recognizes Hanyang in the distance.
And then he sees a very large tiger approaching them, growling softly. Panicked, he grabs for a confused Yeon-kyung, dragging her upright and telling her to run.
COMMENTS
This episode really gave us more insight into both of our protagonists’ philosophies about medicine, and the relationship they each have to their patients. We’ve mostly seen Im in a comedic light so far, and while he plays the humor perfectly (I’m about to rename Kim Nam-gil the Man of a Thousand Expressions), here he shows us that in large part, his antics are a coping mechanism. I was struck by how he often laughs when he feels sad or uncomfortable, as during his deeply vulnerable conversation with Ha-ra. The mercenary doctor trying to escape his low birth is definitely one side of him, but now I can see that he’s also used it as a shield to survive in a world that has continuously rejected and mocked him. (We also got to see how hilariously cheeky he is in this episode, which I loved.)
Yeon-kyung, on the other hand, cares greatly for her patients and takes her responsibilities to them very seriously, but for her, that duty encompasses only the physical body. She’ll do whatever she can as a surgeon, but she doesn’t see it as part of her job to solve her patients’ psychological issues. And technically, it isn’t—but it’s interesting how this ties in with the contrast between Eastern medicine’s philosophy of looking at the body holistically, versus the Western tradition of dividing up the body’s systems and treating them separately. It may also be the reason why Im was able to reach Ha-ra when Yeon-kyung couldn’t; he was aware of the pain she was feeling in her heart, whereas Yeon-kyung could only see the illness in the girl’s body.
Im has clearly been crushing on Yeon-kyung since he first saw her, but in this episode we saw the first signs that she’s also interested in him. At the very least, she worries about him and wonders about him (and gets irritated at him every five minutes, which may as well be a flashing neon sign indicating “Fated Romance”). The two actors have wonderful chemistry, and I enjoyed their scenes together, although I started to lose my patience near the end of the hour with Yeon-kyung always asking him questions and not really listening to his answers—but then again, most of what Im says is pretty unbelievable, and she’s a sleep-deprived surgeon, so I can understand why she reacts that way. I’m glad she was able to learn a bit more about what kind of person Im is and of the shared passion they have for helping their patients through Ha-ra.
It seems clear now that Grandpa has seen a time traveler before, and all signs point to that person being Heo Jun. I wonder if this drama is planning to go the route of Heo Jun having gained some of his knowledge from his trip(s) to the future, and thus having great success and fame as a medical genius. There are also at least two reincarnations wandering around, although it’s strange that they’re both villains from Im’s past. I’m not sure what to think of the mechanism for time travel; as far as I can tell, one needs to have the magic needles and be in mortal danger to travel in time, and that seems cribbed right from Queen In-hyun’s Man. Now that our duo is in Joseon, I’m looking forward to seeing them navigate Im’s world, and for Yeon-kyung to be the fish out of water. I’m not sure it was necessary to have that random tiger at the end, considering Im is already wanted for treason, but I guess I’ll roll with it. Hijinks ahoy!
RELATED POSTS
- Live Up to Your Name: Episode 1
- Premiere Watch: Manhole, Live Up to Your Name
- Acupuncturist versus surgeon for Live Up to Your Name
- Jaw-dropping, club-hopping Kim Ah-joong in Live Up to Your Name
- Kim Nam-gil flaps his wings to travel back to the past in Live Up to Your Name
- The needle vs. the knife for Live Up to Your Name
- Time-slip drama Live Up to Your Name gets a time slot on tvN
- Kim Nam-gil, Kim Ah-joong offered new tvN time-slip drama
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1 Ek Ladhki Thi is Kim Eun-sooks no 1 fan
August 22, 2017 at 2:11 PM
I enjoyed this episode a lot and I didn't think I would like this drama at first. Yeon-kyung is a character that could have been easily unlikable but the way she's written and the expressions Kim Ah-joong gives her show a vulnerability that keeps her from getting needlessly stubborn and standoffish. The eastern vs western medicine has always been a really interesting topic for me and I've always thought that they could actually co-exist in the medical world. I grew up in a family where a lot of sickness were treated by herbs. When my siblings and I had the chicken pox as children, we weren't taken to a hospital, my stepmother made some herbs she learnt from her mother and we were fine a few days later, and not a single pockmark was left on our skin. We also have herbs for treating things like fevers and stuff like that, but we've also seen our fair of hospital rooms though because there are some things that herbs alone cannot treat. I find it both understandable and upsetting that she would try to discredit traditional methods of treatment but this is not a criticism of the show or the character.
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michykdrama
August 22, 2017 at 2:45 PM
Yes I love Yeon Kyung's vulnerability too! She is so kick ass and obviously excellent at her job, (plus she took the high road despite having a disgustingly underhanded colleague whose only talent is ratting on her), but she doesn't come across as unlikeable at all. I'm rooting for her All The Way!
The western vs eastern medicine has always existed but most rational doctors are able to accept both. But western medicine has much more robust evidence of its effectiveness as well as safety measures to prevent harm (Randomised controlled trials, FDA approval etc) compared to eastern or traditional medicine. So I have seen many people suffer from misinformation about the effectiveness of herbs or "alternative therapies". in fact there was a recent article about how cancer patients are twice as likely to die if they used alternative therapies compared to conventional hospital treatment.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cancer-patients-who-use-alternative-medicine-are-more-than-twice-as-likely-to-die-a7893541.html
So it makes Yeon Kyung's past very real and possible, and therefore her disdain for acupuncture very understandable, and makes her so so relatable to me.
So I'm really looking forward to how the Show is going to resolve this and reconcile her and Heo Im's differing methods, as she starts developing feelings for him. Honestly, I really cannot wait and hope the show won't disappoint!
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Zaiem
August 22, 2017 at 6:59 PM
i agree about the western and eastern medicine part. it's refreshing to see this in medical dramas, and imo, makes this drama much more interesting and insightful if it could dig this issue deeper. this is not a fight btwn the two practices, it opens more possibilities to human's health.
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Lord Cobol
August 22, 2017 at 8:29 PM
If you want to compare effectiveness of traditional medicine (including accupuncture) to modern medicine, don't drive yourself crazy looking at zillions of specific ailments and trying to measure which treatments are how effective. Just look at life expectancy and mortality statistics of "then" vs "now".
FWIW, I had tried accupuncture for back pain when I was in Taiwan back in the 70s. Lots of needles along my spine and (if I recall correctly) in my legs and a few other places. Didn't help my back pain at all. The only effect it had was that while the needles were in I had an intense desire to NOT MOVE any part of my body that had needles in it.
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Ek Ladhki Thi is Kim Eun-sooks no 1 fan
August 22, 2017 at 8:54 PM
I didn't say traditional methods of treatment were more effective than modern methods, I only stated that I thought they could co-exist nicely. One could even lead to advancements in the other.
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silvermists
August 22, 2017 at 10:32 PM
On that note, its so refreshing (not to mention interesting) that this drama is based off of that philosophical debate about the merits of both kinds of treatments as opposed to hospital politics. I like the approach they are talking so far in showing us both these kinds of treatments have their own merits and stand to learn from one another and grow as a practice. The show has taken care to always keep these two sides in balance even more so in the 4th episode which is something I really appreciate.
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Kaoren
August 23, 2017 at 3:23 AM
And they do in fact inform each other: see the use of artemisinin to treat malaria, informed by the traditional Chinese materia medica. It's not to say it's all hidden gold in there, and often as a researcher, you'd turn over lots of dead ends, but sometimes you do find cool avenues for investigation. (See: the ongoing controversy over medieval treatments for eye infections as a means of possibly treating MRSA.)
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michykdrama
August 23, 2017 at 8:27 AM
They definitely can. But only when they learn to respect each other and also know each other's limitations. Western medicine needs to stop believing it's the only way, and eastern/traditional medicine has to know what their limitations are.
Like you said- coexisit- they should be complimentary rather than mutually exclusive. A multi-pronged approach always helps and the end goal has always been the same- to heal and cure whenever possible.
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michykdrama
August 23, 2017 at 8:28 AM
*coexist
2 michykdrama
August 22, 2017 at 2:25 PM
I'm at work (it's 5 am) and since I can't be sleeping I copped a peep here and woohoo! Recap is up. Thanks Laica!
The middle bit of the episode got a tiny bit boring but the ending third was fabulous. Loved the feels I got from Heo Im and Yeon Kyung and their philosophies of caring for patients, as well as Ha Ra.
Plus I love the double time travel since it's such a good way to organically build up attraction between our leads and have Yeon Kyung believe that Heo Im isn't insane. Plus she gets to see him flaunt his medical prowess and a man who is good at his job is always doubly attractive!
Cannot wait to get off work and watch Episode 4! (Sleep is for the weak!)
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3 mehitable
August 22, 2017 at 2:26 PM
Yay! I love that they've travelled back together, because it's going to cut short the whole process of YK coming to believe him, and it's also going to force her to slow down and be the one who doesn't know what to do. I agree their chemistry is good, and I'm looking forward to seeing Im as the one who knows what's going on, although of course the whole treason thing is going to be tricky :)
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silvermists
August 22, 2017 at 10:35 PM
I loved that they traveled back not only because it would make YK believe him, but also because this allows her to see him in his own element. As mentioned in the recap, a lot f Heo's goofiness is a defense mechanism for him in order to cope with this new reality. But as we have seen from the 1st episode, his goofiness and the comedy of the drama, does not take away from him being a very competent and celebrated doctor. Hopefully YK seeing Heo in his own element will lead her to respect him a degree, because that is the only way she will ever come to respect and understand Eastern medicine.
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4 redfox
August 22, 2017 at 2:34 PM
wonderful actors the both of them, Kim Nam Gil´s mannerisms really remind me of Johnny Depp as Raoul Duke from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. and well, the character is having quite a trip... the only thing that is bothering me is needles cause I am not too fond of being poked or seeing it .
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Beverly A
August 22, 2017 at 4:52 PM
Excellent reference!
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Del
August 22, 2017 at 5:18 PM
Thought that I am the only one noticing. Aside from the mannerism, Kim Nam Gil himself looked a bit like Johnny Depp and I started to notice this when I watched him in the movie "Pirates".
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keiru
August 22, 2017 at 9:19 PM
And Johnny Depp is Kim Nam Gil's favorite actor ! I forget where I read it, but Kim Nam Gil once mention that he felt honored to be said that he looks like his fav actor
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redfox
August 23, 2017 at 12:26 AM
I kind of had a hunch that might be it, feels a little bit like he is imitating that style of acting. and he does resemble him a little especially the eyes.
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5 jillian
August 22, 2017 at 2:44 PM
Initially I couldnt get with the leads because they have certain characteristics that was off putting for me. The story started engaging enough and I always like time travel dramas. As the characters show cracks on their brash outer shells then I started to soften and get into the storyline.
I always expected that people who time travel from the past would be initially awed and dumbstruck by the modern world. KNG has portrayed all that and more to stellar effect. Much more than some of the time travellers that I've seen in the past. His character and the mystery of why he time travelled was the one that drew me in this story. And looking forward to knowing more about why it happens and his purpose on travelling through time.
Initially, I didnt like Heo Im but I just felt bad for him when he jumped through time and was treated badly from the start. He was already maligned due to his low birth despite his skills in the joseon era. And he is also not getting any slack in this new world.
Yeon Kyung on the other hand has underlying issues that she is dealing with. Just felt heartbreak with how she disregards her grandfather and her upbringing. Looking forward to more clashes between her and Heo Im. Now that the tables have turned. ?
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6 unatuna
August 22, 2017 at 2:44 PM
I'm a *tiny* bit disappointed that the time travel mechanism is so similar to QIHM's, but the double time travel keeps things interesting. Looking forward to Yeon-kyung's turn to be a fish out of water in Joseon, and hopefully a pretty hanbok or two!
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Lord Cobol
August 22, 2017 at 8:34 PM
Or they could just double down on the QIHM thing and toss in a cameo or two of the QIHM leads.
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7 Pensola
August 22, 2017 at 2:47 PM
Ah, YES, we're in the past, now the real show is about to begin! Can't wait to see what they will do about this idea that both people can travel through time. Or, the Doctor (Heo-Im) travels through time and brings with him his companion? :P Doctor Who-Im??
I know nothing about acupuncture, so whenever Heo Im or other acupuncturists do something extraordinary with it, I keep wondering if it actually would be possible to do in the real world, or if they buff the acupuncture abilities for dramaland purposes so Heo Im isn't left behind by Yeon-Kyung's modern medicine.
I kind of wish the time-traveling aspect had been different, as well, since it is so similar to Queen In-Hyun's Man. For example, have it so that the one with the magic needles can travel across time whenever they desperately wants to leave or disappear. However, that wish must be something deep, so at the start Heo Im can only travel when he is about to die because that moment of pain and imminent death empties his head into thinking only one thing: "TAKE ME AWAY/TAKE THE PAIN AWAY FROM ME" or something. The reason he could not return before would be because in his heart, he did not want to return home since he knew he would be beheaded there. After a while in the drama, he would be able to easier control the traveling, then the needle case breaks to create drama, or something.
I don't know, I'm just trying to come up with another explanation than a carbon copy of Queen In-Hyun's Man. That is kind of the plan for my own time-travelling story, that two people from different times at first time-travel at random, sometimes switching places, sometimes meeting each other at one time, until they learn to control it and start visiting to help each other etc..
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Lord Cobol
August 22, 2017 at 8:32 PM
"Doctor Who-Im??"
LOL!!!!
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silvermists
August 22, 2017 at 10:37 PM
bahahahaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
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silvermists
August 22, 2017 at 10:45 PM
So far, the drama has taken great pains to bring out the finer details in the time travel hijinks. They have really thought things through and shown us a lot of instances where a time traveler would actually be thrown off or not be able to comprehend modern world. Even in showing the argument with Easter vs Western medicine, they have taken care to portray both sides of the argument. With this episode and the reverse time travel aspect (something that wasn't there in QIHM) I am hopeful the drama would bring something new to the table in explaining the time travel aspects. As it stands, this time travel feels more like Faith than QIHM.
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8 Beverly A
August 22, 2017 at 2:58 PM
I am loving this show. I'd been in a k-drama slump lately. Nothing has been appealing to me and I won't even go into how disappointed I am by 'Habaek the Water God'! I'm so happy the drought is over!
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9 Serendipity
August 22, 2017 at 3:21 PM
Two doctors living two different times&eras...one is more humane but greedy because of lowly birth,other is rather cold but not greedy.
The drama in a way points to the ethical issue of 'Humanistic Medicine' imho...in today's practice the doctors rely excessively on tests which are helpful to diagnose more correctly.However the doctor-patient relationship is rather stiff&mechanical.
I hope that the two doctors will learn from each other in upcoming episodes,producing a more holistic view of the cases they will deal with.
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10 bbstl
August 22, 2017 at 3:21 PM
Thank you, Laica, it appears I will be following this show only through your recaps ☹️ I watched 1&2 on viewasian but at 3 it was all messed up with redirects and gunk. Waaaah! Why can't someone normal be carrying this great show ?
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Beverly A
August 22, 2017 at 4:53 PM
Try newasiantv.me
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bbstl
August 23, 2017 at 4:23 PM
Thank you, that worked!
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Del
August 22, 2017 at 5:30 PM
Try viu.
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bbstl
August 23, 2017 at 4:26 PM
Thank you. I should have mentioned, I'm in NA and can't use viu.
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11 Chukahae (축하해)
August 22, 2017 at 3:34 PM
⭐️ I guess I’m glad that I’m not yet watch Queen In-hyun’s Man because the time travel mechanics is different enough from the other korean dramas that I had watched that makes it felt fresh.
⭐️ I like how the show balances the different genres of the drama. It is medical drama alright but still being educative without being too procedural. At times, the show feels more rom and com than your average romcom that aired recently.
⭐️ Thanks Laica for your recap ?. From Forest of Secrets to Live Up To Your Name, they’re always insightful and fun to read.
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Laica
August 22, 2017 at 9:50 PM
Thank you! :)
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12 hannaehh
August 22, 2017 at 4:18 PM
This drama was not on my radar even when I thought the teasers were funny. I only watched ep 1 when I read good reviews and now I'm totally hooked! It gives me lots of good laughs? KNG's comedy act as fish out of water is funny and it's exactly what I need these days. The double time-travel makes it more interesting than any other time-travel drama! I love the idea of it!
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anastassia
August 22, 2017 at 7:05 PM
really love this drama plus my hubby is a surgeon who support oreintal medicne.
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13 neener
August 22, 2017 at 5:18 PM
This is my new crack drama! Continue to be good ?
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14 Del
August 22, 2017 at 5:28 PM
I am so happy for the faster recap this week. Excellent work and thanks, Laica.
Heo Im is really creeping on me. I could not helped but wanting things for the better for him despite knowing that he is less than a perfect hero. The time slip element in this drama is really intriguing. So, there was a time traveler before? the dog can tell? and would these two actually alternate between the two time period whenever they (or Heo Im) in danger?
On a side note, I still have problem with Yeon Kyung being all bothered by the grotesque sight of blood. Initially I brushed it off as one of the rare cases for her but down to 3 episodes, the same fear reoccur. I still could not easily swallow this as she is a surgeon and this fear totally irrelevant for someone in practice like her.
Anyway, Kim Nam Gil is just brilliant. That scene in the ambulance and his fascination with "calling 911" really gave me a good laugh. Now off to rewatching Bidam just to get my addiction fixed till next Monday.
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Ok
August 22, 2017 at 6:24 PM
Its not exactly the grotesque sight of blood. It's the circumstances. Victims involved in car crash accident. She may have ptsd.
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Ek Ladhki Thi is Kim Eun-sooks no 1 fan
August 22, 2017 at 7:05 PM
She's not afraid of blood, she has ptsd associated with car accidents. So anything involving car crashes trigger her but not just the sight of blood. She fainted when Im was about to get run over by the bus too.
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Del
August 22, 2017 at 8:59 PM
But don't you think it's weird that she experienced this fainting spell rather frequently? Car crashes and accidents happened all the time and it's not a rare sight at the hospital.
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mehitable
August 22, 2017 at 9:07 PM
The implication in one of the earlier episodes was that this had just started recently, possibly when Im showed up and nearly got hit by the bus. She asked herself "what was that" and Im also asked if she'd been having problems recently.
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15 Ohlalaland
August 22, 2017 at 6:03 PM
I wasn't going to watch this and didn't like the first 2 episodes. The characters also were not likable - Heo Im (too greedy at the expense of his patients even though I understand the need for wealth), Yeon - Kyung (always interrupting while someone else is talking even though I understand there are big risks with the safety of alternative medicine) even the little girl pissed me off as well as her mum. Ahhhh, I was ready to give up on this show, then the reverse time travel happened and I think I will have to keep watching (Ep 4 was even better). The contrast between eastern & western medicine also sets this apart from your usual medical drama. Kim Nam Gil's comedic timing is a huge plus as well. Hopefully, the writer keeps the comedy along with more interesting cases.
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Ek Ladhki Thi is Kim Eun-sooks no 1 fan
August 22, 2017 at 7:06 PM
Ugh, the little girl drove me nuts in the first few hours of this show but after a while, I started to wonder if there was something deeper troubling her and it ended up getting confirmed. Her reasoning for wanting to just die broke my heart.
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keiru
August 22, 2017 at 9:00 PM
Yup, I had wanted to smack her pretty little head the first time I saw her annoying smile, but after some time I started to warm up to her. Now after episode 3, I just want to hug her.. (plus I have only realized that she was little In Ha in Pinocchio)
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knom
August 23, 2017 at 2:31 AM
When she said she wanted to die, ugh. My heart just couldn't take it. I bawled like a baby.
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16 KdramaAhjumma
August 22, 2017 at 7:30 PM
Blessed my selective memory. I didn't remember fully the mechanics of the time travel in Queen In Hyun's Man which is a good thing coz I was thrilled by the twist at the end - double the time travel shenanigans! He can bring someone along with him! Double yay! And I don't mind if the show uses the same premise as QIHM as long as the rest of the show is good, and best if it is great! I rather that, than a unique time travel mechanism but the story falls flat and boring.
And thanks for pointing out that the second male lead has a counterpart in Joseon, it didn't dawn on me at all, must be Kim Nam Gil's effect hahaha! I was wondering what's up with the slo-mo unmasking of the second male lead when he was in the taxi. Now I know, duh!
Overall I enjoyed the episodes so far! Thanks for the recap, Laica! I gained much more insight and understanding after reading!
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hannaehh
August 22, 2017 at 8:25 PM
Hehe I only catch that the second lead is the same actor as the bad Joseon doctor after watching episode 4. But that shows how he might be "bad" second lead as he's considered bad in Joseon era.
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keiru
August 22, 2017 at 9:05 PM
O.. ooh.. I didn't know about it too.. He has beard in Joseon part, so he looks completely different (or his face is just forgettable like that.. hehe..)
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Laica
August 23, 2017 at 2:51 PM
It's definitely the bread - I knew I recognized the actor's voice when I was doing episode 1, but I had to go look him up before I recognized him!
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17 Lord Cobol
August 22, 2017 at 8:38 PM
If Heo Im wants to be the male lead and get the girl (as is traditional) he's going to have to stop pooping on the floor.
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18 lenrasoon
August 22, 2017 at 8:43 PM
This drama was a great surprise, i keep loving every episode more and more.
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19 fay17
August 22, 2017 at 10:02 PM
There is a bit of similarity with johnny depp in terms of comedic acting, but one moment which didn't look so charismatic is when he pooped right in the middle of the kitchen floor ?????
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fay17
August 22, 2017 at 10:03 PM
Oh I meant it as a reply to redfox's comment lol. ?
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20 anna
August 22, 2017 at 10:08 PM
I know ya'll are worried that KNG might die again in this drama, but technically he already died twice lol I feel like it's an inside joke at this point. I have faith he'll survive through it all.
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Ek Ladhki Thi is Kim Eun-sooks no 1 fan
August 23, 2017 at 3:21 AM
And he'll have to die every time he needs to time travel, so I think he would have paid all his dues to Lee Dong-wook by then and he won't need to die in the finale.
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21 fay17
August 22, 2017 at 10:09 PM
Tbh I hope the doctor stops using her hands and legs so much on heo im. It's frustrating to see that she thinks it's okay to do that to someone who has always been meek in his plea, it doesn't look empowering at all. Whatever message the writer is trying to give, it is kind of off putting. That slap was totally uncalled for.?
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Pensola
August 22, 2017 at 11:41 PM
I feel it is the good ol' double standard that it is okay for a woman to hit a man because she will never REALLY be threatening to him, and as a manly man he should be able to take it as just something weak. So it is supposed to be a character trait, like, "oh, she's so spunky and energetic!"
I do not like it either, I feel there were other ways to show her various character traits and intensity of the situation. But I am not used to even the most casual violence and I do not know Korean culture that well, so it might be a clash as well?
Hopefully, now that she will see Heo Im in his own element and see that not only is he really from the past but also is competent, she will lay more off him. After all, if she happens to time-travel again with him, she will be dependent on his help.
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Katrina
September 4, 2017 at 7:03 PM
I was angry about that slap too. Especially since I felt so outaged on her behalf when Ha-Ra's mother did it to her. I thought that being on the receiving end of that kind of crap behavior would have made her think twice before doing the same thing to someone else
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22 Mamadre
August 22, 2017 at 10:48 PM
That head smacking was hilarious yet effective bwahahahaha
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Katrina
September 4, 2017 at 6:54 PM
Yeah. I had to rewind that one
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23 YY
August 23, 2017 at 1:46 AM
Kim Nam-Gil is so funny, and I love him so much, I'm going to list down some of my favorite faces:
1. The silly face: This is my favorite, he walks around with his jaws slack, mouth shaped into an O, his eyes as huge as saucers. Cracks me up.
2. The ambulance face: He slips into this face the moment he sights the ambulance. It's a mixture of fear and awe and it is so funny I can't help chortling. I am beginning to think the ambulance is his nemesis, and his life-savior as well. He is afraid of it, but he knows he needs it to get to his favorite place: the hospital. HAHAHAHA.
3. The gopher face: He makes this face when he wants to be extra servile. If he could, he looks like he would grovel on the ground for some crumbs thrown by the"hard-hearted humans". He combines it with crinkling up his nose, narrowing his eyes to slits, and kind of sniggering through his nose with his teeth hanging out like a gopher's, like the chipmunk in Alvin and the Chipmunks...I associate this weird snigger to service laughter, laughing in the presence of the higher-ups.He must have perfected this back in Hanyang when he had to kow-tow to the rich officials for favors. He does it when he is with the grandfather.
4. The desperado face: When he eats the spicy mixed rice, he sticks out his tongue and his eyes go wild and he's out of the chair....so hilarious.
5. The self-righteous face: He puts on this face when he wants to go all formal and sageuky, he throws back his shoulders, and puffs out his chest. He accompanies this I-am-a-good-upright-citizen face with suitable lines, delivered very pompously: "I am a passing traveler" he bellows to all and sundry, sooo hilarious. He has it on when he gets thrown out by the assistant, saying in affront, "I do not want your house or your land"....HAHAHAHA.
6. The dark face: He slips into this this episode, and it was just chilling, reminding me of what dark roles he has played in the past. When he looks at the burning treasure, his face just transforms into this greedy mask, and it's so unsettling.
7. The tender face: He gets this when he looks at her, its a softening of his face, and it's heart-wrenching somehow.
8. The genius face: This is his cool face, he slips into this face when he performs his procedures, it's like his face stills, his eyes sharpen with intelligence, and his mouth firms. We see the man that he is, and it 's so captivating, and heroic, I want to shout YAY! Go Go G0, Dr Heo! You show them what stuff you're made of! You the man!
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keiru
August 23, 2017 at 3:36 AM
I enjoy reading all of your description on Heo Im's expression while recalling the scenes in my head and almost giggling like crazy (in a public transportation !).
My personal favorite : his scene in the ambulance and when he ate Bok Man's food. I thought he was going to cry because the food tastes awful, but he was feeling thankful for it instead >▼<
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YY
August 23, 2017 at 4:29 AM
It's hilarious when he gets inside that ambulance and saying "I'm riding a horse, I'm riding a horse" to calm himself, then he looks across and see the paramedic and his face is like Nooooo, don't make me get up, and he turns to the wall and makes like he doesn't see a thing, and the paramedic and him switch places and I'm like rolling on the floor laughing. I love his face when he's thankful, he's like so appreciative of the good things in life people take for granted.
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J'Adore
August 23, 2017 at 10:43 AM
I love this drama :) Heo Im is so real to me that i can't help adoring him with all his vulnerabilities and human perfections and imperfections. Kim Ah Joong is wonderful; all their experiences in this drama are making me happy to be part of their journey .
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24 knom
August 23, 2017 at 2:39 AM
Two things: Thanks for th recap and Love this drama. I am trying really hard not to get high expectations because this is just the beginning but it's a challenge. This show just gets better and better. And episode 4 was an even wilder and fun ride. I hope the writer continues this fun and entertaining journey. Kim Nam Gil is really rocking Heo Im. And Kim Ah-Joong is doing a perfectly job at playing this cold but passionate and sexy doctor. I'm soooo glad she took on this role and I hope she continues on doing more rom-com. I prefer her in rom-com than serious role (although I did love her in "Punch").
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25 sundaychild
August 23, 2017 at 4:27 AM
I'm watching this drama, mainly because of Kim Ah-joong. But this looks promising! I didn't even consider this drama when choosing which ones to start this time 'round. I love feisty dominant female leads who get to be given chances of humbling themselves (and of course find personal happiness in the process). I also like medical dramas (though I do brush-offs when characters get into technical jargon--a serious viewer will understand it in some way, anyway).
So to expect a clash (and a merging eventually) between trad and modern medicine is this drama's obvious conceit is quite exciting. If it has to be told in a time-travelling narrative device, I'm good. So far, the main leads have hooked me from the start.
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26 loveblossom
August 23, 2017 at 8:28 AM
Loving this drama!! Everything is on point. The background music is fitting and the sound effects are hilarious. Kim Nam Gil’s expressions are so good. His character is not flawless, but still endearing. It’s funny how puppy-like he can be. He has great chemistry with Kim Ah Joong. I like her too.
Ha Ra was very bratty and frustrating in the beginning, but the reason for her actions was heartbreaking and realistic. Heo Im made me teary-eyed with his poignant lines to her.
It’s weirdly funny that Im’s method of time travel seems to be when he is in danger. More specifically, when he is impaled by an object. It reminded me of how he pokes his patients with sharp, pointed needles. :P
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J'Adore
August 23, 2017 at 3:35 PM
@loveblossom ..what is the happy song at the end ?
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loveblossom
August 23, 2017 at 7:04 PM
Happy song? Hmm, the OST song played at the end is 민경훈 Min Kyung Hoon - Here I Am https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzqhx2IFQAM :)
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J'Adore
August 24, 2017 at 6:41 AM
Thank you , yes :)
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27 CNG
August 24, 2017 at 9:58 AM
Where can I stream drama. It's not on DramaFever or Viki?
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28 Katrina
September 4, 2017 at 6:50 PM
I'm starting to get really tired of Yeon-Kyungs refusal to listen to Im
On the other hand I'm has the best puppy pout ever
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Katrina
September 4, 2017 at 6:51 PM
Im
(Darn auto-correct)
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