Doctor Stranger - Episode 4 (A SqueeCap)

Doctors are encouraged to play with lives and relationships are put to the test, all in the name of competition. In other words: just another day at Myung Woo Hospital. WTF, Doc?

JoAnne: Oh look, he just noticed me.

bcook: hehe

Episode 4

Hoon chases Broom-Alike through the hospital, and though she's always ahead of him, she's never out of sight for long, like she's intentionally leading him on. He tails her all the way outside but loses her when she gets into an ambulance. As she's driven away, she watches him in the side mirror.
JoAnne: As would anyone. Even with that hair, yes.
bcook: Have I said recently that I don't like her? Coz I really don't like her. So she knew he was following her. 
Hoon, sure that it was Jae-hee, heads straight to Im Ajusshi and demands to know where she is. Ajusshi insists he must have seen someone else. He asks if Hoon was able to get the money and encourages him to at least prepare the advance payment. According to his sources, Jae-hee is in a special concentration camp and the sooner they can get her out, the better.
JoAnne: As opposed to the normal one, where she wouldn't mind staying for a few extra weeks?

After Hoon leaves, a nine-fingered man steps out of the back room and throws money at Im Ajusshi. Im asks if Jae-hee isn't in the North anymore, but Nine Fingers says he can know if he doesn't mind dying, which effectively stops the questions. We don't see his face, but we've heard that voice before.
JoAnne: Seriously pondering the phrase 'dying to know.' I wonder how that got started. It was probably Shakespeare. He did everything else.
bcook: to the google! I'm pretty certain nine fingers is creep cha. 

Chang-yi and Moon are waiting for Hoon at the clinic, and Moon asks how much money he needs right now, having heard that he needs it for his girl. Hoon orders him out, but Moon pulls a few large bills from his wallet and suddenly has Hoon's undivided attention. Moon tells him if he wants the money, all he has to do is be part of Moon's surgical team. Hoon doesn't like the idea of working at Myung Woo, but he does want the money. He grabs it, and Moon knows he's got him.
JoAnne: Moon and Hoon vs. Joon, is that how it's gonna go?
bcook: Not sure how I feel about that partnership. Joon obviously feels threatened by Hoon. Also..what's with the double o names? 
Soo-hyun talks to Jae-joon again about her upcoming move to management, and he's still upset that she didn't tell him sooner. He ask why she suddenly wants to leave their department but before she can answer, Moon comes bouncing in. Soo-hyun says they'll talk about it later and leaves, and Jae-joon reminds Moon that this is no longer his office, so he should have the courtesy to knock.
JoAnne: Seriously. Because you never know when a man might be playing with his toy castle or his toy towers.
They head to a staff meeting where potential recruits are being reviewed, and Moon says he has someone to recommend. He shows the video of Hoon's surgery on 500 Won Dad, and once again, everyone is amazed that there wasn't any bleeding when he made the incision. Jae-joon explains that the human body is symmetrical and if the doctor can cut exactly in the middle of the chest, it's possible to avoid the bleeding. One of the other doctors notes his efficiency, and even Jae-joon acknowledges his skill. He asks to see the doctor's records, but Moon promises him one better and calls in the man himself.
JoAnne: I fail to comprehend how symmetry explains lack of blood loss. Unless you mean he's cutting between vessels, because about that? Ha. And oh yeah, the human body is NOT symmetrical. At all. I mean sure in some respects yes but to rely on it? No. It's just Magic Fingers. Accept the miracle and move on.
bcook: Again, no data on the verity of this claim. I'm going to go with MagicFingers(tm). Some people need to rationalise. Jo and I just accept. 

When Hoon enters the room, Jae-joon and Soo-hyun's jaws drop, and Flirty smiles. Hoon bows to the room, then cheekily greets Soo-hyun as "Quack," with a wink and a wave.
JoAnne: Oh, that wink.  It floats a lot of ships in the noonaverse.

Director Choi arrives at Myung Woo and Chairman Oh greets him happily. We learn that Choi has been on leave for about six months, even though he's about to retire. Choi has heard that they're trying to recruit new doctors, and he has someone in mind.
JoAnne: Gone six months, about to peace out...and why exactly do you care about this new hire, how do you even know about it?
bcook: Everybody has an agenda remember? So many people keeping an eye on Hoon, I'm surprised he doesn't get goosebumps from all the people thinking about him. 

Back in the meeting, Jae-joon reminds Hoon that he warned him not to come back here, and Hoon replies that it just turned out this way. (Joon:  Nay, Hoon! Hoon: Way, Joon!) (plus I just made myself choke with laughter because you could also do it in Korean.  Joon:  Nae, Hoon!  Hoon: Wae, Joon!) hehe. Meaning changes tho which makes it even funnier. One of the other doctors asks which college he's from. Hoon hesitates before telling them it was Pyongyang Medical School, which naturally causes a stir, and soon everyone is walking out.
JoAnne: Elitest snobs. Northers. AntiPyongs.
bcook: Not quite sure why they're so upset. He defected so that must mean he's antiPyong too. 'coz somebody sent to "assasinate all SK politicians" wouldn't admit to being from NK anyway. Of course that requires logic and we know kdramaland is deficient in that. 
Moon is as shocked as the rest of them but tries to reason that a doctor is still a doctor. Jae-joon asks who he brought him here to operate on, and Moon starts to say the Prime Minister but stops, understanding Jae-joon's point. Jae-joon leads his team out, and Soo-hyun pauses for a moment in front of Hoon before following.
 JoAnne: Joon to Moon about Hoon: whatchu doon? 'in
Left alone, Moon searches Hoon's pockets to take back his money, then berates Hoon for hiding that he's a defector. He tells him that even if everyone else accepted him, he wouldn't because he hates the Communist Party more than anything. He throws a few bills on the floor and tells Hoon to take it and leave. Gah. I keep reminding myself that I'll love him later, but right now he's just making me mad.
JoAnne: Ha, look at Kimchi up there in the door way. And see? Joon looks like he's made of wax.
bcook: What a dick. 
JoAnne:  I'm pretty sure a wax dick would melt.  Or bend unacceptably, at the very least.

Soo-hyun remembers the coin and opens the door just in time to see Hoon kneel to pick up the money. Moon continues to fuss at him, even saying he has some nerve to be looking for his girlfriend after he left her behind. And you can see it in Hoon's eyes: that was too far. He suddenly goes very still as Moon calls him trash and money-crazy. Then he suddenly gets right in his face and says, that's right, he's crazy for money. He needs it so much, he'd sell not just his organs but his whole body for it. What's wrong with that?
JoAnne: I do like pissed off Hoon. Crazy Hoon, too.
bcook: That was way out of line. I support Crazy Hoon. He's kinda cute in his crazy. 
He storms out and Soo-hyun (who had closed the door again right before his outburst) meets him in the hall. She says if he needs money he should work for it. Doesn't he have any pride as a doctor? She's picked the wrong time to mess with him, though, and he asks if that's something a quack needs, and that word raises her hackles again. He grabs her by the lapel and says a doctor can't get pride just from wearing a lab coat. "Got it, Quack?" He smirks and walks off.
JoAnne: I do so love that the one who has strayed the farthest from the Hippocratic Oath is the one who reveres it the most.
bcook: He was forced to do it? 
He goes outside and finds himself in the same place where he saw Broom-Alike, which is where Chang-yi finds him. She's brought him a new pair of sneakers (Product! Placement!) to congratulate him on his new job. He knocks the box away and starts to leave, but turns back to pick it up again, and aw, you can actually see her spirits lift again. She asks how it went and he says badly, of course, but he puts on the shoes and they smile at each other.
JoAnne: The level of pretty in every direction you turn is just astonishing to me. Plus again, I marvel at how easy it is to put on shoes in Korea. Just sort of rest them near your tootsies and they magically are on.
Moon and Jae-joon get called into Chairman Oh's office, where he tells them that he wants to hire Hoon. Jae-joon is against having a defector on his team, though, and Moon has lost his enthusiasm, as well. Chairman Oh tells them to figure it out whose team he'll join and suggests a competition between their teams to see who will get to represent their department (I assume he means by performing JangBastard's surgery). Each successful surgery will be a plus and each failure a minus. The winner will be rewarded and the loser punished. Yes, because doctors should be competing with each other instead of focusing on the patients. Jae-joon doesn't say anything, but Moon obviously doesn't like it.
JoAnne: Right but he only doesn't like it because he feels at a disadvantage. Weak man. But he'll change, right? He has to.
bcook: Bloody Tap Team copy-cat part of the show. 
After they're dismissed, Jae-joon asks if Moon is confident that he can be his rival, and Moon just shakes his head no. When they part ways, Moon turns around to see Director Choi, and by the way they greet each other, they seem close.
JoAnne: Well sure because they both worked at the One Hospital.
bcook: One Hospital to compete in, One Hospital to heal them all

Hoon and Chang-yi check in on her mother, and Chang-yi asks if she should move her to the clinic, but Hoon says to leave her here - he's asked for the deposit back, anyway. She follows him out to argue against it, and he says he's sorry but he's in a hurry and needs the money now. They turn around and find Moon smiling sheepishly.
JoAnne: WTF, Moon. Make up your mind.

In his office, Moon hypnotizes Hoon with money again. Hoon asks why he changed his mind so suddenly, and Moon flashes back to when he met Director Choi earlier. Choi had told him that JangBastard was in Park Hoon's debt. He reminds Moon that he was JB's personal doctor and encourages him to work with Hoon. Back in the present Moon says there's no reason - he's just that nice a guy. Hoon isn't buying it, but when Moon moves to put the money away, he grabs it again.
JoAnne: Here's where the fuckery in WTF really begins because why is JB in debt to Hoon? Are they saying he owes a debt to Hoon for his DAD? Choi knows what happened back then, so wouldn't you think that HE would think that if Hoon figured out who JB is he'd be the OPPOSITE of interested in saving his life? And will SOMEONE please address why no one is surprised that Hoon is alive and that until recently, his father was as well?
bcook: I don't think they think his dad was alive until recently. JangBastard probably thinks they killed the father and brainwashed the child. He's just afraid Hoon will start talking about how JangBastard sent his dad to NK and it was HIS DAD who helped prevent the war (which is stupid coz JangBastard will still get credit for thinking up the idea so how he feels threatened by that I don't understand.) So maybe JB owes Hoon for getting his dad killed? 

Moon smiles and tells him this means he'll serve him a like a master from now on, but Hoon clarifies that it's the money he'll be serving. Moon: "It's my money." Hoon smiles and asks "Master" what he should do. "Prepare for war. You'll be competing with Han Jae-joon from now on."
JoAnne: I find the war analogy odd since they're in the business of SAVING lives, but whatever.
Jae-joon is organizing a get-together with the other people in the department, and when Dorky Doc asks if he should invite Home Shopping Ajusshi too, Jae-joon looks at the miniature knight and says he's busy with something else.
JoAnne: Ahjussi, don't break my heart. I love your fuzzy bald head. You look like a baby bird before it gets real feathers.

Turns out he's "busy" getting back onto Moon's team.
JoAnne: These people give me whiplash. I guess it's a good thing they're doctors after all!
bcook: We're going to need a conspiracy flow chart. 

Hoon takes his newly acquired money to Im Ajusshi and teases him with it the same way Moon had done to him earlier. Then he rips the bills in half, giving one pile of ends to Im with the promise to hand over the rest if he can prove that he's gotten Jae-hee out of the concentration camp. Im tries to argue that he needs money to get her out, but Hoon is firm: no money until he has proof that she's safe.
JoAnne: Hoon, you are not exactly in a bargaining position here. You've given the man half of the funds he asked for as deposit and rendered them useless, to boot.  Is he the guy who needs to get a girl out of prison? No he is not.  You are. Does your behavior seem wise?
bcook: It worked tho. Kindda. I guess it's a matter of who's greed is greedier?

At the hospital, Chairman Oh has found out about Soo-hyun Omma being here, and Sang-jin explains that she's been at the branch hospital (where he's director) since last month. Chairman Oh asks if Soo-hyun knows.
JoAnne: Someone is going to hurt him at some point, right? With a bat, maybe?
bcook: How could he not figure that Chairman will learn about it? He can't even do evil properly.

Speaking of Soo-hyun, when she goes to ask about something at the nurses' station, Hoon pops out to greet her and announces that he's working here starting today. She's far from pleased to see him, and he teases her, calling her "Quack" repeatedly. He covers his cheeks and comes around the desk to ask if her hand is itchy. She's says no, but her foot is. He barely has time to register that answer before she kicks him in the crotch and he falls to his knees. She walks off with a smirk, having won this round.
JoAnne:  Soo Hyun, you're going to wish you'd treated your toys better.
bcook: That was pretty hilarious. The blocking on that must have been carefully done coz so much room for accident. Will this be part of the BTS?
Jae-joon explains to Chairman Oh that Soo-hyun Omma (though he doesn't know that's who the patient is) has a tumor on her lung that has spread into her arteries and aorta (I think - the medical mumbo-jumbo doesn't make much sense to me, and I'm not sure if the subs are right) and trying to operate would result in failure.
JoAnne: That's what I got, it's too entangled with her heart and circulatory system to remove without causing major damage.

Soo-hyun goes to Oh's office later and asks him to reconsider hiring Hoon. He says the decision has already been made, however, and ends the conversation. She's on her way out when Sang-jin enters, and next thing you know, he's dragging her into to Mom's room. He shoves her toward the bed, and that's when she sees Mom. And the look on her face kills me.
JoAnne: I actually HAVE a bat, you know. If you guys will pool your air miles, I could go take care of this right quick.

Sang-jin informs her that she's in the last stage of lung cancer and won't last a week, but when he needles her for a reaction, she covers her shock and pretends not to care. She leaves Sang-jin fuming.
JoAnne: His stupid face makes Polar Bear look really good, #1, and #2, she is AWESOME at this game.
bcook: Practice. He's such a spoiled little asshat. 
She goes back to the nurses' station and starting checking into Mom's case. Hoon is there again and asks if she knows who that patient's guardian is. He's curious because her chart says DNR, as in "Do Not Resuscitate," which is news to Soo-hyun. (And are we really supposed to believe that the nurses have never heard of DNR before?) Hoon says it's been awhile since the DNR form was signed, so they should look for the guardian, but Soo-hyun tells him not to be doing anything unnecessary and walks away.
JoAnne: The only people who matter here are the doctors! The writer can't be expected to create realistic nurses when they're spending so much time on this incredibly believable plot involving the doctors!
bcook: lol. 

She goes back to Mom's room and flashes back to when she graduated from med school and went to find Mom. She followed behind as Mom left work and asked to live with her, saying that living in "that household" was too difficult. At that, Mom finally turned to look at her, telling her coldly that hardship is only temporary and to go back. Soo-hyun stood rooted to the spot as Mom walked away without another glance.
JoAnne: Well clearly there's more to that story.
bcook: Hat damn! Well she's obviously illegitimate. We got that from the way chairman's wife was glaring at her. Maybe chairman paid her mama off? 

At dinner with the team that night, she's lost in thought, oblivious to what's going around her, which does not go unnoticed by Jae-joon. She gets a text that clearly upsets her.
JoAnne: I'm going with he actually really does care about her. Does that make his nefarious plans easier or harder?
bcook: I'm going to go with harder. re: every revenge/gotta get ahead movie and show ever made. Love makes you good/weak/question blah blah blah. 
It It must be about Mom because at that very moment, Hoon runs into her room and finds the nurses standing about as she flatlines. He starts CPR and orders them about, but one nurse reminds him that this patient didn't want to be revived. Hoon says they can't just stand by and watch.
JoAnne: Actually, they CAN.  That's the point of a DNR.  However, this is Park 'I will save all the things!' Hoon, so...
bcook: Anywhere else he'd get his license pulled so fast he'd have whiplash.

Soo-hyun leaves the table and Jae-joon follows her to the elevator to ask what's going on. She apologizes but doesn't explain.
JoAnne: Oh GOD not this again.  Did they pass a law that makes it illegal to explain yourself in Korea? Is it against Confucianism or something?

She goes back to the hospital and fights to keep her composure as she walks through the empty lobby, but she stumbles and the facade cracks as she remembers happier times with mom when she was a little girl.
JoAnne: Please notice that as a little girl, she was the bitchy MinJung from another show currently being squeecapped! She is much nicer here. That little girl needed to be drowned like a rat in The World of Sacred Hanboks.
Hoon finally steps back. Is she dead? Alive? Whaaat?
JoAnne: They kind of trolled us didn't they? I thought she was dead.
bcook: Yeah me too and I was expecting some serious crying. 

Soo-hyun arrives at the door, remembering Hoon saying that Mom had signed the DNR form. She slides the door open and approaches, and when she pulls back the curtain... a nurse is remaking the now empty bed. Soo-hyun asks if she died and is surprised to be told that Mom is in the ICU.

She heads there next and stands at the foot of Mom's bed, fighting tears. Hoon comes over to check on Mom, and Soo-hyun drags him out into the hall to make out yell at him for reviving Mom despite the DNR form. Hoon just says it was signed a long time ago (still valid, dude) and turns away, but she grabs him again (sadly, they still don't make out). "Maybe she's wanted to die since then," she says. She's had to live with so much pain from the cancer, she probably doesn't want to keep living, but now she has to endure that pain again. "Because of you."
JoAnne:  This actually caught me off guard a bit, and I was impressed with the show for a few minutes.

Hoon agrees but says CPR wouldn't have worked if the patient really didn't have the will to live. Soo-hyun isn't convinced that being dependent on life support is actually living and storms off.
JoAnne: Hoon saying that solved a mystery for me. Remember that politician who said that if it was really rape, the woman wouldn't get pregnant because 'the body has ways of dealing with that.' ?  Now we know he learned that in North Korea.
bcook: bwahahaha @ Jo.  Yeah that was just a cop-out for ignoring the DNR.
Hoon asks one of the nurses about the Quack's relationship to that patient, but of course the ICU nurses don't know the nickname. He says to forget it and goes back to checking on Mom. That's when he spots the bracelet on her wrist.
JoAnne: There can be only one.
He makes a call to the branch hospital Mom was transferred from, and who should answer but Broom-Alike? Or not, since it's a misdirect: she's taking another call before rushing out. When Hoon asks the nurse for Mom's previous physician, HAN SEUNG-HEE, the nurse looks at Broom-Alike walking away and says she's unavailable.

Outside the branch hospital, the nine-fingered man gets out of his car and we finally see his face. It's Creep Cha! CreepCha is back!
JoAnne: Cookie, she seems strangely excited by this news.
bcook: You're right. She must have missed the tinge of craziness he brought to the WTF.
Becca: You have to admit, he keeps things interesting! And he's, uh... very photogenic.

Broom-Alike comes out to meet him, and Im Ajusshi watches them from behind a corner and recognizes Jae-hee's face.
JoAnne: Is Grandpa in on it, in on part of it, or an innocent bystander?
bcook: Looks like a curious bystander. I'm betting he gets killed. He wasn't hiding very well. 
Still on the phone, Hoon asks about the bracelet Mom is wearing, and the nurse says she didn't like accessories, so it probably isn't hers. He asks about the guardian and is told that she doesn't have one. Hoon hangs up and looks again at the bracelet in his hand.
JoAnne: So then it's a MESSAGE.

JangBastard is at some fancy dinner, where someone mentions the rumor that the President is planning a North-South summit, which JB says he would support wholeheartedly, of course. When another man asks about the bribery charges from the last election, JB says that everyone involved, including himself, should cooperate with the investigation. After he leaves, Lollipop Ajusshi informs him that the prosecutors stopped by and hands him an envelope, the contents of which regard the investigation of the source of his election funds. JB grumbles that "he," by which I think he means the President, is treating him this way after making him a mere Prime Minister. He rips up the envelope.
JoAnne: Ummm, isn't that the position with actual power?
bcook: Maybe not. Maybe it's like in Germany where the prime minister has waaaaay more power than the president. Which often makes me wonder why they still have that position. Then again JB has delusions of grandeur and isn't happy with anything but presidency.

The next day, Lollipop Ajusshi publicly accepts the blame, and tells the reporters that the Prime Minister had nothing to do with the bribes.
JoAnne: And then he goes back to work like nothing every happened.  No arrest, no trial, no prison.
bcook: It was just an inquiry I think. 
KimChi Cutie gets interrupted by Dorky Doc during another make-out session and gets his petty revenge by telling him Flirty is coming their way. Dorky starts primping and turns around with a smile, but it's only Moon looking for Hoon.
JoAnne: This guy is like the Energizer Bunny, sheesh!

When he finds him, he drags Hoon into his office and asks if he's crazy, wanting to do surgery on a patient who will die anyway. Hoon says he isn't scheduling the surgery yet - he just plans to do it if there's another emergency. They're talking about Soo-hyun Omma, of course, and Moon reminds him he can't revive a DNR patient, and her condition is so bad she'll die on the table anyway. Hoon insists that he wants to save her, however, because he needs to ask her something.
JoAnne: *spends thousands of dollars to save a life* *asks where the summer camp bracelet came from*
bcook: Or he could, oh I don't know, go to the other hospital and ask the doctor there?
Jae-joon finds Soo-hyun standing at the foot of Mom's bed and guesses that this patient is the reason she rushed out last night. He looks at Mom's chart and realizes this is who Chairman Oh was asking about yesterday, which surprises Soo-hyun. She asks what Jae-joon told him, and he says it's obvious: the chances of success are too low to operate.

Still, Soo-hyun asks if he could do it anyway, and he wonders if she's saying he should do something to benefit Joon (because Mom is his team's patient and competition comes first before human life!). He finally asks who the patient is, and Soo-hyun quietly tells him this is her real mom.
JoAnne: Don't you think he should have been asking that question first?
Hoon is currently trying to think of ways to save Mom, and he retreats into his mind to run different scenarios for the operation, complete with 3D projections of Mom's internal organs. He goes through the surgery step by step, but suddenly blood sprays everywhere and he's back in the real world. He closes his eyes and starts again.
JoAnne: It's actually a cool sequence. I like to think of this as 'where the magic starts' for his Magic Fingers.

Soo-hyun goes Chairman Oh, asking why he allowed Mom to come here. He says she gave birth to Soo-hyun, and he had once given her his heart, so he couldn't ignore her. He knows she won't live more than a week, but he wants to protect hear till the last moment. Soo-hyun tells him she wants to relieve Mom's pain and asks for his permission to take her off life support.
JoAnne: Why does she need his permission? She is the next of kin, and there is a DNR order in place.
bcook: Respect for his wishes? Tho that kinda goes out of the window by the end of the episode.

In Mom's room, Soo-hyun recalls the night that Mom said she wasn't her mother anymore and told her that the man waiting by the car was her dad. Mom sternly ordered her to do her whatever it takes to be acknowledged by her father and told her to never cry. With tears in her eyes, Soo-hyun had reached out for Mom, only to have her hand slapped away. Mom left her with the warning to never come looking for her and pretend she doesn't know her, even if Mom comes to her. I hate this so much.
JoAnne: THIS is the kind of noble idiocy that kills me: the idea that sending the child to the rich parent requires the poor parent to sacrifice any relationship.
bcook: In the hopes that crazy actual wife won't resent the kid more because poor parent keeps showing up. It never works that way of course. But hope springs eternal.

In the present, Soo-hyun looks at Mom's hand for a moment before slowly starting to disconnect her from life support.
JoAnne: No, this is wrong...why must she be the one to actually DO it? Why is there no one else there? 
bcook: I thought this was beautifully done. A last goodbye while doing one last thing for her monther. So Ra did this scene really well. 
 
Jae-joon tells Chairman Oh that he wants to do the surgery. Dad guesses it's because of Soo-hyun but still won't allow it. He overrides Jae-joon's protests to say that if Mom dies during surgery it will be an embarrassment to the department and he reminds him that he's competing against Park Hoon.
JoAnne: How is it embarrassing that a woman in end-stage lung cancer dies  during what everyone already knows is a last ditch effort?     Oh, I get it.  The dip in your STATS would be embarrassing.
Speaking of, Hoon is still doing the surgery in his mind, without success.
JoAnne: He goes through this exercise over and over again, all night. I love him.

Soo-hyun turns off the last machine, fighting to hold back her tears. She looks at Mom one last time, then finally moves to leave, but something stops her. She looks down and we see that Mom has reached out to hold her hand. Mom slowly opens her eyes and turns to Soo-hyun, and Soo-hyun breathes "Omma" as the tears finally start to fall. Mom gives her the slightest of smiles before losing consciousness again.
JoAnne: But I'm wondering if Mom is glad or not, aren't you?
Coming out of Oh's office, Jae-joon's phone starts ringing and he hesitates when he sees that it's Soo-hyun, then looks back toward Chairman Oh. The longer the phone rings, the more frantic Soo-hyun becomes. Jae-joon's thumb hovers over the green button, but he doesn't answer. Soo-hyun looks like she's about to accept defeat, and that's when she finds the 500 Won piece in her pocket.
JoAnne: Joon, this will come back to bite you. You weren't there for her.

Hoon has fallen asleep and is dreaming about when Jae-hee fell into the river. He calls out to her in his dream and wakes up. He looks at Mom's X-rays one last time before getting up to leave, and that's when he sees Soo-hyun. He tells her to go - he isn't up to fighting with her now, but she asks if he can do the surgery. (What surgery? She just took Mom off life support. Therefore, she should be dead. Right? Since her life is not being supported?) kdramaland remember. Everybody has a different dying rate. Hoon says he wants to, but he can't because the chance of success is too low. She latches onto his words, though, taking hope from him acknowledging that there is a chance.
JoAnne: Well there's a CHANCE I'll sprout wings, too. You don't see me jumping off buildings, though, do you?
He tells her he wanted to save that patient because he had something to ask her, but even if she lives, she'll be in worse pain. He knows he's not exactly the nicest of guys, but he can't do something like that again.
JoAnne: Of them all, he's actually tried the hardest to save that woman.

Soo-hyun tries reminding him that he said Mom still had the will to live, but tells her he was mistaken and quietly says, "I'm sorry, Quack." She tells him to take responsibility for his words and puts the coin in his hand, promising to give him as much as he needs if he does the surgery. Seeing how upset she is, he asks who the patient is to her, and she says she's her mom. She has something to ask Mom and asks Hoon to please save her. Come ooooon, Hoon! Save Mom! Get the girl! Do eeeet!!
JoAnne: Of course he will!
bcook: He's such a sucker for crying and 500 won. 

A little later, Soo-hyun is preparing for surgery when Chairman Oh comes in to watch from above. He calls the phone in the OR and tells her it's a waste of time and he's already told Jae-joon not to do it, but she's determined and says another doctor will being operating. That's when Hoon enters, and Soo-hyun hold the phone to his ear while Oh orders him to call off the surgery.
JoAnne: So many things wrong here. Let's just start with a daughter operating on her mother.

Hoon doesn't know who he is, but he tells him the guardian has requested that he operate. When Oh says he's a guardian, too, Hoon looks to Soo-hyun and she tells him that he's also the chairman of this hospital. Oh says if he doesn't stop, he'll see to it that he never holds a scalpel again. Soo-hyun pleads with her eyes, and after a tense moment Hoon laughs and tells Oh there's nothing he can do: he's already accepted the surgery fee. Aw, yay! He winks at Soo-hyun - I love it when he does that.
JoAnne: His winks are like double rainbows plus unicorns and puppies.
Moon is on his way in to watch when Chairman Oh storms out, and he gets hit by the door again. Ha, I hadn't expected this gag to continue. I love it. While Hoon begins the operation, Moon follows after Oh to tell him he was totally against Hoon doing the surgery. Chairman Oh just glares at him and walks away.

Jae-joon comes to watch the surgery, too, and Soo-hyun meet his eyes, disappointment evident in her gaze, before turning away. (That's right, buddy, your game is WEAK.)  Moon comes back in a moment later, and Chairman Oh watches the feed from his office.
The surgery goes on for hours as Hoon carefully removes the tumors. Jae-joon finally gets up to leave, but at that moment, something bursts and blood sprays up at Hoon and Soo-hyun while Mom's vitals drop. Hoon tries using the defibrillator to no avail, and Jae-joon walks out. Mom's vitals continue to drop until she flatlines, and Hoon realizes she's gone. As he dismisses everyone, saying he'll finish up, Soo-hyun demands to know why he's stopped trying to save Mom.
JoAnne: Does he need a reason other than the fact that she is dead, Soo Hyun? (By the way, I totally did not expect that they would let her die.)
bcook: You could feel the hope building in everybody. The writer just likes to build tension and conflict. It resolves too quickly though. 

She comes around the table to yell that it's not over yet, but he quietly replies that it is. She can't accept it, though, and when he tells her he's sorry, she pushes past him to try massaging Mom's heart and bring her back, insisting that she has something to say to Mom. But then she stops, tears rolling down her cheeks, and asks Mom, "Why did you do it? Why did you do that to me?" Hoon watches as she sinks to the floor, sobbing.
JoAnne: Abandoned children always get me.  Always. 
In his office, Chairman Oh fights his own tears.
JoAnne: I care so very little about his tears.
bcook: Aww. He loved her too. 
Becca: I'm with JoAnne. I do not care.

When Hoon calls the time of death, Soo-hyun again tries to insist that Mom can still be saved, but he pulls her away and yells at her to stop. She breaks down again, and he pulls her into his arms as she hits him and begs him to save her mom. He quietly tells her he's sorry, as his own tears start to fall.
JoAnne: Now that's what I call a good bedside manner.
Jae-joon walks into the room and stops short at the sight of their embrace.
JoAnne: Failing again, dude. Now is not the time to be jealous. And if you'd BEEN THERE for her, those would be your arms. Suck it.

Comments

I remember when I first watched this episode, I fully expected Hoon to save Mom. It just didn't occur to me that he wouldn't be able to. He's Hoon, after all. Hoon, with the MagicHands™ and genius ability. Even when everyone else was sure Mom couldn't be saved, I was convinced he could do it. And so I was taken completely by surprise when the episode ended and Soo-hyun didn't have her mom. Looking back, I probably should have known this would happen because from a storytelling standpoint, killing Mom really is the best decision. If she lived there would be happiness, and this is a drama so we need... um, drama.
JoAnne: Totally, 100% with you on this.

And I'd be lying if I said I'm not excited to see how Mom's surgery and death affect Soo-hyun's relationships with our male leads. Jae-joon - her boyfriend - chose his career over her when she needed him, and that's not the type of thing you can smooth over with a kiss. In contrast, Hoon has been a thorn in her side from the beginning, but he was the one who at least tried, which should earn him some serious brownie points, even though Mom still died in the end. I ship it. I ship it So. Hard.
JoAnne: I am on that ship as well.  I bought a stateroom on that ship. I signed up for the early AND the late dinner serving, all the excursions, and the full spa package PLUS that special cup that gets you the free drink of the day. I am on that ship like it's my JOB.
bcook: Hahahahaha. The writer brought Broom back so even though I'm on the ship...I bought one of the cheaper rooms with no balcony so that I don't feel as if I've wasted money when everybody catches salmonella.