Dr. Champ: Episode 5

by kaedejun

BROOMAAAAANCE!

Honestly – this is all I ask for, writers of this drama. Please, please PLEASE give Sang Bong and Ji Heon a happy ending! The boys deserve some lovin’, since Ji Heon is continually getting rebuffed by Yeon Woo and Sang Bong…well, he’s continually getting rebuffed by Ji Heon.

SONG OF THE DAY

Dr. Champ OST – “Perfect Your Love” by M to M [download]

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Yeon Woo is forced to face the music. She asks if she really was the reason for the athlete Lee Dae Jin’s loss of a medal. Turns out – Dae Jin didn’t compete. After realizing that he could have gotten caught for doping, they didn’t let him participate in a competition that he was sure to win a gold medal in. People – stop over-exaggerating, will ya?

The president asks why Yeon Woo didn’t know that the prescription she gave could be considered doping… but she knew. What she didn’t know was that the competition was the next day. Dae Jin had only said that it was “soon,” not “tomorrow.” And therein lies the rub – Dae Jin had not properly notified Yeon Woo of the circumstances – because he didn’t know the basic rule that he’s not supposed to get any treatment the day before a match. So see – our gal’s not so stupid after all!

This brings to light a bigger problem about people in Taereung not being well informed on athletic treatment. However – there’s still an issue over who will be “punished” for this mistake, and so the president lets Dae Jin decide: should Yeon Woo be fired over this?

Dae Jin says no. Yeon Woo breathes a sigh of relief. But, if the president sees her in the meeting room again, she’ll be fired despite her contract.

Outside, Yeon Woo formally apologizes to the coach and Dae Jin, but the coach bristles. He refuses to send any of his athletes over to her for treatment from now on. Do Wook tells her to cheer up – it’s not like Dae Jin couldn’t participate in the Asia Games or something. But she better not do it again, because he’s just as responsible for her mistakes. Me likey a boss who knows to own up to his own mistakes, as well as a junior’s. (I’m looking at you Doctor Terror.)

Meanwhile, Ji Heon leaves his dorm room to hang out at Woo Ram’s and ignores Sang Bong, who wants to talk. The cold shoulders they give each other does not go unnoticed, and Woo Ram’s roomie Dae Seob reminisces of a time when the two of them were inseparable. He’s about to go into greater detail when Ji Heon yells, “Hyung!” and is shut up. A phone call from a fellow athlete about the idiocy of the “female doctor” triggers Ji Heon’s Yeon-Woo-Antennae and he realizes that she’s gotten herself into more trouble.

Everywhere Yeon Woo goes – from the cafeteria to the village grounds – she can’t help but overhear others talking about how everyone’s afraid to get treatment from her. Ji Heon observes as she purposely avoids crossing paths with people.

He calls her up and directs her to an open meadow. Once there, he sneaks up from behind and notes how nice it is to be in an open field – free of people and worries. She’s not amused, so he takes off his shoes to feel the grass. She rails about how unhygienic he is acting when he drops his shoes, raises his arms, and starts running across the fields yelling, “YAHHHHH!”

He’s adorable.

He slides across the grass on his way back and looks up to her – why not try it once? Yeon Woo can see right through him and knows he’s trying to cheer her up big time – did he overhear something? Ji Heon replies, “You didn’t wear the national doctor’s coat I gave you, did you? That’s why things are like this now.”

A little miffed, Yeon Woo takes off her shoes and starts walking with him. Ji Heon tries to make her laugh (by licking his elbow – I love that he tries the impossible) but Yeon Woo is lost in her thoughts. She can’t forgive herself for making such a mistake, since she knew the dangers of doping, and regrets making things hard for Do Wook (since he’s her referee).

Ji Heon: Do you…perhaps, like that man?
Yeon Woo: What are you talking about?
Ji Heon: You do!! Should you even be worrying about that man right now? Just worry about yourself!

Like a typical second male lead, Ji Heon tells her to worry about herself. Like an atypical male lead he points out immediately that she’s attracted to the director – something she’s in denial about herself. I wuv him.

Pissed, Yeon Woo puts her shoes back on and stomps off, and when Ji Heon tries to stop her from leaving she gives him a good kick in the shins. She demands to know what’s his deal, and he says, “That’s because…well, we’ve met a couple of times so I…”

Aww – he can’t say outright that he wants to take responsibility for her happiness. Yeon Woo shuts him down: she’s not his doctor, and he’s not her patient – therefore, he shouldn’t be concerned with her feelings, especially since she doesn’t want to be comforted by him. Ouch.

Hee Young is one happy camper (and so am I, because I’m finally seeing her without a moody expression) – Eun Suk is getting faster and faster, and soon enough he just might set a new personal record. A sullen Yoo Ri jealously notes that Eun Suk doesn’t do anything but fool around. Speaking of the devil, Eun Suk comes into the office and refuses to go in for a check up. He’s already made other plans without consulting Hee Young, which puts her off even though she doesn’t show it.

In the sauna, Woo Ram is suffering from the heat, and he tries to get up to leave but Do Seob forces him to sit his butt back down. When Sang Bong enters the sauna however, no one makes a peep as Ji Heon leaves. Do Seob comes up with the nice idea of a team outing – no coaches, just the athletes – and Coach Oh surprisingly approves.

Of course – this provides a wonderful opportunity for a little bit of miscommunication. While the rest of the team are ordered to go to a fried chicken place, Sang Bong and Ji Heon are sent to a local barbecue place. Already slightly tipsy, Sang Bong offers Ji Heon a drink. Ji Heon isn’t interested, although he’s curious as to why Sang Bong is getting himself so drunk.

Sang Bong bemoans why Ji Heon didn’t tell him about Sae Heon’s death, whom he really liked. Ji Heon brings up when Sang Bong had chased out their previous coach. All Coach Wang had done was be absent every so often because of his sick daughter, but Sang Bong had given him so much crap that he got chased out. Sang Bong was such an arrogant jerk after winning the gold medal that Ji Heon figured he wouldn’t have cared about Sae Heon’s death.

Mighty annoyed, Sang Bong throws a punch at Ji Heon, causing him to fall backwards onto a bald, burly man. The bald customer tells them to take their woes outside, but recognizes Sang Bong. He starts preaching about how Sang Bong should take better care of himself or else he won’t win another medal, but that does not go down well. Though Ji Heon would love nothing more than to just leave quietly, Sang Bong suggests they take their fight outside.

Ji Heon mutters that Sang Bong must be insane – they could get kicked off the team for this! But Sang Bong replies, “Who said I’m going to fight?”

They go outside, and the two other men already have their sleeves rolled up. Ji Heon and Sang Bong look at each other, punch the guys in the stomach, and start running.

Chase scene! Two national athletes, running through alleyways and climbing over wooden fences to get away! They manage to lose the burly guys, so Sang Bong calls for a break. He’s also mad tipsy – so he’s in no condition to continue running anymore.

He collapses on a large table outside a house and sprawls wide. Ji Heon joins him. As they lay beneath the dark sky, Sang Bong mutters, “Ji Heon-ah…why?…Ji Heon!! JI HEON-AH!!!!!!” Call me crazy – but I just kept thinking of Cinderella’s Sister’s epic “Eun Jo-ya…”

Ji Heon thinks Sang Bong is going crazy. Sang Bong suddenly says, “I’m sorry. I should have told you this before but I was too embarrassed. I couldn’t get myself to say it. I have a lot of opportunities to say it to you still, but I can’t with Sae Heon anymore.” Ji Heon alleviates his fears: “I hated you Sang Bong. My brother never hated you.”

The next morning Ji Heon goes out running, furiously trying to get rid of his frustration towards Yeon Woo because she won’t let him get close to her. Sang Bong arrives and says he should have woken him up – then they could exercise together. But Ji Heon’s no idiot – why should he wake up his rival? Rival? Who you calling rival, punk!? Oh really now, you gonna start calling names? Yeah? Yeah?! OK! I’ll grab you into a headlock! Oho! Gonna play dirty now eh!? See if you can kick me!

I digress. As the two of them do a mock spar on the field, their teammates join them and are surprised to see them fighting, but without the animosity of before. Dae Seob smiles proudly.

Yeon Woo arrives at Do Wook’s house because he wanted her to pick up some books. She takes the opportunity to ask him why he left Johns Hopkins for a place like Taereung. Do Wook says it was a lifelong dream of his, but won’t elaborate more. Instead he points out the pile of books that he needs her to bring over to the center. It’s also so that she can study up.

She wonders if he’s starting to regret his decision to hire her, but Do Wook compares her to a movie – he’s only seen a minute out of a 120 minute movie, so she has plenty of ways to go. However, if after five minutes she proves to be boring, he’s getting out. He goes off to change, leaving her alone to check out the books.

“The Anatomy of Motion” on the shelf catches her eye. She flips it open, and a photo falls out. It’s one of Do Wook and Hee Young during happier times in Christmas. Just as she is about to pick it up, Do Wook grabs it. He takes the book, stuffs the photo inside, and says, “This book is off limits. It’s a book I treasure.” As he puts it back on the shelf, his arm extends in front of Yeon Woo, and he leans forward. The proximity of his body – and I’m sure she can feel his breath – shocks Yeon Woo. Her eyes go wide…her heart pounds…she’s in loooooove!

The two doctors arrive to find a very special visitor – it’s the former head nurse Seo Moon Sook, who had worked at Taereung for over 20 years. She came by to visit, having already heard of a bomb named “Yeon Woo.” When she sees Do Wook, her eyes widen in surprise. Before she can say anything else, he asks for a private moment in his office.

They’ve recognized each other from ten years prior, and he swears her to secrecy, since only she and Hee Young know about his past.

And here we have our flashback! Ten years ago, Do Wook was carried in on a stretcher because of an accident at the speed skating rink. He injured his leg badly – so much so that even Moon Sook had not known what to do to treat him. Though Moon Sook is happy to see Do Wook all fine and dandy, it’s still a shock to meet him as a cripple.

Yeon Woo wonders why no one is being sent in to see her. It’s because no one wants to see her. However – one patient arrives, Go Eun Mi. She had gone for some testing earlier and wanted to know the results of her examination. Turns out – she has syphilis.

Eun Mi can’t believe that she would have an STD – she’s only slept with her husband! Yeon Woo nonchalantly reasons that her husband could have had it – which makes him a cheater. Eun Mi will have to go to Hankook Medical Center to get treated, but she doesn’t want that. Everyone knows her face, and if she goes to the hospital to get treated for syphilis the tabloids will start putting out bad rumors. One time she went to fix her nose bridge because it was broken badly. However, rumors spread that she got plastic surgery for beauty. Therefore, even though her sickness may be her husband’s fault, no one will sympathize with her. Yeon Woo is still resistant to treating her in-house since the penicillin treatment could cause shock, but she also understands Eun Mi’s wish for privacy.

When Eun Mi leaves, she confronts her husband over the phone about his philandering ways. For a moment I almost suspected that this might be another Yeon Woo Mistake that will ruin the life of another athlete. Eun Mi returns to Yeon Woo insisting that she get treatment at the medical center.

On to another philanderer: ex-husband wants to meet Hee Young. He’s already met Do Wook the Medical Director and muses aloud whether Hee Young agreed to the divorce so quickly because of Do Wook’s return. Hee Young is shocked to hear that her ex would have scouted him out, but he corrects her: Do Wook found him AND Do Wook knows about their divorce. Hee Young feels like an utter fool for having kept up a strong facade of being “happy” with her husband.

She returns to her office to find Do Wook waiting for her. His purpose is to see Eun Suk for a check-up, but Hee Young excuses her golden boy. He’s already getting treatment at another hospital and he’s in top condition anyways. Do Wook points out that Song Ah Reum got treatment in another hospital too – perhaps Hee Young just couldn’t control him and therefore is making excuses for him? He adds a layer of threat: if Eun Suk doesn’t see him, he will get the boy kicked out – or worse, he’ll kick out Hee Young.

Hee Young cries out – just why did Do Wook return? Did he feel justified after hearing that her husband cheated on her? He admits – it wasn’t a bad feeling.

More shirtless Sang Bong-Ji Heon bonding! Ji Heon whines about whether doctors should hate them or not, and Sang Bong picks up right away who he means. He suddenly says, “Ooh look! Here she comes!” Ji Heon covers himself with his sweater and looks around. Not interested in Yeon Woo eh? Go visit the doctor’s office lover boy!

He hangs about in front of the medical center and peeks through the doors. BANG! A recently-treated Eun Mi opens the door into his face. She walks away fine, but suddenly collapses in front of both Ji Heon and Do Wook. She has no pulse and Yeon Woo – afraid that it’s her fault for administering the penicillin – insists on doing the CPR herself.

Eun Mi revives – but that doesn’t solve the issue. Do Wook questions why exactly did Yeon Woo give her penicillin. Yeon Woo didn’t think that Eun Mi would react so – there were no reactions during the skin test. She doesn’t reveal Eun Mi’s condition as a way to preserve her confidentiality agreement with Eun Mi. Jeong Ho Chang gleefully comes into the office announcing a meeting with the board again. Do Wook tsks – Yeon Woo has a knack for worrying other people, doesn’t she?

And Ji Heon is worried – he asks for Yoo Ri’s help in meeting Eun Mi, but she’s nowhere to be found. (Yoo Ri is only worried about one thing – is Ji Heon in love with Eun Mi instead!?) He manages to contact Eun Mi late at night, begging her to go to the medical board and explain that the penicillin treatment was not Yeon Woo’s fault. Eun Mi doesn’t want to get involved, but Ji Heon passionately pleads with her. Yeon Woo was the one who operated on his leg despite his resistance – and saved his life and athletic career. But Eun Mi thinks that Yeon Woo will be fine – all she has to do is reveal her condition.

At the same time, Yeon Woo is defending herself quite weakly. Do Wook specifically asks if there’s a particular reason as to why she gave penicillin as medication; it’s almost as if he’s trying to feed her the right answer so that she can get out of this scrutiny. However, unlike Eun mi’s assumption, Yeon Woo doesn’t divulge.

Eun Mi is just outside the room when she hears the board getting ready to dismiss Yeon Woo. She steps in and tells them to stop – none of it was Yeon Woo’s fault.

Saved once again, Yeon Woo sees Do Wook waiting for her outside. He knew the whole time that Eun Mi might have had an underlying condition and was just waiting – hoping – that Yeon Woo would spill the beans. Yeon Woo says that even though her job was on the line, she wasn’t going to reveal a patient’s information for her sake.

Her five minutes are up. Do Wook is officially interested in this “movie” about a stubborn doctor.

And Ji Heon overhears this compliment. Ooooh – jealous Ji Heon in da house!

Comments:

This episode was quite mellow. Aside from the bromance – which I think was awesome and great development for another relationship in the show – I think that this was one of those quiet filler episodes. I don’t think that Yeon Woo is exactly “dumb” – but just how many more mistakes is she going to make as a doctor? I’m kind of hoping for more sports action and for her and Do Wook to be waiting in the sidelines in case of any emergencies. And then for some athlete to have a ghastly injury that they’re going to have to treat, but oh wait! The ambulance is stuck in traffic! They can’t get to Hankook Medical Center! Time to take out the scalpel for an emergency surgery! What about the germs? The fact that the gym isn’t sterilized? Who cares about that right now!?!?!?!?

Ok – granted, it might be too early for something like that to happen, but that’s where I hope the drama is going.

And also – I hope the writers don’t give Hee Young any more face time UNLESS she is going to portray an emotion OTHER THAN 1) angst, 2) sadness, or 3) mopey-ness. Cha Ye Ryun is proving to be quite the boring actress… Uhm Tae Woong – you’re no longer just eye candy, you’ve become quite the mentor with a sense of humor to boot.

Now, I leave it to aberdeen_angus to help resolve our classic k-drama triangle, because the gauntlets have been thrown!

Viva la Sang-Ji!

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