In the previous episode of “Doctor Cha,” Jeong-Suk had been admitted to the hospital after she had fainted. On inspecting her condition more closely, it’s revealed that she had been jaundiced due to her liver being on the path of irreversible damage. She had been listed for a transplant, but In-Ho had hesitated at the beginning, so her mother sought help from her cousin; however, his family had refused to let him help either. In-Ho later volunteered but hid his hesitation and relief behind his mother’s antics, who had ripped apart the donation paper and had forbidden him from donating. At the end of “Doctor Cha” Episode 1, Roy Kim performed a successful surgery, regardless of In-Ho’s antics. Jeong-Suk woke up after the surgery only to curse him out as she returned to falling asleep.
Spoilers Ahead
Cha Jeong-Suk’s Realization: Better Late Than Never
After the surgery, Jeong-Suk’s life returned to exactly what it was before she fell sick. She had gone through a surgery that had been life-threatening, yet nothing had changed a few minutes into “Doctor Cha” Episode 2. She was still treated like a maid and berated if she made a mistake. However, once she took the time to really notice the people around her and the way they treated her, Jeong-Suk made up her mind to not let it slide again. All it took for her to stand up against them was a near brush with death. Ae-Sim, Jeong-Suk’s mother-in-law, had sent her to the department store to pick up her rare and branded bag.
Jeong-Suk remembered the way Ae-Sim had stopped In-Ho from donating and that, fortunately, there had been a donor who had passed away right at that moment in the E.R., so she could go through with the surgery. She remembered witnessing In-Ho hiding his hesitation behind his mother’s antics, which is why she changed the way she had thought in the past years and began living for herself. It started with shopping, spending In-Ho’s money, and confusing him at first with the amount. She then slaps him awake at night, and he rationalizes her actions by passing them off as an after-effect of the surgery. She continued with her behavior the next day as well. She refused to be treated as a servant, and thus she stopped cooking for others and asked them to make their food themselves. She started going out more, and she also got new outfits for herself for once while also treating herself to the luxuries she had always rejected to stay humble and be a good wife and daughter-in-law. Her family started perceiving her as insane because her actions were new and not like hers. She later went out with her friend to celebrate the new her and her fight to attain happiness.
What Did She Demand?
While she spent the evening with Baek Mi-Hee, Jeong-Suk finally told her about when she had conceived Jung-Min. It had been during the school excursion when Seung-Hi, who had been dating In-Ho at that time, had been away on an international trip. Jeong-Suk had sprained her ankle during the excursion, and In-Ho had volunteered to take care of her. A sprained ankle had led to Jeong-Suk being alone with In-Ho in a heated room which had led to her conceiving Jung-Min, and In-Ho had proposed to her immediately. Their relationship had broken Seung-Hi’s heart, yet the three of them had stayed back to finish their education. Jeong-Suk atoned for the mistake by flattering her husband, her mother-in-law, and also her kids and by leaving her job for them. This time, she made up her mind to be a little more selfish. Mi-Hee also pushed her to ask In-Ho to enter her name on the house deed papers.
The next day, Jeung-Hi visited In-Ho at the hospital to demand that he do that while also making time to visit Jung-Min, who was interning at the same hospital. However, Jung-Min was being reprimanded by his seniors for his mistake, so Jeong-Suk chose not to interfere and left him be. On her way out, she met with Roy Kim by chance. They exchanged numbers so that Kim could send her the pictures he had taken of her during her tour as a doctor for the day before she underwent surgery. She had expressed her wish to practice again and that she had never wanted to stop practicing, which is why Kim had agreed to let her indulge in being a doctor again. While they exchanged pictures, Kim asked if she would like to practice again. She had laughed it off at first because, at her age, she could not fathom that anyone would hire her. Her mother had also asked her to focus on herself and begin her studies yet again, and Kim insisted that she try; this woke up a spark in her to practice again.
‘Doctor Cha’ Episode 2 Ending Explained: Did Cha Jeong-Suk Finally Apply for Residency?
Kim had a conversation with In-Ho later that day. In-Ho had taken the matter, in which she’d demanded her name be put in the house deed, to his mother to get her input. This made it easier for him to reject her idea before it festered again. Therefore, he asked to talk to her and rejected her wish, which in turn gave rise to an argument after she took the opportunity to get his opinion about her practicing again. He had laughed at her, and that had led to them comparing their test scores and him challenging her that she would fail if she took the residency exams now. She took that challenge, and she applied for the residency exams. She studied the nights away and made sure In-Ho or any of her other family members were not aware of her preparation. The very next day, however, Ae-Sim took her out to a French restaurant and made it clear that Ae-Sim had been the one to reject putting Jeong-Suk’s name in and that it was because they were rich and they had traditions.
To soften the blow, Ae-Sim hesitatingly offered her car as compensation; Jeong-Suk rejected it immediately and, after their lunch, returned to studying. She scored 49 out of 50 on the test, while her son, Jung-Min, secured 45 marks. She changed her look and applied for residency at the same hospital as In-Ho, opting to work in Seung-Hi’s department. Jung-Min found out about his mother’s renewed practice during the interview round. But, although she had been rejected due to her age and her liver transplant, Jung-Min remained supportive of her choices and told her to reapply. However, the next day she was called back again, and thus Jeong-Suk met Seung-Hi, who was her supervisor, while In-Ho mentally kicked himself for letting the two meet. Seung-Hi had been aware that she had applied and had asked In-Ho to take care of it and stop her from applying; however, it had been a tad bit too late because even though Seung-Hi had tried her best to reject Jeong-Suk’s application, her brilliance shone through and she got accepted.
Final Thoughts:
It was good that Jeong-Suk began fighting for what she wanted. Mi-Hee, Roy Kim, Jung-Min, and her mother supported her on her journey to begin practicing again. Although In-Ho had undermined her, his challenge and bad behavior had pushed her to apply and try. The beginning had been a little rocky because she had returned to her previous ways of working herself to the bone for her family, but she soon realized her mistake and changed her ways of living for herself. The trailer for the next episode just goes to show that she would excel in spite of Seung-Hi berating her in every way during her residency. Talk of divorce is also floating around in the trailer, with Roy Kim being the one to suggest it. The next episode will be sure to be full of many surprises.
