As Doctor Slump draws closer to the finish line, we’re finally getting closure for all the sad things that have happened to Jeong-Woo and Ha-Neul. Though a dramatic turn of events, episode 13 doesn’t feel very different from previous episodes and continues in the same rhythm as the rest of the show. I’m always afraid that when K-dramas add such a twist so late in the show, it’s usually going to be very disappointing to audiences (out of experience, of course). I have said this earlier, but I was worried the show wrapped up its conflict even before the mid-point, which made it seem like there was almost nothing else to really see. I was totally wrong, though, and apart from being absolutely hilarious and wholesome, the show really takes its time to explore certain sides of mental health. Not just the person who is struggling, but also about those around them and how they deal with things. Episode 12 ended on a huge cliffhanger and frankly gave us a massive jump scare by tricking us and then getting Ha-Neul and Kyung-Min in an accident. Doctor Slump Episode 13 picks up right where Episode 12 ended.
Spoiler Alert
Was Kyung-Min a good person?
Nah, tell me what you like, but this man never got his redemption arc. He may have been a virtuous person at some point, but at this stage in the show, I will call him an antagonist in Jeong-Woo’s life. In a flashback, we see how Kyung-Min was introduced to Jeong-Woo as his tutor to help him get into a prestigious medical school. He was like an older brother figure to Jeong-Woo, who truly supported him to achieve his dreams. Yes, he was threatened by Jeong-Woo’s mother (the sincerely terrible person that she is) to make sure he got Jeong-Woo into medical school. She also gave him a lot more money than he should have received because she knew his financial situation wasn’t great, and that this would push him further. But Kyung-Min genuinely liked Jeong-Woo. So, yes, he used to be a genuinely good person, but somewhere, things changed for him; we’ll find out about that later.
In the present day, Ha-Neul’s mother gets a call from the hospital about Ha-Neul’s accident. She’s in shock, but Jeong-Woo happens to be around, so he listens to the doctor and asks Ha-Neul’s mother to allow them to proceed with surgery. Despite breaking some ribs and losing a part of her lungs, Ha-Neul is out of danger the next day. Seeing his sister on her deathbed, Ba-Da finally comes to his senses and promises to work hard if she wakes up. He feels remorse for being the “bad child” since Ha-Neul must’ve felt forced to work harder since she was the only responsible and smart child in the family. On the other hand, Jeong-Woo tries to stay calm and collected in front of Ha-Neul’s family. However, when he gets to work, the teacher from their school hands him the note that Ha-Neul had written him in school (no, it makes no sense for a teacher to hold onto a handwritten note from one student to another!). Jeong-Woo breaks down, reading the contents of the note, which reads something like, “Let’s get through this together.” Finally, Ha-Neul wakes up, and everyone is overjoyed. Jeong-Woo tells Ha-Neul that it’s okay if she doesn’t tell him who she was with, in the accident, for a little bit, but in truth, he already saw the name of the person in surgery.
How Does Jeong-Woo Find Out the Truth About Kyung-Min?
The anesthesiologist from Jeong-Woo’s clinic randomly asks to meet him. He then says he had another hidden camera, which is still with him. Jeong-Woo immediately asks why he didn’t show it to the detective, and the man says this is the exact reaction he was looking for. It seems he’d tested Kyung-Min similarly earlier, but he had reacted completely differently. This leads Jeong-Woo to visit the detective, who spills the beans about everything that went down up until the accident. Jeong-Woo now knows that Kyung-Min was personally responsible for what happened that fateful night, but he’s also made to hear the black box audio from the car from Kyung-Min and Ha-Neul’s accident. Jeong-Woo rushes to the hospital and yells at Ha-Neul for putting herself in danger for his sake. Later, Ha-Neul apologizes to him but says that if she had to do it again, she would. Ha-Neul’s the kind of person who doesn’t want anyone else in pain, and she would do anything to protect Jeong-Woo’s feelings. When they’ve cried, hugged it out, and calmed down a little bit, Ha-Neul also tells Jeong-Woo that, before they passed out in the car, Kyung-Min spoke to Ha-Neul.
Why Did Kyung-Min Resent Jeong-Woo?
Three weeks before Jeong-Woo’s CSAT exams, Kyung-Min’s father had been overdrinking, and Kyung-Min was the only person who could’ve taken him home. When he asked Jeong-Woo’s mother for permission to leave only for a couple of hours (he was an in-house tutor, yikes), all she did was remind him that the exams were only 3 weeks away. Kyung-Min never went to find his father, who wanted a meal with his son, and his father ended up dying the same night from taking too many pills after drinking too much. Of course, this would’ve left Kyung-Min completely heartbroken and resentful of Jeong-Woo’s mother. However, this doesn’t mean he should’ve drugged Jeong-Woo to make his parents suffer like he did. This also doesn’t mean he could treat Ha-Neul like a doormat for his own benefit. I suppose this incident completely changed the man.
At the end of Doctor Slump episode 13, a barely breathing Kyung-Min asks Jeong-Woo to see him. He tells him that he didn’t know that the clinic was Jeong-Woo’s when he chose it for the murder of a woman. However, agreeing to be part of an unethical deed was his fault alone. Kyung-Min never went back to being a decent person. He chose this route for himself. When Jeong-Woo arrives, Kyung-Min asks for him to hear him out. He claims he didn’t know about the clinic, but why would Jeong-Woo believe him after everything they’ve been through? Kyung-Min tells Jeong-Woo that he hopes he grows out of hating Kyung-Min and lives his life without resentment. Don’t be fooled; this is his personal closure. Despite Jeong-Woo telling Kyung-Min that he can’t forgive him, Kyung-Min is free because he’s said his piece. Jeong-Woo tells Ha-Neul that he can’t forget the guy just yet, but he cries out profusely. As much as he loved him before, on the deathbed, he’s a completely different man. Ultimately, Kyung-Min dies. We see Jeong-Woo cry profusely, holding onto the black suit Kyung-Min bought for him for his graduation. Jeong-Woo has finally found his footing back in the surgery room. Hopefully, this won’t hinder his growth.
