Just like that, Doctor Slump is coming to an end, and I’m sad. I suppose the most healing part about this drama is how it balances the serious with the trivial. “How do I get her to like me back?” “How do I make him feel good about himself?” I guess we don’t really get to see these things in Dramaworld that often, especially not today. Doctor Slump has made us laugh, cry, and scream with joy. It’s a show that I’ll personally never forget. Additionally, there’s the joy of the second lead couple that is just as wholesome as the leading couple, leaving you feeling all warm and cozy on the inside. Episode 15 takes off right at the end of episode 14, where Jeong-Woo brings out the ring to look at in Ha-Neul’s workplace. Let’s quickly dive into the penultimate episode of Doctor Slump.
Spoiler Alert
Why Do Ha-Neul and Hong-Rang Get Wasted So Fast?
Seeing as Ha-Neul’s always there for Jeong-Woo, however bad the situation, Jeong-Woo decides to take the leap and buy the ring. However, in his excitement, he brings it out at work and drops it under the sofa. Struggling to find the ring, Jeong-Woo exclaims, and Ha-Neul notices. She tries to find whatever he’s dropped, and he claims it’s a 100-won coin. Somehow, Ha-Neul doesn’t find the ring; instead, she finds cockroaches running out from under the sofa. The next day, Jeong-Woo tells Dae-Young that he wants to buy Ha-Neul a present, but he doesn’t mind if she agrees to marry him. Dae-Young yells at Jeong-Woo for putting pressure on Ha-Neul when she’s just become a professor. At the same time, since Jeong-Woo doesn’t really have any friends, he confesses to Ha-Neul’s uncle and brother that he wants to “give her a ring.” Hearing everyone’s opinion, Jeong-Woo becomes confused and essentially buys up the whole store. I’m exaggerating; of course, he buys her everything, from a necklace to a bracelet to a pair of earrings. In the meantime, the news of Jeong-Woo receiving a concession amount for being a victim in the Macao case breaks out. Seeing this, Ba-Da tries to be more affectionate towards him so that he can squeeze some money out of him (evil younger kid). However, he has actually been working hard since his sister came out of the hospital.
On the other hand, Dae-Yeong and Hong-Ran are having a bit of a rough patch since she saw the nurse accidentally kiss him (on the cheek, of course). This entire situation puts Hong-Ran into an existential crisis, and she confesses to Ha-Neul and Jeong-Woo that she realized she was not ready for dating after third-wheeling on their date. Hearing Hong-Ran’s story, Ha-Neul starts pouring the drinks as if there’s no tomorrow. The girls get drunk in essentially 5 minutes, leaving Jeong-Woo alone to look after them. This is when Jeong-Woo calls Dae-Yeong to take Hong-Ran home safely so he can look after his girlfriend. After a comical show of the girls calling each of their guys more pathetic than the other while piggybacking, they go their separate ways. Finally, Hong-Ran confesses to Dae-Yeong that dating is like drinking, only fun while you’re doing it; it’s terribly fun and exciting, but later, it leaves you with heartburn and a hangover. She’s essentially afraid of feeling feelings, so she doesn’t even want to start with Dae-Yeong. Ugh, so close yet so far with these two!
How Does the Little Girl’s Surgery Go?
A drunk Ha-Neul calls Jeong-Woo’s friends, who hurt him and left him when he needed them the most. One of them comes and apologizes, leaving Jeong-Woo feeling especially happy about his relationship with Ha-Neul. At the same time, Ha-Neul also stops the PR team of the hospital from making a scene about his surgery on the young girl he wants to help out because it would take away from the good work he’s actually trying to do. The surgery, though a little shaky at the start, goes smoothly, thanks to Ha-Neul’s good memory and quick thinking.
Ha-Neul and Jeong-Woo realize that this is the moment that they’ve found the best versions of themselves. It seems the lowest moments of their lives—their slump—led to a new beginning. A start that would change their lives for the better forever. After the surgery, Jeong-Woo returns to see his old school friends, who finally confess that they made a big mistake that would alter their lives forever (not believing him). Since one of them was suffering from his own family problems, the pressure made him take it out on his close friend Jeong-Woo (ah, we do like to take friendship for granted). After things have settled down a bit, they wonder how it was Ha-Neul who called them about Jeong-Woo. They think it’s impossible that Jeong-Woo could date her because they were really mortal enemies in school. Ha-Neul shows up, overhears the conversation, and tells them in earnest that they’re actually together now. This is when they start talking about how popular she was in school and turn things around in Ha-Neul’s favor. Apparently, it was always Jeong-Woo who badmouthed her when even his friend had a massive crush on her back in the day. Eventually, Jeong-Woo’s excited to have such a popular girlfriend as they get back home. In the meantime, Dae-Yeong tries to tell Hong-Rang how he feels through text but accidentally sends the message to his daughter (whoops). His daughter is actually in favor of Hong-Ran because she seems to be a good influence on her sad father, and she tells him exactly what to do. Dae-Yeong asks Hong-Ran to meet, accidentally kisses her the same way the nurse did earlier, except this time on the lips, and then proceeds to tell her everything he likes about her. Finally, they’re actually together.
Does Jeong-woo propose?
Well, that’s a yes and no. At the end of Doctor Slump episode 15, Ha-Neul is in Jeong-Woo’s room and tells him it’s time for him to move out. She then proceeds to ask him if he’d like to be her family, essentially proposing to him before he could muster up the courage. Hearing her words, Jeong-Woo accidentally cuts his finger, leaving Ha-Neul to open the drawer with all the jewelry boxes in it. She opens a couple of them, and he tells her he got her these gifts because he was afraid she wouldn’t like one or two of them but didn’t realize how to give them to her. After she fixes up his finger, he eventually makes her wear all the jewelry, including a crown (because he wants to treat her like a queen). Finally, he adds the finishing touch by grabbing her hand and putting the ring on, asking her to be his friend, family, and wife, because he can’t imagine not being with her ever again.
There’s still one episode of Doctor Slump left, and it seems some exciting things are about to happen for Ha-Neul and Jeong-Woo. It feels like the end of an era, and I don’t know how I will say goodbye to Ha-Neul and Jeong-Woo, who have become a part of my weekends.
