Resident Playbook’s ending feels like it closes a loop that takes us right back to the beginning of the show. The final episode of the Hospital Playlist spin-off is an emotional rollercoaster, spanning an hour and forty minutes. It definitely left me teary-eyed multiple times, making the whole show worth it. Also, yes, the person we were waiting to see does make an appearance in this episode, and it’s adorable. More on that later, though. In the final episode, the first-years are put to the test as a new year is about to begin. The hospital on New Year’s Eve is just like any other day, but extra busy, especially when moms want to give birth only after midnight strikes. But with that said, let’s jump straight into the final episode.
Spoiler Alert
Are Sa-Bi and Jae-Il a couple?
Resident Playbook’s finale begins with the gang teaming up and asking Yi-Young if she’s dating Do-Won. She tells them that she is, but she wants them to keep it a secret from the rest of the hospital. Ironically, almost the entire hospital already knows about them. Jae-Il has been at the hospital for days on end because a patient is in severe pain because of her cancer. She’s also lonely because she has no loved ones with her, only a caretaker. So he thinks if he’s around, chatting to her, the pain might subside. After many sleepless nights, Sa-Bi tries to give him a solution, but she changes her mind and doesn’t bother because they’re kind of like water and oil, completely opposite each other. But Jae-Il ends up noticing the book Sa-Bi was looking at and sees some medication that can help his patient. He administers the medication, and the patient is suddenly pain-free. It took him long enough, but I suppose Jae-Il can finally be called a doctor.
Meanwhile, Sa-Bi calls her professor the superstar of the hospital in front of a patient because he’s an excellent surgeon. But when she tells him she’s still afraid when she sees too much blood during surgery, her professor says that he feels the same way. He reassures her that this is how it is as doctors, but when the patient has put their faith in them and done their best to stay healthy, it’s their duty to get the work done. The operation ends up happening overnight, and there’s a lot of blood; however, it’s successful, and they manage to keep the patient in good health. The professor jokes that they should tell her that she looks much healthier after a whole year of surgery, but nobody finds it funny. However, when it comes time to talk to the patient, it’s Sa-Bi who makes the joke, cheering on her patient and the professor in the New Year. Turns out Sa-Bi has finally grown to become slightly warmer than she used to be. It seems like Jae-Il and Sa-Bi have assimilated by taking in the best parts of each other. Sa-Bi then asks Jae-Il if he likes her, and he admits it immediately. But she tells him that they need to get to know each other better, and for longer if she has to date him, because that’s her rule. Sa-Bi and her rules, but these two will definitely end up a couple. Shame we don’t get to see it, though. And on the other hand, Yi-Young and Nam-Kyung are basically besties now.
What Happens With Nam-Kyung?
As for Nam-Kyung, she ends up witnessing the circle of life. Nam-Kyung meets her first patient, Ms. Yeom, again, but this time it’s not under good circumstances. She’s in the emergency room, and there are no beds available, so she has to stay put. While there’s nothing Nam-Kyung can really do for her as a doctor, she stays with her as a fellow human, and of course, because she’s the woman who brought her back to the hospital when she ran away. Nam-Kyung plays Ms. Yeom’s favorite hymn for her, and they hold hands in understanding. Ultimately, she dies on New Year’s Day, and Nam-Kyung is the one who has to make the announcement. While she acts like she’s okay in front of the guardian, she completely breaks down when she has to fill in the death certificate.
However, at that moment, a new patient is brought in whose water broke prematurely. Nam-Kyung rushes to help, and the man who is with the patient instructs her on what to do because the baby is already coming out. With the help of our favorite gynecologist, Yang Seok-Hyeong, Nam-Kyung doesn’t delivers her first baby, making Dr. Seo proud. Everybody’s clearly come a very long way. After the delivery, she notices how she lost someone, but she also brought a new life into the world. Being a doctor is hard, but there’s also joy in helping people. Also, later she learns that Tak Gi-On has chosen OB-Gyn, meaning they’re getting at least one new first-year in their department (phew), but more importantly, he’s in love with her, which gives all 4 first-years happy endings for 2023. Uff, she was so jealous of Yi-Young.
What was Dr. Seo’s wish?
Yi-Young wins the lottery on the 31st of December, and she’s delighted. When she gets to the hospital, she’s in a good mood, but Dr. Myeong immediately gives her some work. Yi-Young still continues about her day, smiling, making Myeong wonder what’s wrong with the girl. During a delivery, Dr. Seo asks Yi-Young to remove the placenta, but she ends up tugging too hard, separating the umbilical cord and placenta. It is the final day of the year, so mothers are desperate to hold on for longer, but of course, nature has its own way of doing things, and the two women who wanted their babies to be born on January 1st deliver on the 31st. Yet the one woman who was calm as a summer’s breeze ends up delivering on January 1st. The second time around, Dr. Seo asks Yi-Young if she wants to try again with the placenta, and she says yes. This time, she does it right. After the surgery, Dr. Seo asks Yi-Young how she miraculously got better in a few hours. Yi-Young tells her that she practiced and looked at some videos because she wanted to do well. Dr. Seo’s wish was to have one of the first years remove the placenta before the end of the year, but interestingly, Yi-Young even handles an actual delivery, making Dr. Seo a proud professor.
It does look like Yi-Young actually enjoys this job now, yet after all of that drama, in the morning, after a hard day’s work, Yi-Young tells her friends that she’s going to quit for real because she won the lottery, only for her to learn that the date for claiming it has passed. New Year’s? More like April Fool’s. Good thing she has a great job and works with people who love and appreciate her.
Who Becomes a Professor?
The big twist in the final episode of “Resident Playbook” is that Chu Min-Ha becomes a professor, not Myeong or Do-Won. Dr. Seo emphasizes that it should be someone who doesn’t care about end results as much as they do the process. Min-Ha is the nicest person on the 3 shows combined, so great choice there. But more importantly, we get to see Seok-Hyeong act all cute and embarrass himself in front of the other doctors, including Do-Won. I guess this could imply another season of the show where Min-Ha might be a recurring character rather than a cameo.
What Does Do-Won Do For Yi-Young?
Yi-Young’s sister and brother-in-law decide to stop trying to have a baby for good after learning that the IVF treatment didn’t work yet again. I think it’s quite progressive to see a Korean drama show us that it’s okay to think of a family differently from the traditional idea. Sure, they might not have kids, but they’ll still have each other. Plus, they now have a double-in-law situation, which they don’t know about. Even till the end, they don’t realize that Do-Won and Yi-Young are in love.
In Resident Playbook’s ending, Do-Won gives Yi-Young a ring, but don’t worry, it’s not a proposal; it’s just a promise to stay together and him telling her that he likes her. Finally, Yi-Young returns to the hospital and walks into the second-year room. It’s just as noisy as the first time she met her new friends, Nam-Kyung, Sa-Bi, and Jae-Il. But, while they remain the same, Yi-Young’s a changed person, a happy one, who loves to be doing what she does. A full circle moment for her, and maybe she was just kind of lonely and needed some friends. A happy ending for the second-years at Jongno Yulje Medical Center.
