Doctor John Episode 13-14 Recap
Yoo Joon’s mother asks him to bring his colleagues to the restaurant often. He nods and tells her to go home soon, as she shouldn’t be straining.
Mi Rae is crying as she is heading home in the cab. She receives a call from Yoo Joon. He says that it is always tough on the guardians and he understands her. He says his father collapsed when he was in his forties. He says his father was bedridden for more than a decade before passing away.
Yoo Joon says he doesn’t remember his father much because of that and he just remembers a scent of a patient. He says he left home to get away from the smell, but he now works at a place filled with that smell. He says he became a doctor not because of his father, but because of his mother. He says he wants to lessen the guardian’s burdens. He tears up as he says he knows how tough it is. He tries to cheer her up by asking her to hang in there.
As he is about to hang up, Mi Rae apologises to him for not thanking his mother for the food. He smiles and says, “Food is energy!” He says he will thank his mother on her behalf and he tells Mi Rae to get home safely.
At Yo Han’s office, Si Young figures out from the X-rays that the other CIPA patient is Cha Yo Han. Just then, Yo Han walks in and she looks up. Her eyes well up as Yo Han walks up to his desk and switches off the monitors one by one. Si Young asks him to tell her that it isn’t true.
Yo Han says that his father had collapsed after vomiting blood when Yo Han was 12 years old. He says he called up 911 and they asked where the pain was at. Yo Han says he told them that he didn’t know.
In a flashback, we see Yo Han as a child screaming into the phone that his father doesn’t know where it hurts.
Yo Han narrates that his father couldn’t feel pain. Yo Han says he too can’t feel pain as he has the same condition as his father.
Si Young asks if this is a record of his body’s condition. Yo Han says it is a survival method. He adds that he constantly monitors his body that cannot speak. She asks him if that is why he checks his vitals daily.
He walks towards her and he says she is the first person to find out about his condition. He says she is the first person to discover his secret. He asks her if she can keep it a secret. Her voice is low as she asks him why it has to be a secret. He says because it is a ticking time bomb.
Yo Han asks her what kind of a hospital would hire a doctor who has a ticking time bomb inside of him. He explains that he can’t treat patients anymore if his condition is revealed. Tears trickle down her face as he walks to the door. He tells her to think about it and let him know if she can handle it.
After a while, Si Young stands in the hallway and looks at his room solemnly.
Yo Han sits at his desk as his voiceover narrates, “There are three kinds of people in this world. Those who are sick, those who are going to be sick and the third kind is people like me- those who can’t feel pain.”
Si Young has a pained expression on her face as she walks on the road.
(Episode 13 – Secrets and Lies)
Yo Han comes home, washes his hands and changes his clothes. He takes a bottle of water and drinks it as he walks over to a room. He opens the door.
The room is filled with medical equipment of all sorts.
Meanwhile, Si Young slides open her bookshelf and picks up the book on Pain Medicine. She opens to the topic on CIPA. She starts reading more about it.
In the room, Yo Han draws blood from the vein in his wrist for testing. He feeds the sample into the machine and checks the results.
Si Young is shocked to see the pictures showing the injuries of the patients (broken teeth, missing digits, broken bones) with CIPA.
Yo Han sits in front of the monitor as he sees the results that come up on the monitor.
It is morning as Si Young is still reading up on the condition. She has sketched the images she has seen so far regarding it. She then leaves for work.
Yoo Joon comes out of his house and he notices Mi Rae speaking to the kitten. He notices it has scratched her and he says he will dress the wound. She says she can’t come as the kitten has broken its leg. She says other cats or people may harm it if she leaves it here. He says the kitten will come with them too and he picks it up.
In the car, Mi Rae sits beside him with the kitten on her lap as he drives. She starts sneezing. He learns that she is allergic to cat fur and yells at her for taking care of a cat despite being allergic to its fur.
Mi Rae gets down at the vet and says she will see him at work. Yoo Joon offers to go along. She says a lot of hospital staffs live in the area and she doesn’t want them to get a wrong idea. Yoo Joon receives a call from Yo Han as Mi Rae thanks him and leaves.
Later, Yoo Joon spots Si Young outside the hospital, looking at the people coming in. He asks if she didn’t go home yesterday as she is wearing the same clothes from yesterday. He asks if she is waiting for someone and she says she isn’t. He immediately says, “Hello Dr Cha” and she turns around trying to spot Yo Han.
He laughs and says she is waiting for Yo Han. She is serious as she asks if it is fun teasing her. Yoo Joon says Yo Han called in sick and he will come by afternoon.
Si Young tries calling Yo Han but the call keeps going to voicemail. She realises she is late for the conference and she is about to rush in when Go Seok’s mother stops her. She gives her a bag of snacks for the entire team as a token of thanks. Si Young politely refuses. The mother says she doesn’t know how to thank Doctor Cha but Si Young says he will think it was his duty.
The lady hands over a note that Yo Han had given Gi Seok (as soon as you find this patient call an ambulance. Doctor in charge- Cha Yo Han) and asks if this was also a duty. She says she is worried every time she hears an ambulance thinking her son would be inside.
Si Young finds Cha Yo Han’s address from the emergency contacts.
(Yo Han’s Regular Checkup)
Si Young reaches Yo Han’s house. She rings the bell many times and knocks on the door calling his name. Yo Han is just then coming back from outside and he watches her as she knocks on the door screaming his name.
Yo Han calls her name and she rushes towards him asking if he is hurt or if he is sick. He moves away as she brings her hand towards him. She is flustered as she says she thought something was wrong as he called in sick. He says he is perfectly fine and he had to take the day off for regular check-up.
She is worried as she yells at him asking why he hadn’t taken her call despite calling many times. He seems surprised and checks his phone. He sees 33 missed calls and she starts sobbing telling him not to put his phone on vibration. She asks him what is the point of having a phone.
She starts crying saying he called in sick and he neither took her calls nor replied to texts. She says she was worried. Yo Han tries telling her that she is going overboard and she immediately screams at him asking who is going overboard. Yo Han is startled as he looks at his neighbours who are outside.
He is amused as he calls her inside before she starts a rumour.
As they enter the house, he tells her to wear the house slippers. He asks her to wait until he gets changed. She washes her hand and he asks her to go in. He asks her if she wants tea and she drags him out asking him to be careful while she makes tea.
He sits down and tells her where everything is. She pauses for a moment when she finds the glass kettle, unopened tea and sealed water bottles.
He walks up towards her and asks her about the conference. She says that the conference isn’t important. She says the patients with CIPA die of fever within the age of three. She says the ones who survive die before the age of 25. She says it wouldn’t be odd if he collapses right now. She asks if he still thinks it. Her eyes tear up as she asks him how he was living up to now.
Yo Han comes close to her and brings his hand close to hers. He then switches off the stove and asks her to follow him as he walks away. She follows him into his bedroom and she sees the monitors in his room.
He tells her that he checks his vitals as he goes to bed. He says he maintains the room temperature at 18 degrees. He shows the cameras recording him as he sleeps, which help him find what he has been doing while asleep. He says he could rub his eyes till he rips his cornea or bite his tongue hard and still not feel it.
He says this is how he has been living his entire life. He says this is normal for him just like how it is for her to brush her teeth and wash her face before going to bed. Her eyes tear up as he asks her not to worry too much. He says if anyone else finds out about this due to her excessive concern, everything will fall apart. He says if that happens, it will put an end to all he has done to save himself and his patients.
Meanwhile, Prosecutor Son meets Chief Min. She notes that he was the prosecutor on Yo Han’s case. He points out that she had a keen eye and hired Yo Han. She explains that he was always competent and had hired him based on a recommendation. He looks at a picture of Lee Won Gil and Min on the table saying he just found out that Lee had recommended Yo Han. She asks if it matters and he says it does. He says Yo Han is capable of repeating his crime.
At Yo Han’s room, Si Young walks up to him and says that she can keep his secret for as long as possible. She says a hospital is a place where people with contagious diseases gather and is very dangerous to him. She says it is a miracle he survived in a place more dangerous than that – the penitentiary. He asks what she is getting at. She calls him unpredictable, as she doesn’t know how far he will go without stopping. Yo Han asks her what her point is.
Si Young says she is afraid that he is always surrounded by danger and yet refuses to be selfish. She says she is scared that he will be gone forever from the hospital. He asks her why does that matter. He says he gets it that she sees him as both a doctor and a patient. He tells her not to get emotionally attached. She says he had told her that being emotionally attached to patients wasn’t bad. He asks if he is her patient and she goes silent.
Just then, he receives a call from his doctor. He tells her to leave, as he has to go for a check-up. He tells her to not try to understand him, as she wouldn’t ever be able to. He tells her to go and that he will see her in the hospital.
Yo Han watches from his balcony as she walks away.
Prosecutor Son looks at Cha Yo Han’s article on the notice board as a woman (patient) next to him whispers in his ear. He comments that she trusts Yo Han. She says people who are against it may not find him trustworthy. She tears up a contact number and asks him to visit if he is ill. He looks at the notice which reads, “Death talks. We talk about death and loss”
Lawyer Han spots Son standing there. He asks if he is ill as he is coming to the hospital often. Han asks Son to stop visiting Yo Han’s workplace and to stop treating him as a potential criminal. Son asks if Cha Yo Han would make a different choice if he met another patient like Seong Kyu.
Elsewhere, Eun-Jeong reads a story to children (about everyone’s purpose of being born) at the hospital. She reads an excerpt from the book (death asks why it was born) and asks the children why they think death was born. The children give answers like death was born to scare them, to hurt them etc. Eun-Jeong says the book told death that, death was born to cherish and love life.
Eun-Jeong recalls the day Seung Kyu died.
Seung Kyu is fast asleep when Eun-Jeong asks him to sign the clinical trial agreement. She yells trying to wake him up. She says that he has no right to die as he wishes. She takes the pen and places it into his hand. She moves his hand around and signs the agreement while he is unconscious.
At present, Eun-Jeong holds a picture of a child (her daughter) and she cries hard.
Meanwhile, Yo Han takes his regular check-up. His doctor (Dr Shim) comments that Yo Han’s scans look like the patients Yo Han has treated all along. He says Yo Han’s patients have eaten up his body one by one. Yo Han asks if the results are that bad. Dr Shim says he will contact him once the results are out. As Yo Han leaves, Shim asks him if he still doesn’t have a guardian. Yo Han is silent and Shim asks him to find one as he needs someone by his side. Yo han asks why he would put someone through that. He smiles as he leaves the doctor’s office.
Si Young walks down the stairs as she remembers Yo Han telling her not to understand him. She remembers him asking if he was her patient. She stops on a step and says, “No you are not my patient.”
(Episode 14)
A newsflash mentions that there is a confirmed Nipah Virus (fatal) case in Korea. An elderly person coughs nonstop in a hospital’s shuttle bus as this flash is relayed. The newsflash relays that patients will show symptoms of high fever of 38 degrees. It reports of 13 cases in India out of which 10 patients have died. It also says it can be spread through secretions or bodily fluid. The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating people who had contact with the confirmed patient. It asks to visit the Nearest Healthcare Centre in case of developing symptoms within two weeks from visiting India. The elderly person coughs as the bus rides through.
The bus stops at Hanse Seoul Medical Centre and the passengers get off.
Inside the Pain Management Centre, Nurse Hong reads the warning for Nipah virus that flashes on her monitor. Dr Joo Kyung brings them Avocado Sandwiches. She gets serious when she learns about the Nipah Virus case in Korea.
Mi Rae joins Yoo Joon by the elevator and shows him the pictures of the kitten after the surgery. He says he will visit the vet hereafter since she is allergic to cat fur. As she smiles, he tells her not to get the wrong idea. He tells her to stop blushing as the elevator doors close. Mi Rae touches her cheeks after the doors close.
As he is about to enter the office, Heo Joon notices a female patient who seems sick. He checks the patient list on Nurse Hong’s computer. He notes the patient (Lee Da Hee) has pain in the right arm after surgery. He seems concerned.
Yoo Joon says there are many patients and they are short-handed. He suggests doing preliminary exams until Dr Cha comes. Heo Joon walks away as the patient comes in. Won Hee takes her case. Da Hee says she had surgery last year at the same hospital. She removes the prosthetic to reveal an amputated right hand. She says she has a pain in her right arm that doesn’t exist. She says it pains like clenching her right hand. The pain stops if she opens her hand, which is not possible. She starts to cough.
Heo Joon walks out of the room and sits in a restaurant cubicle. He remembers doing Lee Da Hee’s surgery and running into a complication. In the waiting room, a mother and daughter are sitting across the old man. The mother realises she has misplaced the purse and asks the child to wait here while she goes and gets it. The elderly man starts coughing more.
Just then, Yu Deok Kyu (the old man) is called in for examination. Si Young takes his case and he tells her that he has had a bad headache for the past year. He says on some days the pain is similar to that of hammering or a nail or drilling. She says he wouldn’t be getting enough sleep. She finds the CT and MRI results normal. She notes he has visited 8 hospitals in total. He says none of them was able to find the cause.
He continues to cough and she asks him since when he has the cough. He says it started a few days back and he feels pain in the chest whenever he coughs. Nurse Hong finds that he has a temperature of 39.5. Just then, Lee Da Hee says she also has a fever and her temperature is 38.6. She says she sat next to Deok Kyu in the bus.
Si Young finds that he has also been vomiting. When asked, he says he hasn’t been abroad for 40 years. He says that a week back he had lunch with someone who had gone on a business trip to India.
Won Hee and Si Young Discuss the possibility of it being Nipah virus. Just then, a man carries in the child having a high fever, whose mother has gone to retrieve the purse. Da hee says the child is from the same shuttle bus.
Si Young says it is supposed to be latent for at least 5 days, but this is too fast. The man starts coughing harder and Si Young asks him if he is okay. The man coughs up blood and it splatters on Si Young’s face. Yoo Joon walks in and is shocked to see the blood on Si Young’s face.
(Shut Down of the Pain Management Centre)
Yo Han is in the elevator on his way to his office.
Yoo Joon says they will follow hospital protocol and shut down the Pain Centre. He says they will isolate the patient in the treatment room. He says they will ask Chief Min for protective gear. He also says that they have to find the person whom the old man had lunch with. Nurse Hong asks if they should wait for Doctor Cha before they shut down the Pain centre. Si Young thinks that Yo Han shouldn’t come inside.
Si Young calls Yo Han but his phone is on silent as he walks through the corridor.
A lady is about to exit the Pain Center when Won Hee rushes and locks the doors before Yo Han can enter. Won Hee then tells the patients that they can’t leave. Yo Han asks what is the problem.
The authorities come and isolate the ward. They cordon off the basement while the team escorts the patients into the pain Center.
At the meeting room, Min tells Yi Moon that there are 19 patients, 1 fellow 2 nurses and 2 residents in the Pain Centre. Kwon Seok says they have sent the gear and Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention will send an investigator. Min says they will confirm the result in 6 hours using lab tests.
Joo Kyung asks Keon Seok to go in there as only one fellow and two residents aren’t enough. Min says no one can go in there, as the Nipah Virus has no cure. She says it is highly lethal and contagious. She says no one can go in or out till the results come out negative.
Yo han speaks with Yoo Joon through the phone and he updates Yo han on the status. Mi Rae comes up next to Yo Han and Yo Han realises that Si Young is inside. Yo Joon says that that the suspect patient had coughed blood on Si Young’s face.
Yo Han hangs up and starts contemplating. Heo Joon walks up to him just then. Yo Han explains that the Centre is under lockdown.
The KCDC van arrives with the epidemiological team arrives. They proceed to the isolation ward. They categorise the people in the ward and Si Young notices the tag on her reads, “High risk”. She wears the protective gear and explains the situation to Deok Kyu.
As she is about to examine him, she receives a call from Yo Han. He says he is outside. She tells him to stay as far as he can. He asks her how she is as she got blood on her face. He then asks her if she is wearing a hazmat suit and she says she is. He then asks about the patient’s condition and she says he is stable but having trouble breathing.
She adds that few other patients who were on the same bus also have fever and nausea. She asks if it can spread this quickly. Yo Han says that she is in the room with the suspect patient.
The scene shifts into the isolated treatment room but with Yo han inside this time along with SI Young. They continue the conversation.
Yo han says that the others are at high risk with struggling immune systems. He says that the worst-case scenario is that this patient is confirmed with the virus and spreads it to the other patients. He says it isn’t confirmed yet, so she shouldn’t think about it now. He asks her to think about less serious outcomes. He gives a situation that the patient could have the Nipah Virus symptoms but have an illness that is not contagious.
She asks if that is possible. He asks her if she remembers the patient with 0.00001% probability. He says they can do it, him and her together. She smiles and agrees with him.
The scene shifts to normal and Yo Han asks her to tell him about the case. She lists the symptoms and he says that loss of appetite is not a symptom of Nipah Virus. He says headaches and fatigue for over a year could mean something else. Si-young says she will ask the KCDC to run PCR and CBC tests. Mi Rae watches Yo han closely as he speaks.
She puts him on speaker and he holds the call as she takes the blood sample from the patient. He then asks her to do a chest X-ray. The patient’s pulse rate goes up to 200 and she panics as she tells him this. He tells her to inject Brevibloc (medicine to block sympathetic nerve to reduce heart rate).
As the pulse rate drops, the patient says that he feels pressure in his chest. She says she will take an X-ray and asks the patient to move to the other table. As she readies the machine, the man gets up and walks away from her. She tells Yo han that the patient is acting strange. She says he has lost his sense of direction. Yo han asks her to check him.
Yo Han wonders if it is disorientation (altered mental state), but his thoughts are interrupted as Si-young lets out a scream.
The patient starts getting a seizure and falls on Si Young who loses her footing. Her head hits the cart holding the medicine as she falls.
Outside, Yo Han asks what that noise was and he calls out her name. After getting no response despite calling her name repeatedly, he asks Mi Rae to call Yoo Joon.
Yo Han rushes over to the surveillance room and asks to see what is going on in the treatment room.
Yoo Joon Comes in and sees the elderly man twitching and Si Young lying unconscious next to him.
Dr Min learns from Heo Joon that they aren’t able to reach Si Young.
Yoo Joon tries to shake her awake but Si Young doesn’t respond. He passes the information to Mi Rae. Min and Mi Rae exchange a look.
Yoo Joon turns the man over and he notices frothing in the corners of the man’s mouth. He gets a call from Yo Han who tells him to inject 10 cc of thiopental (slows the activity of your brain and nervous system.). He says he is watching Yoo Joon from the surveillance room.
Yoo Joon reports that the man is stabilising. Yo han asks how is Si Young and Yoo Joon says she is still unconscious after checking her again.
Yo Han runs swiftly down the corridors.
Si Young slowly comes around as Yoo Joon keeps shaking her. She turns her head to see Yo Han walking in wearing a Hazmat Suit. He glances at her and then tells Yoo Joon to take care of the patient.
Yo Han sits next to her and asks if she is awake.
Image Courtesy – SBS
Review
Well, that was a big revelation. Seung Kyu didn’t sign the agreement but Nurse Eun-Jeong had signed it when he was unconscious. It looks like Yo Han is caught in the crossfire as she has issues with Seung Kyu. It might be that Yo Han’s case wouldn’t have blown up this big if it was some other patient. I am interested to see how this is going to come out in the open as the whole case is right now centred around Yo Han euthanizing the patient. It looks like Lawyer Han will have a greater role in this.
That was an odd choice of a book for Eun-Jeong to read to at the paediatric ward.
This episode touched upon what a loved one guardian (Gi Seok’s mother) of a CIPA patient goes through. Si Young comes across as a quiet person but her reaction came as a surprise upon learning that Yo Han had called in sick. It looked like Yo Han didn’t mind Si Young fussing over him, as he was very calm throughout the scene.
The scene showing Yo Han’s daily routine as to how he survives all along was noteworthy. It explains how he has survived all along despite being a CIPA patient. It shows how much of the time he spends to make sure that he survives through the day. His dream to relieve patients from their pain seems to be the fuel for his survival. It looks like he has made up his mind to live only to save people.
There was a sprinkle of concern on Yo Han’s face when Si Young was unconscious and that was a first, as his mind always takes the analytical approach.
The scenes with Yoo Joon and Mi Rae are a pleasant watch. Yoo Joon can lighten any situation.
Though it is early on in the series, this episode had me thinking about how the series will end, especially for the male lead. This episode was fast-paced and I am curious to see the next one.
-By Soul Sword-
Doctor John Episode 15-16 Recap
The Writers Room 
Thanks for the excellent recap! summarized and good efforts to spend time on this!
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Thanks for reading !
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