Previously on Doctor Cha: Jeong-suk had given up her career as an intern doctor to become a housewife and take care of her family for twenty years. However, she was diagnosed with acute liver failure and urgently needed surgery. The problem was that there was no liver donor available as her mother-in-law had refused to allow her husband to donate his liver.
Fortunately, Jeong-suk received a liver donation from an accident patient and underwent a successful transplant. However, upon waking up from the surgery, she cursed her husband with vulgar words, saying “Damn it!”
Recap of Doctor Cha Episode 2: After escaping death, Jeong-suk makes the decision to live a different and tries to stand on her own two feet.
After In-ho’s mother refused to allow him to donate his liver to Jeong-suk. They were fortunate to find a liver donor whose compatibility matched Jeong-suk’s. The liver transplant surgery was successful. And Jeong-suk narrowly escaped death.
However, her life after the surgery remained the same. Her mother-in-law and husband continued to treat her like a servant. In-ho would become emotional and speak harshly to her when he didn’t get what he wanted. Jeong-suk began to feel that the twenty years she had devoted to her family were a worthless dedication. She decided that from that point on, she would do what she wanted to do.
And today, Jeong-suk goes on a shopping spree, buying everything she wants, including brand-name items. When In-ho receives a credit card notification message, he is shocked to see that Jeong-suk has spent 11,350,000 won in just one day.
“Have you lost your mind?!” In-Ho curses.
Jeong-suk receives a phone call from In-ho, who complains non-stop, but she replies in a flat voice that she just wants to do what she wants. Maybe it’s because she just escaped death. “I want to live my life for a bit.”
After that, everything changes. Jeong-suk stops being a housewife and stops doing anything related to household chores.
Later that night, Jeong-suk meets up with her friend for a glass of wine, and they reminisce about their days as medical students. Jeong-suk shares a story about a field trip where she fell and sprained her leg. In-ho came to help her and ended up giving her first aid, which eventually led to a sexual relationship and her pregnancy. She never knew that Seung-hi was In-ho’s first love.
Stand on My Own Feet
The next day, Jeong-suk visits In-ho at the hospital and asks him to make her a co-owner of their house. She remarks, “I always wondered why the only thing that’s in my name is the phone.”
However, In-ho’s mother refuses to let Jeong-suk become a co-owner on the grounds that property should be handed down to men, and their eldest son should inherit it. Jeong-suk feels humiliated and decides to become independent.
Returning home, Jeong-suk enters and sees the eldest son’s medical exam book. She picks it up and tries a few questions. “Ah, I can do this too,” she thinks to herself. Then Jeong-suk contemplates becoming a doctor again. For more than four months, she focuses on studying for exams and decides to work at Gusan University Hospital, the same place as her husband, without telling him.
On the day of the exam results announcement, Jeong-suk anxiously waits in front of her phone. She got 49 out of 50, far better than her son’s score of 45.
However, during the interview, Jeong-suk faces a hurdle due to her previous liver transplant, which makes her more susceptible to infections than the average person. Additionally, her age of 46 is considered relatively high for a medical intern.
Not long after, Jeong-suk receives a phone call informing her that she failed the interview. Her expression shows no surprise, as if she had already made up her mind.
The next day, In-ho is left shocked to the point of speechlessness. He sees Jeong-suk in her lab coat, standing with a group of doctors that includes Seung-hi. He wonders why Jeong-suk is in the pediatric department, the same department as Seung-hi, even though she failed the interview before.
Image via JTBC Korea
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