Things might not be going our leads’ way. But at least, they have each other for comfort and a safe space to turn to.
For now, they decide to be friends. And undoubtedly, we all know where this friendship will end up.
Bunny S. watches Doctor Slump on Netflix
Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 & 04 | 05 & 06 | 07 & 08 | 09 & 10 | 11 & 12 | 13 & 14 | Finale Week + Series Review |
Doctor Slump Episodes 3 and 4 Highlights
“From now on, let’s keep our frontal lobes in check. Let’s stay away from alcohol and each other.”
Meeting each other at the lowest parts of their lives is embarrassing enough for our ex-rivals. But hugging each other and crying is something they never saw coming, even in their wildest dreams. Cue: a promise to stay away from each other. This doesn’t last long anyway, as a smashed window by an unknown assailant has Jeong-woo sleeping over at Ha-neul’s house.
Since all Ha-neul knows how to do is study and work hard, Jeong-woo takes the lead in the mission let’s-have-some-real-fun-tonight. Eating spicy rice cakes, going to the arcade, and singing at a karaoke booth, Ha-neul had a blast.
“I found a case where the patient died is the same way Jeong-woo’s patient did.”
Sad news hit Ha-neul the next morning, though. As if abusing and overworking her wasn’t enough, Ha-neul’s boss registered her as a contract worker, not a full-time employee. Hence, an immense decline in her severance pay. Ha-neul wants to confront her boss and make a scene. Yet sadly, as Jeong-woo says, it is she who will get more hurt as word spreads fast in this field. And everyone will side with Ha-neul’s boss even if he was the one in the wrong.
Jeong-woo has his fair share of worries as well. The anesthesiologist refuses to show up at court, making Jeong-woo’s situation even worse. Putting her unique hobby of reading dissertations into use, Ha-neul stays up for several nights searching through the internet until she comes across a similar case to Jeong-woo’s. The court doesn’t accept the new evidence that day due to procedural issues, but it gives Jeong-woo the hope that he can clear his name.
“Let’s hang out sometimes. Let’s be friends, not classmates.”
After the trial, Ha-neul and Jeong-woo go to the East Sea to watch the sunrise, where Jeong-woo suggests they be friends, not classmates administratively placed together but willingly befriending each other.
Their first activity as friends is to go eat at a restaurant. Ha-neul dozes off out of tiredness, and Jeong-woo covers her with his jacket. Her head almost leans on his shoulder. But Jeong-woo dodges, only for Ha-neul’s head to land on his lap. And next thing we know, they are lying beside each other, completely out for the count.
“I was going to tell you earlier but I was too shy. Asking you to come help me buy a dress for the date was hard.”
It doesn’t help matters when Jeong-woo is misled into believing he is Ha-neul’s first love. Thus, reading into her request for him to go shopping with her. But it is for her blind date. A sulking Jeong-woo over the date is amusing to watch. Ironically, Ha-neul’s date is Bin Dae-yeong, Jeong-woo’s frenemy and fellow plastic surgeon. Though Dae-yeong can’t help but badmouth Jeong-woo every time they meet, he seems to be genuinely worried about Jeong-woo.
No need to worry about the blind date as Dae-yeong has no interest in Ha-neul but in her best friend, Lee Hong-ran, a.k.a the only person who subscribed to his channel who isn’t family or someone he knows. (Side note: Dae-yeong has a teenage daughter who barges in and flops the date.) Hearing the date went down, Jeong-woo can’t contain his smile and grins from ear to ear.
“Then, you should have told the entire story. He stole her dissertation, bullied her and took the research funds and her severance pay.”
Having submitted her resume, Ha-neul gets a call from a countryside hospital to join the staff as the chief of anesthesiology. The place might be far away, and Ha-neul knows no one there. Yet she is too impatient to turn down this offer. The feelings of boredom and how everyone other than her is living a busy and successful life have brought her self-esteem down.
Unluckily, the interview gets canceled after the director hears Ha-neul kicked her boss before quitting her job. And sadly enough, no one wants to hear her side of the story. They don’t even have the decency to inform Ha-neul about the cancellation until she arrives at the hospital. Walking back to the train station, Ha-neul is downcast, thinking she must have lived her life wrong. Yet, as a rushing over Jeong-woo says, it isn’t her fault.
Doctor Slump Episodes 3 and 4 Musings
This drama is a treat. Enemies to lovers trope might not be anything new. Yet the way our two Parks portray their roles not only brings life into their characters but also makes me root for Jeong-woo and Ha-neul in all their forms. Be it their high school days, current friends dynamics, their yet-to-come love story, and most importantly, as separate individuals.
Jeong-woo might come as a have-it-all guy. But once he hit a misfortune, everyone, including his parents, turned their backs on him. The only person who believed in his innocence was Ha-neul, his ex-rival, who caused him to almost faint after outperforming him on the midterms.
People might think Ha-neul is an annoying person who only cares about studying and getting good grades. However, she was practically forced to focus only on her studies because of her family’s high expectations, which burdened her at times.
It isn’t that Ha-neul didn’t want to hang out with friends and have fun. She kept holding back until she forgot how to spend time with friends. Jeong-woo was the first person to help her have some real fun without judging her or pushing her to get over her depression quickly.
Those two found precisely what they needed in each other, which makes their future romance more mesmerizing. The high school days’ flashbacks aren’t just shoved there but exist to serve the story, either to give us more insight into our leads, or to show us a parallel to the present-day scene. Jeong-woo catching a tripping Ha-neul in both timelines was heart-fluttering as well as comical.
The drama’s funny parts hit as high as it could. Jeong-woo talking to himself and alternating between white and black wings, according to his thoughts, cracked me up. Also, Dae-yeong is a funny character. I can’t wait for him to reunite with Jeong-woo and get some frenemies bromance. Not to mention Dae-yeong’s future romance with Hong-ran, who still doesn’t know of his existence and subscribed to his channel randomly.
Find encouraging lessons as Jeong-woo and Ha-neul rediscover their purpose in Doctor Slump!
Photos and Videos: JTBC Drama
