Good News: our ship is sailing. Bad News: it was soon hit by turbulent waves.
It seems like our leads need to address some issues from the past before they can revel in their sweet dating phase.
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 7 and 8 Highlights
“The anesthesiologist who was also in the OR keeps bothering me.”
The masked man who planted the cameras and assaulted Jeong-woo turns out to be Kang Jin-seok, the anesthesiologist who refused to stand witness before. Having been thrown under the bus for a superior’s mistake, Jin-seok developed the habit of secretly filming his surgeries.
Unable to muster up the courage to give Jeong-woo the evidence in person, Jin-seok smashed the rooftop window and tossed in the hidden camera. However, things happened, and Ha-neul only stumbled across it recently.
On the day of the third hearing, Jin-seok drops by, still contemplating what to do. Luckily, Jeong-woo spots Jin-seok and chases after him. With the evidence submitted to the court, the real culprit, none other than the patient’s uncle, gets arrested. And Jeong-woo is proven innocent.
“It took Jeong-woo some time to recover. He unnecessarily suffered too many losses. He needlessly had to experience failure and disappointment.”
One might think that Jeong-woo will now be over the moon, having cleared his name. But it is rather bittersweet. The guy lost his reputation, apartment, and clinic just because he happened to be in charge of that patient. Adding to Jeong-woo’s misery, people who turned their backs on him during the trial are now flocking over just as quickly. Humans are fickle indeed.
For three whole days, Jeong-woo didn’t step out of the rooftop, looking at his phone that is now bombarded with calls and messages. Worried, Ha-neul uses whatever excuse crosses her mind to get Jeong-woo out. They go for drinks, and Jeong-woo opens up to Ha-neul about the pain he kept pent up all this time. Drunk, Jeong-woo confesses his love to Ha-neul over and over again, using his unique ways, and cutely holds her hand.
“I would have come and taken you home had I known about this.”
After some hilarious back and forth, our leads are finally official. They agreed to go on a date and couldn’t be more excited about it. Except, their first date is interrupted by Dae-yeong, who has rushed over after hearing from Hong-ran that Jeong-woo now lives on the rooftop.
While I am glad our frenemies are reunited, the timing can’t be more unfitting. Jeong-woo tries to drop Dae-yeong like a hot potato, yet Ha-neul excuses herself so they can talk freely. As we come to learn, Jeong-woo and Dae-yeong used to be close, but something unrevealed to us yet caused them to have a fallout. Just as Ha-neul, Dae-yeong believed in Jeong-woo’s innocence. But he couldn’t call lest he would be bothering Jeong-woo. Now, he wants Jeong-woo to join his clinic.
“It hurts my heart to see you trying to be understanding of everything.”
After parting ways with Dae-yeong, Jeong-woo returns to Ha-neul so that they can enjoy their date. Things go smoothly until Jeong-woo brings up that he doesn’t want Ha-neul to suppress her emotions and yield to others like she did earlier.
He also wants to know the real reason she quit her job. Something big must have happened that caused Ha-neul to feel depressed and call it quits after enduring it for a long time. Ha-neul’s expression changes, and she tries to brush off the question, though it is clear she is hiding something from Jeong-woo.
“Why did you do it? I wrote the whole dissertation, so why did you omit my name?”
Ha-neul’s face turns pale after she learns that their mutual acquaintance, Min Kyung-min, is getting married. Kyung-min has been lurking in the background for a while, giving off suspicious vibes. I thought he was the one behind what happened to Jeong-woo. While that isn’t entirely cleared up yet, what is certain for now is that he was the one behind what happened to Ha-neul.
Approaching her with sweet words and fake care, Kyung-min had Ha-neul help him with his dissertation. She pretty much did all the work, but Kyung-min had the nerve to list himself as the sole author. And when confronted about it, Kyung-min shamelessly tells Ha-neul to sweep it under the rug in return for recommending her for an open position later.
Hearing Kyung-min is resigning from the professor position he got by stealing her work, Ha-neul storms the parts and splashes Kyung-min with alcohol. (One cup isn’t enough. She should have drenched him with a whole bottle.)
“I had forgotten for a moment. I am someone who struggles to even take care of herself.”
Since when it rains, it pours, Ha-neul hears from Hong-ran Jeong-woo turned down Dae-yeong’s job offer, as he didn’t want Ha-neul to feel dejected, being the only one unemployed. Good intentions aside, Jeong-woo makes Ha-neul feel humiliated, being the one bogging him down. Overwhelmed by everything going on, Ha-neul breaks up with Jeong-woo despite his pleas for them to stay together.
Doctor Slump Episodes 7 and 8 Musings
As much as the breakup scene hurt, complete with the heavy rain, it was something Jeong-woo and Ha-neul needed both as individuals and for their relationship. Jeong-woo should have told Ha-neul about the job offer and taken the best decision for his current situation. Be it accepting the offer or extending his break. I understand that he meant well, but Jeong-woo only hurt Ha-neul with his actions.
On the other hand, Ha-neul needs to be assertive about what she really wants and stop suppressing her emotions. She should have been honest with Jeong-woo about the reason she wanted to break up with him.
Opening up about what Kyung-min did to her might be too hard for Ha-neul to do for now. But I hope she could muster up the courage and tell Jeong-woo everything. Watching Kyung-min act like a good friend before Jeong-woo while stabbing Ha-neul in the back makes my blood boil.
Find encouraging lessons as Jeong-woo and Ha-neul rediscover their purpose in Doctor Slump!
Photos and Videos: JTBC Drama
