(Doctors) Finale Episode 20
Episode 20 Finale Recap
The finale starts off with a flashback: we’re back to when Ji Hong and Hye Jung separate for the first time following Hye Jung’s Grandma’s funeral. He asks if he should really leave and Hye Jung, turning away, tells him she doesn’t ever want to see him again.
“I met him again. I didn’t know how I would meet him like this again,” Hye Jung narrates over a flashback of their first encounter. “If you think about it, it was like this from the beginning. It started out as a coincidence and then it became inevitable. Then it became fate.”
Back in present time, Seo Woo’s mother, Ji Young, recognizes Ji Hong as Seo Woo’s homeroom teacher and finally realizes who Hye Jung is. Seo Woo instantly jumps in to defend Hye Jung, calling her a friend. Ji Young is baffled and tells her mother to behave herself in her professional setting.
Tae Ho, Ji Hong and Hye Jung analyze CT Scans and MRI of Myung Hoon. Ji Hong thinks Yoon Do is more suited to be in charge, but Tae Ho tells him that Sung Jong ordered him back to work in neurosurgery the day before.
In his private VIP room, Ji Young refuses to let Ji Hong operate on Myung Hoon as it hurts her pride. Seo Woo and Myung Hoon argue that Ji Hong is the best – they brought him over from the U.S. for that reason! Tae Ho comes in and he agrees for Ji Hong to operate on him.
Elsewhere, Ji Hong contemplates with Hye Jung that he doesn’t want to operate on Myung Hoon given their recent brawl. Tae Ho calls him over to Myung Hoon’s room, where he orders them to talk it out – they can either build trust or walls.
The air between Ji Hong and Myung Hoon seem tense as Tae Ho leaves.
In the fellow room, Seo Woo thanks Hye Jung for calling Ji Hong despite hating her father. Hye Jung says he’s a patient and she can keep her personal emotions separate. Seo Woo, on the other hand, says she can’t be objective when it comes to her father. She tells Hye Jung that she understands he hurt her, but in the end, he’s her father.
In Myung Hoon’s room, Ji Hong and Myung Hoon discuss his tumor – it’s in a very dangerous location. Ji Hong says they need to operate before it grows to threaten his life. Since the tumor is inside spinal cord, Myung Hoon’s movement and senses following the operation – even if it’s a success – will be affected. Ji Hong cautions that there’s a chance he may even become a quadriplegic. He agrees to do the surgery and reaffirms that he trusts him as a doctor.
However, when Ji Hong tells him Hye Jung will be the one assisting him, Myung Hoon asks if he’s trying to spite him. Ji Hong argues that it’s because they, having always performed together, have a high success rate.
Elsewhere, Hye Jung watches her father at his appointment in the distance.
Later, Hye Jung meets with her father, Min Ho, at a café. He tells her he’s glad to hear from her first. She asks why he settled for her Grandma’s surgery and he says he didn’t know what to do back then. He asked for a copy of the medical record, but didn’t know what he was looking at. Although he was angry, he also had to make a living. Hye Jung tells him she doesn’t pity his life and that she has no single good memory with him. Despite all that, her heart still hurt when she heard he was sick. Despite all that, she wants to help him.
She tells him she wants to start a family, but the first hurdle is to confront him face-to-face first. He asks if she’s getting married and she tells him she will, someday. However, she probably won’t be contacting him. She wishes him a good and healthy life. In tears, he apologizes to her for not being there as her father and for making her life difficult. She thanks him for his apology and he tells her he’ll do his best to not get sick. He then wishes her a happy life as well and smiles.
When Ji Young sees that Myung Hoon called Hye Jung to talk, she spitefully tells her she moved up in life. Myung Hoon orders Ji Young to leave and tells Hye Jung that Ji Hong is insisting for her to assist him. Hye Jung looks surprised at this and tells him she will refuse to do it and will ask Kyung Joon to replace her. Myung Hoon agrees, noting he won’t feel comfortable with her assisting his surgery.
Seo Woo researches information on her father’s tumor, devastated at what she’s seeing. Engrossed in her research, she misses a call from Yoon Do who comes to visit her in the fellow room. Ji Hong tries to cheer her up by telling her Ji Hong is operating, but Seo Woo is frantic. She can’t live without her father and her grandfather is even going through a trial. Yoon Do puts his hand on her shoulder and tells her he’ll help her. Just then, Young Kook comes in and sees them together. He looks hurt and quickly excuses himself.
Later, Young Kook confronts Yoon Do! OHMYGOD! He determinedly asks Yoon Do how he feels about Seo Woo. At that, Yoon Do asks why he needs to tell him his answer. Young Kook walks up to him, telling him that he’s Seo Woo’s friend and that he was the one who was by her side when he hurt her – that gives him a right to know. Yoon Do sarcastically tells him he sure is polite and asks him if he’s had feelings for her since their school days, noting that he’s always kept his distance from him. Young Kook says he liked her as a friend, but not anymore.
Yoon Do tells him he’s nothing but a brother to Seo Woo – if Young Kook ends up dating Seo Woo, he’s all for it. “Be good to her,” He tells Young Kook, “Tell me if you’re having a hard time.”
Young Kook looks shocked and comments how Yoon Do is looking cool. Yoon Do tells Young Kook he is the one who’s cool – he’s trying to protect his love. Yoon Do gives him advice on Seo Woo before leaving.
Kyung Joon and Kang Soo are looking at negative comments left on Kang Soo’s web comic left by a user named “KJ.” LOL! Guess who that is! Yes, it’s Kyung Joon himself. Joong Dae runs in, asking if Kang Soo took his medication. He did! They talk about Myung Hoon possibly losing his job. Just then, Seo Woo walks in. They all tense up and Seo Woo asks for Young Kook after calling them out for gossiping again.
She finds him in the break room, saying she’s hungry. He asks why she came to find him and she echoes the same question.
They’re now at subway! A zoned out Seo Woo gets started when he leans in to wipe a crumb off her lip. She lets him after he tells her he’s not going to attack her. He asks why she said she was hungry when she’s barely eating.
It’s so cute! I’m going to confess: I might like this couple more than Ji Hong and Hye Jung (and that’s saying a lot given how much I love Ji Hong and Hye Jung)!
She asks why he left earlier and Young Kook says it looked like she was talking with Yoon Do. She explains that he was just returning the favor since back when he used to get dumped… At this, Young Kook cuts her off and tells her she doesn’t need to explain – there’s nothing about her he doesn’t already know. Aw…
He takes her hand drags her out of Subway. Strolling hand-in-hand, he makes his confession (I’m screaming here!): “Seo Woo, as I’ve always been, I’m by your side right? But what do I do now? I’ve changed now. I think it was since then… when I first did that ‘bad thing’ to you… since then, you came rushing into my heart.”
Seo Woo tells him she doesn’t know when he came into her heart, but confesses that when she first heard about her father’s tumor, her first thought was that she wanted Young Kook to comfort her. He takes her hand and tells her everything will be okay.
OHMYGOD! Young Kook has finally left the friendzone!
In his office, Ji Hong unpacks his belongings. Hye Jung comes to congratulates him for coming back to work. She tells him she’s not going to assist Myung Hoon’s surgery. He tells her if she doesn’t assist him, he won’t have the confidence to do it either. It’s emotionally burdensome and risky and he’s concerned that Myung Hoon will suffer that risk. Hye Jung says she hasn’t forgiven Myung Hoon yet, so she can’t do the surgery and excuses herself.
Hye Jung checks on patient Hae Young with Kyung Joon. She’s still holding on!
Ji Hong tells Myung Hoon he has decided to not operate on him for his benefit due to Hye Jung not assisting. At this news, Myung Hoon is displeased, but Ji Hong tells him they are looking into other surgeons.
Ji Hong visits Tae Ho’s office, who is on the phone looking for other surgeons. All the other surgeons seem to be preoccupied though. It’s a ticking time bomb!
In Myung Hoon’s room, Ji Young is ranting about Ji Hong is using Hye Jung not assisting as an excuse to not lead the surgery. Once again, Seo Woo comes to their defense, saying it’s because the Ji Hong-Hye Jung team has rarely failed an operation together. She even praises Hye Jung’s skills as a surgeon. She questions why Myung Hoon cares who the assistant is as the important one is the lead surgeon. Myung Hoon tells her no matter what surgery, a small mistake can make it go wrong. Seo Woo tells him that his best option is, in fact, the Ji Hong-Hye Jung team.
Myung Hoon refuses, saying he can get his operation done by someone else. Tae Ho comes in and tells him they may need to postpone his surgery date as there are no surgeons available. Myung Hoon takes this personally.
Hye Jung receives a call from Seo Woo, who asks to meet. She comes over to Hye Jung’s house (I never thought I’d see the day!). Suddenly, she asks for Hye Jung to assist her father’s surgery. She tells him she can persuade her father when Hye Jung notes that he won’t like it. Hye Jung tells her to convince Ji Hong to lead with Kyung Joon or Young Kook assisting, but Seo Woo persists for Hye Jung to do it – it’ll make her feel at ease. Aw…
Hye Jung apologizes, but Seo Woo pleads again.
Sung Jong visits a visibly dejected Myung Hoon. Tearfully, he asks Sung Jong why he came so late. Finally letting his emotions spill, Myung Hoon cries and tells his father that even if the surgery goes well, he may not be able to walk or talk again. He tells him he’s scared to death, sobbing at the thought he may die during the operation. At this, Sung Jong tears up and yells that he’s not going to die. He asks how he can even say that in front of his father. He grabs his hand and tells him he will not let him die.
Wow, despite these two being scums throughout the entire series, I’m actually feeling so sad for them right now.
In her bedroom, Hye Jung reminisces back to her Grandma telling her that she trusts her doctor (Myung Hoon) right before her operation.
The next day, Ji Hong receives a call from Kyung Joon who tells him Myung Hoon is complaining about headaches. Ji Hong instantly comes and questions his pain. It’s everywhere and he feels like he’s going to explode. Still displeased with Ji Hong’s refusal to lead his surgery (the reason for his operation postponement), Myung Hoon tells him to have Yoon Do to take charge until his surgery date. Myung Hoon mutters that Ji Hong is just leaving him to die.
Elsewhere, Hye Jung and Kang Soon ride the elevator! He wishes her a good visit to the VIP room. She runs across Ji Hong in the hallway and tells him she will assist the surgery if Myung Hoon wants it. He smiles, asking why and she tells him she’s a doctor. Yes!
She confronts Myung Hoon, telling him she wants to assist in his surgery and do her best. LOL, he actually comments that she just wants to cut one of his blood vessels during surgery and then tell him “I did my best.” C’mon, Myung Hoon, Hye Jung isn’t a prick like you.
He asks if she thinks he’s getting what he deserves and she tells him yes. Still prideful, he tells her he didn’t do anything wrong. Regardless, Hye Jung tells him that she will do what she can to avoid causing damage to his surgery area. At this, he tells her she does have skills – he found that out when he was digging around her past.
She then tells him her Grandma’s words to her right before her surgery, “I trust my doctor.” With this, Hye Jung tells him that at least she knew her Grandma’s last moments were peaceful – because she had full trust in him.
Whoa, I’m getting chills!
“She trusted that she would wake up. She thought that she would live a healthy life,” Hye Jung says as Myung Hoon stays silent, looking contemplative. “Before the surgery, you made her feel she could trust you and feel safe going into her surgery. Thank you for that. You were originally my patient. I want to save you. And I want to hear you say ‘thank you.’”
When she’s about to leave, he tells her to have Ji Hong schedule the surgery as soon as possible. He watches her back as she leaves.
It’s time for the finale operation! Hye Jung enters the operation room first and starts the surgery. Tae Ho, Young Kook and Joong Dae watch from the observation deck and they note that it’s an extremely dangerous spinal cord surgery that can cause paralysis.
In the waiting area, Ji Young and Seo Woo wait. Yoon Do comes by to show his support.
Finally, Ji Hong enters the operation room. He leads. Yoon Do joins the trio in the observation deck. The operation is tense. Hye Jung comments that the tumor is really stuck in there.
They removed it! Suddenly, there’s bleeding. It’s not unusual, but Tae Ho comments they need to stop it. Hye Jung sounds concerned, but Ji Hong is focused. The bleeding isn’t stopping!
Sung Jong, in Myung Hoon’s VIP room, is crying.
A machine beeps and Hye Jung sternly comments that Myung Hoon’s nerves are getting damaged. Ji Hong stays focused as Young Kook and Kyung Joon voice their worries for Myung Hoon in the observation deck.
An assisting nurse in the operation room calls out that the signal is strange. Hye Jung says she has to do something to stop the bleeding. The music swells! She got it!
Everyone in the observation deck breathes a sigh of relief. They all smile down at Ji Hong and Hye Jung, who are both also very relieved.
Ji Hong and Hye Jung tell Seo Woo and Ji Young that the surgery was a success and the tumor removed, but there was some damage to the nerve. They don’t know anything for sure until he wakes up. Regardless, Seo Woo thanks them wholeheartedly.
Hye Jung and Ji Young hold hands as they walk down the hall.
Kang Soo has brought coffee for everyone! Ji Hong comes by. They all make plans to go drinking. Kyung Joon can’t go, though, since he’s on call (LOL).
At his home, Yoon Do reminisces back to Hye Jung using her martial arts on him. He looks a bit dejected when Pa Ran comes in. He comments he didn’t go to the drinking party because he wouldn’t be able to watch Ji Hong and Hye Jung together. It doesn’t make her lonely to like her though, he notes. He notes that to find love is better than to not find it at all.
A nurse checks on Hae Young and notices liquid on her bed sheets. A panicked look crosses her face.
At Sooni Hawaii, Joong Dae, Nurse Hyun, Kang Soo, Hye Jung and Ji Hong are celebrating Ji Hong’s return. Hye Jung receives a call from the nurse, who frantically tells her Hae Young’s water broke. Hye Jung orders her to call her obstetrician and tells her she’ll be there soon.
Instantly, Ji Hong and Hye Jung both run off. Kang Soo comments that they’re perfectly matched in love and work, LOL! The rest of the gang follows soon after… but before Joong Dae leaves, he BLOWS A KISS TO SOON HEE! She’s embarrassed, but happy. Aw… our pairings are all getting together!
Hye Jung calls Woo Jin to let him know they’ll be delivering the baby via C-section. Ji Hong and Hye Jung watch the baby get delivered. She tears up from happiness as Joong Dae, Kyung Joon, Kang Soo and Nurse Hyun giggle that baby “Jin Jin” has been born. Kang Soo asks Nurse Hyun if she wants to have babies, LOL.
Woo Jin watches his newborn son in tears with Hye Jung by his side, also tearing. She receives a call from Kyung Joon, who tells her Hae Young’s vitals are dropping. She tells Woo Jin there isn’t much time left and they rush over to Hae Young.
Ji Hong watches as Hae Young’s vitals drop, wondering why Woo Jin isn’t there yet. Finally, he shows up in time to watch her go. He holds her hand and tells her, “I love you, Hae Young.” She flat lines.
Hye Jung removes her breathing tube as tears fall from her face. She calls out Hae Young’s time of death as Woo Jin sobs. “I believe Hae Young saw Woo Jin in her last moments,” Hye Jung narrates over the heartbreaking death scene. “Maybe I imagined it. I saw Hae Young smiling.”
Sometime later, Tae Ho has been voted to be the next director! Whoohoo! He gives an inspiring speech at the board meeting where both Yoon Do and Ji Hong are present. Every applauds, happy to have him.
Ji Hong and Hye Jung drop by Myung Hoon’s room where Ji Young, Seo Woo and Sung Jong are wondering why he isn’t waking up. He suddenly coughs, which startles Ji Hong. His hand is moving!
Ji Hong announces he’ll need to start rehab now and Sung Jong happily shakes Ji Hong’s hand. Seo Woo gives Hye Jung a thankful glance and she smiles in return.
Outside, Ji Hong asks Hye Jung to go fishing during the weekend. They talk about Director Hong and his love for fishing.
The weekend comes and Ji Hong happily picks up Hye Jung, who is putting on make-up. Suddenly, she receives a call from Myung Hoon.
Hye Jung calls Ji Hong to go first because she needs to meet with Myung Hoon first. He tells her he will wait.
Hye Jung visits Myung Hoon in his VIP room, who tells her to sit down. He can pick up his cup of tea now without dropping it, although his hand is shaky. He stares at her and gives her a heartfelt, “thank you.” Speechless, she tells him I want to thank you too for surviving the surgery and recovering. He bows his head. Tears swell in his eyes as she smiles, a completely genuine one this time.
I have to say: This scene was so well done. It was incredibly satisfying to finally see Myung Hoon showgenuine sincerity towards Hye Jung and for him to understand mortality.
Later, Hye Jung, prettied in heels, finds a handsome Ji Hong who is THROWING ROSE PETALS everywhere, LOL! He’s decked out a bridge in florals and holds up his hand where two rings are on his finger. “Will you marry me?” He asks.
She laughs, taking a ring and putting it on her own finger. He tells her he should be the one putting it on as it’s not romantic for her to put it on herself. LOL!
He tells her that he created such a nice atmosphere because she told him to be romantic with his proposal.
“I love you,” She says and he smiles happily. She tells him to call her cellphone, which he does and she reveals to him that his caller ID says “Hong Hong Hong.” She tells him it’s because she thinks “Hong Hong Hong” whenever she sees him. They’re so cute and talk about how “Hong Hong Hong” makes her laugh. He leans in and they kiss… AHHHHHHHHHHH. Cue the music!
He cutely says he feels shy and she giggles, covering her mouth. He picks her up and swings her around.
“I don’t know when I started to love. I may not know when I started to love, but I had been loving the whole time. It was a once in a lifetime love and I don’t know when it started,” Hye Jung gives her final narration. The scene pans out to a beautiful view of the couple surrounded by lush evergreens.
Complete Review
Wow, what an amazing ride this has been! I thoroughly enjoyed Doctor Crush (Doctors) for all it was: it's not so much a "revenge" drama, but a heartwarming one about healing and redemption. For once, it's a Korean Drama that didn't seem rushed at the end. Because our main couple, Ji Hong and Hye Jung, got together so early on in the drama, it left room for slow progress - it allowed the drama to explore them in a relationship which ultimately progressed to Ji Hong proposing. Their relationship, from beginning to end, was so incredibly sweet. I can not get over how mature Ji Hong was throughout their entire relationship after their reunion: he was confident and up-front with courting her. He remained composed during all their fights and always acted with reason and maturity. He respected her and her wishes, despite having his own opinions regarding her quest for revenge. He is such a well written lead male character - thereneeds to be more Korean drama male leads like him! He never saw Hye Jung as a possession and always, always respected her. That being said, watching Hye Jung and Ji Hong's relationship develop is definitely one of the highlights of this show.
I loved how the finale wasn't all rainbows and unicorns. Even though Myung Hoon survived and is on his way to recovery, we're reminded of mortality and death when it comes to human lives. When another life is saved (Myung Hoon) or born (Baby Lee), somewhere else, another life fades (Hae Young). Her death scene was so tragic, yet hopeful - with her life ending, she manages to give Woo Jin a new life to begin.
To be honest, I wish we got a kiss scene between Seo Woo and Young Kook. I definitely enjoyed watching Young Kook slowly unfriendzone himself.. and for him to finally confess to Seo Woo.. and her accepting his feelings and falling for him as well.. I loved watching their relationship grow into what it became. Healways treated her with care; he wholeheartedly loved her from the beginning to end. He never talked behind her back and he was the ONLY ONE who was constantly on (and by) her side. I'm so glad Seo Woo and Young Kook ended up together!
I thought Yoon Do ending up with no one (yet) was great. Not everyone ends up happily with someone. At the same time, his conversation with Pa Ran made his "ending" a happy one - he's happy that he was able to find love; after all, finding someone to love is better than not having loved at all. He's such a hopeless romantic. Yoon Do is one of THE BEST second male leads I've seen in a Korean drama - he never did anything shady and he always respected the boundaries. He confronted Ji Hong like a man and accepted Hye Jung's feelings for Ji Hong. In the end, he does whatever he can for both Ji Hong and Hye Jung. He even gives Young Kook advise on Seo Woo! What a great character. Hey, if no one wants him, I'll take him for myself! Notice me, Yoon Do!
Seo Woo's character development was top-notch. In the last several episodes, she completely redeems herself and more. I absolutely loved her character and watching her on-screen. To see her go from someone with so much hatred towards Hye Jung to someone who defends Hye Jung against her own parents and call her a friend.. to see her KNEEL in apology to Hye Jung on behalf of her father's actions (I am still in awe at this scene).. to see her plead with Hye Jung to assist her father's operation because of her confidence in Hye Jung's skill as a surgeon.. to see how she changes from someone meekly following her father's orders to someone who can call him out on his immaturity.. to see her grow out of her puppy love with Yoon Do and see Young Kook for everything he's done for her.. everything about Seo Woo's character is simply amazing. Please, let there be more second female leads like her, too.
Last but not least is Hye Jung. She's a wonderful female lead and Park Shin Hye played her so well. She's so headstrong and I loved how the drama focused on her healing. It wasn't so much watching her get her revenge; it was watching Hye Jung finally let go of the past - to find forgiveness - and to finally live for the present and future. I enjoyed how the writers had her come to this understanding on her own. Of course, Ji Hong helped her, but he never forced her to "let it go." It was through Seo Woo's actions and Myung Hoon's eventual thanks to her that she finally, truly healed. Even when it came to her father, she came to confront him on her own. I liked how the writers didn't go the standard "everything is now okay" between us route, but had that confrontation of her finally facing her past, forgiving and letting go as well. In order to move on, you have to confront your past. The entire series revolves around Hye Jung finally coming to terms with the past.. and letting go.
A wonderful series. It's not the greatest drama ever (I thought some transition scenes between the intense surgery sequences and comedy sequences were oddly placed), but it was definitely enjoyable. I would definitely recommend watching this drama for those who want a refreshing take on relationships and character growth.
I'm sad we won't be getting more Ji Hong and Hye Jung, but here's a super cute behind-the-scenes selfie of Park Shin Hye and Kim Rae Won. These two were phenomenal with their roles in this series! Thank you so much to the Doctor Crush (Doctors) crew for bringing us such a wonderful drama!
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