A Stalker's Guide to Shin Ha Kyun
Episode 4
Recap
Do Han admits he has no plan after the cholangiojejunostomy (good luck with that in the spelling bee) is ruled out. The baby's internal organs are just too small for the procedure to be performed.
Shi On breaks the ensuing desperate silence to remind his colleagues the baby can't withstand much more, so they need to hurry. They begin chattering about how the biliary duct became perforated in the first place; apparently, the baby couldn't be fed due to a condition in the bowels. Gallstones formed as a result, and the mounting pressure caused the tear.
Count Dracula (Doctor Ko, re-evaluate your Bela Lugosi hairdo) and HPB Chief Kim add commentary from outside the impromptu operation room. Though Chief Kim spreads doom and gloom about the futility and possible issues the surgical team faces, he at least seems relatively concerned. Dracula here just snickers about how Do Han will be humiliated and is censured for his flippancy. A baby might die and you're laughing about hospital politics? Please.
Suddenly, the oxygen monitor starts to freak because the saturation hit a Very Not Good level. As they have to utilize a very thin intubation tube, the attendant has trouble keeping it from moving and folding. Declining body temperature puts the topper on the Bad Situation cake for this poor baby.
Adversity brings a stroke of genius out of Shi On, who suggests drainage. Yoon Seo initially snaps that this won't solve anything, but Do Han understands exactly what our hero is gunning for. He orders the drainage tube despite her warnings of possible infection. If they drain the bile and complete the operation with the reduced pressure maintained, inflammation is avoidable -- and the problematic perforation will heal itself with time.
The team continues the surgery as they wait for the drainage tube. Just before it finally arrives, Do Han rehashes the baby's diagnosis and adds, "The shadow we saw on the sonogram was not image artifacting, but a small gallstone which caused a perforation in the biliary duct. That's why there was bile leakage around it. Park Shi On assessed correctly." Oh Do Han, you know how to flatter.
Tube now in place, the surgery successfully concludes with the baby being closed up. Do Han comes out to greet his superiors and thanks Doctor Choi for the go-ahead. Though things went well and he is met with praise, his eyes are downcast even as they leave.
When Do Han's attention turns back to the baby, the promise of a smile creeps across his lips. It's swiftly chased away as he glances at Shi On. Perhaps this is a product of his conflicting thoughts regarding him? Do Han doesn't seem to mix with happy for long.
The Count -- err, Doctor Ko -- interrupts the feel good moment between Do Han, Yoon Seo, and the baby's parents. He offers half-hearted praise for the amazing procedure, and whisks Do Han away. It's time for he and Shi On to resume the punitive proceedings after all.
At the foot of the escalators, Do Han orders Shi On back to his station. Our hero initially refuses, wanting to recieve what he believes is his fair share, but there's no denying Do Han once he gets started.
It's sort of cute that when his back is turned, Shi On tries to follow along secretively. Do Han senses it automatically and whips around glaring. One second of that look is all that it takes to send Shi On back on his way.
Doctor Choi delivers the verdict: Do Han gets a week-long suspension and a month's pay cut. At least they're not taking funding now? As for Shi On, he'll have to write up an apology report. All of the enemy doctors are pretty miffed, but they'll live to plot another day.
The residents under Do Han fume over his treatment and seeming wide variance in punishments. Some of them glare at Shi On when he arrives in their midst, but Woo Il Kyu physically throws him to the ground. Everyone but Yoon Seo and Han Jin Wook start in on the verbal abuse; we hear everything from irritation at Do Han's situation to how Shi On should be gravely sorry, but "of course" he can't be because of his developmental state.
Yoon Seo shuts them down with her usual charm (and a death threat), warning them to act normally in front of Do Han. She then performs the time-honored drama wrist grab and leads Shi On out for a private word.
The talk starts gently enough, with Yoon Seo admitting that residency pretty much equals mistakes. But when she can't get Shi On to admit he feels sorry for not respecting hospital politics, she loses her cool. If our hero continues to behave in such a way without regard for his relationship with their team, Yoon Seo swears she won't shield him anymore.
Yoon Seo drops in on Do Han for a visit in his office. When he sees her coming, Do Han preempts her asking after him and tries to send her out directly. She stays to discuss Shi On instead.
Do Han appears amused as Yoon Seo admits to being behind our hero in terms of medical knowledge and skill. When she goes on to say she can't judge him on as a doctor in any other capacity, Do Han poses a philosophical question.
Between an exceptional doctor without common sense and one merely average with common sense, which would she pick? But he doesn't wait for an answer.
"A deficient genius that becomes a hero is something that only happens in comics," he says. Do Han wants a "partner" he can communicate and work easily with. It's better for everyone, including the patients.
Yoon Seo realizes aloud he's only letting Shi On stay because of Doctor Choi. Do Han returns to work and dismisses her without giving her confirmation.
His fiancee, Chae Kyung, meets with Vice Director Kang. Even though there's tea, this is not a visit of pleasantries. She makes sure he understands she won't stay still should Do Han continually be hurt by the current power play. Kang's intentions seem muddy as he promises nobody will become "a victim" as long as he's vice director. Is he good, bad, or both?
We cut to the young patient Na In Hye playing cupid. After she receives treatment, she spirits away Nurse Jo to give her sister some alone time with Han Jin Wook. The two have obvious attraction, but their interaction is awkward and full of long silences.
Outside, Nurse Jo and In Hye banter. He boasts he's always dating, but the head nurse and Yoon Seo interrupt them with skepticism. When asked if there's somebody he possibly likes in the hospital, the camera focuses on the head nurse. So many possible love lines, so little time.
Another nurse ends the fun to beg Yoon Seo's presence. She's led to the room of that boy with digestive issues, where a crowd of parents watches the mother make a scene. Apparently Shi On brought a special rice-based cake for his patient to eat, since he can't have flour. For some reason, the mother refuses to understand and nobody bothers to let our hero explain. Yoon Seo orders him out of the room.
Soon after, she joins Shi On for another confrontation. He finally defends his actions, stating that solid food is good for the brain and combating insomnia. Ultimately Yoon Seo lets him off light, since he had clear good intent.
Dr. Acula (Doctor Ko! I'll stop now, I promise) meets Evil Director Lee Hyuk Pil on the green. Angry the latest plot didn't work to expectation, he orders Doctor Ko to figure something out.
As he studies some medical texts, our hero gets bullied again by Woo Il Kyu. This jerk tells Shi On to become a variety show oddity instead of a doctor. Once he's left alone, Shi On resumes reading as if nothing happened. You can tell it bothered him anyway though.
When his fiancee delves into her unhappiness with his involvement in the Shi On matter, he almost snaps. "Never tell me what to do with work again," he warns, adding that he's not leaving pediatrics. Chae Kyung pushes him to tell her why and eventually, Do Han excuses himself from the date.
This entire sequence constitutes nice parallel scenes between Shi On and Do Han.
Shi On eats his regular meal from the convenience show and watches a variety show, doubtlessly because of Woo Il Kyu's thoughtlessness. He counts dragonflies, too troubled to sleep.
Meanwhile, Do Han chats with his mother over the phone. She asks whether he's visited his brother's memorial site recently, as she'd seen the flowers he left. He denies it, ends the call, and goes to bed for a perturbed rest of his own.
Yoon Seo and Shi On cross paths on the way to work. She sits away from him on the bus, but catches him sketching something.
At the sinks, Yoon Seo notes how tired Do Han appears. She jokingly tells him to take it easy, because if he collapses, who would operate? But he responds sincerely that she should start surgeries of her own.
This is an exciting prospect for a resident, and right away she agrees to whichever procedure he chooses. Do Han has already given some thought or it's just a simple procedure, but he answers she'll be working on the next esophageal atresia case.
The two continue to wash up. Yoon Seo doesn't notice that her outward excitement makes her icy boss smile to himself.
Shi On notices the troublemaker trio rushing off with a new friend and a bounty of hidden snacks. He follows them to a storage room where they've begun to eat. They make him promise not to tell their parents, since it's been so long since they've had treats. He agrees, but asks them if he can play too.
One of the boys mentions that if he wants to join, he must meet a certain condition. These words dredge up the painful memory of the bully ringleader and the dare that led into the mine where Big Brother died.
Shi On, visibly affected, drops his clipboard and starts to faint. He leans on some shelving for support. Unfortunately, his weight is unsustainable; glass containers and boxes tumble from their spots and barrel down on the children below.
Yoon Seo meets with some concerned mothers. These express fear that Shi On might make a care mistake and want him switched out. Some cruel timing gives them more solid evidence for their case. The tumult from the storage room attracts them, and together with nearby nurses, they stumble onto bloody, sobbing children.
A horrified Shi On tries to make himself as small as possible. The mothers make over their children, who automatically place the blame on our hero. When asked why this happened, the boy that started the whole mess claims it was on purpose. "We said we wouldn't play with him!"
And they say kids don't lie. Sheesh.
Shi On starts to defend himself, but the mothers will have none of it. Yoon Seo rounds on him with rage bubbling in her eyes. To make matters worse, Doctor Ko witnesses the nurses rushing down the hall in order to treat the hurt children.
For a third time, Yoon Seo takes Shi On aside. There's no attempt at understanding this time, and despite her admission she has no right to anger, she shouts her disappointment at him. "There is no one who wants you as a doctor!"
Shi On answers he must be a doctor. Yoon Seo asks if success in surgery is what he thinks being one is all about. She's sick of being let down by him day after day. Does she not realize how awful some of her peers and superiors are yet? Frustrated or not, her reaction is a little hard to swallow. At least we know she doesn't entirely mean it.
Yoon Seo smacks up a vending machine for eating her money and dispensing nothing. Her anger softens when a sweet little girl offers her something to drink.
Doctor Ko tattles about the storage room accident to Vice Director Kang, who doesn't bite. He says that as he heard it, it was nothing more than an accident. Spurred on by the memory of his orders at the golf course, Ko declares he'll handle it on his own.
Deviously, he meets with the mothers and plants it in their heads to petition Shi On's immediate removal. As they become excited by their new found cause, Doctor Ko sits back to enjoy his evil plot unfold.
Na In Hye chats with the affected children to get to the bottom of things. They admit to her that, because they were afraid, they lied about what happened.
Doctor Ko meets with Do Han and Yoon Seo to tell them to remove Shi On from active duty. Initially, Do Han cites workload and refuses. There's little choice because the parents wish it, though. In a glowing turn of hypocrisy, Ko goes on to say Shi On will likely kill someone at this rate. The guy that leaves his critically ill patients so he can flatter and play golf said this.
When they're alone, Do Han asks Yoon Seo to redistribute our hero's patients. He says not to remove him from the ward, at least. Shi On will still be on rounds.
The little girl from the storeroom complains of chest pain. In Hye overhears and pulls Shi On over to help. Mother adamantly refuses and chases him off without allowing an examination. How much do you want to bet there's something terribly wrong with her daughter?
Suspension calls and Do Han leaves Yoon Seo in charge of the other residents. His hard surface cracks a little and we see a few sparks of charm.
But on his way out he runs into Shi On, ordering him to do nothing in his absence other than "eat, sleep, and breathe." Additionally, since our hero doesn't like seeing others in pain, Do Han mentions that he should think about how he's hurting his colleagues.
Shi On relocates to a bench outdoors; nearby some staff from neurosurgery are playing basketball. They eventually ask him to join.
Our hero plays badly, standing stiff as a board. The one time he gets the ball, he makes an amazing display of shooting posture...
...but no dice. The ball somehow ends up bouncing off behind him?!
Yoon Seo visits the parents of the premature baby. When she shows interest in a sweet drawing of mother and child hanging over the hospital bed, the father explains Shi On was the artist. This was what he was sketching on the bus.
Also, since the "strong hands" of the baby caught Shi On's attention, he suggested a name. The overjoyed parents believe their son, Dong Soo, will live a long time because his savior also named him.
Yoon Seo checks on Dong Soo next. When she touches his incredibly tiny hand, he grasps her thumb with all his strength. The moment moves her to tears.
Our hero hears the boy he'd wanted to give cake can't sleep. The nurses try to stop Shi On from going to his side, but a newly impressed Yoon Seo allows it.
Initially, the boy is hostile. Shi On soon wins him over with an explanation of why counting sheep in Korean won't help his insomnia. Apparently, English speakers count sheep because the word sounds similar to "sleep". The boy needs something that sounds similar to the Korean "sleep," for the trick to be effective. So Shi On offers "dragonflies," and when the boy starts, he seems drowsy right away.
Yoon Seo watches from the door with a gentle expression.
In Hye seems serious about hooking her sister up with Doctor Han Jin Wook. She's even exchanged numbers with him in order to speed up the process! Via this link, she sends him the cue that In Young is leaving. Jin Wook rushes up with musical tickets to ask for a date, but In Young surprisingly shuts him down cold. Was all that tension one-sided then?
Vice Director Kang meets with the mysterious "Chairman," at a baseball field. The man, clearly his boss, asks playfully how much more time he'll need; after all, he usually strikes fast and hard. Kang wonders why "Chairman," has come to Korea, but doesn't get a direct answer. All that's offered is the strange metaphor of feeding the "geese," just enough to produce golden eggs. Does this refer to stirring up just enough trouble at the hospital, I wonder? Kang does seem to play both sides.
Chae Kyung meets President Lee and Doctor Choi for a tense meal. Perhaps I should pay more attention, because apparently the good doctor is her father. The strange atmosphere surrounding her engagement with Do Han makes a little more sense with this information.
A fight soon breaks out between stepmother and daughter. Chae Kyung is extremely touchy whenever near the president; much of the conversation compromises of her sass about the hospital and how they're not taking it seriously enough.
Sitting alone at a movie theater, Do Han sighs. The people around him shriek with laughter, but his stern face doesn't change.
Shi On remembers his lost sibling as he clips his nails; Big Brother used to compare them to the crescent moon. Our hero goes outside and compares his freshly groomed thumbnail to the real thing.
Yoon Seo spends time alone, smiling over mementos from past patients. Eventually she thinks of Shi On and affectionately mimics his voice into the recording apparatus on this strange little stuffed bear.
When her thoughts of our hero keep her awake, Yoon Seo tries counting dragonflies.
Panicking parents bring their daughter to a hospital. They learn she has intussusception (basically, part of her intestine prolapsed into another, causing an obstruction). As you might expect, it becomes necessary to ship her off to Sung Won University Hospital for treatment. Nobody here has enough experience in pediatric surgery.
Chae Kyung and Do Han ride along to their vacation. She holds his hand as he drives, asking if he's happy to be on a real date after so long. Though he seems happier than usual, Do Han answers with a smile that looks as though moving his lips that much is excruciating. Hug the man, Chae Kyung; he really needs it.
At their destination, Chae Kyung confiscates his phone when he can't seem to pay attention to anything else.
Which is just awesome, since that poor little girl just arrived at Sung Won. Do Han's residents, including Shi On, rush to her side.
Things aren't looking good; the patient has a slew of other problems, including septic shock and aspiration pneumonia. Yoon Seo orders antibiotics and preparation for emergency surgery, but opening the girl up might lead to cardiac arrest.
She also sends for Do Han, but realizes her mistake and asks for Doctor Ko instead. Good luck with that guy.
A monitor goes off and Shi On announces the patient has gone into cardiac arrest. Yoon Seo and Jin Wook work to resuscitate her before it's too late.
Doctor Dracula (I couldn't resist just one last time) is having a grand old time looking over the petition for Shi On's removal. He agrees to come right away for once, but reads Yoon Seo the riot act for trying to operate. They argue over the risks of the surgery, but Ko's only worry is the safety of the department.
She decides go ahead with it regardless of his words. This prompts Ko to ask why nobody ever listens to him. With her usual flair, Yoon Seo lets him know it's because he speaks like a bureaucrat and not a doctor. She sweeps off to do the surgery with the promise to reflect later.
Unfortunately, with Do Han suspended, Doctor Ko was the only person around with experience in leading an operation. Yoon Seo will have to do it herself...but can she?
Shi On pipes in, "We can save her. We must save her." With the parents desperate, this seems to give her the courage to try; she orders the patient moved to the OR for now.
Chae Kyung plays housewife, chopping vegetables as Do Han nibbles at something and stares into space. Their eyes meet and they both smile, but he really wants to look at his phone.
He makes sure his fiancee isn't looking and turns it on...
...to find missed call after call from Yoon Seo.
Do Han calls back right away and agrees to do the surgery. While on his way to the hospital, he'll perform the operation remotely if live feed is sent through his cellphone. Yoon Seo insists she can do it on her own, but Do Han shouts at her to listen; he's the one to choose her first surgery. This isn't it.
Chae Kyung protests as Do Han rushes down the steps, but he promises to come back directly after the surgery. "Wait for me."
What else can go wrong? In the car, Do Han's cellphone dies in the middle of the patient's status report. The remote surgery won't work after all. With the stakes raised, he puts the pedal to the metal in hopes of making it on time.
The residents and attending nurses are gathered in the OR. Yoon Seo learns that Do Han is not longer answering the phone. With the little girl in dire need and no help for now, she's on her own.
Doctor Ko gives her one last push. Over the intercom from the observation room, he warns them to stop the surgery. She answers, staring up at him defiantly, "The operating surgeon, Cha Yoon Seo will begin the procedure now." When he doesn't get the hint, she orders Shi On to turn off the audio feed entirely.
As Yoon Seo opens the patient, Do Han races through traffic. He's not too far off and arrives just as she begins excising the small intestine.
Shi On nervously stresses the patient isn't moving well. He isn't able to clarify what he means because of resident jerk Woo Il Kyu. Unfortunately, things become clear enough when the poor thing re-enters cardiac arrest.
Yoon Seo massages the patient's chest. This helps enough until the defibrillator is ready -- but after the first application at 50 joules, the heart rhythm begins dropping. A second application at 100 has the attendant declaring the heart basically stopped.
Since it worked previously to some extent, Yoon Seo begins massaging the chest again. She's so intent she doesn't notice Do Han, scrubbed up and ready, striding into the OR.
Things will probably be fine now right?
Maybe not.
The monitor's incessant cry shocks the room into wide-eyed silence. Flat line. Her vitals, this little girl's vitals, have totally ceased.
We won't know what happens until next Monday. Oh, the suspense.
