D-Day: Episode 9

by dramallama

More hospital politics and saving lives brought to you by Mirae Hospital. It’s more about resilience this time, as our ragtag Mirae crew goes to great extents to save a critical patient. The situation at the hospital gets worse, and survivors become more desperate to find a way out of the disaster’s merciless destruction. But saving lives comes with inherent benefits — when people remember the devotion and care that allowed for their survival, it comes back around. It’s an optimistic message, one that’s deeply appreciated in these dismal conditions.

 
EPISODE 9 RECAP

In the operation room, Hye-sung insists that Woo-jin finish the surgery even without any electricity. After a word of warning to Hye-sung about his recklessness, Woo-jin agrees to finish what he started and continues suturing.

Chief Kang orders Mr. Kang and Na-ri’s father to help with the Ambu bags for the ER patients. They’ll be putting their training to work. She then visits Minister Suk, where the nurse gives her surprising news that he’s woken up.

After the last suture tie is cut, Woo-jin takes off his gloves and stops when his vision begins to blur again. He attempts to walk out of the OR, but he walks into the table, knocking down some equipment. Assuming Woo-jin’s suffering from sleep deprivation, Hye-sung suggests that he get some rest.

As the OR team wheel Min-chul out, Woo-jin’s vision blurs in and out of focus again. He blinks and tries to focus while Ji-na looks at him worriedly. In his office, Woo-jin takes out his diagnosis of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy. He’s inherited the genes from his mother, and he’ll slowly lose his vision, though it’s unsure when he will completely lose his sight.

Twins Mama frantically calls for help after noticing her twins feeling a little cold. Sister and So-yul check up on the twins, and thankfully, they’re fine. To give them more warmth, Sister wraps a twin by her bosom, and So-yul does the same. The twins’ mother is touched by their support and offers to help in the ER.

When the women arrive at the ER, the nurses are lined up performing CPR on nearly every patient. Ji-na asks them for help, and they disperse with their respective duties, the twins wrapped securely on them.

Sister notifies Hye-sung about the ER situation, so he leaves the ICU in the hands of Ddol-mi and Dae-gil. He immediately begins performing CPR, despite his injured arm. Looking over Min-chul, Dae-gil wonders what will happen to the hospital, and Ddol-mi tells him to remain hopeful. Suddenly, she notices Min-chul’s swollen hand, and Dae-gil finds his urine bag empty. Something’s not right.

In the ER, Chief Kang announces the time of death. The patient’s wife begins to wail and blames her for letting her husband die. Chief Kang can’t do anything but endure the incrimination. She then walks over to Hye-sung’s patient to announce another time of death. Sweating from his incessant CPR, he argues that he’ll announce it, but Chief Kang insists that she announce it since everything is her fault. He tries to justify her decision to keep the hospital open, but her guilt still weighs her down.

In the ICU, Ddol-mi and Dae-gil speculate the source of Min-chul’s instability. Ddol-mi checks his heart rate, which turns out to be abnormally fast. She orders Dae-gil to retrieve the heart monitor. Meanwhile, Ji-na checks on Hye-sung’s mother. She’s breathing at an abnormal rate, and Ji-na requests amiodarone at the same time Ddol-mi does. They both need amiodarone to treat abnormal heart rate, but they only have one.

Twins Papa and his crew arrive with enough gas to take their ship just outside of Seoul. His wife embraces him upon his return, but their happiness is cut short by Chief Kang’s hesitant request. She asks him to lend his fuel for the hospital, which desperately needs energy to save their critical patients. His crew begins to argue about the ethics and fairness of this request, and Twins Papa decides that he can’t give away the fuel. He’s a husband and father — his loyalties are not with the hospital.

He looks to his wife to ask about the twins, and she points at the two women with the babies wrapped to their chest, working to save a patient. She tells him how thankful she is for the hospital staff, who check up on the twins and her despite their exhaustion. She can’t leave these people behind after all they’ve done for her, and she asks her husband to lend the hospital the gas.

The hospital begins to get rowdy over the gas, and Ddol-mi pushes through the crowd to find Hye-sung. She tells him the quandary over the amiodarone, and he struggles to make the call. Chief Kang judges that they should give the amiodarone to Hye-sung’s mother, since she can survive without electricity. Holding back his tears, Hye-sung tells Ddol-mi to give it to Min-chul — he believes that his mother will pull through.

Ddol-mi returns to the ICU with the two orders and make the call herself. She decides to give the amiodarone to Hye-sung’s mother. Although Min-chul situation is equally dire, Ji-na agrees that this is the most effective use of their last amiodarone dose.

Director Park receives updates from his secretary about the men who retrieved fuel for their escape ship. He nods neutrally at this fact, but when he’s told that the fuel may be used for the hospital’s electricity, he erupts in anger. He does not want this to happen.

Unfortunately for Director Park, the electricity comes back on. The babies are returned to their parents, and Hye-sung watches this exchange with a smile. Then he remembers his mother and rushes to her room, where he finds Ddol-mi attending to her. She updates him about her stabilized state and tells him that used the amiodarone for her. It was her judgment call.

In a scolding tone, she reminds him not to be a doctor who can’t even save his own family. Hye-sung falls silent, but Ddol-mi tries to encourage him by giving him hope about Min-chul. They can make it up to him by saving him. After she leaves, Hye-sung thanks Ddol-mi, by his mother’s side.

Sister uses hot water packs heat up the twins’ makeshift incubator, and Hye-sung stops by to thank the twins’ father for his generosity. Twin Papa apologizes for his lapse of judgment, but Hye-sung understands his priorities. They all had no idea that electricity would be so vital. Hye-sung reminds them about the twins’ names, but they’ve just decided: Him-chan and Dang-chan, thanks to inspiration from So-yul. Sister tells her story about how she got her name, giving everyone a good laugh.

Hye-sung looks over Min-chul’s charts, and his frustration causes Ddol-mi and Dae-gil to tense up. Min-chul’s creatinine levels are excessively high, and his body may have fallen into acidosis due to poor kidney function. It’s not looking too good, but Hye-sung needs to find a way. He’s indebted to Min-chul now.

Hye-sung updates Chief Kang on Min-chul’s critical condition, but she has no immediate answers. They’ll just need to find a way to keep him alive.

Director Park gives Woo-jin a firm warning in his office. He’s unimpressed with Woo-jin’s involvement in Min-chul’s surgery, and he’s given one last chance to redeem himself by finding a way to relocate Minister Suk. According to Director Park, all lives aren’t equal. As Woo-jin walks out of the office, he sees the news updates of a possible typhoon headed their way.

The walkie-talkie wakes Chief Kang from her nap, and it’s a message bearing good news. They can get a helicopter to Mirae Hospital. Chief Kang immediately orders Ddol-mi to prepare Min-chul for the helicopter transport, and Woo-jin overhears the news from outside. He reports to Director Park, and they scheme Minister Suk’s escape.

Team Min-chul wonders how they’ll be able to transport Min-chul to the roof without an elevator. Ruffling Ddol-mi’s hair, Hye-sung simply states that they’ll use their brains to figure something out.

Director Park uses the elevator to transport a recovered Minister Suk while the rest of our crew carries Min-chul up the stairs with the Ambu bag. At the roof, Director Park cosplays as a benevolent human, wishing the Minister well and asking for nothing in return. The helicopter has almost arrived, and the sound of the helicopter lifts the hopes of Min-chul’s crew.

When they get to the roof, they’re met with Director Park, Woo-jin, and an empty bed. The helicopter already left with Minister Suk. Hye-sung glares at Director Park accusingly and presumes that this patient must be a high authority figure. What makes a recovering patient direr than a dying patient?

Director Park chastises him with a reminder that he’s the head of this hospital and makes the decision. He walks away, leaving Woo-jin to deal with Hye-sung’s wrath. Hye-sung asks highly rational Woo-jin to justify this situation, and Woo-jin explains that doctors rationalize from different angles. Difference in perspective… is that what this is?

Enraged by Woo-jin’s response, Hye-sung calls him a murderer for giving up Min-chul’s last chance for survival. That tips Woo-jin over the edge, and he retaliates with the same accusation: Hye-sung is a murderer because he engaged in a high-risk surgery that put the patient in a critical state. If he doesn’t want to be responsible for Min-chul’s death, he better find another option to save him.

The crew looks exhausted and defeated in the break room, unable to do anything for their dying patient. Na-ri’s father tries to stay optimistic, but the doctors know they’re out of options. Ji-na retrieves the walkie-talkie, and she responds excitedly to the message offering a spot in the last flight out of Gimpo Airport.

She turns around to head back with the news, but Woo-jin stands in her way. He scoffs at her excitement and asks her to join his side. She refuses, knowing too well what he’s becoming — just like her father. He argues that she doesn’t know his full situation, but she knows what decision he’s made. By choosing to preserve what he held in his hands, he lost what was most precious to him.

Woo-jin tries to turn the conversation around by asking Ji-na why she hasn’t revealed that it was his fault. He uses this fact to convince Ji-na that she still loves him, but she’s too smart to let him. She knows why she doesn’t reveal who’s at fault, and it’s definitely not for Woo-jin.

Ji-na runs back to the break room to mobilize everyone with the good news. They load Min-chul into the ambulance with Dae-gil and Ddol-mi while Hye-sung and Ji-na navigate to Gimpo Airport. Chief Kang wishes them luck and reminds Hye-sung to be cautious.

Chief Kang bursts into Director Park’s office with her grievances about sending Minister Suk in the helicopter. She’s heading the disaster efforts, and they should have followed her call. Director Park wonders if she’s just bitter about not making her appearance for Minister Suk’s farewell and tells her that Minister Suk is an important figure in helping people in this earthquake. Min-chul could just become one of the many victims from this disaster.

He shrugs it off, but Chief Kang pinpoints his rational flaw. He’s claiming that there are rankings in how important a life is. Director clearly takes offense to this, as he silently walks over to his ships and abruptly begins to destroy one. After letting out his anger, he turns back to Chief Kang and reminds her of what position she’s holding. Does she not know what her position entails? She needs to look at the forest, not just a tree.

On the road, Ddol-mi yells at Dae-gil to switch with the Ambu shifts, but the road is too bumpy for them to move. The car’s wheel gets stuck in a mud pit, and they stop moving. Hye-sung gets out of the car to check on the situation, and he uses the walkie-talkie to call Dae-gil out to help him. But Ddol-mi appears from around the corner, saying she switched Ambu shifts with Dae-gil. So Ddol-mi and Hye-sung push the car, with Ji-na at the wheel.

After a few good tries and a whole lot of splashed mud, they push the car out of the pit. Hye-sung falls right into the mud, and they laugh about their filth. Hye-sung jokingly bemoans Ddol-mi’s trip to Seoul, and she vows to never come back. He wipes the mud off of face, and his sudden proximity seems to make Ddol-mi a little nervous.

Then taking her face into his hands, Hye-sung leans in for a kiss. Ddol-mi tiptoes to get to his level, but her eyes remain open, clearly aghast. After the quick peck, they can’t seem to look at each other, tensely dwelling in the moment.

Thankfully, their silence is interrupted by Ji-na calling for them to reload into the ambulance. With an impish smile, Hye-sung orders Ddol-mi to get back into the car. She stands in the back touching her lips until Dae-gil opens the door and summons her in. She takes the offered piece of cloth and continues to cover her mouth, not explaining anything to a confused Dae-gil.

52 hours after the earthquake. Min-chul and the crew arrive at the airport, where Ji-na checks the seat availability while Dae-gil and Ddol-mi bicker about their Busan knowledge. There are not seats left, so they’ll have to rely on the kindness of people to give up their seat. Ji-na asks for a backup plan, but Hye-sung doesn’t have one. “The gods don’t give us more than we can handle, and we’ve been through enough.” This is their last resort.

In the elevator, it becomes apparent that our doctors stink. Ddol-mi sneakily runs her hands through her hair and makes a repulsive face. It’s been a while since self-care.

Hye-sung announces their situation to the people and pleads that one person give up their seat for the sake for their patient. But as expected, people are selfish and find his request ridiculous. Suddenly, one man panics that they won’t be able to board the plane, causing the mob of anxious travelers to flee towards the stairs.

They have no regard for the patient, and Ddol-mi gets pulled onto the escalator while trying to stop the crowd. She falls back, and her hair gets stuck. Hye-sung rushes down to help her and yells at someone to stop the escalator. No one helps, so he’s left with the last option of cutting Ddol-mi’s hair with her waistband scissors.

Dae-gil and Ji-na check to see that they’re okay, but they’re faced with another issue on their floor. A man convulses on the ground, and Ji-na checks his irregular breathing. She orders Dae-gil to do something, but his stethoscope broke in the chaos. He starts to panic, but he has to do something — he’s a doctor.

After a moment to breathe, Ddol-mi and Hye-sung notice a new flood of patients, injured from this mass panic. Hye-sung assesses a patient while Ddol-mi finds the airport hospital to get supplies. He praises her resourcefulness, and Ddol-mi happily takes the compliment.

From above, Dae-gil yells for Hye-sung’s help, so Hye-sung tells Ddol-mi to help the intern out while he finishes treating his patient. She reluctantly climbs the stairs to check on this patient, and she, too, calls for Hye-sung’s help. But he scolds the two for always looking for him. A nurse pierced a patient’s chest with a needle to treat pneumothorax. They’re doctors, and they better start acting like doctors.

Ddol-mi seems provoked by this comment, but it gets her head in the game. They need to get an X-ray right away, but the airport hospital’s machine broke because of the earthquake. Brainstorming other options, an idea occurs to Dae-gil. They bring the patient to the baggage scanner to check his lungs. It’s not the best quality, but they see what they need to know.

In the airport’s hospital facility, Ddol-mi prepares the pneumothorax treatment. She makes it clear that she’s not doing this to prove herself, and Ji-na acknowledges Ddol-mi’s genuine intention to treat this patient. She sticks the needle into the patient’s chest, and he begins to breathe normally again. Next, she prepares to treat the hemothorax. Dae-gil begins to rattle off the textbook procedure, but Ddol-mi’s experience has taught her a safer method in emergency cases. She follows her gut, and the treatment works like a charm.

Dae-gil looks thoroughly impressed and happily acquiesces to finish suturing the patient’s side. As Ddol-mi walks out of the hospital center, the crowd applauds for her. She looks proud and happy, covering her mouth to hide her smile.

Ja-hyuk calls Director Park with an update on Minister Suk. They’ve brought him to a safe hospital in Suwon, and the Minister sends his immense gratitude for Director Park’s efforts. That enough to make Director Park happy and cooperative with Ja-hyuk’s ongoing disaster relief efforts.

Back at the airport, Hye-sung asks the crowd for four volunteers to give up their seats, now that they have two patients. The man who vehemently protested giving up his seat asks about his injury. Will he die if he doesn’t get his broken arm treated? Hye-sung replies that it’s not urgent, so the man offers to give up his seat.

But from behind, an old man with his grandchildren offers to give up his seats. He’s not injured, and the airport facilities are nice. He can wait a few more days while these people receive proper treatment. Plus, he’d like to do something good in his life before it’s over. Aww, grandpa.

The crowd makes room for the patients to pass through, and Hye-sung bows to the grandpa in gratitude. The patients are buckled into the plane, and Dae-gil tells Min-chul that he needs to survive.

Ddol-mi takes over for Dae-gil on the Ambu bag, and Hye-sung makes fun of her uneven hair. Pouting, she says that they’re even now — she messed up his suture, he messed up her hair. Hye-sung frowns that it’s an unfair exchange, but Ddol-mi claims that a woman’s hair is life. Ha.

Ji-na thanks her for the help and wishes her a safe flight. Dae-gil bids her farewell, promising to never see her again. Hye-sung turns to her and asks if this makes up for her transportation fee back to Busan. She realizes that she’s going on this flight alone, and Hye-sung confirms. “Seoul is my home. Busan is Ddol-mi’s home. Take care of the patients.” He leaves with Ddol-mi calling for him but unable to chase him out because of the Ambu bag.

He turns around to respond to her constant yelling, but he catches the eye of the man with the broken arm, who gives him a thumbs up. He bows and exits the plane as it shuts its door. Ddol-mi scrambles to look out the window, and Hye-sung takes a long look, keeping his eyes on the plane as he walks away.

 
COMMENTS

Nooo what about Ddol-mi?! I loved seeing her growing confidence as a doctor, especially in the latter half of this episode, and I want her to find a place with our Mirae Hospital crew. Of course, it’s only fair that she gets to return home. Even if Mirae Hospital needed more doctors, it’s unfair that she was stuck in Seoul because she somehow kept ending up entangled in Hye-sung’s reckless life-saving ways. She doesn’t belong in Seoul, and Hye-sung knows her stay was prolonged mostly because of him. He definitely owes it to her. But that doesn’t change my demands: I want her back immediately. Asap, pronto, before any other disaster further separates her from our ragtag Mirae crew.

I’m starting to think that Director Park has some major anger issues, which seems like a direct result of his inability to be a decent human being. He bets on people to be corrupt and selfish like him, and when things don’t go his way, he explodes with anger because the whole world seems to be against him. It seems like a simple solution, no? Just take a step closer to the decent side of the human spectrum. Maybe you’ll gain a few more allies and be less angry about the world being so kind.

Though I’m finding Director Park’s anger mildly terrifying, I enjoyed the satisfaction of proving him wrong and seeing him so upset. Twins Papa almost made the worst decision of his life — almost making Director Park happy — but I’m glad he was able to come around to support the people who helped his new family survive the disaster. There’s a beauty in the sacrifice he made. He made the hard decision despite the retaliation he could easily face from more selfish individuals.

Okay, someone please explain Woo-jin to me. Yes, your gradual loss of vision is tragic, and it seems like you’ve made some major mistakes, but your instincts seem to instruct you in the opposite direction to what you’re actually doing. I can’t decide who’s worse: Director Park, who openly embraces his power-hungry corruption, or Woo-jin, who kisses the corrupt man’s ass because of his complex situation. Option two definitely sounds less pleasing. I wonder what’s stopping him from just explaining his vision loss to Ji-na, since he seems to care so much for her understanding. Will revealing your genetic disease make you less of a doctor? I think it’s more of a pride issue than anything, since admitting to his vision loss would also be acknowledging his eventual end as a doctor. With that in mind, I’m intrigued by Ji-na’s comment about losing what’s most precious to him. I wonder if they have the same idea of what’s most precious to him, but if I had any input in their conversation, I’d say he’s completely lost his integrity. What use is pride and power if you don’t have a conscience and soul to keep you human?

Alright, let’s get to it. How cute are Hye-sung and Ddol-mi? I’ve got to admit that the kiss scene was a total curveball for me. I burst out laughing because it was so random. But you know, why not? I can’t think of a well-timed kiss scene in this drama, where disaster strikes with more to come. If there’s no real place for it, why not just slip it in at a convenient moment. I literally cannot think of a good moment for this, so I’m not going to complain much about getting a pleasant surprise out of this episode. It’s a nice break from the stresses of earthquake and hospital politics.

Frankly, I found the airport scenes a bit comical. I know the chaos and tone of the drama made it more serious, but Ddol-mi’s hair getting stuck in the escalator and using the baggage scanner as an X-ray made me chuckle a little. Even if they weren’t meant to be funny, I quite enjoyed the lighter moments outside of the hospital. So far the count for outside to inside is 1-0. These people need to get out more.

RELATED POSTS

• D-Day: Episode 8
• D-Day: Episode 7
• D-Day: Episode 6
• D-Day: Episode 5
• D-Day: Episode 4
• D-Day: Episode 3
• D-Day: Episode 2
• D-Day: Episode 1