Doctor Cha (2023) Episode 16

Episode 16 of Doctor Cha begins back at the motorcycle shop. Jeong-suk approaches both men before making her choice… it’s the bike. She marches right past them both and decides she’s going to be riding the beautiful bike in the shop window. She tells In-ho he can go while she heads off with Roy. In-ho can only watch and regretfully tells her to hold onto him tight.

Seung-hi gets a great opportunity to work with the Hanseong Medical Corporation and working with a hospice designed for terminal cancer patients. This could be just what she needs to move forward. At the same time, Jeong-suk heads back to the hospital, where Roy tells her that getting a liver is a matter of urgency and she needs to changer her mind and allow the liver transplant.

Instead, Jeong-suk heads out on day release, at Roy’s begrudging acceptance, to meet with Min-hee. She doesn’t want anyone else to go through unnecessary stress and besides, what happens if it doesn’t work? Well, she feels like it could be just her luck for it to go wrong. And she rationales by claiming that Deok-rye has taken all of her luck.

How does Jeong-suk prepare for the next stage of her life?

Jeong-suk spends the afternoon looking over old baby photos of the kids and taking a trip down memory lane. After packing everything up, she prepares to write out letters just incase the unthinkable happens. She writes to both her kids, telling them that she hopes they both find happiness and grow up to live fulfilled lives. She also reminds them that she’ll always protect them. She signs off with “Thank you for being my son and daughter, I love you so much that it can’t be expressed in words.”

And with the letters written and the house tidied completely, everyone shows up after a long day. Jeong-suk speaks to I-rang and points out that Seung-hi is letting her go to any school she wants and she shouldn’t beat herself up about this anymore. She doesn’t want this divorce to hurt her or anyone else in the family anymore. And in fact, that night at the office In-ho signs the divorce papers and puts his stamp there too.

Ae-sim is shocked to find the whole fridge completely stocked up with food and done in a really delicate way, as Jeong-suk’s final parting gift to her. She can hardly keep it together. As for In-ho, he heads out with Jeong-suk and speaks plainly.

He’s signed the divorce papers, and doesn’t want her thinking that his act of giving up his liver to her is a way of him getting a one-up in their continued disagreements. In-ho promises won’t cling to her but he does want her to live and to let him repent for his sins. Even if they break up, he still wants to see her as the mother of his children. It’s a big moment for In-ho, who finally has the courage to do the right thing.

What’s Seung-hi going to do with work?

At work, Seung-hi points out that she’s going to run her own hospital and leave Gusan University Hospital. In-ho is pleased for her, and he similarly points out that he’s going to go through with the surgery after all. She hopes they both stay healthy (Jeong-suk and In-ho) and also gives the same ending – telling him they should meet up sometimes, given Eun-seo is still his daughter.

She happens to be downstairs and Jeong-suk shows up to speak to her. Jeong-suk admits she’s a bit sick but does have something to say to her. She wants Eun-seo to live a good life and not hate her mum too much, telling her she shouldn’t be walking on eggshells anymore. As she gets some closure, Seung-hi is also given a good deal of leaving presents from those in the department who are going to be sad to see her leave them.

The surgery looks set to go ahead, with In-ho asking Roy to remove the biggest piece he can. “Oh, I was already planning to do that,” He replies, as In-ho starts to grow nervous before the anesthesia is given. Well, the obligatory “waiting outside the surgery” scene ensues, as the whole family gather and hope that the surgery goes well for Jeong-suk.

Does the divorce go ahead without an issue?

We then skip forward in time, past the surgery. In-ho and Jeong-suk are both healthy and head to see the judge. They intend to get a divorce, properly, although the former is a bit hesitant. They’ve agreed to divide assets and everything goes through without a hitch. They both even go for lunch afterwards together. It’s been a long time since they just sat and ate like this.

As they sit together, Jeong-suk congratulates In-ho for making Hospital Director. She’s also not losing her job, thankfully, and she’s back in the residency again. She’s not going to push herself too hard though and she’s determined to do this, right after getting some much-needed rest.

Afterwards, the pair say their goodbyes but they’re very civil, even shaking hands and pointing out that they both had good moments during their marriage. Jeong-suk tells her that not everything was bad and they leave on amicable terms. But for In-ho, a big part of his life has been his family and it’s only now that he realizes what he’s done.

Do Roy and Jeong-suk get together?

Eun-seo and I-rang patch up their differences and the former even learns about the divorce too. Eun-seo phones through to In-ho while he’s at the hospital and he agrees to see her. He apologizes for not doing this more, given his mind has been all over the place. He’s determined to try and be a good dad to her. But Eun-seo believes that this should stem from him attempting to get back with Seung-hi to make their family “complete”.

Jeong-suk heads out to meet with Roy, who reveals that he did donate his bone marrow after all. Not as a son but as a doctor and doing the Samaritan thing. Jeong-suk hopes he won’t regret this decision. She thanks Roy for how well the surgery went and even goes so far as to suggest she can have him by her side forever if she wants.

Jeong-suk thanks him but despite being a beautiful bright ray of sunshine in her life, what’s really precious to her is living her own life. She thinks he should marry and enjoy the newlywed life with someone else. It’s a knife to the heart for Roy but it’s an incredibly empowering moment for Jeong-suk.

How does Doctor Cha end?

We then jump forward 3 years later. Dr Jeon does a pregnancy test and it comes up as negative. Still, it doesn’t stop her from imagining a world with them getting married and having kids. In fact, Jung-min is actually feeling a bit gutted that she’s not, and the pair seem to have a similar trajectory in life.

As for Jeong-suk, well she passes her bike licence. She’s also working in a restaurant but doubling up as a family medicine specialist with her own practice. She’s multifaceted, doing a number of different roles, and even taking the time to be a volunteer too.

In-ho is now busier than he ever was before, juggling patients both in his hospital and also doing multiple favours for Seung-hi and Jeong-suk. He even ends up helping out a bunch of old people at the bathhouse, getting them all fixed up and working himself to the point of exhaustion. He’s really turned a corner, and in facthe’s also nagging his mum to do more housework too!

As the episode comes to a close, Jeong-suk heads off on a big trip on her own. She’s grateful to be alive and she believes that now, properly, she’s feeling happy in her life as she feels the wind in her fact and a big smile beams across her face.

The Episode Review

What a beautifully empowering ending. Too often in these shows we see that people need to be in relationships or live with the two kids, white picket fence and the rest to live a happy life. Sometimes people are better off on their own or are just not meant to be together – and that’s okay.

Doctor Cha embodies that beautifully and this final episode has some really powerful moments to exemplify that. The fact that Jeong-suk is off on her own at the end, finally content with her life and doesn’t need to be with Roy (whose meeting is another big highlight here) nor In-ho (who similarly has accepted his role in life now) shows what a strong, empowering woman Jeong-suk is. And the themes that this show plays with really come to the foreground here too.

The ideas of empowerment, independence, kindness and forgiveness really shine and they’re all swirled together in a cocktail of drama that’s as delicious as it is moreish. I could absolutely go for another season of Jeong-suk discovering her true purpose in life on her own but if this is the end of Doctor Cha, it quite possibly could be one of the best endings to a K-drama this year.