Life keeps getting better. Je Jin-woo is quietly figuring everything out and putting things in motion in let the other doctors know while not showing the CEO that he knows. We’re in catch up mode all day today and this week. Hopefully we can be live next week!
Posting without editing this time so we can get to the next show right away.
LIFE KDRAMA RECAP: EPISODE 2
OPENING
The music is menacing again as we watch a group of workers in a factor doing what they do. We cut to the CEO of the company, Seung-hyo. He tells someone on the phone that they did too much, I have never seen a book that is this read (banking book).
Everything is red. These three departments: ER, OBGYN, and Pediatrics are losing all the money. I know it is important. They are necessary departments…( the woman helps him recite all the other departments). It is by law…those necessary departments should not be necessarily losing money. Hey you are not doing your job BH….(rolls eyes)…if you lose money based on the structure, then you need to restructure it. Okay, I am going there two weeks later. When I become CEO there, then lets have some better results……Hey, don’t tell me that, just go to the chairman and please have a nice idea on how to make more profit until I get appointed.
He hangs up and talks to his secretary. He tells her that this guy said that the hospital is always losing money so he is going to bring it up to the board meeting to stop him from being CEO. As soon as I go there I need to put a scaffold in my hand to clean this mess up. His secretary is Kyung-Ah, she tells him that the data is from BH and his friend.
SH tells her that if they bring the chart to their meeting then people will throw their ashtrays at him. KA tells him that doctors do not know about numbers. SH tells her that he will make them understand the numbers.
he looks at the computer and sees that all the doctors are from the same University so it is very internal. He looks at a news article on his cell phone, an oil price went down. He asks hi secretary to tell him what kind of company they own. She says something about the pharmaceutical company.
They talk about their different businesses for a moment but then SH sees KM from King Hae University which should be a big hospital University. There is only one big hospital university like that.
he thinks that maybe they can send people? It looks like an idea that he just got. He calls someone and asks them if they still send doctors around to remote places. Do doctors still follow that kind of order?
Cut to SH meeting with someone at a restaurant. They talk with smiles and drinks about company things. They go through all the typical compliments and then the man says that company and hospital is different. That hospital is better because it is one of the top 5 in Korea. But country hospitals have trouble. All the patients come to Seoul, we try to send doctors to the regional hospitals, but they dont’ listen. We have that program where we send doctors to regional hospitals, but the hospitals do not comply with that at all.
Is it might be because the salary is from the main hospital?
No, the regional hospitals will pay the salary. It is also government supported.
You are doing good things for the people, the hospital should support it.
Later on, SH rides away in his car. KA voices over that BH died in TS’s house. he rests his head back on the seat as he thinks about his last meeting with him.
BH -Has your hand ever been trapped in a machine? Or been hit by a delivery car while working? Never? Yeah, rich people have accidents but it is not like they will be a victim like a poor person. Go to the ER, 90% of the people are poor. How can you make money from them? And when you give birth, there is a lot of blood.
The car suddenly stops which pulls SH from his memory. The driver says he is sorry, that person just suddenly showed up. That person is JW> JW watches SH gett out of the car nd go inside. This is the scene from the opening minutes of the first episode.
SH goes to his office and contemplates as he looks fromt he window.
VO – there is so much blood when you give birth, it is a dangerous thing. If anything happens, they all complain to the hospital. We have all those difficulties, but we still continue. That is the neccessary department. We cannot make a profit with this structuire.
But TS and SH make eye contact. TS leans forward and says that he thinks it will be trouble if he deals with the company. BH speaks upand says that he will do anything that he can do. He will bring it up at the board meeting and spread it to the media, he willtell them that the CEo looks at the hospital as a source of money.
SOmeone knocks on the door and pulls him from his thoughts. It is the VP. SH motions for him to sit. Then he asks him what the hospital empoyees said. VP tells him that they know he died with a heartattach and fell. SH asks abotu the funeral, didn’t you talk about it?
The VP looks uncomfortable and says that this is the first time for them to have this kind of death. The family wants to have a small funeral.
SH – But aren’t you really close to each other?
TS says they spent a lot of time together. SH asks about the money. TS tells him that they should cover it up since they already got all of the money back. What about the government office? They agreed, they do not want to make it a big issue. Is it a death while working? TS leans in and says, it is all up to SH, it was drinking after work and he had his own chronic disease.
SH thinks this sounds strange, but it is not a death during work.
What is strange about it.
You guys spend so much time together – you know.
The music goes sharp as it focuses on TS. TS stands to leave. SH reminds him that they are the only ones that know about the money issue TS leaves but looks back at the door when it closes. SH watches him all the way as he walks out. Then turns and looks at a police chief business card at his desk.
He pulls his phone out and thinks about calling someone. Bu he doesn’t.
Cut to SH at a meeting where he talks about all the patient charts and how there are millions of peoples data. Even though they ae the biggest insurane comapny in Korea, where can you get patient information like this, without us?
One of the men tells him that he enjoys his hospital CEo position so much. Another old man says he should not talk about money too much since they are in the same company. But SH says they are talking about money since they are in the same company. If they were strangers then he would have closed this presentation already. So – $1000 per data sample.
But you said there are more than 20 million people? (2 million?) And $1000 per perrson, what should we do? You got it for free anyway, it was already in the hospital.
SH tells him that he is not giving them patient data for nothing. If you know patients medical history then you can deny the pateints later and we can block them from getting insurance. No one will raed this before they sign it. If you explain it to them then they will not understand. Dont you see that this is directly connected to profit.
Someone tells him that this is between them, but this is illegal. you cannot use private datea for profit, but SH tells him that that line was removed from the law in 2016. Update your knowledge.
But SH tells them that they can just drop it here. Please send me your sales person, I need to see the product first to see if I will use it in my hospital. The man says okay. Then Nam-hyung speaks up. he is the HJ Group owner. He tells themall that it was a good decision to send SH to the hospital. Their group picked a good work horse. It is the previous chairmans job, do you think you can do this?
SH stands back up and walks to him to grab what he dropped on the table.
At the same time, KA gets a call from someone.
the chairman tells SH that this farmer is only this mans title, he is the richest man in society with the most land. The hospital has a money making department right? Where do you want to put more buildings?
SH says that he wants to build cancer, health screening, and funerals. Do you want me to build it on this farmers land?
NH tells him that his son is the minister of the environment. SH thinks it is too far away from the central hospital location. But NH says it is like 50 million dollars worth, you should pay $8 million more than market value. It sounds good to the media because one of the biggest hospitals in Korea invested money to the countryside and promoted regional country growth.
Where is the money from?
NH – The construction is from the hospital, so the hospital should support it.
SH – We are giving them 8 million more than market price, so why are you giving this job to me?
NH tells him that the son and father have a different opinion, that is the same in every family, but he does not want to sell it. The land increased so much but the old people do not want to sell it.
SH says okay, but you should give me 70 million more dollars. NH tells him, if I give that to you, then who cannot do it, should I do it myself?
But SH tells him that rebuilding the hospital will make the hospital spend 50 million dollars, so if there is support then people will appreciate it a lot.
SH thinks the health check and funeral homes are like a cash cow. Everything belongs to you you will not regret it. I am confident.
NH asks everyone, what should I do, he is confident…..you finish it up fist.
SH smiles and stands up, he tells him, thank you so much chairman.
The meeting adjourns and all the secretaries wait for the men to come out. they all fall in line with their boss and walks one step behind them.
One guy tells SH that he is fat, is the hospital meal delicious to you Team leader (SH)? Sh looks at this man and walks next to him. He tells him, hey CEO, when did you fill the rice meal, it tastes so good. Bu that man tells him that becuase of him, he lost a lot.
KA tells SH that all the doctors are in the auditorium right now and they are discussion that problem. SH tells her, if the insurance CEo calls you, then it is 1,500 dollars per person (increased from 1k).
They continue walking. SH tells KA to find out out if the environment minister has any relatives or friends kids that are unemployed and send them a gift, also coordinate with the department of health with sending doctors to other hospitals. She agrees to it all and sends him off.
In the car, SH looks at the business card for the farmer. He calls the person and asks if he can talk to Kim Jung-soo, he is from the University hospital and it is the first time he is introducing himself.
the man calls his wife and says it is the hospital, maybe you should get a check up? But SH says it is about the land. The man tells him that he is not selling it and hangs up.
SH thinks about this.
MEETING ROOM
The doctors talk to each other about SH not being a doctor, he does not know anything…..they think this is a sales department….is their hospital a company?…..it is different than I heard…..whatever we do, the CEO won’t care….he is just a business man.
All while they are talking, SH is walking to the room.
….it is only starting!
But then SH comes in and they all go silent like thier tongues are cut. SH really comands the room even tohugh he does not say anything or look menacing in anyway. He stands at the podium and waits for everyone to sit without having to tell them to.
SH – Aigo….a lot of people came. Who is taking care of the patients? (someone answers). Speak up, I thought you were hear for surgery. (what surgery are you talking about?) The surgery to revive the sick part of Korea. You don’t think about race or religion or public position, your oath to only care about the patient. You are doctors, I thought you were together to help the unattended part of Korea. Let’s start [doing that]……I am really heare to listen to your opinion.
OH – First off, I did not invite you, but you came…thank you so much.
SH – Did someone invite you to come here?
OH – Our medical team is very embarrassed with what is happening right now. It is good to revive the medical country side. But pointing to each department and telling them to leave….
SH – This hospital is called a campus, right? I heard you moved the health screening center to Gangnam, does everyone respond like this then?
Doctor – That was different, what if someone tells you to go to the countryside, will you go?
SH – Are you the chief of OBGYN? I read something that I cannot believe. It was a report that if you give birth in Gangwando, the mortality is higher than CHina. Is that true? That is not true right?
JH – The statistics….
SH – I can’t hear you…is it true?
JH – It is true, we are sorry about that. But we can’t solve all the medical problems in the world. You are misleading our point.
SH – If you ask me to go to the country, will I go? Yes, I am going. I will go there first before someone else says to. My rspected medical team in the University, you really did not feel anything (?). twice more moms die becuase they do not live near Seoul. If you go there then they will not die. If a company wants to move teams to the countryside, and everyone gets together and talks about why they are leaving? Do you think people talk about that? No, they find where they will live in the countryside.
Doctor – We ae not regular salary men.
SH – What is the difference?
No one can answer and the doctor who stood up, sits down.
Doctor – The bug hospitals are public property. Moving is not important. Do you know how man patients are in urgent care and OBGYN and pediatrics? 500 average. In one month 15000 people get helped here. Yes, he was a lot of hospitals in Seoul, but i ask you, were does the right come from for these 15000 people to move somewhere else that is further away.
SH thinks about this.
SH – Well, you shuold ask this to the public health department.
DS – As teh CEO, are you saying that you don’t know, this is not your fault?
SH – I am telling you that I heard the same thing from the department of health. the hospital is public property and it should apply to all the citizens of Korea. Do I misunderstand the meaning of public property?
No one answers.
SH – Are there any other questions?
Nurse – We a part of a Union.
SH – Who ae you?
Nurse – *she says her name* We are part of a Union so we can only move by group negotiations.
Sh – Yes, that is true.
She sits with all the doctors looking at her as if she is amazing.
DS – We should have another way to deal with the medical problem in the countryside. Can we support with money?
SH – So the ER department will giv ethem money? Do you know how much money you are losing. Your department is survivng because of other departments. Can you say that so easily?
JW thinks about the money issue and thinks about what VP said about losing money and who is covering that up. You shoud already be gone if you weren’t a neccessary department. DS gets all flustered about talking about money.
JW stands up and asks about the money. So, can this be taken care of with money? I am Ye Jin-woo from ER, is that true? A nurse int he crowd wonders why JW stepped up, he never steps up.
SH answers, the doctors in the countryside get paid more than his chief, do you know that? It is not about money. But JW says it is not about the countryside money. You are swaying the point. So if we can pay for our department, it means we do not have to go?
SH takes a breath and asks, if he says yes, it sounds like you will take care of this with money. But how will you raise the funds int he ER? JW thinks….ah, the funds….yeah, I can’t make the funds. He looks at KM. SH also looks at KM. KM looks at SH. The music picks up. My heart is racing.
SH finally starts talking again. He says that the only difference will be where some of you work, okay? KM sits and the camera scrolls to all the people that spoke.
Afterwards, SH leaves the meeting as if it was business as usual. Some doctors watch him leave and says that he did not come there to listen, only to talk. That young CEO is too eager.
KM asks JW what he thinks, is he really leaving? JW says that if the monk does not like the temple, then they should leave. That is what they want. KM wonders if it is that easy. JW says it is not easy, I spent all my youth in this temple (Korean saying) it is diffictul to leave here.
KM tells him it is not only him, what about the patients? But if there is no ER, then there are no patients. KM asks what JW meant about his question [in the meeting]. But something falls which distracts them both. JW runs to the elevator, no one righs the board that fell though. DS is upset and tells JW that they treat them like someone that just wants money.
But there is an emergency, an artery patient collapsed again after surgery. Everyone starts running to this case.
VO – You told me the thing that changes first, is the stomach. Without complaining, it accepts everythinng you put in your throat. Then the stomach aquired patience should issue a lettr saying that you deserve to come to the ER. I hear the most questions about it being so difficult, the people that die are because of heart attacks and losing blood. But not dying because it is so difficult. The next question is why you picked this occupation.
JW – check the pressure, (to the wife) the critical moment passed. (to the nurse) After a blood transfusion, can you check the vitals?
VO (JW)- I studied so hard to save people, because I didn’t want to waste what i studied and I was not brave enough.
he looks around the ER at all the patients recieveing help. A doctor runs up to him abbout another patient with a lot of water in their stomach, it is a little boy this time. JW checks on him.
VO (JW)- to ignore the people that are dying in front of me.
JW – Why did it take so long?
other doctor – we did not have space in pediatrics.
JW _ if you don’t have space then you have to make space, take the patient.
The doctor takes the patient. But then they dissapear?….everyone dissapears who is int he ER. Perhaps this is JW’s imagination of an ER that is no longer there.
The blood even dissapears from the IV’s and the lights go off everywhere. The room is empty and lifeless.
VO – in the future, I still won’t be courageous, President.
He grabs his coat and leaves.
MORNING
SH walks into his office, checks his computer, and looks at the resume of the VP and JW. There are not special notes for JW. SH circles that empty part and take JW’s resume with him. He thinks back to the meeting where KM talked about seperating 15k patients from their doctors, he thinks he is an asshole.
Hi secretary comes in and they get to work. SH complais about the elites not being organized at all, if they wored in a regular company then they would all be fired already. KA says, yeah…yeah…with everything SH says.
SH tells her that they need to find out how many patients per doctor and how many patients there are for each expensive machine. If we pay for it then they need to be used and work properly, it is the same as an expensive car that stays parked.
SH says it is easy to say to increase the operating room efficiency, but what about me, it is my first time working in a hospital. SH tells him that they need to see data from a big hospital with 90% operating rate (I think for their machines).
He gives her the resume for JW and asks to fill int he notes part. SH comments on how he looks like a super cute cartoon man.
HOSPITAL
JW and NE walk around the hospital inbetween working. NE tells him that they had a record low profit this month. Should they make a point of it? he gives her a lemon C bottle and takes off up the hall.
JW runs into another doctor. he wants to ask someone a favor, one of their superiors. But she says it wouldn’t be so good after the meetings. I think this doctor is a resident. She actually knows how much profit they make, she takes care of it. They are one of the worst with losing money. JW gives her a lemon C bottle.
But then he sees his brother vision. SW talks about losing money….you have suspicion, but you don’t have evidence. JW ignores him and goes to the elevator. SW is in the elevator.
JW asks where he should go. SW tells him that the accounting team should have the data. But JW gets off. SW yells that this is not the acconting team, where are you going? JW walks away, but SW falls to his knees in pain, JW runs back to his side and SW stands back up. he tells him that this happens all the time….hyung.
JW walks away, concerned and confused.
GOVERNMENT OFFICE
SW works in his cubicle. One of the ladies who works there changes something on SW’s desk for him, he thanks her but tells her to stop looking at him so much. One of the other ladies says that they should not complain when they here so many complaints from those big doctors. They should be upset because they are all going to the countryside.
But this is the first time that these two other people hear about this. The woman tells tham that ER and Peds and OBGYN are all going to the country. SW thinks about this for a moment, I don’t think he knew about it.
ER
DS tries to pop a patients shoulder back into it’s socked, but the patient is making it really hard for him and kicking him away. DS finally gets it back in whih completely changes the mans demeanor, he thanks him.
JW looks at the file on who makes money and who loses money. It is the three departments that are moving. Flashaback to the meeting where SH told them to move because they are doctors and should help people live.
SH goes to the VP to talk to him about it. He wants to wrap up these departments that lose money all the time.
The nurse that spoke up at the meeting is walking aorund the lobby. SHe runs into NE and WC. They talk about moving and how people oppose it, but she is not sure if they can do anything about it. Can they protest it? Talk to the government about it? She is about to get into it with WC about it, but she walks away quickly when JW walks into the lobby.
JW walks to the ER and asks for the chief. The chief is in his office looking at a job application for another hospital chief job. Moon Jung Hospital urgent care clinic. JW sees it and leaves. DS also sees that JW saw him.
JW goes to talk to Dr. Joo (KM), but he just went into surgery, he will come back out after surgery, but not for several hours. It will take a long time. JW asks them to call him after the surgery.
But then a woman asks to talk to JW and tells him that he knows their chief wont refuse patients, so don’t send any here. We had other patients that collapsed in other hospitals, but if something happens then we are the ones in trouble. So stop sending all the street people. We are also in trouble here. I understand our chief, but what about the young nurses, the chief is the one getting all the blame.
She wants to keep talking, but they have to run out and help the chief in surgery. KM is actually sleeping on the floor in the surgery room in between patients.
OFFICE
SH looks at the annual report, the patients that are visiting is increasing. He looks into all the departments and all the instruments used for surgery. He thinks there are so many different types of scissors used.
he shuts it off and then walks somewhere. His thumb print gets him into a surgical suite, but he wonders how to open the last door. He quickly figures out that he has to touch the bottom with his foot.
That works, so he goes inside and looks at all the different types of scissors that are there. he wants to touch them, but he realizes that he needs gloves. he goes to find some no n sterile gloves and puts them on, but then he sees KM sleeping on the floor in the room, which scares him.
he thinks back to KM’s resume. The previous president scouted him from another hospital. he is the only chief that is from a different university. he is a very good doctor, but he got ostracized a lot after being hired so he works a lot to overcome it. He works 36 hours straight and gets most of the calls if not all of them.
SH looks at him sleeping as if he is concerned about him.
Later on, KM wakes up with a surgical blanket covering him. He rolls off the floor and drinks a coffee outside the building. While drinking, he looks back up at the hospital and sighs.
HOME
SW is home vacuum when JW shows up. JW is surprised to see the place all clean and food on the table. He wonders if someone is coming? SW says not this late. JW gets a call and talks to the person as SW sits at the table.
He hangs up and thinks back to the doctor/nurse talking about how her chief will not refuse patients yet he gets all the blame. JW sits at the table and asks his brother if he heard that he got sold, he was going to tell him. SW asks why the hospital wants to send them voluntarily. The government sends them supporting money but they send you anyway?
JW starts to speak sarcastic about Seoul people, his little brother tells him to be more serious about it. JW just says he will not leave. But the little brother wonders how he can’t leave?
Later on, JW looks at all the data he found while at his computer. His vision brother is looking at it next to him as well. JW uploads it somewhere and sits back in his seat.
MORNING
SH is working while riding in his car and eating. He gets a call so he eats and talks and rides and works. He works non stop. Someone sends him data about the hospital, it looks like this is the thing that JW uploaded. The three departments that are being kicked out are highlighted. SH sighs at the annoyance.
(One of the people in SH’s phone is called Mokaebi like from Goblin, lol).
At the hospital, KM is still working hard during surgery. But one of the doctors tells him to check a message that they just got at his desk. he looks at the message. It says that Lee Bo-hoon made this message. KM looks at it. In the message it says that
The three departments that are being sent = the three departments that lose the most money, this is not altruistic, this is capitalism.
SH gets to the hospital and asks who uploaded it. His secretary says that they do not know that yet. There is a place that does not have CCTV because it is the residents dorm. The uploader is the dead president. They have the CCTV from the hallway.
SH asks if the hospital shares everything? SH says that all the center leaders get their own data, it is not available for everyone. Perhaps there is an internal informer? Maybe the president gave the data to someone? Let’s find out who did it.
They get to his office floor and still walk to the office. They talk back and forth about finding out who did it with the CCTV. KA will make sure that he sees the CCTV phootage, but it will take some time because people go into and out of that dorm all the time.
DOCTORS
KM talks to JW about missing the dead president a lot….see you later (or follow me?). JW stops in his tracks. Then he walks out the door that KM just walked out of.
Meanwhile, SH and KA are in his huge office looking at CCTV phootage. But SH turns away from the screen to look at his phone (Mockaebi text messages) and misses JW going into the room.
KM and JW go somewhere to talk. KM asks JW if he is the one that posted that thing. They both look at each other sternly.
SH looks at the CCTV phootage earnestly.
JW looks at KM steely.
Fade Out
COMMENTS
Love this show. Getting started on episodes 3 and 4 this week. Hopefully we can be live next week!
I loved this episode. So they were actually really planning it as a lay off and now their secret is out.
A special mention to the sound guy, he is really doing a great job.
I was really really surprised that the SK has that data selling loophole in law. Do you know more about it?
I’m still not sure of how bad the finances are for this hospital. I am looking forward to seeing what is the plan B: Restructuring Team.
I am actually surprised that we did not get to know of reasons why doctors and nurses don’t want to move to a rural area. I hope they will have more on this part as well.
Author
I don’t know more about that loophole but that was so surprising when I heard that! It was probably part of all the shady things that went down at the end of the last presidents presidency or that got pushed through right after or something like that.
O mentioned that the sound is amazing in this show too. Sometimes he listens with headphones on and can really hear everything that the sound people want you to hear.
The CEO has some good points with the financing, because hospitals really are run very differently from corporations due to lives being on the line. So if a surgeon wants 30 different types of scissors because that is what makes them comfortable during surgery, then they will have 30 different types of scissors whether they use them all the time or only one time. They also have to throw a lot of things away because once it is opened, it isn’t sterile anymore. They go through a lot of paper towels and other tiny things. So, yeah, a lot of waste in hospitals, but it is arguable whether it is good waste or bad waste.
I also want to know why they do not want to move. I think helping the people of Seoul is a good reason. Is seems like their hospital is the only hospital that will accept everyone. All the other hospitals turn patients away who need help because a death might ruin the reputation of that hospital. But the University hospital doesn’t anyone away. if their ER, Peds, and OBGYN go away, then all those people who come to them for help might die because no other hospital will help them.
That is just my guess though.
Ah so again MEDICAL SERVICE ACT
http://elaw.klri.re.kr/eng_mobile/viewer.do?hseq=21627&type=part&key=36
The law on medical data protection as in Korean Medical Law: Article 21 (1), (2)-9.
There is also an Emergency Medical Service act but my korean is very limited to read it.
See article 15 (2) of MEDICAL SERVICE ACT. This should be enough to not be able to get rid of ER? or not. But then I need to know the other act as well.
Anyways I am not sure about the legal points of this show anymore. I will wait for you to clarify.
Author
I’m not sure either. I asked O about it and he said across the board some laws aren’t enforced. But they are starting to be enforced with the new president.