I didn’t watch “Dr. Romantic” so I can’t make comparisons.
However, if I read this writer correctly, she has another interpretation of the word “romantic.”
It means unrealistic.
You see, there are times when IJ lives in a sort of fantasy world where he expects things to end happily ever after. He means well, of course, but his blindness to reality can have unintended consequences. Whenever he tries to create an ideal situation, his expectations can beccome impractical or impossible to fulfill.
That’s what I think “Dr. Romantic” meant here. I’m sure it’s meant to be a shout-out to that other drama which starred Yoo Yeon Seok. But even without referring to that kdrama, and just limiting ourselves within the scope of this kdrama, we can still understand how “Dr. Romantic” refers to IJ.
I’ll give a few examples.
Episode 1
• The Darth Vader
🙂 What do you think was that whole scene about? It wasn’t just for comedy.
To me, IJ’s character flaw was revealed in that instant. He was somebody who was literally and METAPHORICALLY stuck in a fantasy world. He’d put on his child’s helmet without realizing that the helmet had glue on it so the helmet got stuck on his head. To save face, he went to Songhwa’s hospital (not his) to get it removed.
Episode 2
• The sausage incident. I pointed this out, didn’t I?
The sausage fiasco was his idealistic attempt to socialize the distribution of sausages. He meant well: he wanted the “minor” members in the hospital to get more sausages than the “major” players in the hospital. But as a result of his interference, he ended up messing the equitable system devised by the kitchen staff.
What’s worse, he unfairly gave more to Maggot to curry favor.
Episode 3
• Sigh. Maggot happened.
In his blind desire to have Maggot as his resident, he encouraged her one-sided infatuation. He showed her pictures and related stories of his college days with JW. He exploited his friendship with JW to get Maggot to work for him. He thought it was a win-win situation for both him and Maggot. He thought it was romantic to help Maggot get together with his friend.
He didn’t stop to think of the consequences of his meddling.
• Not only this, in Episode 3, his marriage dissolved.
To me, it’s ironic that the featured song in this episode was “Aloha.” He sang this song which talked about always being together when he and his wife lived separate lives.
Cause your love is so sweet
You are my everything
I’m not just saying this
Because I feel dreamy like it’s the first night
I won’t change, I’ll only look at you
Sure, the marriage breakdown wasn’t entirely his fault. But to me, he romanticized a long-distance marriage. Everybody knows that successful marriages don’t happen by magic. They’re built slowly, day by day, with lots of effort and care…TOGETHER. That’s the key word there: together.
But he was perfectly fine with a long-distance marriage because he was satisfied with IDEA of a marriage. He idealized his marriage.
Episode 4
• Still encouraging Maggot
• The fantasy boyfriend for his sister
He created a fantasy boyfriend for his sister. He wanted Capt Ahn for his sister that he failed to see the romance blooming between JWan and sister. It didn’t enter his head to wonder why JWan showed extra attention to his sister and visited her often.
He decided that Capt Ahn was a good match for his sister because he wanted him as his brother-in-law.
Episode 5
• He continued encouraging Maggot’s fantasies and harboring his own fantasies of a brother-in-law.
Episode 6
Everything comes to a head. IJ realized that his romantic ideas didn’t match reality.
First, JWan egged him because he couldn’t stand his obliviousness any longer. In Jwan’s opinion, IJ was proud of his sister because he saw himself in her. IJ was projecting his own dating success onto his sister. He was referring to himself when he described his sister like this:
“My sister, she’s so used to receiving love. She’s never liked a guy first. Even if she had a crush on someone, she never showed it. But I think my sister likes you.”
To me, JWan probably knew more about Iksun’s situation than he was letting on. So, after his fistfight his IJ, he visited Capt Ahn in the NS room. His purported reason was to look for his chief resident, Dr Do, but I believe he went there to look for the Capt Ahn. His eyes were too shifty. Even when he was told that Dr Do wasn’t there, he was still scanning the NS room.
Then, Capt Ahn revealed to IJ that his sister was actually nursing a broken heart.
Ahn: Gosh, no. We’re really not involved romantically. Besides, IkSun is still hurt by what happened in the past. She said she wasn’t ready to date someone yet. She said she can’t trust anyone. I think it will take her some time.
IJ: Really?
It bothered IJ that his sister had been hurting without his knowledge. His head was stuck in the clouds…or in that Darth Vader’s helmet.
Do you see know why I say he’s Dr. Romantic…as opposed to Dr. Realistic or Dr. Practical.
Oddly enough, it was the male twin who realized that something was with IJ.
IJ: Don’t stay in here. Go to the café in the lobby. If you stay in here, whoever walks in will try to give you advice and meddle. Okay? Gosh, I’m even out of breath. Bye!
Brother: Is he a comedian?
Sister: No. He’s Dr. Romantic.
The brother knew that IJ’s advice had good intentions. But he also knew that nothing could be further from the truth. None of the doctors who entered that room had anything to say to them. They were too busy to engage in a meaningful conversation with them.
IJ’s expectation ≠ reality
That’s why he’s “Dr. Romantic.” He loves romance. Who doesn’t? But there are times when he needlessly romanticizes the harsh reality (cough cough Maggot) and gets a wrong reading. Unfortunately, he doesn’t understand yet that maintaining this illusion of romance can lead to disappointment.
My two cents.
😂 that’s a good breakdown @packmule3. I do agree that IJ lives in LaLa land. That’s why the magic pigeon/dove appearing out of nowhere is also an apt description of him. He taught that to IS (so he claims). It’s all an illusion. Not grounded in reality.
Do you have any explanation for SH’s napkin folding and then crumpling it and crushing it on the ground with his foot meant? When they were eating and reminiscing about first impressions? After IJ called him out as a Leslie Cheng wannabe? It looked like he was trying to mimic IJ’s magic dove trick? But intimated that it crashed and burned? 😂
I didn’t know what the paper-folding meant, nrllee. 🙂 It’s funny when SH speaks up like that.
But weren’t IJ and JWan always changing their hairstyles? SH and Andrea had the same.
Watching TK:EM now.
@nrllee: honestly i just think that it means SH thinks IJ looked worse than trash before 😂 maybe a hidden jab on SH-IJ complications w/ SH-Shwa rejections? SH seems the type to hold grudges but is very passive (i.e. “seemingly” not angry, but bubbling hot inside still lol) about it, if we look at his relationship w his father.
but ahh!! this post really is one way to look at Dr. Romantic as a literal “romantic”/idealist lol. he tries to come off as a mentor figure to younger doctors, but it only serves to contrast SHwa’s pragmatic approach to teaching/mentoring. not to jab at IJ’s character, but it’s ironic that the sister seems struck and in awe of him being like Dr. Kim SaBu/Dr. Romantic – he doesn’t really seem to be the best teacher honestly. and that’s more bc he was the type “who did well regardless of how much play he did.” from my experience, those “gifted”/”genius” types honestly make the worst teachers bc their methods of success doesn’t apply to the general public lol
@Mayuu I know. What professor would encourage his resident to pursue another professor? Shouldn’t he be telling her to focus on honing her surgical skills? Instead of wasting her time on pursuing a professor whom he knows is a lost cause? SHwa teaches her residents well and so does JWan (despite his prickly nature).
👍yup👍 he is living in his own world and his views on everything reflects his idealism i.e. divorce is not a sin. Divorce has its consequences to those affected by it, be it the adults or the kids. He didn’t seems to be too bothered by this. The comment on her sister got him thinking now.
It is also funny to notice that his son is way more realistic than him.
In the egg sandwich restaurant scene he was trying to tell his son how much his mother missed him… a white lie usual for parents to make their children feel loved. Little son saw through his (well meaning) deception and just replied: that if his mother didn’t take care of him then he should’t harbor affection for her.
At the end of the day his son knew that he only had his father. The scene was made lighthearted by puns and word games but it was very obvious that his son was more grounded than him.
@nrllee: honestly i just think that it means SH thinks IJ looked worse than trash before 😂 maybe a hidden jab on SH-IJ complications w/ SH-Shwa rejections? SH seems the type to hold grudges but is very passive (i.e. “seemingly” not angry, but bubbling hot inside still lol) about it, if we look at his relationship w his father.
@Mayuu – I think SH was saying it was trash that got trampled and throw out. And JW and SHwa were holding I think a lettuce leaf saying it was a vegetable falling down.
It is true that IJ lives in a la-la land and is not a good listener and just speaks and moves on to the next topic. He is a people pleaser and likes everyone to like him.
PM3, I am still waiting for your comments on The king’s first two episodes. 😀
I have decided to binge watch rest of the episodes of hospital playlist. It is too stressful for my heart to expect jeong won to be the potential pairing with songhwa, when all the time they keep focusing on Dr. Maggot haha. I will just wait until rest of this season is over.
Okay, nearsea. See you then.
“I have decided to binge watch rest of the episodes of hospital playlist. It is too stressful for my heart to expect jeong won to be the potential pairing with songhwa, when all the time they keep focusing on Dr. Maggot haha. I will just wait until rest of this season is over.”
Tell me about it. I want to binge watch, too. But the lurkers here will howl if I stop doing this. lol.
Just watch TK: EM. Don’t wait for me. Why are you waiting for me? I don’t want to decide for you. Go watch it. 🙂
Tell me about it. I want to binge watch, too. But the lurkers here will howl if I stop doing this. lol.
😂😂😂
Hahaha, I feel you. You are the Goddess here 😀 , our only hope rests on you. 😀 I also come here and read your posts even if I am behind few episodes haha.
About ‘The king’, of course I have already watched both episodes already, I am waiting to read your impressions on the first two episodes, that’s about it. 🙂
Nearsea, Everybody here makes a contribution to the discussion. Everybody here has a job to do. I’m not a goddess. I’m a bitch, remember? Don’t overrate me. 🙂
It would be fun if shooastrid joined us too and phikyl.
Yes. I’ll just have one more post on HP. Then I’ll make the TK:EM post. I finished both episodes already. lol.
“Tell me about it. I want to binge watch, too. But the lurkers here will howl if I stop doing this. lol.”
(Cue Star Wars theme) Help us Packmule-wan Kenobi, you’re our only hope. 😂
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