Doctor Cha is an inspiring story for anyone who once gave up on their dreams. Life can surprise us sometimes and take us to places we never imagined. Jeong Suk had been a housewife for more than two decades. She was a bright student but had to give up on her medical residency when she didn’t receive any support from her husband and mother-in-law in raising her children. She was happy nonetheless because she believed she had a loving family. However, everything changed when she needed an urgent liver transplant, and her husband refused to donate his liver. Fortunately, Jeong Suk found another donor and survived, but the incident changed her perspective on life. As Jeong Suk decided to pursue her dream again, she faced harsh realities but also met some great people.
Spoilers Ahead
Cha Jeong Suk
Jeong Suk was a kind person and a kind mother. Family mattered to her, and like any typical housewife, her life revolved around them. However, her son, Jung Min, was the only one who truly understood her. Jeong Suk had been a diligent student and would have become a great doctor if she hadn’t given up on her residency. Her mother had opposed her decision, but Jeong Suk never regretted it once. After the life-altering transplant surgery, her mother and her son were the only ones who supported her in restarting her career. Her husband, In Ho, tried to demotivate her, but it didn’t work. Jeong Suk faced a lot of challenges, and everyone doubted her, yet she proved herself. She worked hard despite her sensitive health condition, but amidst this, she discovered her husband’s affair with his ex-girlfriend from college. Jeong Suk had to protect her pride but also didn’t want to ruin her family, so she tried to hide the truth from everyone, but it was bound to come out someday. Jeong Suk always put her family before her, but after what In Ho did, she started putting herself first. She got divorced from In Ho and also refused to date Roy Kim, who was infatuated with her. Jeong Suk was always hopeful and optimistic about life, and that’s what helped her stay sane during difficult times. However, Jeong Suk didn’t give up on her family until the end and made sure that they could still hang out after her divorce.
Seo In Ho
A talented doctor and a respected senior by his juniors, In Ho could easily pass as an ideal husband and father to outsiders. However, he was nowhere close to that. He supported his family financially but was not emotionally attached to them. He wanted both of his children to become doctors, even if it was against their wishes. Jung Min had to give up on his dream of becoming a variety show producer because he couldn’t stand up against his father. However, I Rang deceived him and prepared for art school with Jeong Suk’s support. Ho lived without thinking about the consequences of his actions and made a lot of mistakes. He first cheated on his girlfriend, Seung Hi, in college with Jeong Suk, and later in life, he cheated on his wife, Jeong Suk, with Seung Hi. However, in the end, both of them left him. Though he was an unfaithful husband, he wasn’t a bad person. All of his problems were rooted in his thoughtlessness. He took everything in his life for granted and regretted it later. He wasn’t a great father either, and neither Jeong Suk’s children nor Seung Hi’s daughter respected him. He realized his mistakes too late when he had already lost everything. After both Jeong Suk and Seung Hi left him, he lived his life repenting for his mistakes and supporting both of his families equally.
Roy Kim
Roy Kim was adopted abroad after his biological parents abandoned him, but he returned to Korea to search for his roots. He performed the liver transplant on Jeong Suk, and since then, their relationship as a doctor and a patient slowly converted into friendship. Roy had started liking Jeong Suk but knew he wasn’t doing the right thing because Jeong Suk was married. He kept his distance to not cause problems for Jeong Suk. When he found out about In Ho’s affair, he became hopeful, but he didn’t purposely try to end their marriage by revealing it to Jeong Suk. He knew how upset and shocked Jeong Suk would be. Even after Jeong Suk learned about In Ho’s affair, he didn’t push her to divorce him. He continued to be a good friend to her until the very end. He confessed his feelings to Jeong Suk only after she got divorced, and he took her rejection gracefully. They maintained their friendly relationship even after that, and he started dating another woman with no romantic feelings for Jeong Suk. Roy Kim is the friend that everyone deserves in their lives. He was calm and spoke only when necessary. As if his charming looks weren’t enough, he had a charming personality as well.
Choi Seung Hi
Choi Seung Hi was born to rich parents, and her father himself was a doctor who ran a hospital. Seung Hi and In Ho were each other’s first love, but when Seung Hi went abroad briefly during their college years, In Ho cheated on her with Jeong Suk. Seung Hi finished college but moved to the USA after graduating. She had been wronged by In Ho, but she was still in love with him. She accidentally got pregnant with In Ho’s child when they met after a long time and gave birth to a daughter without informing In Ho. This gave rise to problems when Seung Hi moved back to Korea. Her father cut ties with her after learning that she had a daughter out of wedlock. She only had In Ho to rely on, and they eventually started dating again. Seung Hi expected In Ho to divorce Jeong Suk someday but started getting frustrated when In Ho showed no signs of doing so. She was desperate because she was tired of living as a single mother. More than a husband for herself, she needed a father for her daughter, Eun Soo. She didn’t care about Jeong Suk finding out about the affair, but when she realized that their kids had been hurting themselves, she decided to stop. In reality, she pitied herself for living a life like that, but that mindset was negatively affecting Eun Soo. She needed to set a healthy example for her daughter, and in the end, she chose the happiness of both of them and let go of the past.
