Everything about Hospital Playlist 2 is beautiful. I love that it started exactly where it left off a year ago; I was ecstatic to see that and beyond thrilled that it's here already. I look forward to seeing how our five friends tackle the new chapters in their lives as their friendships, love, and professional lives are tested again.
I so ship Chu Min Ha (Ahn Eun Jin) with Yang Suk Hyung (Kim Dae Myung); I felt so bad for her when he turned down her dinner offer but loved her spirit, her disappointment notwithstanding. I’m not sure if I would have been brave enough to handle the situation the way she did. I give it to her; I like it and her a lot. I hope the ex-wife isn’t a fixture; I don’t like her. I am be extending here, but I get the sense he has feelings for Chu Min-ha. It's just that he doesn't think he is good enough for her.
More importantly, I loved that Lee Ik Soon (Kwak Sun Young) didn’t go AWOL on my beau Kim Jun Wan (Jung Kyung Ho) as the way season one made it seem. And how about my favorite couple Ahn Jung Won (Yoo Yeon Seok) and Jang Gyeo Woo (Shin Hyun Bin); I loved how happy they both were to have each other in their lives and them secretly dating, so thrilling. But Jung Ro Sa Jung Won’s mother (Kim Hae Sook) and her best friend (I am hoping for me this season) Ju Jong Su (Kim Gab Soo) will forever be my favorite character in this drama.
And last but not least, the total whack but adorable Lee Ik Jun (Jo Jung Suk) and son same with Chae Song Hwa (Jeon Mi Do), it's good to see her despite her turning Lee Ik Jun down. I don't know why, but I feel she will regret that decision down the road, or maybe I want her to regret it. Either way, seeing all of them as they were a year ago, if not better, reminded me how much I missed them, their friendships, but notably, how they always have time for each other despite their busy schedules– I love seeing them again and the little secrets they keep from each other– too funny.
Notwithstanding the sadness, pain, and grief that comes with being in a hospital setting, it's the stories that happen while at the hospital that touches me the most. I love the compassion and care most of the professors (especially our leads), the nurses, interns, and even the students have for their patients. I especially felt it with Yeon-u’s mother, who, despite losing her child, continues to visit the hospital to feel closer to her through the people who served and knew her the most.
I loved how Jung Won patiently explained it to Gyeo Wool and how appreciative the mother was, so emotional. As they say, kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. Or the case of the 19-week pregnant woman. It doesn’t take an instant more, or cost a penny more, to be empathetic than it does to be indifferent, as shown by how Suk Hyung treated her versus the other professor and how he too was patient with Min Ha. And the best part of this drama the band practices – I missed those too. Watch Episode 1 here.