The premise of this drama fits it to a tee -- every day is extraordinary for five doctors and their patients inside a hospital, where birth, death, and everything in between coexists -- so true. From the first season to this second one, Hospital Playlist continues to be my happy place; it's heaven-sent.
I love everybody in Yulje; their stories, the cases they so delicately but passionately undertake but most of all, their friendship. They have this ease with which they handle and care for each other and the issues that arise in their daily lives, whether professional or personal. And more so that they stand up for each other and others who work with and underneath them.
As much as I love all five doctors, I have to admit Lee Ik-jun (Jo Jung Suk) is very special; he never lets his status as a professor of general surgery specializing in liver transplants get to his head. I love that he takes time despite his busy schedule to know the people he works with, and it's probably that cheerful charisma of his that allows him to connect with both the patients and other doctors alike. But what I adore most about him is that he doesn't let his personal feelings interfere with his work or his friendships, for example, Chae Song-Hwa's (Jeon Mi-do) rejection.
Ahn Jeong-won (Yoo Yeon Seok) tugs at my heart. He comes off as too good to be true at times, but he really is that, making him much more adorable. His generosity and caring nature endear him to his patients, his friends, and all those around him. I also think his new relationship with Jang Gyeo Wool (Shin Hyun Bin)
has made him that much more loving and sensitive to others. I love Gyeo Wool; her awkwardness makes her so personal. The moment he told his friends about his relationship with Gyeo Wool was my favorite this episode.
Kim Jun-wan (Jung Kyung Ho) is without my favorite as one of the doctors because of the actor playing him. It's hard to say he is the most caring of the doctors because they're all extremely caring, but something about him makes him stand out other than being a cardiothoracic surgeon. And I think it's the fact that he comes off as cold and temperamental but that he really hides this soft, kind personality that rarely shows but surfaces with his friends and certain patients. I live for his facetime chats with Lee Ik Soon (Kwak Sun Young), Ik Jun's sister. I love that they put in the effort to make their long-distance relationship work, but more than that, I cannot wait to see what happens with Ik Jun finds out about them.
Yang Seok-Hyeong (Kim Dae Myung) is kind and thoughtful as a professor of obstetrics and gynecology but quite self-conscious around other doctors except for when he is around his friends. I always get the feeling that he's carrying a load of worries around. I think rather than aloof and detached. He is more lonely than anything else. I love that he is always willing to go the extra mile when it comes to his patients. I know there is more to him than what we see and cannot wait to see him let himself fall for Ob-Gyn Resident Chu Min Ha (Ahn Eun Jin) whose hopelessly heads over heels from him.
Despite Chae Song-Hwa (Jeon Mi Do) being the only female in this circle of friends, she is not treated any less or differently for it. On the contrary, her friends and all those around her and working underneath her consider perfect. She treats everybody as equals, is patient with her residents, friends, and patients alike, and doesn't mind performing as many surgeries as needed if it meant saving a life.
I admit I was disappointed in her for turning Ik Jun down, but I think she may have a valid reason for it, whatever it may be. But that she has feelings for him is indisputable, as already mentioned in the first season. However, she needs to realize how deep those feelings run before acknowledging that she loves Ik Jun. I can wait for that. My moments with these doctors and their stories that revolve around their friendships, their work, hospital, music, and relationships are the most special moments of all. They make me realize how blessed I am to have the family and friends I do around me.