Kdrama – Doctor Cha Ending Episode 16 Recap & Review

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Doctor Cha (Korean: 닥터 차정숙) is an ongoing South Korean television series starring Uhm Jung-hwa in the title role, along with Kim Byung-chul, Myung Se-bin, and Min Woo-hyuk. It premiered on JTBC on April 15, 2023, and airs every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 (KST).It is also available for streaming on TVING and Netflix in selected regions. The series is a commercial hit and became one of the highest-rated series in Korean cable television history.

K-drama Doctor Cha Ending Episode 16 Recap

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💚Doctor Cha Ending, Cha Jeong-Suk did not choose anyone to donate his liver. She clearly stated that she would not accept either person’s liver and instead wanted to ride a motorcycle and enjoy the moment.

On the other hand, Choi Seung-Hi visited a nursing home with the intention of taking over as her new starting point. In fact, this was also the nursing home that Choi Seung-Hi’s father had paid special attention to before his passing, so she purchased many new facilities for it.

Roy Kim once again tried to persuade Cha Jeong-Suk to accept a liver donation but today Cha Jeong-Suk took a day off with Roy Kim to meet Baek Mi-Hee. She revealed that she was very afraid but no matter what decision she made, she didn’t want people to suffer for her sake especially since her mother blamed herself for causing Cha Jeong-Suk’s illness.

Cha Jeong-Suk returned home and painted her closet in its proper color while organizing all of her belongings. Finally, she wrote down her final farewell message to her children.

💚However, Kwak Ae-Sim accused Cha Jeong-Suk of not taking good care of herself after undergoing surgery and blamed her for being stubborn about not accepting her husband’s apology. At this time, Seo In-Ho had already prepared all documents and even signed divorce papers for Cha Jeong-suk without selling their house under her name because he knew that Cha Jeon-sgk was afraid of marriage which prevented him from donating part of his liver.

With these divorce papers in hand, Seo In-Ho could guarantee that he would no longer pester or beg Chae Jung-sook back into their relationship; however he hoped that Chae Jung-sook could still undergo surgery because he feared never seeing her again.

💚At the hospital where Eun-Seo met Cha Jeong-Suk, she told Eun-Seo that everything was the fault of adults and not her own. She hoped that Eun-Seo would live a happy life and most importantly, stop hating her mother. In the end, Cha Jeong-Suk chose to accept Seo In-Ho’s liver donation which made him very nervous but the surgery went smoothly.

After their divorce agreement in court, Seo In-Ho became a hospital director while Chae Jung-sook returned to work at the hospital to complete her medical training. Seo In-Ho apologized for delaying Chae Jung-sook’s career and life but they both resolved their issues peacefully.

However, Seon-In Ho deeply reflected on himself as a father figure towards Eun-Seon admitting his shortcomings. Although Eun-Seon suggested he should try to win back Choi Seung-hi during this time period; Choi Seung-hi only wanted to focus on running her nursing home~

💚Cha Jeong-Suk heard Roy Kim say that he had donated bone marrow to his biological father, but not as a son. After all, his family in the United States unconditionally raised him and that is what true family means.

Cha Jeong-Suk thanked Roy Kim for saving her twice. Roy Kim proposed that Cha Jeong-Suk keep him by her side for the rest of her life as a condition of repayment, but Cha Jeong-Suk politely declined because she only wants to cherish every ordinary day now and sincerely wishes Roy Kim finds happiness elsewhere.

Three years later, Cha Jeong-Suk obtained a license to ride motorcycles and opened her own healthy salad shop (the vegetables are still carefully grown by Deok-Rye). She helped Deok-Rye create a small vegetable garden so they could work together and live with each other. At the same time, she also became a popular doctor after opening her own clinic.

💚As for Seo In-Ho, Choi Seung-Hi’s nursing home referred many patients to him which kept him busy without knowing what he was doing at times. Roy Kim found himself a partner while Cha Jeong-Suk already knew about it but did not feel regretful because she couldn’t imagine being with Roy Kim from the beginning~

Cha Jeong-Suk regularly goes to communities for voluntary medical check-ups and this time asked Seo In-Ho to help bathe elderly men. She feels immensely happy with her current life.

Doctor Cha Episode 16 Review and Ending

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“Accepting a liver transplant doesn’t guarantee that the same thing won’t happen again. I don’t know if it’s fair for others to suffer for me.” In the final episode of “Doctor Cha,” Cha Jeong-Suk chooses not to accept any liver donations.

The portrayal of her decision by the writer was somewhat slow and delicate, depicting Cha Jeong-Suk’s inner struggle in detail. At first, she didn’t want anyone to donate their liver to her, and I think this is consistent with her character: “Cha Jeong-Suk has her own principles.“

When Seo In-Ho wants to donate his liver, Cha Jeong-Suk refused and said that it wasn’t his fault if she got sick. From this statement alone, we can see that she didn’t want to blame Seo In-Ho for worsening her condition or make him feel guilty forever (although she still thinks he isn’t a good husband).

The writer allowed Cha Jeong-Suk to maintain her kindness while refusing Roy Kim as well. Although they were close enough to confide in each other about anything, she didn’t want Roy Kim to bear the burden of her mistake caused by neglecting herself.

I think this links back what Choi Seung-Hi told Cha Jeong-Suk earlier in the series: adults shouldn’t let children suffer from their mistakes. Therefore, in “Doctor Cha,” I understand why she didn’t want anyone else’s help because she believed that it was her own fault that led to the deterioration of her health; thus choosing herself as someone who could take responsibility for those mistakes.”

However, the writer still wanted Cha Jeong-Suk to live on. Therefore, in “Doctor Cha” Ending, we all look forward to how Cha Jeong-Suk will resolve her fate and life. The writer allowed Seo In-Ho’s character to grow and reflect, finally waking up to understand Cha Jeong-Suk’s inner thoughts.

When Seo In-Ho voluntarily proposed a divorce because he did not want to burden Cha Jeong-Suk emotionally, I think Seo In-Ho finally regrets not cherishing Cha Jeong-Suk in the past. Seo In-Ho has also realized that he is actually a burden and restraint in Cha Jeong-Suk’s heart. Therefore, this divorce was initiated by Seo In-Ho’s agreement rather than through Cha Jeong-Suk’s crying and pleading. This is an excellent design by the writer.

Of course, in “Doctor Cha Ending”, the writer gave Seo In-Ho a promotion as hospital director. I don’t think it was meant as comfort for him but rather punishment because his character had already revealed from episode one that career achievements were important to him; therefore, he needed Cha Jeong-Suk to take care of everything at home even neglecting family concerns.

However, there was a scene where Seon-In Ho imagined his family cheering for him when he became hospital director which made it particularly poignant since it showed what he had lost – ignoring his family before regretting it later – which was now beyond repair; this is also the price of his mistakes (which explains why he looked so tired at the end facing Choi-Seung Hi and Cho-Jeongsu who both wanted him to be a good father and husband).

In these 16 episodes of “Doctor Cha,” we all witnessed how an ordinary housewife truly stepped out of her home with courage while dealing with sadness, loss, betrayal and pain. However, in  “Doctor Cha” Ending, Cha Jeong-Suk finally achieved everything she wanted as well as happiness (she has her own clinic where her mother can help out and even live with her; her relationship with Seo In-Ho is also at an appropriate distance).

The Ending of “Doctor Cha” brings together many emotions from pain to joy and ultimately gives a happy ending. I think this is what viewers want to see – Cha Jeong-Suk getting the “happiness” she deserves.