Heo Jun episode 25 The Apprentice

FINALLY we get a glimpse into the palace as Do Ji starts his training as a royal doctor. He is determined to work hard and when he stays behind to study, he is rewarded by getting an opportunity to treat the King’s son who suddenly gets sick. Meanwhile Heo Jun starts his apprenticeship under Dr Yoo, but an unsatisfied customer from the past comes looking for him all guns blazing … 

There is a moment of awkwardness as everyone realises a mistake has been made and both Dr Yoo AND Heo Jun have been called to look at the sick magistrate. It could be embarrassing for Dr Yoo if they choose Heo Jun over him, so Heo Jun quickly turns to leave. But Dr Yoo calls him back and makes him treat the patient. (Heo Jun diagnoses food poisoning just by checking the pulse!) and then later goes to report his treatment to Dr Yoo who matter-of-factly tells him to start work in his hospital! Heo Jun’s eyes fill with tears – this means that Heo Jun is forgiven. And much to everyone else’s annoyance (except Ye Jin) he is back as Dr Yoo’s apprentice.

Heo Jun is back at the clinic but the other workers are not happy!

Jangswe, one of the workers at the clinic, is outraged that he will have to work under Heo Jun and decides to quit. He nervously goes to speak to Dr Yoo (everyone is afraid of him!) and Dr Yoo accepts his resignation with indifference. But Jangswe wants payment for the 7 years he has worked at the clinic (does this mean that so far he has only received board and lodging?) But Dr Yoo has no money – his wife has sold land and spent her savings to get her and Do Ji a posh house in Hanyang. It seems she was in charge of the money and Dr Yoo hasn’t got much, if any, money left himself – he was never into finance. So Jangswe asks him for Dr Yoo’s family secret to making plaster (?) so he can at least have a new trade. Dr Yoo writes it down on paper. But this doesn’t seem like enough payment for Jangswe who then looks around the medicine warehouse greedily. Is he going to steal medicines?

Jangswe wants to be paid but Dr Yoo’s wife and Do Ji have taken everything

As Heo Jun returns to train under Dr Yoo, Do Ji starts the hard training at the palace. And he should really have the advantage now as he has access to the library where the doctors can find just about any domestic medical book there is. And Chinese medical books too.

The clinic is bustling now that Heo Jun is working there and patients prefer him to the icy Dr Yoo! But suddenly Oh Gun rushes to Heo Jun for help. It seems that Jangswe has stolen ALL the patients’ records. With this info he can pretend to be a doctor. Oh Gun is afraid to tell Dr Yoo and even though he has been bad mouthing Heo Jun, he now begs for his help. Dr Yoo calmly tells Heo Jun to start writing the records again – even though Dr Yoo knows the patients well and could easily dictate what to write in the records. Ye Jin predicts that this is a test.

Oh Gun reveals that the patient records have been stolen. Heo Jun must rewrite them

Poor old Da Hee is also working at the clinic – cleaning and cooking – and at first she looks so happy now that Heo Jun is back, but her face falls when she hears her husband chuckling ( I love his voice, but he doesn’t chuckle enough ) and turns to see him and Ye Jin deep in conversation as they look over medical books. (She must realise they are starting to have feelings for each other.)

To show how much he trusts Heo Jun, Dr Yoo leaves the hospital in Heo Jun’s hands while he goes to meet his friend Min Se, the monk. He is content that there is a doctor who will carry on where he left off (Heo Jun) and mentions a good place for a grave – does he think he is going to die soon?

Da Hee catches Heo Jun and Ye Jin spending time together – but what’s so funny in a medical book? 

At the palace all the trainees invite the trainers out for a drink. They want to wine and dine them and get some brownie points. Only goody-two-shoes Do Ji stays behind to study. Suddenly Royal Consort Gong Bin’s son (She had two sons. The younger one was Prince Gwanghae – who becomes the next king) gets sick with smallpox and the only one there who can treat him is – drumroll – yes, Do Ji! But treating the prince, Do Ji knows that his own life is on the line. 😮

Do Ji is suddenly called to treat the prince! 

At the clinic Dolswe (the annoying man who tricked Heo Jun into treating his mother and made him fail the state medical exam and then got him arrested for horse theft) turns up at the clinic with his mother. And he is FUMING – his mother has gone blind after taking the medicine that Heo Jun prescribed for her. (But I seem to remember Heo Jun telling Dolswe that this might happen if he didn’t follow his instructions properly …)

Heo Jun could be in trouble when they hear his patient went blind

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So finally we are in the palace and it’s only taken 25 episodes 🙂 It’s taken so long that I had forgotten why I was watching this drama again in the first place – Oh yes, that’s right, to see how the Joseon kings are presented in drama. We haven’t seen King Seonjo yet – just his concubine Gong Bin and her son. Looks like Do Ji is going to stand out early on at the palace, but the other doctors are already starting to dislike him since he refuses to go out drinking with them and would rather study. Peer pressure – what a pain. I actually feel sorry for Do Ji here. And he clearly feels a bit bad about the way things have gone with his father. 

I also have some sympathy for Jangswe, the disgruntled worker who quit the clinic. After 7 years of working for Dr Yoo his resignation is met with indifference and the information that he can’t get any payment because there isn’t any money! No wonder he is frustrated. Stealing the patient records was wrong but to him the last 7 years must seem nothing but a waste of time. 

I feel SO SORRY for Da Hee in this episode. She has seen with her own eyes that feelings are growing between Heo Jun and Ye Jin. Ye Jin obviously admires him and Heo Jun’s gaze has started to linger longer on Ye Jin too. He was far too hasty marrying Da Hee. What a mess. 🙁 

And the pain is back – Dolswe the man who forced Heo Jun to treat his mother. Now he wants to put all the blame on Heo Jun as she has gone blind. But it’s obviously going to be his own fault for not following instructions. He has a cheek arriving all guns blazing when Heo Jun didn’t even want to treat his mother in the first place and then treated her for free and even gave her son money for medicine. She would be dead if it wasn’t for him. This man is really getting on my nerves. Heo Jun’s sexy chuckle caress my ears, but this guy’s raucous yelling really grates on them. 🙁