Poong the Joseon Psychiatrist Season 2 Episode 8

Episode 8 of Poong The Joseon Psychiatrist season 2 begins with Gwang-il meeting Eun-woo at the harbour and saying he is going the same way as her to treat an interpreter’s wife. At Gyesoo, Poong gets ready to go after Eun-woo as Gye tries to stop him but to no avail. As he leaves, Gye decides to go to Hanyang to try and stop Poong’s enemies. But too many patients have him halting his plan.

Eun-woo and Gwang-il reach Heuksan Island and he asks her to show him around later. She decides to become a physician on the island and stay at home. She takes off her ring and says that it is for Poong’s sake. Meanwhile, Poong and Gwang-il bump into each other outside Eun-woo’s house and get into a fight as she rushes out and stops them. The two men try to impress Eun-woo’s mother at lunch but Poong keeps failing.   

Poong later approaches Eun-woo and tells her that he is still hurt and needs to be treated by her. She tells him that they cannot be together and he is upset. At Gyesoo, the staff are tired after a long day. Gye announces that they are going to close the clinic and create a petition against Ahn. 

The next day, Eun-woo tries to make Poong leave but he refuses as her decision just hurts the two of them. They are interrupted as a servant calls them urgently. They treat a courtesan, Seol-ah who had tried to hang herself. The servant tells them that she was forced to be Interpreter Jung’s concubine but he took back the ring he had given to her since it turned out to be his wife’s.

They realise that he is the same man whose wife is being treated by Gwang-il. At that moment, the wife comes over and slaps Seol-ah who is awake. Seol-ah tells the wife that she is denying who she is and goes inside. The wife announces that it would be better if Seol-ah had died and she leaves. 

Gye and Man-bok head to Hanyang to do a background check on Poong’s enemies. He hints that they need Man-bok’s street reputation and the latter is flustered that he knows. Nam-hae and Granny write petitions from the women at Sorak while the kids collect them. Ahn and Chil-sung go to the clinic and see the petitions. Chil-sung says he heard Gyesoo is going to petition the King and Ahn looks afraid. 

On the island, Eun-woo checks in with the wife who tells her to attend to Seol-ah as she is fine. As Eun-woo leaves with Poong she finds it odd that the wife talks informally about a courtesan. As they walk back home, the islanders gossip loudly about them and Poong is angry but Eun-woo stops him. She says she had wished she could see Poong just once when she was on the island and her wish had come true. Poong finally agrees to leave after treating Seol-ah.

At Gyesoo, the women wonder if Poong and Eun-woo will get together on the island and Ip-boon starts blushing as Granny and Nam-hae discuss it. At the Governor’s office, Ahn is wallowing and decides to create an even more scandalous rumour. 

At the interpreter’s home, he gives the wife the ring he took back from Seol-ah. She requests him not to make her his concubine and he boasts that it is his duty as a nobleman to live in comfort. She is furious and tries to stab him with her hairpin. But he overpowers her and leaves.

Eun-woo goes to check in on her and sees that there are two rings, the wife’s and the concubine’s. Meanwhile, as Poong treats Seol-ah, she wonders if the wife will die. He observes that she is not physically sick but keeps hitting her heart.

As Eun-woo and Poong leave, they wonder if the two women had been friends. As they return home they see Gwang-il charming Eun-woo’s mother. She gives them firework paper and asks them to write down their wishes as per the island’s tradition. Gwang-il offers to take Eun-woo to Qing to study and the mother is touched. Poong sees that it would be good for Eun-woo and starts holding his heart as if he’s in pain.

That night, Eun-woo goes to visit Poong and sees that he has a fever. At dawn, he wakes up and says he kept dreaming about her. He declares that his heart is ill but no one can treat him.

At Hanyang, Gye and Man-bok keep doing their background checks and find scandalous stuff. They visit one of the royal physicians and threaten him with all the dirt they found on him and the others at the royal clinic. And with the women submitting the petitions to the King, Gye is confident that the truth will be uncovered.

Poong realises what is ailing Seol-ah and the wife and he and Eun-woo pay them a visit. He sees the wife wearing both rings and states that it represents the two women’s love. She allows him to check her pulse and he sees that she is severely ill. She explains that Seol-ah tried to kill herself because she found out. The wife is ready to die quietly but Eun-woo encourages her to fight for Seol-ah so she has no regrets.

That night, Seol-ah and the wife meet at a bridge and exchange rings. Eun-woo feels sad that the two women don’t have time but Poong tells her that they will not have regrets. She also remembers the wife saying that Eun-woo should do what her heart wants and she tears up. She tells Poong that even her heart aches.

He hugs her and tells her that he is not ill but that he loves her. They hold hands and write their wishes. She asks what he wrote and he says he hopes they can be together forever. He asks her if she would run away with him or stay and fight and hopes she can fulfil his wish. She says she too will not hide her feelings anymore and they kiss.

The Episode Review

Right from the wife and the concubine’s first interaction, something felt off. And as their story kept developing, it felt as if the writers were going in a direction we dare not think of as the K-drama is set in an ancient time period where queer relationships are not common sighting. And so, it was extremely satisfying to see the two women overcoming all odds and spending their last few moments together.

As for our Gyesoo couple, thankfully, they couldn’t be separated for too long. How much ever Gwang-il may try charming Eun-woo’s mother, we all know who she is going to pick as she too finally confessed to Poong. Having been inspired by the two women, it was heartwarming to see Poong and Eun-woo too accept their feelings and sticking together no matter what others say.