Daily Dose of Sunshine (2023) KDrama Episode 10

Episode 10 of Daily Dose of Sunshine begins with Da-eun out for a walk with Ji-seon. Although she wanted it to be a solo walk, she ends up joining up with her because she doesn’t want to hurt the girl’s feelings.

Her doctor however, suggests to Da-eun that she put her own happiness first. The thing is, Da-eun has always thought of other people first, ever since she was a little girl. When her mother was grieving the loss of her husband, she shifted all her energy across to her ma instead of focusing on handling this herself.

All this time, she’s never stopped to think of her own wants. She’s been working so hard to make sure everyone else is okay that she’s neglected her own feelings and now suddenly she’s the one who needs saving. Da-eun feels like there’s no one else has the tools to help pull her from this dark place. This time though, Da-eun decides to switch things up and actually think of herself and her own wants.

Her doctor suggests, as part of her recovery, to start writing up a compliment diary. She’s instructed to write in this every time that she feels grateful or happy about something happening. And it actually seems to be doing the trick too.

Meanwhile, Ae-sin calms down enough in the ward to have her hat removed. Ms Song is there every step of the way, determined to make sure her sister, Ae-sin, is okay while she washes her hair. It’s tough going, and she screams and becomes agitated a few times, but Song’s sister manages to brave it through until the end.

It turns out Ae-sin is actually the reason why Hyo-sin got into medicine and decided to become a nurse. They’re from the countryside so she doesn’t always see her sister. Someone who grew up caring for their loved ones does generally tend to pick a career in nursing. Ms Song says, and that’s how she got into this profession. Ae-sin’s condition is a precarious one, and Song blames herself for not being more attentive and being too wrapped up in work.

Meanwhile, the situation with Deol-re’s mum continues. She’s over at Deul-re’s apartment and refuses to let the new leasers into the apartment to take measurements. As a result, Deul-re decides to do it herself that night. Deul-re’s mum continues to wind up her daughter. Deul-re bitterly points out that she’s gambled all of her money and refuses to play these games with her.

Da-eun’s recovery continues to move ahead at a decent pace, and she phones Hyo-sin at the hospital for a check up. Da-eun admits that she’s going to be discharged soon but work is still a point of contention for her. She’s anxious about going and doesn’t want anyone else knowing where she is. Song promises to keep it a secret and not to tell anyone unless they want to know. However, they do miss Da-eun given the hole she’s left in the schedule and the workplace.

At the unit, Da-eun ends up crossing paths with Sung-sik, who’s admitted to the same ward. He’s been moving about hospitals and he’s en-route to Myungshin soon to handle his ongoing kidney issue. Unfortunately, given he keeps moving about, he lets slip to his brother (who then blabbers on to everyone else) that Da-eun is in psychiatric care.

When Da-eun is discharged and sent home, Yu-chan shows up and questions her over Go-yun. He teases, saying that Go-yun is excited to see her and has been asking what’s going on. Da-eun though is not sure whether she’s ready to see him. And likewise, Go-yun contemplates messaging but in the end, chooses not to.

This episode does an excellent job showing the stigma toward mental health, and nowhere else is that more evident than in Song Hyo-sin’s desire to try and help her sister move in to a new apartment. Given she has schizophrenia, as part of the application she needs to make sure the other residents are okay with her moving in. Despite the Head Nurse’s reassures, there’s still so many doubts around this and a lot of them do not want her to move in.

This is similar to what’s going on with Da-eun, with the nurses questioning whether she should even show up and work. Even worse, Yu-chan’s mum starts questioning Da-eun’s health too and she does so loudly enough in the kitchen that Da-eun herself, who shows up with rice cakes for her and Yu-chan, overhears. In the end, she heads back home again, leaving Yu-chan alone.

Go-yun does eventually pluck up the courage to show up at Da-eun’s place. It’s super cute but her mum is so excited and eventually encourages Da-eun to head outside. It’s slightly awkward to begin with, but the pair do then chat about what’s gone on between them. When he asks about her meds, Da-eun decides not to see him anymore. She points out that the whole thing is embarrassing and she doesn’t want to date someone knowing what they know. She’s also going to resign from the hospital soon too.

Go-yun opens up and points out that she’s better than that and he wants her to go back to sparkling like she did before. He tells her to follow her heart, before admitting he’s going to do the exact same thing. When he eventually walks away, Da-eun sobs to herself.

Deul-re packs up her things and leaves the apartment. Just before she does, she hands over the deposit on the flat. She wants her mum to get out and stops her from slapping her. In fact, if she shows up again, Deul0re promises to get the police involved.

After handing over the last of her cash, she meets Yeo-hwan and admits she’s got rid of her mum. She feels hollow now and although her debts are paid and her mums gone, she’s not sure what to do. Yeo-hwan gives her a big hug and invites her back to his for takeout. She gorges herself with food, eating heartily and not even stopping to take a breath, Midway through, she pushes back tears to stop herself.

Meanwhile, Yu-chan meets up with Da-eun and admits that although he still has panic disorder, he’s thinking that he may be able to make a full recovery. He’s determined to stand up straight now. And he tells her to do the exact same thing in her life too.

Back home, she finds Song Hyo-sin waiting for her. They head out for a drink, where Da-eun admits that she doesn’t think she can be a nurse anymore. She believes that she’s too sick and shouldn’t be there. Hyo-sin refuses to listen and tells her that she’s a good doctor, pointing out all the things she can do. She also reassures her that it’s not a crime to be sick, and using her own experience, tells her to stop shrinking and running away.

Hyo-sin is quick to say she’s not a bad person, but Da-eun has an overwhelming feeling of being hopeless. Hyo-sin lays it all out on the line though and asks her whether she wants to stop seeing patients and making a difference.

Eventually Da-eun breaks down into tears and admits she does want to continue being a nurse. Hyo-sin holds her and decides that yes, she should continue working and if there’s any backlash to that, they can work through this together.

The Episode Review

What’s particularly great about this episode, and the series as a whole really, is how the subject of mental health is tackled. We see individual cases and how different disorders are treated, but we also see all parts of care. This is something that One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest did pretty well too, but Daily Dose of Sunshine goes one step further.

The series does a great job of capturing the stigma around mental health and certain conditions. We saw it in episode 1, and this time we see it from the perspective of both Da-eun and Hyo-sin. Both have experience with how the public perceive mental health and the hurdles they need to try and climb to convince everyone that they’re okay.

With two episodes left, all eyes now turn to seeing exactly how Da-eun is going to handle being back at work, and it’s anyone’s guess exactly how that’s going to go. Seeing her push Go-yun away is disappointing but perhaps necessary for the climax of the show, where I’m sure the pair will, perhaps, get together after all.