Daily Dose of Sunshine (2023) KDrama Episode 6

Episode 6 of Daily Dose of Sunshine begins with us shifting our view over to Seo-wan, our very own Level 60 warrior. He’s at the temple, needing to recover mana in order to face a dragon raging down on him. Low on HP and MP, The Mediator shows up and hands over a crucial MP pill to increase his stats to fight the dragons.

Only, it turns out that these pills actually have the effect in helping Seo-wan leave his delusions and start to live in the real world. He’s seeing things he wasn’t before (ie the clothes he’s wearing and what’s around him) but that could still have side-effects. During an interview, he admits to Dr Im that he knows he’s not a mage anymore and he’s a civil servant who has tried to pass his test seven times and failed.

That night, Yeo-hwan is crushed when Deul-re nonchalantly brushes off the idea of dating again. She asks him whether kissing really constitutes toward dating and brushes his attempts off. Yeo-hwan ends up noticing messages on her phone about a loan she needs to pay. As a result, he finds himself contemplating whether he can get involved and help, shocked that the bank would just freeze assets like that.

Back at the ward, Da-eun notices Seo-wan looking at the calendar and realizing how long he’s been in the ward for. Da-eun tries to reassure him that everything is going to be okay, and that he’ll find ways to move back on with his life. However, that night Da-eun starts to see Seo-wan everywhere. She heads into the bookshop and grabs a couple of books he needs to help his studies.

Da-eun doodles a picture on the edge of every page to give him some encouragement, showing a tortoise coming out of his shell and waving, telling him “You can do this Kim Seo-wan!” It’s a heart-warming bit of encouragement, but in truth Seo-wan made himself sick by over-studying back in the day and overexerting himself to be the best. 

Dr Im decides to let Seo-wan out to try one overnight stay to see how he gets on. Just before he goes, Da-eun races up to see him off and gives the kids some final words of encouragement. Before heading home though, Seo-wan shows up at the academy, reminiscing over where it all started.

Back then, Seo-wan would over-study to the point of popping pills to keep him awake. However, he ended up finding solace at the internet café next door, which allowed him to switch off and play this new game. He’s especially happy as he doesn’t need to pass an exam, and finds solace in his teammates.

Seo-wan ends up catching up with a few of his friends back in the present, and he talks to them about the exam. Specifically, he discusses how success is always just within reach but its just not to be. Growing disillusioned, he ends up regressing almost immediately, and is back in the ward again in the next scene, pretending to be a mage once more. Only, he calls Da-eun by her name and not Mediator, leading her to believe he’s just faking it this time.

Da-eun is disappointed, but that night Yu-chan shows up to try and help cheer her up. She admits that its a soju sort of night, and he decides to give them some fireworks to set off from the rooftop. Yu-chan wants to continue hanging again in a few days, but she shrugs it off and declines.

Seo-wan is eventually discharged though, but Da-eun is worried for his wellbeing. She’s overthinking the whole thing, but Soo-yeon tries to offer her some encouraging words, suggesting she head off and unwind somewhere and stop being so stressed.

That’s great for Yu-chan, who decides to take them out after all. Only… his motorcycle stops working. Go-yun is on-hand though and he decides to help give them a lift. He takes them out to eat at a beautiful temple, and Da-eun re-affirms that Go-yun is more than welcome to be there.

They start skipping rocks after, but while Yu-chan is great at it, Go-yun is anything but. Da-eun eventually ends up throwing her phone in the water by accident. Yu-chan and Go-yun naturally scramble to try and get it for her, and the former comes out victorious. Da-eun is all sandy on her feet so Yu-chan hurries off to get some water and help ger out. When he does, he realizes that the day has been a bust and he can’t ask her out until the conditions are perfect.

Left alone, Go-yun and Da-eun start talking. The latter admits that she’s worried about Seo-wan and whether she did the right thing. Go-yun suggests that she trust herself and admits that she’s a great nurse. And that’s coming from a fantastic doctor, after all! Yu-chan watches this play out from afar and realizes that he’s scared of taking that dive and just asking Da-eun out, while Go-yun has the courage he’s lacking. 

Seo-wan stops by one more time and thanks Da-eun for all her help. He’s going to be switching to a closer hospital so he can cram in more studying time. When he says goodbye, Da-eun throws herself back into working more and seems to be doing really well.

Meanwhile, Deul-re continues to struggle. She’s running low on cash, while Yeo-hwan does all he can to help her from afar. He even admits that her wellbeing is more important than their relationship when he shows with sandwiches for her.

Go-yun finally makes a move and waits for Da-eun at the bus stop. He reveals that he missed her and that’s why he’s been trying to see her all this time.

As for Seo-wan, he decides not to study after all. In fact, he rings Da-eun and asks to meet for tea. When she tentatively refuses, Da-eun heads up to the rooftop and looks out over he city. He’s spiralling out of control and eventually regresses again. This time though, he jumps over the edge of the rooftop to the ground below. The final shot circles back to the apartment, with Seo-wan’s last message on a post-it – “I am sorry”.

The Episode Review

What a heavy ending. Seo-wan fails his test again and stuck in the rat race, he becomes disillusioned to the point of ending it all and jumping off the roof. It’s indicative of how lonely it can be and how hopeless life can feel at times, and it’s every bit as gut-wrenching as you’d expect, especially seeing that final post-it note message.

The love triangle is still here though, although it’s becoming more and more obvious that Go-yun and Da-eun are going to be the ones who end up together. Yu-chan and Da-eun could still happen though, so I guess the beauty with these pairings stems from the fact that both men are actually likable and have a good chance with our protagonist.

The ending though is likely to have big repercussions and quite what’s in store for our characters next, is anyone’s guess.