The Trauma Code - Heroes on Call Ending Explained: Did Ju Ji-hoon's Dr. Baek miss the 'golden hour' treatment after facing life-threatening fire incident?

Netflix's The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call was one of the most-awaited medical series of 2025 and it was finally released on January 24 with 8 episodes. Starring Ju Ji-hoon as Dr. Baek Kang-hyuk won fans' hearts once again with his heroic acting skills. The plot revolves around a hospital and a group of doctors who become mesmerized after Dr. Baek, a Trauma surgeon joins the hospital. He is known for his exceptional surgical skills and knows how to save most patients' lives as he once went to war zones. However, Dr. Baek who continues to save patients' lives along with Yang Jae-won (Choo Young-woo) and his Trauma Center team, faces a life-threatening fire incident towards the end. Did he survive? What happened to his plea for arranging an emergency helicopter for critical patients? Read on...

Ju Ji-hoon proves why he is one of a kind through his role in The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call

The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call follows Ju Ji-hoon who plays the role of a Trauma surgeon at Hankuk National University Hospital. He and his team went all out to save patients' lives but sometimes faced rejection. Remember when Ji-hoon's Dr. Baek Kang-hyuk had done brain surgery inside a helicopter and saved a patient's life? He went to do the same surgery on another patient but could not save him because it was too late as they had to drive because the emergency helicopter was banned. He continued to make his plea for arranging an emergency helicopter at the hospital as they could save as many patients' lives as possible but the director was adamant. 

In the 7th episode, Korea’s Hanbit military unit, which is deployed in South Sudan faced a fight with one of the region’s local militias. During the process, Captain Lee Hyeon-jong was critically shot. Upon discovering the news, the Minister of Health and Welfare asked Dr. Baek to immediately leave for Sudan. 

After reaching Sudan along with his team, Dr. Baek was stopped from transferring the injured captain to their local hospital for surgery but finally, things started to take a positive turn when the commander of the militia recognized Baek as Malak (he served worldwide under this nickname) and ordered the rebels to let him enter the hospital and do as he pleased. After a critical surgery, they finally saved Captain Lee Hyeon-jong and returned to Seoul and returned by helicopter. 

Also Read: The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call review – Ju Ji-hoon's series is a binge-worthy medical K-drama that keeps you hooked

After arriving in Seoul at night, Dr. Baek was informed that there had been a fire and Dr. Han went on-site to rescue people. Baek reached the fire’s location and helped Dr. Han by operating on the injured victims. While everyone rushed out, Dr. Baek saw a patient stuck there. As he went to rescue him, an explosion took place and he was severely injured. Later, it was learned that a piece of metal lodged in his abdomen and he needed immediate surgery. 

He was brought to the hospital by helicopter along with other patients. Before surgery, he whispered to Yang Jae-won (Choo Young-woo) whom he referred to as 'Number one,' that the latter has to do the surgery. Jae-won who has learned a lot from Dr. Baek, made a decision and in the process, he almost got confused whether to do a CT scan first or do the surgery directly. Then he remembered what Dr. Baek told him once and that is not to miss the golden hour as it can save a patient's life. So, without wasting time, Jae-won took Dr. Baek to the OT section and finally saved his life. 

What happened to Dr. Baek's emergency helicopter plea?

Yes, the emergency helicopter was supplied to the hospital. In the meanwhile, we also learned that Dr. Baek wanted to become a doctor when he saw his father's death in front of his eyes at the same hospital. Highlighting the theme of underfunded hospitals, Dr. Baek reminded the viewers as well as Hankuk’s Directors Choi Jo-eun and Hong Jae-hoon of the importance of using funds for helicopters at trauma centers.

The Trauma Code: Heores on Call ended on a positive note and it was such a relief to see Ju Ji-hoon's Dr. Baek Kang-hyuk returning to his job of saving patient's lives along with his dedicated Trauma team. The last scene showed the team getting into a helicopter to rescue patients and it was picture-perfect and as expected, Ji-hoon once again captured our hearts with his extraordinary performance. 

Have you watched The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call on Netflix? Share your thoughts on X by tagging @ottplayapp! 

Also Read: The Trauma Code - Heroes on Call Twitter Review: Ju Ji-hoon as a chaos-maker yet life-saver Dr. Baek Kang-hyuk steals the spotlight