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Kim Ji-won is about to explore a whole new side of himself with « Doctor X ». For the first time in her career, the actress plays a doctor—and not just any doctor: Gye Soo-jung, a brilliant surgeon who commands respect in the operating room while refusing to bow to the power dynamics that prevail at Guseo University Hospital.
While new images reveal the two very different sides of her character, a clip from the first episode already offers a glimpse into her temperament. No sooner has she arrived in the surgery department than Soo-jung doesn’t hesitate to directly confront doctors whose ethics she questions.
Kim Ji-won trained to make her stunts look believable
Based on the famous Japanese series of the same name, «Doctor X» is billed as a dark medical drama in which Gye Soo-jung will take on a hospital system riddled with corruption in her own way.
A freelance surgeon sent to Guseo through a medical staffing agency, she possesses exceptional skills and a genuine obsession with surgery. In the operating room, her confidence and mastery have earned her a particularly strong reputation. To prepare for her first role as a doctor, Kim Ji-won spent time practicing the procedures required for various surgeries.
«I learned the surgical techniques needed for the operating room scenes from the medical advisor, and I took enough time to get familiar with them,» the actress explains.
It’s a performance that seems to have won people over even behind the scenes. Director Lee Jung-rim reveals that the doctors on set—who were serving as medical consultants—even applauded Kim Ji-won during the surgery scenes.
According to him, the actress also manages to switch naturally between Soo-jung’s two sides: a surgeon with an overwhelming presence when she’s working, and a much more eccentric and down-to-earth woman when she leaves the operating room.
Lee Jung-eun, who plays Jang Hee-sook, also praises her co-star: «Every time our eyes met and we acted together, I felt like our emotions clicked naturally. I thought to myself, “Just as I expected, she’s an actress of immense depth.” »
«I Don't Like You»: Soo-jung Isn't Trying to Make Friends
However, this mastery of surgery does not mean that Soo-jung intends to meekly submit to Guseo’s hierarchy.
A clip from the first episode shows her facing off against Professor Bae Heung-gon (Lee Sung-wook) and senior resident Ma Sung-gyu (Kwon Seung-woo). And her arrival couldn't be more direct. «I don't like you,» she tells them.
Soo-jung criticizes them for having studied solely for money and their careers, for being intelligent without possessing ethics, convictions, or genuine personal reflection. She also criticizes their behavior toward authority: they are capable of bowing to their superiors but are arrogant toward patients and willing to turn a blind eye to mistakes made by those above them.
The surgeon criticizes them above all for thinking more about how to get themselves out of difficult situations than about their patients« suffering and the risks they face. She finally delivers her verdict: »You’re really pathetic.”
Furious, Bae Heung-gon then orders her to leave. Soo-jung calmly grabs her bag and leaves, but not for the reason her coworkers imagine. Intern Park Tae-kyung (Kim Woo-seok) notices that it’s simply… 6:00 p.m. Her workday is over.
A scene that already encapsulates the contrast highlighted by the new footage: formidable when it comes to surgery, Gye Soo-jung plays by her own rules as soon as she leaves the operating room.
«Doctor X» will premiere on October 9 at 9:50 p.m. (Korean time) on SBS and Netflix.
