Mysterious Initials Found on a Patient's Organ Ignite Kim Ji-won and Jang Seung-jo's Clash in Doctor X

Initials carved into a patient's organ have sent SBS drama "Doctor X" into a new phase, and a preview shows Kim Ji-won's surgeon warning a colleague: "Get away. This is my patient." The line sets up a collision between two surgeons.

Two surgeons, two judgments

In the Friday-Saturday drama "Doctor X", Kim Ji-won plays Gye Su-jeong and Jang Seung-jo plays Na Dae-il. The two split over an operation with a patient's life at stake, and tension between them is building. Their clash has widened beyond a simple battle of pride into a dispute over medical responsibility and how patients should be treated. The initials, together with Na Dae-il's sudden change in behavior, have deepened the series' mystery.

The night the patient collapsed

Gye Su-jeong's worry came true. Kwon Chung-hyeon could not wait for the scheduled surgery date and collapsed, and was taken to the emergency room. Na Dae-il, who was supposed to operate, was outside the hospital drinking with members of the Magnolia Society. As the patient's condition worsened rapidly, Gye Su-jeong operated herself. Kim Seong-jin (Heo Jun-seok) texted Na Dae-il that adhesions looked severe and that an open abdominal operation was under way. The gist of the message was that Gye Su-jeong would finish the surgery well and Na did not need to come to the hospital.

After reading the text, Na Dae-il rushed to the hospital, but the situation had already changed. While operating on Kwon Chung-hyeon's abdomen, Gye Su-jeong found mysterious initials carved into an organ and was stunned. The possibility that another secret lay behind what had looked like simple adhesions sent the case in an unexpected direction. What the initials mean, and how they relate to a past operation, have become the central questions for what follows.

A warning ignored

The warning had come earlier. Kwon Chung-hyeon was Na Dae-il's junior in the military. When organ bleeding resulted from abuse in the past, Na operated on him, and Kwon, remembering that gratitude, asked Na to operate again. Gye Su-jeong judged, however, that Kwon might not last until the scheduled date. She asked Na pointedly whether he would still operate if the patient could not hold out until then.

Na Dae-il's reply was far from her concern. "If my schedule allows, I'll do it; if not, another doctor can," he said, appearing not to treat the surgery as urgent. When Gye Su-jeong tried to explain an abnormal sign in the patient's liver, Na cut in, suggesting adhesions from a past operation. She countered that this could not be known without opening the patient up, stressing the principle that a medical team should not judge before seeing a patient's condition directly.

An approach with an unclear motive

The episode aired on the 17th was the fourth. In it, Na Dae-il, a surgeon newly joining the hospital at the call of director Bu Seung-gwon (Son Hyun-joo), persistently approached Gye Su-jeong. He showed interest from their first meeting, and she showed little in return, but he did not back off. His attitude left unclear whether it was simple curiosity or whether he had another purpose tied to Gye Su-jeong's past and skills.

Na followed Gye Su-jeong as she left work and suggested dinner. When she drew a line, saying she did not socialize, he proposed talking about work instead. She then raised the condition of Kwon Chung-hyeon, the patient Na was to operate on. She had no interest in private meetings, but a matter of life and death was different, and she put her duty as a doctor first. Na also said he had watched video of an operation Gye Su-jeong performed. "It was amazing. Like a god. Or a monster?" he said, adding that he had heard she only looks ahead and wondered what lay ahead that made her do so. The remark suggests the relationship may not end as a simple rivalry between fellow doctors.

What the preview shows

In the preview, Gye Su-jeong delivers her warning to Na Dae-il when he comes to see Kwon Chung-hyeon, signaling that their conflict over judgment and responsibility is heading for open confrontation. Another scene shows Na in a patient's gown asking Park Tae-gyeong "Where's your teacher?" in a violent manner, raising tension further. Why he suddenly turns rough, and how far his confrontation with Gye Su-jeong will go, remain open questions. Kim Ji-won and Jang Seung-jo's full-fledged rivalry and the hidden truth around Kwon Chung-hyeon are expected to be the key points to watch in the next broadcast.

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