Doctor X Peaks at 20.8% as Kim Ji-won's Surgeon Finds Mysterious "D.N" Carved in a Patient's Liver

When Gye Su-jeong opened a patient's abdomen and found the initials "D.N" apparently carved into his liver, it capped an episode of SBS's Friday-Saturday drama Doctor X that peaked at 20.8% in viewership. Nielsen Korea data released on the 18th showed episode 4, which aired on the 17th, reaching 18.5% nationwide, and Kim Ji-won, who plays Gye, is now being described as surpassing "Manager Kim" So Ji-sub, with the 20% mark just ahead.

Records across the board

The drama reached its peak just four episodes into its run, and the 18.5% national figure puts the mark of 20% within sight. Metropolitan-area viewership was 18.4%. The episode came first in its time slot and among all Saturday miniseries and weekly miniseries. Its 2049 rating, a key indicator for advertisers, averaged 5.9% with a peak of 6.56%, the highest of any program aired on Saturday. Both the national and 2049 figures were the show's own best, and the series is gaining momentum.

The rise is also expected to put pressure on rival series. Earlier titles had already secured high ratings and buzz, and now Doctor X is close to 20% this early in its run. A comparison with rivals, however, needs to look at ratings from the same point in each run along with scheduling conditions, so it remains to be seen whether the surge will actually change the competitive picture.

A surgeon against the hospital

The conflict between Gye and Na Dae-il (Jang Seung-jo), a newly arrived surgeon at Guseodae Hospital, came to a head over patient Kwon Chung-hyeon (Oh Jeong-taek). Kwon wanted Na to operate because Na had saved him during his military service, but the earliest surgery date was a week away. Gye judged that he could not wait that long. After spotting a suspicious mark on the liver in an abdominal CT, she argued that an open operation was needed to check it directly. Na insisted on laparoscopic surgery, saying it was most likely a simple adhesion from a past operation. As their judgments clashed over the patient's life, Na brought up a video of Gye's surgery and said, "She looked just like a god, or a monster," adding to the tension.

Gye is restricted even from operating at the hospital, yet she took control of the emergency room with her skill and proved her worth. Scenes that overturned the expectation that she would fail quickened the pace of the drama and highlighted her appeal as a character. Meanwhile, Na pursued Gye relentlessly. Behind his gentle, kindly front, the episode showed hints of something suspicious.

Suspicion deepens

Jang Hui-suk (Lee Jung-eun) was not fooled by Na's appearance and showed displeasure from their first meeting, saying, "Where did you drag in this guy whose hands stink?" While other hospital staff took to his gentle manner, she sensed instinctively that something was wrong. Na answered with an odd smile when Gye barged into the operating room. He also learned through intern Park Tae-gyeong (Kim Woo-seok) that Gye likes snacks, but even snacks did not win her over.

As Gye had predicted, Kwon suddenly collapsed three days before his scheduled surgery. The other doctors were tied up with emergency surgery for a traffic accident, and Na, the attending physician, was away at a Magnolia Society dinner. Gye picked up the scalpel herself because she could not ignore the patient's condition. Na, hearing the news late, rushed to the hospital with his face drained of color, but the operation was already under way. Gye was shocked by what she found in the liver.

The discovery turned suspicion around Na into a concrete mystery. Na had operated on Kwon in the past, and what connection he has to the mark is the open question. As Gye traces the secret she found in the patient's body, Na's hidden past and the dark reality inside the hospital may come to light, and viewers are watching how far the truth about a doctor who appeared polished and skilled will be exposed. What is clear is that Gye's fearless performance and the mystery around Na have strengthened the drama's pull. Attention now turns to whether the series, which has rewritten its own best record, can break through the 20% national barrier in its next episode.

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