Lee Jung-eun makes surprise appearance as mentor in 'Doctor X'

Lee Jung-eun appeared as Jang Hee-suk in the 9th episode of the SBS drama 'Doctor X: Era of the White Mafia' on the 6th. She entered the operating room to assist Gye Su-jeong, who was attempting a high-difficulty surgery on an 8-year-old patient without IRB approval.

Lee Jung-eun appeared in Kim Ji-won's operating room in 'Doctor X: Era of the White Mafia', instantly heightening the tension of the drama. At the moment Kim Ji-won, pushed to the edge, attempted to perform a life-saving surgery alone, an unexpected savior appeared. In particular, the special relationship between the two was revealed when Kim Ji-won identified Lee Jung-eun as "my mentor."

In the 9th episode of the SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Doctor X: Era of the White Mafia' broadcast on the 6th, the story followed Gye Su-jeong (Kim Ji-won) as she undertook a perilous surgery against the opposition of medical staff to save an 8-year-old pediatric cancer patient. Although the patient had been judged to have no hope and had even been ordered to be discharged, Gye Su-jeong refused to give up on the possibility of treatment until the end.

Gye Su-jeong showed the patient's chart to Jang Hee-suk (Lee Jung-eun) and persuaded her that surgery was necessary. However, the patient's condition was so severe that no one could easily intervene. Boo Seung-kwon (Son Hyun-joo) instructed Gye Su-jeong to persuade the other professors herself, and a conference was eventually held to discuss the possibility of the surgery.

During the meeting, Gye Su-jeong explained the patient's condition, which could not be resolved with existing surgical methods, and proposed a radical method: abdominal multi-organ ex vivo tumor resection and autotransplantation. It was a high-difficulty surgery involving removing six organs from the body, removing tumors, and then re-implanting them into the body. However, Bae Heung-gon (Lee Seong-uk) effectively declared surrender, stating, "There is no such surgical method," and other professors also opposed it, claiming there was no possibility of success.

Gye Su-jeong showed photos of the patient and bowed her head, pleading, "I need a team. I beg you." It was a desperate moment where she set aside her pride to save a life, but the medical staff's reaction was cold. Boo Seung-kwon further hindered Gye Su-jeong's plan by raising procedural issues, such as the need for IRB approval for the new surgical method.

To Gye Su-jeong, who argued there was no time to wait for approval, Boo Seung-kwon sharply pressed her, asking, "In this surgery where nothing can be guaranteed, are you going to shake not only your own career but also the careers of others by using an 8-year-old patient's life as collateral?" Ultimately, the professors, including Boo Seung-kwon, left the meeting room, ignoring Gye Su-jeong's earnest plea. The scene depicted a clash between the mission of a doctor to prioritize a patient's life and the logic of a hospital organization seeking to avoid responsibility for failure.

Even in a situation where everyone turned their backs, Jo Won-jin (Lee Jin-hee) and Park Tae-gyeong (Kim Woo-seok) remained by Gye Su-jeong's side. Gye Su-jeong did not waver in her determination to perform the surgery even alone, and she devoted herself to surgical practice with the help of Jo Won-jin. During this time, an urgent emergency occurred with the 8-year-old patient, forcing Gye Su-jeong to begin the surgery before IRB approval was even obtained.

The surgery was essentially a battle that Gye Su-jeong had to handle alone. Although Do Yun-sik (Kim Yeong-min) joined late, there were far too few medical staff members to complete the complex surgery within the time limit. At the desperate moment when everyone expected failure, the operating room door opened and an unexpected person appeared.

It was Jang Hee-suk. Upon entering the operating room, Jang Hee-suk introduced herself, saying, "I am the surgeon, Jang Hee-suk," and Kim Ji-won surprised viewers by revealing, "She is my mentor." As Jang Hee-suk, who had been watching Gye Su-jeong's surgery, participated in the surgery herself at the decisive moment, their relationship was finally revealed.

With Lee Jung-eun's appearance, the atmosphere in the operating room reached a new turning point. As the mentor Jang Hee-suk reaches out to Gye Su-jeong, who was trying to handle everything alone, attention is focused on whether the possibility of the surgery's success will change. Expectations are high for what results the meeting between the disciple, who took risks to save a life, and the mentor, who returned to her side at that moment, will lead to in the next episode.

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