Kim Ji-won and Son Hyun-joo vow permanent medical license revocation for Jang Seung-jo

Jang Seung-jo's character, Na Dae-il, has finally collapsed. Following his arrest for the horrific crime of carving his initials into a patient's liver, he has lost his former arrogance under relentless retribution from Kim Ji-won and Son Hyun-joo. Believing he could evade legal punishment and treat his actions as trivial, he was left screaming in the face of a warning that his medical license would be permanently revoked. The development, where a doctor's malice leads to his own downfall due to his arrogance, provided viewers with intense catharsis.

In the fifth episode of the SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia' broadcast on the 23rd, Na Dae-il (Jang Seung-jo), who was arrested after his crime of carving initials into a patient's body was revealed, meets hospital director Boo Seung-gwon (Son Hyun-joo) in a prison visiting room. Having abandoned his duty as a doctor responsible for patient lives, Na Dae-il faces the consequences of his actions, yet he remains unable to shed his arrogance even while in custody.

Boo Seung-gwon delivered a blunt rebuke to Na Dae-il. He revealed, "Director Jang sent a photo to initiate negotiations, and thanks to that, I was able to have Gye Su-jeong return to surgery." When Na Dae-il asked if he was curious about his motive, Boo Seung-gwon cut him off, stating, "I am not curious about any of that." He further emphasized that being a doctor is a profession of learning through the patient, expressing anger at Na Dae-il's behavior of reducing patients to mere tools for his own desires.

Na Dae-il's attitude was even more egregious. He acted as if he could receive light punishment by citing his status as a first-time offender, claiming diminished mental capacity, and highlighting his nearly 20-year career as a military doctor. He did not hide his arrogant expectation that he could reclaim his medical license after some time has passed. Rather than reflecting on what his actions meant to the patient, his focus on calculating how to avoid legal punishment starkly revealed his twisted ethics.

Ultimately, Boo Seung-gwon could no longer remain silent. He warned Na Dae-il that he would ensure his license is permanently revoked, even if it meant risking his own, declaring, "I will definitely make sure your license is permanently revoked by risking mine." He further criticized him, saying, "Because of you, I have brought the most dangerous doctor into this hospital." The remarks contained both anger and self-reproach for failing his responsibility as a hospital director to protect patient safety. At the moment Na Dae-il believed he could use his career and status as a shield, Boo Seung-gwon issued a powerful warning that he would strip him of the very status he values most: being a doctor.

The retribution waiting for Na Dae-il was not limited to Boo Seung-gwon's warning. Gye Su-jeong (Kim Ji-won), who had been pressuring him, also inflicted an unforgettable terror upon him. Previously, Gye Su-jeong warned Na Dae-il, "From now on, if you are sick or injured, the one holding the scalpel for that surgery will unconditionally be me. No matter which hospital you go to or who receives treatment, I am the one who will open and close your body." She then crushed his arrogance with the chilling remark, "I will play with you until you are tattered."

The relationship between the two has undergone a dramatic reversal, as Na Dae-il, who manipulated patients' bodies and left his own marks on them, now fears the judgment of others regarding his own body. A person who ignored the pain of others has become gripped by fear when placed in a situation he cannot control. Gye Su-jeong's warning was not a mere verbal spat, but a scene that showed how the power and violence he wielded could return to him.

Upon receiving the test results, Na Dae-il broke down, realizing it would be difficult to escape Gye Su-jeong's grasp. He wailed in despair, "It's not like I killed anyone... Why! What did I do wrong!" Rather than acknowledging the severity of his actions, his display of a victim mentality further highlighted his distorted self-rationalization. While he once looked down on others believing in his skills and career, he has now fallen to a state where he is detained and cannot even decide his own future.

The broadcast vividly depicted the process of Na Dae-il's arrogant power crumbling. The downfall was foreshadowed from the moment the doctor, who committed horrific crimes against patients, underestimated the weight of legal punishment and believed his status would protect him. Boo Seung-gwon warned of realistic consequences by bringing up the permanent revocation of the medical license, while Gye Su-jeong caused psychological fractures by returning the fear Na Dae-il had inflicted on others.

Of course, the revocation of a medical license is a matter decided by relevant laws and procedures in reality. In the drama, Boo Seung-gwon's statement serves as a device to maximize the intensity of the crisis and retribution Na Dae-il faces. Attention is focused on what price Na Dae-il, who continues to appeal his unfairness without admitting his faults, will ultimately pay, and how far his fate will fall under the pressure from Gye Su-jeong and Boo Seung-gwon. 'Doctor X' sharply questions the responsibility that must accompany a profession that handles human lives by exposing the malice hidden behind the name of authority and skill.

Read the original (Korean)