Doctor X Hits Series-High 20.8% Peak as Jang Seung-jo's Surgeon Is Linked to a Mark on a Patient's Liver

Episode 4 of SBS's Friday-Saturday drama "Doctor X" scored a series-best 18.5% nationwide, with a peak of 20.8%, as Gye Su-jeong (Kim Ji-won) found a "D.N" mark in a patient's liver during emergency surgery. The mark hints at a hidden past for Na Dae-il, played by Jang Seung-jo.

"Doctor X" is a medical noir about Gye Su-jeong, a genius surgeon who knows neither failure nor compromise, and her fight against a vast injustice. Jang Seung-jo made a special appearance as Na Dae-il, a surgeon newly posted to Guseodae Hospital. He played the part from the first scene, in which Na shows interest in Gye, to the ending, in which the mark on the patient's liver comes to light.

A phone call that shook a calm surgeon

Kwon Chung-hyeon's condition deteriorated sharply. When he was brought back to the hospital on Friday, news of his surgery reached Na Dae-il, who was with the Magnolia Society at the time. Na first tried to hand the operation to another doctor. His attitude changed when he heard that Gye would perform it and that adhesions were so severe that the surgery would be open. The usually relaxed Na became anxious and headed for the operating room. The source material said a crack appeared in Na's face at the news that Gye had gone into emergency surgery, and that his eyes wavered at the words "open surgery."

A rescue in the army and a warning about adhesions

Once Gye began operating, she saw the "D.N" mark in Kwon's liver, initials that recall Na's name. Kwon, a pharmaceutical company employee, had come to the emergency room with cholecystitis, and his arrival brought Na's days as a military doctor into the story. While serving in the army, Kwon had suffered severe internal bleeding from abuse. Na, then an army doctor, judged that Kwon's life would be at risk if time were lost getting him to a military hospital. He drove Kwon himself to a rural clinic, where no other doctor could help, and performed the surgery alone, saving him. Kwon then went to work in the medical industry to get closer to the man who had saved him and helped him.

When Kwon first came in with cholecystitis, the medical team saw surgery as urgent, but he said he could not have it immediately because of his sales work. Gye judged that he needed an operation and asked Na whether he had seen the patient's photos. Na answered that the liver abnormality might be scar tissue from a past operation that had become adhered. According to a reference article, Gye asked Na what the abnormality was, and Na said that marks left by the surgery 15 years earlier might have adhered. The mark, and Na's visible agitation at the news of the operation, leave open how his past surgery relates to it. The episode ended on Gye confirming the mark.

Na's interest in Gye had been plain from the start. After the two operated together on a construction-site fall patient, he sought out video of her operations. He marveled at her skill and speed, approaching her with an affable manner and a relaxed smile. He voiced sympathy for the way she rushed to patients without a second thought, and he was curious why she looked only ahead.

He put the question to her directly: "You looked just like a god. Or a monster? They say you only look straight ahead, and I wondered what's out there. Or is it behind you? What's there that makes you go forward like that?" Gye did not answer and moved away. Na also suggested a meal together. Gye said: "I don't socialize. And patient Kwon Chung-hyeon won't last until Monday." Na also appeared in conversations about Kwon's condition.

Jang Seung-jo's performance and the numbers

In his first appearance, Jang Seung-jo conveyed Na's friendliness through a soft smile and an easy tone. He showed curiosity in the scene where Na watches Gye's surgery and admires her skill, then shifted to visible anxiety once Na heard of Kwon's emergency operation. According to the source material, Na's wavering eyes and flashes of anger conveyed contrasting sides of the character. After the scene of Na heading to the operating room came the discovery of the "D.N" mark, which closed episode 4 with a question about the character's past.

The episode aired on the 17th and drew 18.5% nationwide and 18.4% in the Seoul metropolitan area, according to Nielsen Korea, with a peak minute of 20.8%. Reference articles reported that the 18.5% nationwide figure and the 20.8% peak are the series' own best records. Gye's discovery of the mark during Kwon's surgery leaves a thread for the drama to continue the story of Na's past.

"Doctor X" airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 p.m.

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