SBS has unveiled the first official stills of Lee Jung-eun in the upcoming medical series Doctor X. The photos introduce her as the calculating force behind a doctor-for-hire agency and preview the unusual partnership she will share with series lead Kim Ji-won.
The drama is based on the hit Japanese series Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon and is framed as a medical noir. Doctor X follows Gye Soo-jung (Kim Ji-won), a freelance genius surgeon who proves what it means to be a doctor through raw skill alone as she is sent into Guseo University Hospital to confront a corruption-ridden medical establishment often described as a white-coat mafia.
Jang Hee-sook (Lee Jung-eun) runs a medical staffing agency and cares only about profit. At first she looks like a loud, theatrical materialist who talks without pause, but she is in truth a shrewd strategist who uses smooth and cunning people skills to keep her business running. She forms an unbeatable team with Gye Soo-jung, yet after dispatching the agency’s top-tier ace—the dark hero genius doctor—to Guseo University Hospital, she is left cleaning up the unexpected problems that follow.
In the newly released stills, Jang Hee-sook is fully in saleswoman mode. She deploys a classic capitalist smile that immediately puts others at ease and lowers their guard. Even when she hands over a business card, she remains impeccably polite, displaying the smooth and seasoned sales skills that keep her agency profitable.
The following stills deliver a sharp change in mood. From the operating-room observation gallery she watches a procedure with an unreadable expression that suddenly carries a strange sense of authority. In another image she sits at a negotiating table with a completely serious face that erases the earlier charm and reveals a colder, more commanding presence.
The production team highlighted that range when the stills were released. They said, “Lee Jung-eun skillfully crosses the line between humor and seriousness to create a one-of-a-kind Jang Hee-sook. Please look forward to Lee Jung-eun’s charm, which will add thrilling fun to the drama.”
They also singled out the central pairing as essential to the series. They added, “In particular, the unique relationship that Lee Jung-eun and Kim Ji-won will create is another key point to watch. The two go beyond being simple contractual partners and at times develop an unusual bond that feels almost like that of an aunt and niece. We also ask that you look forward to the fresh womance and chemistry the two will showcase.”
Doctor X premieres on SBS on October 9 at 9:50 p.m. KST and will air every Friday and Saturday. Viewers outside South Korea can stream new episodes on Netflix beginning on the same date.
Sources: SBS, Naver
