“Dr. Romantic” (낭만닥터 김사부): Season 1

By Jae-Ha Kim
Substack
September 30, 2023

☆☆☆☆
Kang Do-joo (played by Yoo Yeon-seok)
Yoo Seo-jeong (played by Seo Hyun-jin)
Boo Yong-joo / Dr. Master Kim (played by Han Suk-kyu)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

After a great start, the second and third episodes lagged a big. I was debating whether to just skip to “Dr. Romantic” Season 2, but I’m glad I stuck it out. This series focuses on genius doctor Boo Yong-joo (Han Suk-kyu), who had been set up to take the fall for a patient’s death. Because he refused to play the kiss-ass game at work, he loses his job. He changed his name and went to work at a small rural hospital, where he’s known as Dr. Master Kim.

Later, Kang Do-joo (Yoo Yeon-seok) is sent to the smaller hospital as punishment. He had been forced to operate on a patient who couldn’t be saved. The incompetent head surgeon didn’t want to mar his own reputation and forced the younger doctor to do it. Do-joo is promised that if he quietly bides his time in the podunk town, he will return to the main hospital in Seoul. But when he slowly figures out that Dr. Master Kim is actually the legendary Dr. Boo, he decides to stay and learn from him.

My favorite storyline was in Episode 8. Doctors initially believe that a gangster infiltrated the hospital and stabbed a man. But in reality, the victim had raped the man’s wife and 11-year-old daughter. But because the rapist was a first-time offender — first time being caught, anyhow — he was only sentenced to three years in prison. Of course, he was out in just two years for good behavior and for being a model prisoner. The husband and father threatens to kill Do-joo’s seonbae, Yoo Seo-jeong (Seo Hyun-jin), unless Dr. Master Kim stops operating on the rapist. But the latter continues. It’s his job and duty to save lives, no matter how heinous the person may be.

He says, “You can do whatever you want after the surgery is complete. But even with the surgery, the rapist will live a miserable life unable to do the things he used to do. Or, you can kill the rapist, and then your daughter won’t see her father for decades and your wife will have no husband.”

Airdates: Twenty hour-long episodes aired on SBS from November 16, 2016 to January 16, 2017. I watched this on Viki.

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