"Just a doctor": Kye Su-jeong confronts the "White Mafia" and medical authority in SBS drama

A character has emerged who directly targets the authority and hierarchy of the medical field, as well as the logic of capital hidden behind them. Kye Su-jeong, the protagonist of the SBS Friday-Saturday drama "Doctor X", is a freelance doctor operating within the fortress of a hospital based only on patient lives and her own surgical skills. Not belonging to any medical department, she moves using only her medical license and the expertise she has built from the ground up as her assets.

"Is authority more important than the patient?"... Kye Su-jeong's bluntness regarding surgical methods

The operating rooms at Kiseo University Hospital are depicted as spaces where the hospital's power structure and efficiency are prioritized over patient safety. Ahead of surgery for an 80-year-old male patient suspected of having gallbladder cancer, the hospital decides to perform open surgery using the "MS Technique" personally developed by Director Kim Myeong-suk. Despite the patient's strong request, the decision insists on the technique of the authoritative director instead of laparoscopic surgery, which has recently become the standard.

In this process, Kye Su-jeong, who joined as a freelancer, raises questions about the hospital's decision. Although laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the standard for the patient's rapid recovery and stability, she persistently asks why open surgery must be performed. Kye Su-jeong stands against the authoritative decision, arguing that being able to directly see and touch the surgical site through open surgery to respond to bleeding or adhesions is the best way to preserve the patient's life. This stands in contrast to other medical staff in the hospital who remain silent or comply in the face of absolute authority.

"Just a doctor, nothing more, nothing less"... A rebuke to the "White Mafia"

Kye Su-jeong's criticism does not stop at surgical methods. She defines the corruption in the medical community as the "White Mafia" and strongly denounces the hypocritical attitudes shown by those who handle human lives. She delivers a sharp definition of medical staff who flatter professors and act high-handedly toward nurses by stating they are "just doctors."

In particular, she does not hesitate to describe those who study for money and fame, or who rely on connections and hierarchy rather than skill, as "cowardly and pathetic." Her remarks toward those who bow to professors, act arrogantly toward patients, and blame the system even after committing mistakes reveal a side of the field where medical ethics have disappeared. Furthermore, she continues her sharp criticism of irresponsible individuals who entrust surgeries to veteran doctors who might have trembling hands. Due to this direct attitude, Kye Su-jeong is not welcomed within the hospital, but she holds the patient's life as her only top priority.

A path centered on thorough skill, clashing with the hospital system

Kye Su-jeong is not bound by hospital rules or ranks. What is important to her is only her medical license and the surgical skills she has built from the bottom up. Even when the hospital attempts to ignore her by treating her as mere "temporary personnel," she proves her presence through her skills. She demonstrates her ability through post-operative results and adheres to her own principles even within the hospital's authoritative atmosphere.

Her actions are far from the customs of the existing medical community, as she strictly observes the 6:00 PM clock-out time and even collects information to understand the hospital's power structure. Kye Su-jeong is described as a person with a history of medical volunteer work in remote areas around the world, having passed through Cuba, Nakan Medical School, and Florida Medical School. The conflict between Kiseo University Hospital, which operates on the logic of power and money, and the freelance doctor Kye Su-jeong, who looks only at the patient's life, is expected to be the core axis of the medical noir to unfold.

The survival method of a freelancer against the logic of power

Kiseo University Hospital operates on the logic of money and power, with a solid hierarchy formed from doctors to nurses. Kye Su-jeong does not compromise within this structure. Even in situations where the hospital director makes decisions to save face or where a specific professor's technique is insisted upon, she considers the patient's condition as the highest priority.

Kye Su-jeong does not recognize the hierarchy within the hospital and defines the relationship between patient and doctor solely as a relationship that handles life. Even when the hospital attempts to ignore her by citing the specific nature of her employment, she does not stop making surgical judgments to protect the patient's life. These actions clearly show the point where the hospital's authority and individual skill collide, illuminating the dark side of the medical community referred to as the "White Mafia."

Source: SBS (YouTube)