[비즈한국] “I really hope you die soon, sir.”
These are the words of a woman with a serene face but eyes filled with madness. Who on earth could the "sir" be to make someone say such a thing to their face? What’s more, the man is dying from a malignant tumor, and he and the woman once shared a deep mentor-protege relationship. This is the premise of the Disney+ original series ‘Hyper Knife,’ a show that has sparked endless curiosity with a single line from its trailer.
The woman who wishes for her teacher’s death, Jung Se-ok (Park Eun-bin), works as an ordinary pharmacist in the countryside by day, while at night, she works as a “shadow doctor” in an illegal operating room to save lives. Once hailed as a genius who entered medical school at the top of her class at age 17, she now finds herself stripped of her medical license following a series of incidents. The man she wishes to see dead, Choi Deok-hee (Sol Kyung-gu), is the world’s greatest neurosurgeon. He was the one who recognized Se-ok’s genius and cherished her, only to cast her aside eventually. Despite heartlessly turning his back on her, six years later, when he develops a malignant tumor, he senses the existence of the shadow doctor Se-ok and seeks her out to perform his surgery.
The irony of a man asking the protege he personally rejected to perform his surgery is already striking, but ‘Hyper Knife’ adds an even darker layer. Jung Se-ok, who was considered “not quite right” even in the past, displays the traits of a murderer who can kill anyone standing in her way without hesitation. In the first and second episodes released on March 19, Se-ok lures a sex offender who was harassing her, wields a knife without a flicker of remorse, and smiles with a face splattered in blood—a clear sign that this drama is not your typical “medical show.”
What makes the situation even more mind-boggling is that Deok-hee is well aware of this side of Se-ok. At the end of the second episode, when he catches Se-ok trying to bury the body of the sex offender in the mountains, he asks in the third episode, “Isn’t that buried too shallow?” You might think he is willing to bury her secrets to get his surgery, but as it turns out, that’s not the case, further fueling curiosity about the unfolding narrative. Se-ok, a psychopathic killer, and Deok-hee, a sociopath who not only overlooks her secrets but also makes cold-blooded decisions of his own based on the situation. The relationship between the two, who hold each other’s lives in their hands, is the core of ‘Hyper Knife.’
Many people might be reminded of the American drama ‘Dexter’ while watching ‘Hyper Knife.’ ‘Dexter’ follows a blood spatter analyst and forensic scientist who secretly kills heinous criminals. It shares a similar point with ‘Hyper Knife’ in that Jung Se-ok, who holds a profession dedicated to saving lives, is nonchalantly killing people on the side. However, ‘Hyper Knife’ elevates the tension and entertainment by pitting the similarly tempered yet distinct Deok-hee against her.
Above all, the reason to watch this drama lies in the performances of Park Eun-bin and Sol Kyung-gu. Park Eun-bin is an actress currently in the middle of a career that defies the phrase “acting transformation” with her ever-changing filmography. Having shown solid acting skills since her days as a child actress, she has captivated the public by taking on challenging roles like a cross-dressing king (*The King's Affection*), an autistic attorney (*Extraordinary Attorney Woo*), and an aspiring singer rescued after 15 years on a desert island (*Castaway Diva*). While none of these were easy, she goes a step further in ‘Hyper Knife.’ A genius surgeon who is faithful only to her own desires. A murderer who wields knives and a chilling smile with her small, fragile frame. Her intense, burning gaze of madness truly dominates the screen.
What makes Jung Se-ok’s potentially unrealistic character come alive is Sol Kyung-gu’s portrayal of Choi Deok-hee. Se-ok and Deok-hee are like decals—similar yet strangely different. If the violent and impulsive Se-ok is like a bright, soaring crimson flame, the cool-headed and meticulous Deok-hee is like a silent blue fire. Thanks to Sol Kyung-gu’s rock-solid performance, which quietly yet tensely grounds the unrealistic tone of a “medical-thriller,” which is rare in Korean dramas, Se-ok’s character also shines in complex ways.
The characters around them also amplify the intrigue: Seo Young-joo (Yoon Chan-young), who helps Se-ok despite knowing she is a killer because she saved him; Dr. Han Hyun-ho (Park Byung-eun), who handles anesthesia at her illegal clinic; Kim Myung-jin (Kim Hak-sun), Deok-hee’s classmate who seems to have gone missing because of him; and Inspector Yang (Yoo Seung-mok), a police detective who is a friend of Deok-hee’s and is on Se-ok’s trail. According to the trailer for episodes 5 and 6, the past connections of these supporting characters, who seemed fleeting at first, appear to be intertwined, making the future story look even more exciting.
Will Deok-hee actually receive surgery from Se-ok? How will Se-ok’s murderous spree be discovered? Can there even be a happy ending for Se-ok and Deok-hee? ‘Hyper Knife,’ an 8-part series, has now reached its halfway point. According to FlixPatrol, a site that aggregates global OTT streaming rankings, it is a global hit, ranking 1st in Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and staying in the top 5 in Singapore, Turkey, and Japan. I am looking forward to seeing if this heated response will continue through the final four episodes.
Who is the writer Jung Soo-jin?
I have covered and written about film, travel, and popular culture through various magazines. I don’t want to fall behind on trends, but I’ve become an “old-school” person who watches the latest dramas only to predict the obvious clichés in the next scene. I am trying to regain my sense while drifting through the vast world of OTT, and my current wish is for a bundled OTT subscription plan.