Ghost Doctor (2022)

Angels Among Us

What happens when a gifted heart surgeon is devoid of empathy and feeling? He becomes a robot; a man who builds walls around himself to avoid feeling much of anything. This is part of the premise of this series in which Dr. Cha Young Min has forgotten the important part of being a doctor: caring and being there for the patient. It doesn’t matter how amazing your skills are. A doctor without feelings is truly no doctor at all.

Dr. Cha Young Min finds himself having to relearn this lesson when a car accident puts him into a coma. Before the incident, he’s cold and surly toward everyone, especially the new young intern, Dr. Ko Seung Tak as well as his ex-girlfriend, Dr. Jang Se Jin. He doesn’t approve of Dr. Ko’s lack of interest in his job. While Dr. Ko doesn’t seem interested in the least in learning about being a doctor, he does seem to care a great deal about the patients, especially those in the coma wing. And Dr. Cha still doesn’t understand why Dr. Jang returned from America after leaving him suddenly, nor does he care to find out.

We find out early on that Dr. Ko has a special gift as well. He’s able to see ghosts. Not only is he able to see them, but he can also communicate and interact with them. This is an ability he seems to have had since he was a child. Of course, he does his very best to hide it, but when Dr. Cha appears as a coma ghost, he realizes that his only link to the real world is Dr. Ko. Thus begins an unlikely friendship that begins tenuously at best. Why? Because we also find out that Dr. Cha is able to possess the body of Dr. Ko.

This sets up a fascinating premise as well as an often funny one, in which Dr. Cha utilizes Dr. Ko’s body in order to perform the most complex surgeries. This brings instant notoriety from the senior staff as well as the administration as to how he’s able to do this. After all, they only see Dr. Ko suddenly doing surgeries that even the most senior members are unable to do—except for Dr. Cha who is revered as the hospital’s best and most gifted surgeon.

Interestingly enough, Dr. Ko has no recollection of what happens once Dr. Cha takes over. Initially, he’s understandably upset and even forbids Dr. Cha from doing it again, but soon Dr. Ko finds himself realizing what can be done for the patients, not to mention his growing fame. Never mind that the hospital staff is left completely puzzled at how a mere intern is suddenly able to perform these surgeries. They chalk it up to Dr. Ko being like Dr. Cha: blessed with unprecedented skill. It’s here that partnership is formed between the two doctors.

Meanwhile, we find that there’s more to Dr. Cha’s accident than meets the eye, and there is also a conspiracy operating within the hospital as the Dr. Ko’s cousin, and hospital administrator, is looking to gain more power and money for himself, and Dr. Cha is in his way. Dr. Jang regrets leaving Dr. Cha the first time around, and she creates a private room where she can look after him 24 hours a day.

Dr. Cha is able to move around the hospital, but he’s limited due to the distance between himself and his body. If he finds himself too far away, he begins to fade away into oblivion which would also lead to the death of his body. He’s able to use his spirit form to find out just how indifferent and cold he’s been to nearly everyone, and he vows to be a different man should he ever regain consciousness. He’s heartbroken to see how much Dr. Jang has always loved him, and her leaving him for America those many years ago had nothing to do with him as she finds herself in the middle of her own power struggle with her mobster bully of a half-brother who’s trying to take their father’s fortune by whatever means necessary.

We quickly find that there are the ghosts of several other coma patients wandering around the hospital, as well as that of a long-since passed surgeon who simply goes by the name of “Tess.” He has a connection to one of the other doctors and finds himself unable to leave the hospital. Unlike Dr. Cha, he’s able to possess anyone at any moment, obviously learning how to master this feat in order to help others. He also has the wisdom that both Dr. Cha and Dr. Ko lack. Dr. Cha needs to remember how to be a caring surgeon again, and Dr. Ko has to learn how to be a proper surgeon by studying and taking the job seriously.

The series is very light in its overall tone. The true brilliance of the story lies in the chemistry and friendship that develops between Dr. Cha and Dr. Ko. Rain and Kim Bum give fantastic performances. You can tell that they had a lot of fun with their roles! Their light banter and bickering also provide a lot of fun and humorous interactions between them. However, as with so many great K-dramas, there are also plenty of heartfelt and touching moments between the two as well. Add Dr. Jang, beautifully played by Uee, and Dr. Oh Soo Jung, who has an obvious crush on Dr. Ko, and you have the perfect scenario for some fun and light romance.

Tess, however, is my favorite character of the series. He’s like a wise sage who wanders around the hospital with a glint in his eye, seeking small things to try and help or fix. He only interferes when he absolutely has to, as he also understands the importance of not imposing himself upon the human condition. He knows that, for some people, it’s simply their time to go. He also has a beautiful connection with Dr. Ko’s past as well. While compassionate, he also has no problem treating Dr. Cha and Dr. Ko like the two petulant children that they are sometimes.

There are no contrived plot elements or silly, immature romantic triangles in this series. The premise that we can all strive to be better people, and even skilled people like doctors, often need such a reminder. Take your job and your passion seriously, but never leave out the human element. Both are necessary, like two sides of the same coin. And most importantly, let people do what they want in life. Stop imposing your will upon someone else. When you do that, it’s selfishly only about you and not the other person.

It doesn’t matter if you believe in ghosts or not. It doesn’t matter if you believe in angels or not, but it certainly warms the heart to know that perhaps your friends and loved ones are in your corner and helping you out in ways you couldn’t possibly believe or fathom. And what’s wrong with that?

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