On the afternoon of the 14th, TV Chosun premiered the first episode of weekend drama Doctor Shin (written by Phoebe/Im Seong-han; directed by Lee Seung-hoon). The episode introduces genius neurosurgeon Shin Ju-shin (played by Jeong I-chan) and top actress Momo (Baek Seo-ra) and follows the pair as a fateful romance is abruptly interrupted by a catastrophic accident. The premiere also mapped out a web of entangled relationships, including reporter Geum Bara (Ju Se-bin), who becomes close to Momo while covering her story; Ha Yong-jung (Ahn Woo-yeon), who shares a fraught childhood history with Geum Bara; and Momo’s stylist Kim Jin-joo (Cheon Young-min). The show logged a 1.4% viewership rating for its first broadcast.
As Shin Ju-shin focused on a delicate brain operation, Momo — returning from a scuba dive — lost consciousness in a diving accident and was rushed to Shin’s hospital, immediately raising the stakes. At the same time, Geum Bara, stood up for a planned meeting with Momo and headed home disappointed. Outside Geum Bara’s house, stylist Kim Jin-joo, who had been waiting, informed her about the accident and urged her to stay quiet.
The narrative then rewinds to six months earlier, framing past events that set the present in motion. In flashback, Geum Bara prepares to interview Ha Yong-jung and is reminded of Ji An-hee (Cha Ji-hyuk), who cared for her like an older brother at the orphanage, and of Ha’s warmer side. Ha Yong-jung, however, fails to recognize Geum Bara during the interview, and she hides her disappointment. Meanwhile, Shin Ju-shin becomes smitten after watching Momo’s intense performance in a TV drama and asks his friend Ha Yong-jung’s brother, James (Jeon No-min), to arrange a meeting. When they finally meet, Momo brusquely shuts him down.
Six months after the accident, Momo lies in a deep sleep inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Momo’s mother, Hyeon Ran-hee (Song Ji-in), visits Shin and brings up a rumored brain transfer she heard about from Shin’s father. When Shin says there’s no available donor, Hyeon Ran-hee points to herself and volunteers. Worried about the risks, Shin hesitates; she presses him, saying, “You’ll just move the brain to me — the eyes, nose and mouth stay the same. That’s a mother’s wish.” The episode ends on a tense image: Momo prone on the operating table as her hair is clipped, Hyeon Ran-hee by her side, and Shin, recalling happier moments with Momo, lifting the scalpel and beginning the surgery — a cliffhanger that sets the stage for more shocks to come.
As Phoebe’s first entry into the medical-thriller genre, Doctor Shin intentionally upends conventional drama grammar with a distinctive, propulsive storyline. Phoebe shifts smoothly between the timeline six months before and six months after Momo’s accident, using that structure to deliver unpredictable reversals and to deepen character arcs. Tight plotting and Phoebe’s idiosyncratic, punchy dialogue make each scene hard to look away from.
Episode 2 of Doctor Shin will premiere simultaneously on TV Chosun and Coupang Play at 10:30 PM on the 15th.
