We’ve always known Park Eunbin for her warm, guileless eyes… but her portrayal of Jang Seok reveals that those same eyes can also be utterly terrifying.
Led by powerhouse performances from Park Eunbin and Sul Kyunggu, “Hyper Knife” is a medical drama unlike anything we’ve seen before. We made the mistake of watching the first two episodes right before bed, and it took quite a while for our heart rates to return to normal.
Directed by Kim Junghyun, “Hyper Knife” tells the story of Choi Deokhee (Sul Kyunggu), a brilliant neurosurgeon and genius, and his volatile, “loose cannon” mentee, Jeong Seok (Park Eunbin). Their relationship unravels when Seok is caught performing an unsanctioned surgery and is expelled from the operating theatre. In a fit of anger and desperation, Seok attempts to strangle Deokhee. What follows is an iconic moment—Seok kneels in the pouring rain, begging for forgiveness and another chance. But Deokhee, vengeful and unforgiving, walks past her, ensuring his once-promising protégé will hit rock bottom and never step foot in the operating theatre again.
After losing her medical license, Seok works in a pharmacy by day and moonlights as an illicit doctor-for-hire, catering to shady figures like the mafia by night. The two are brought back together when Deokhee falls ill and requires an almost impossible, life-saving surgery—one that only Seok can perform. Desperate, Deokhee offers to reinstate her license if she agrees to do the surgery. But Seok, consumed by vengeance, laughs incredulously to his face and even stomps on his medication after he falls outside her house and tries to reach for it.
We also meet YeongJu (Yoon Chanyoung), a young man who becomes Seok’s manager and live-in assistant after she saves his life. His presence adds a touch of humor to the otherwise sinister and twisted storyline, as he shares an almost sibling-like dynamic with Seok. They bicker constantly, but YeongJu inevitably follows Seok’s plans, despite his repeated pleas for her to hold off or reconsider. In the end, he’s left cleaning up the mess Seok creates, though he remains reluctantly loyal.
The script is masterfully crafted, with well-defined character dynamics that make each role stand out. Even from the first episode, unexpected twists and turns keep the audience on edge, while the lead characters’ powerful on-screen chemistry adds another layer of intensity.
Park Eunbin’s portrayal of Seok is nothing short of brilliant. Behind her delicate physique and refined features, she brings Seok’s complex, multi-dimensional character to life. She perfectly captures Seok’s volatility—her explosive anger, her self-centered nature, and her unwavering, obsessive devotion to the operating theatre, where her confidence borders on a god complex. Seok becomes a terrifying force, particularly when she loses what she believes is rightfully hers.
Seok’s simmering insanity is ever-present, waiting to erupt at any moment. The manic gleam in her eye as the scalpel first cuts into flesh, the chilling expression on her face as she slashes her victim—these moments reveal just how far she has strayed from any moral compass. Her casual brutality and cold indifference in the face of murder leaves us with a chilling portrayal of a truly terrifying psychopath.
Sul Kyunggu’s performance as Deokhee is equally captivating. He expertly plays a character who is completely in his element in the operating theatre but awkward and out of place in social situations. Accustomed to ordering his students and hospital staff around, he now faces the defiant Seok—his only chance of staying in the operating theatre and continuing his beloved work.
“Hyper Knife” is far more than just a medical drama; it’s a bone-chilling thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, eager to see where the characters’ twisted journeys will lead.
