Doctor on the Edge (2026) 닥터 섬보이
Directed by Lee Myoung-woo, starring Lee Jae-wook as Do Ji-ui, Shin Ye-eun as Yook Ha-ri, Hong Min-gi as Hyun Chi-yeon, Lee Soo-kyung as Um Jeong-seon, and Kim Yoon-woo as Yong Joo-cheon.
Watched 17 June - 7 July 2026 — 12 episodes (KISSKH)
*Watched this medical romance drama while the first 6 episodes had already been aired. Then I had to wait for new episodes. Which was perfectly fine, because despite being a fairly enjoyable watch, this show about public health doctors assigned to an isolated island (as part of their military service) never really took off, and I wasn't eagerly awaiting the next week bringing new episodes. It was almost the opposite: precisely because I had to wait another week, I nearly lost interest.
*I like Lee Jae-wook as Do Ji-ui to some extent. He is flawed, at times not very confident, has a fear of the sea and insects, is a scaredy cat, and is a bit awkward and easily flustered. Yet I also found him a bit dull, to be honest, and was waiting for his backstory to be revealed, why he felt so guilty over the past. I like Lee Jae-wook's moments of physical comedy; there were quite a few, and he's good at it.
*Shin Ye-eun as Yook Ha-ri is an attractive female lead. I like how she likes Ji-ui first. I mostly liked her character, but the way she dealt with her grandma's illness rubbed me the wrong way. I thought Ha-ri was selfish for not respecting her granny's wishes, making her feel scared and lonely. Granny had prepared her a birthday dinner and cake, and Ha-ri kept being stubborn. She finally came to her senses when it was too late, and I couldn't help thinking: serves you right.
*Ji-ui and Ha-ri's first kiss happened at the end of episode 5. I had hoped for a slower-burn romance. With the show not being completely captivating, delaying that first kiss would have had my preference.
*I don't like love triangles which is unfortunately a staple in K-drama. Initially I didn't like Hong Min-gi as Hyun Chi-yeon very much, but he is less of a wimp than Ji-ui and more handsome. He was a bit too forward with Ha-ri, plainly intruding. Yet he became likeable and quite the gentleman once he realised Ha-ri liked Ji-ui, stepping aside so Ji-ui could step in. Too bad Chi-yeon didn't get his own 2nd lead love story. At one point I liked him even better than Ji-ui, which should say something about our male lead. Chi-yeon was also the hero when dealing with Yeom Byeong-cheol (a convincing role of Kim Yun-bae), a subordinate of the show's primary antagonist, the governor. Yeom Byeong-cheol is mostly very annoying but in the end proves to be a pivotal figure in bringing down the governor.
*I didn't like the second romantic couple (Lee Soo-kyung as the nurse Um Jeong-seon and Kim Yoon-woo as the traditional medicine doctor Yong Joo-cheon) at first. They grew on me later on. I had seen Lee Soo-kyung before in Adamas, and though she is pretty, she's very whiny and annoying here. I liked her better towards the end of the series, when we see her character vulnerable after finding out she's pregnant. In episode 11, there's a good scene with her and Joo In-young as Hwang Shin-hye, the head nurse, where Um Jeong-seon is keeping up a good front and quietly wipes away tears. Scenes with characters not wanting to show their vulnerability to others and therefore hurting and crying by themselves always get to me because it's so relatable.
*Incidentally, episode 11 was a good and emotional instalment. It also shows the head nurse sick and vulnerable. And Do Ji-ui shows some balls. When Ha-ri says that islanders apologise to the doctors in advance for risking their lives to save them, Ji-ui says people shouldn't have to apologise for wanting to live. Then he decides to confront the governor, telling him he should do something about the inadequate healthcare system because that's what's ultimately more important in saving lives than a skilled doctor.
*For a medical show, the cases are not very exciting and just much of the same. A lot of open wounds, and Ji-ui, a plastic surgeon, doing some neat sutures, shown in detail. I like the depiction of the cranky, elderly patients visiting the doctor's office, though.
*The whole subplot with the governor (of course he's corrupt!) wasn't anything special, and the governor isn't a strong character to begin with but mainly pathetic.
*I like Lee Seol, the actress who plays Lee Hwa-young, Ji-ui's first love and an emergency doctor. Her role is quite small and not entirely likeable. Maybe the series would have benefited from making her role more prominent and more likeable, and putting her in a noona romance with Hyun Chi-yeon, lol. I thought that with her arrival on the island it would become clear what exactly had caused the deathly accident of their friend, but it was never revealed (or I must have missed it).
*Nice OST, and I love the instrumental music.
*Strongest asset: the location shooting. The series is set on the fictional Pyeondong-do Island, but the primary filming location was on Gajo Island, located in Sadeung-myeon, Geoje-si, Gyeongsang Province.