Rising actor Hong Min-ki, who began making an impression on viewers starting with "Beloved Thief," is emerging as a new "rom-com king" through ENA's "Doctor Som-boy."
In "Doctor Som-boy," Hong Min-ki plays Hyun Chi-yeon, an ultra-elite public health doctor with both looks and skills. Contrary to his cold first impression, Hong has won praise for convincingly portraying tender and delicate feelings toward nurse Yook Ha-ri (Shin Ye-eun), as well as mature unrequited love.
In particular, in episodes 7 and 8 aired on the 22nd and 23rd, he captivated viewers by more clearly revealing Hyun Chi-yeon's sincere feelings toward Yook Ha-ri, delivering "the very model of understated romantic tension." In these episodes, Hyun Chi-yeon was the first to inform Yook Ha-ri that her grandmother had refused clinical treatment. As Yook Ha-ri, overwhelmed by shock and grief, cried, "Can't she receive treatment again?", Hyun Chi-yeon stayed by her side and offered support. In particular, toward Yook Ha-ri, who was confused that Do Ji-ui (Lee Jae-wook) had not told her despite knowing everything, he showed the consideration and warmth hidden behind his prickly demeanor, saying, "He must have done it because he's a doctor."
Afterward, Hyun Chi-yeon's attentive care for Yook Ha-ri was assessed as having stirred viewers even more. Upon receiving word that Yook Ha-ri had a fever, he tried to rush to her, but ultimately realized that the person she needed most at that moment was Do Ji-ui and chose to take a step back. In the end, Hyun Chi-yeon's mature unrequited love and consideration delivered a touching moment.
Hyun Chi-yeon was always by Yook Ha-ri's side as she went through a difficult time after losing her grandmother. During a clash with helicopter construction site workers, he even suffered an injury to his face while trying to protect Yook Ha-ri. He also suggested that Yook Ha-ri, who had nowhere to go due to a water leak in her home, stay at the official residence. Quietly lending a hand beside her as she prepared breakfast, and waiting near the residence late at night holding a flashlight, he delivered the romantic tension of pure love.
Above all, the scene that captured viewers' hearts "painfully" was the dinner where she sat across from Yook Ha-ri. Yook Ha-ri thanked him for helping her grandmother receive clinical treatment and for liking her. But at her following words, "Let's stop now," Hyun Chi-yeon, with a bittersweet smile, calmly accepted Ha-ri's rejection, saying, "I'll try too. To stop liking you. But you know. That it's hard." Hyun Chi-yeon's honest confession, which did not hide his sincerity while not burdening the other person, and his "understated retreat" left a deep impression.
His relationship with Do Ji-ui added further interest. The two, who were running together, soon dashed as if competing, and Hyun Chi-yeon, having come to a stop, told Do Ji-ui, "Treat Doctor Ha-ri well. She keeps being alone. It hurts to see." Hyun Chi-yeon, who put the happiness of the person he loved before his own feelings, made his mature side stand out even more.
In this broadcast, Hong Min-ki unraveled Hyun Chi-yeon's complex emotions with understated and restrained acting, multiplying the character's appeal. Hyun Chi-yeon's way of expressing his heart through consideration rather than only charging forward drew viewers' empathy, and the understated gaze and delicate emotional expression that Hong Min-ki portrayed were assessed as conveying the character's sincerity even more convincingly.
Meanwhile, Hong Min-ki has been raising the show's romance index by portraying Hyun Chi-yeon's own warm romance and mature charm in "Doctor Som-boy." As he builds the character's emotional arc more densely with each episode, attention is also focused on the performances he will show going forward.
