An expert at studying, a novice in love... Ahn Pan-seok’s final romance, “Love Doctor”

[Financial News] Director Ahn Pan-seok’s final work, ENA’s Monday-Tuesday drama “Love Doctor,” is winning viewers’ empathy with its story of young people’s awkward love and growth. Reactions range from “Perfect for getting sentimental while watching quietly alone” to “I’m drawn to the way the two fill the voids in each other’s lives and to the actors’ delicate performances.”
The series is also maintaining its global momentum, ranking fifth on Disney+’s worldwide TV show chart, according to OTT rankings aggregator FlixPatrol. It entered the TOP 10 in 34 countries and regions around the world, including Japan, Taiwan, Argentina, Chile and Mexico, and ranked No. 1 in Korea.
Domestic buzz rankings are also drawing attention. The series ranked second in the integrated TV-OTT buzz category for the second week of October, according to figures released by Good Data Corporation’s FUNdex. In the cast buzz rankings, Choo Young-woo placed second and Kim So-hyun fifth. 

“Love Doctor,” ENA’s Monday-Tuesday drama that premiered on the 5th, tells the story of doctoral student Park Min-jae (Choo Young-woo), who was a swimmer in high school but lost one leg to illness, and master’s student Yoo-jin Lim (Kim So-hyun), who loses her sense of direction and wanders before embarking on a new path. Set in a robotics lab, the series follows their romance alongside the everyday lives of graduate students.
The late director Ahn Pan-seok, who directed “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon,” “Something in the Rain,” “One Spring Night” and “Secret Affair,” teamed up with writer Min Hyo-jung, who wrote “Attic Cat” and “Full House.” Ahn’s direction, which delicately draws out characters’ emotions from familiar routines, suffuses this work with a wistful quality as well.
According to ENA on the 26th, writer Min recalled how the project began:
“It’s a romance drama starring graduate students at prestigious universities. But excelling at your studies and winning a romantic partner’s heart are entirely different matters. Love can bring everything crashing down—even age, high status and the principles that have sustained one’s life. The joy and despair of PhDs who know little about love are precisely what make our drama appealing and fun.”
The writer added, “That’s also where the irony in the title ‘Love Doctor’ comes from.” Even those who hold their own in the lab become unsettled and lost when faced with feelings for someone. Their awkwardness makes people laugh and sometimes touches their hearts.
The struggles Min-jae and Yu-jin face are not unique to any one person. Writer Min said she wanted to use the two characters to explore the worries and fears everyone experiences, and the will to keep living despite them.
“We must not let fear of failure keep us from even trying, or give up today’s happiness while worrying about tomorrow’s misfortune. I wanted to convey that, as mortal beings, we should do our best to live each day to the fullest, because every day is precious precisely because it is finite,” the writer said.
[email protected] Shin Jin-a Reporter