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Lee Ikjun appreciation thread:
ive seen yall tarnishing this man’s name when he’s hardly done anything wrong and i wont stand for it yall are ONCE AGAIN grasping at straws that dont exist and it’s just an extremely weird mindset to have
Ep 1: Ikjun performed a surgery in a hospital he didnt even work in WHILE in an embarrassing state—he saved that person’s life and didnt want to show his face bc he thought the mom would feel bad seeing a weird ass doctor doing her son’s surgery
he’s an unimaginably capable doctor who, as mentioned by other characters, isnt really inherently humble BUT despite this, he always thinks about what’s best for his patients, even if that means doing away with taking credit for his work
ALSO, he’s the only one (besides junwan who wasnt even there) who didnt want to trick songhwa into joining the band by saying she’s going to be the main vocal
in the flashback with the 99ers, ikjun was the one to invite seokhyeong and jeongwon into the storage room. he made jokes and acted super comfortable which, obviously, made the others comfortable too.
Ep 2: we see ikjun’s just an all around great person when he volunteers to help the cafeteria lady with her work. he didnt have to do it as he was a BUSY doctor, but he still did. he also is seen trying to make the younger employees of the hospital more comfortable
by giving them more food than those in higher positions. his understanding of what it’s like to be a “junior” in such a hierarchal community is once again emphasized when he defended an intern (ep 4) when an old prof told him the food he brought sucked
BUT he did that in a way that would not bring hate to the intern. he made it a joke and in the end even the old prof laughed. again, we see just how advanced his social skills are. he could easily dominate a room even among his seniors, but he chooses not to do that
he doesnt embarrass the old prof because he is someone who still understands the complexity of a senior-junior relationship. nevertheless, he places great care in how he acts with his juniors, as seen when he’s the only one who remembers yunbok and hongdo’s names immediately
EP 3: out of consideration for the patient, he goes out of his way to try and find a scar clinic to make her life easier. the patient says it’s fine, but ikjun knows that she’d rather have a barely-noticable scar if she had a choice. so he gave her that opportunity.
we’re also informed that ikjun makes it a priority to form a rapport with his patients—with a lot of them being surprised that ikjun even knows their names. in addition, he even remembers the families of his patients and tries to empathize ALWAYS with their situation.
then the divorce thing happens. this is where ikjun really shines as a character. we see him be nothing more than a supportive husband. he raises his son alone and tries his best not to pressure his wife into doing something she doesnt want to do, despite it being hard for him.
he said if it made his wife happy, he was fine raising uju all alone. he was happy she had a career she liked, and he was excited for the opportunities that she got. despite this, he was lied to and cheated on many times. he did NOTHING wrong and he still suffered.
right after he finds out his wife cheated on him, his patient (who was recovering) died from a car accident. ikjun is visibly shocked and upset, and is quieter than he usually is. the amount of pain he must have felt in the situation must be overwhelming.
the other doctor notices his difference in demeanor and says he must be having a difficult day. one would expect someone who’s been through all that in a DAY would lash out and cry—but ikjun didn’t.
instead, he did what he always does. he thinks about the patient. he thinks about the patient’s family. we all say jeongwon’s an inherently empathetic person but we forget just how much ikjun is one too.
that scene with him comforting the kid obviously mirrors his relationship with uju. he thinks how much worse his situation could be (he could be dead like his patient) so instead, he thinks about what good he can bring to uju.
he could wallow in pain or he could love his son twice as much—to fill the hole left behind by his wife. he chooses the one that could bring uju more happiness.
but going back to his car accident patient, we also see how ikjun thinks of his patients as friends and not just clients. the amount of consideration he has for them is through the roof that even his fellow doctors were rendered silent.
EP 4: ikjun is slowly breaking it uju about his mom. he never badmouths hyejeong, and even told uju that he would bring him to her whenever he wanted. thank god uju’s such a great kid so he understood how much pain his dad was in, and ikjun was extremely thankful for that.
but uju being such a great kid is a testament to how amazing of a parent ikjun is to him. kids naturally embody the traits of their parents and thank goodness ikjun was the one who raised uju.
EP 5: ikjun—despite being the friend of that one chairman’s son—did the right thing and exposed the organ donation scandal they were causing. his principles are solid and he will always choose to do the right thing when he’s given the choice.
again, we’re shown how much rapport ikjun has with his patients in bin and her father. later, he was shown extremely worried about the OR beside his and even joined AFTER he asked if they needed help (shows consideration for fellow doctors)
we also find out he’s been letting junwan and jeongwon sleep over and mooch off him. but like a good friend, he doesnt mind.
-will continue the thread later im tired lol-
-will continue the thread later im tired lol-
