“Face Me” ~ A 2024 Viki Original Korean Drama

“Face Me” (aka “Look at Me”) is a 2024 Viki Original Korean drama TV series, with 12 episodes, categorized as Medical drama, Crime, Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense.

SUMMARY: Can a plastic surgeon be of invaluable assistance to police investigators in solving crimes? YES!  Yes he can.

♦ You’re a Plastic Surgeon But Can You Prove a Crime?

In “Face Me”, Cha Jung-Woo is a top plastic surgeon. His professional skills have never been questioned. But his personal skills? Some might say he lacks empathy, sympathy, and compassion, and could care less about the patient’s psychological state and the reasons why they want plastic surgery. They come to his hospital for a consultation, he tells them what he can do, they agree and sign the papers, and then show up for the surgery. Is there any reason to make the matter more complicated than that? That’s a good question!

Suppose a patient came into the hospital with severe burns on her face. Cha Jung-Woo would refuse service. WHY? Because he doesn’t do reconstructive surgery. But the patient and her father have been to several hospitals and nobody wants to accept her as a patient. OK. But what’s that got to do with Cha Jung-Woo? He does not do reconstructive surgery. Later on, it is discovered that the father committed suicide after he had taken his daughter to see Cha Jung-Woo. The Internet was buzzing with how unfeeling and uncaring the plastic surgeon was. Critics went so far as to say he was responsible for the man’s suicide. His attitude is giving the hospital he works for a bad reputation. His boss tells him that he needs to do something to fix their “image”! How’s he going to do that? Uuhh? By helping a detective from Violent Crimes Unite solve criminal cases.

Suppose another came into the hospital because she had been attacked and her face was badly injured. In this case, Cha Jung-Woo would perform the surgery. But that’s as far as he will go. He tells the patient to come back within 10 days so he can check her progress. She tells him she may not be alive. He could have dismissed what she said were it not for the fact he was in the parking garage when she got abducted by her stalker. It so happened a police detective, Lee Min-Hyung, was also there and saw the abduction. She jumps into Cha Jung-Woo’s car and tells him to chase after them. Cha Jung-Woo remembering that the woman said she might not be alive, followed the car. Did he catch the guy and save the woman?

Suppose a suspect is taken to the hospital because his victim attacked him. His face has been cut but it turns out there are other complications with other plastic surgery the suspect had done elsewhere. In this case, Cha Jung-Woo would perform the surgery for the cut on the face, but go a step further. The patient was also having complications resulting from plastic surgery that had been performed elsewhere. The police tell him that he’s fixed the face and they need to take him to the police station. Cha Jung-Woo refuses to release the patient to the police. He says as long as the suspect is under his care at his hospital, he will not released until he has received proper medical treatment. In the process of treating the suspect, he realizes that the patient might be the victim of an assault and not the other way around. He had been accused of assaulting someone. Does he communicate his findings to the police and assist them with solving the crime?

Cha Jung-Woo would have been happy just to perform plastic surgery. But now he finds himself getting involved in criminal cases and helping detectives to solve crimes. He has an invaluable expertise. It’s not exactly a career change. However, assisting the Violent Crimes Unit was not intentional. It just sort of happened that way.

Main Characters:

• Cha Jung-Woo (played by Lee Min-Ki, “The Lies Within”, “Detective K: Secret of the Living Dead”, “Behind Your Touch”, “My Liberation Notes”, “Crash”) )
• Lee Min-Hyung (played by Han Ji-Hyun, “No Gain, No Love”)
• Han Woo-Jin (played by Lee Yi-Kyung, “Marry My Husband”, “Royal Secret Agent”)
• Kim Seok-Hoon (played by Jeon Bae-Su, “Queen of Tears”, “Mr. Queen”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 7.6 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 7.9 out of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rated this series 9.8 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is the same as the Viki viewers.

When people think of plastic surgeons, most usually think of a vain person with a lot of money to spend on making themselves over and over to become the perfect beauty or the perfect handsome hunk. But “Face Me” proves that plastic surgery is so much more. I agree with the Viki viewers because the storyline was unexpected and kept me curious.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Korean medical crime shows like ‘Face Me’ that will have your heart racing | Lifestyle Asia

Face Me Captivates Viewers with Bold Plot and Emotional Story from the First Broadcast – Discover Latest K-Pop News, K-Drama Updates, Profiles & More | Kpopmap

11 of the best new K-dramas to watch in November 2024, from Gangnam B-Side to Mr Plankton | South China Morning Post

TRAILER/TEASER:

LoveBreak_Official. “Face Me.” YouTube, 6 Nov. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv0AoHuYeAw.