Putting his charming Grim Reaper character behind, actor Lee Dong-wook is ready to take on the role of a doctor in upcoming JTBC drama series “Life.”

In the Monday-Tuesday drama series, Lee takes on the role of an emergency room doctor. The doctor may not be as charming as the humorous, sweet Grim Reaper in “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,” but he is more passionate than anyone about saving lives.

Lee Dong-wook (JTBC)

“Grim Reaper takes dead people, but this time I am saving lives of people who are on the verge of death,” Lee said at a press conference held Monday in southern Seoul.

“The previous work was fantasy, but this time it is very realistic. I was attracted by the difference,” he said.

The medical drama promotes itself as different from other works of the genre, as its plot centers on a power struggle in a university hospital, rather than operations and medical treatments.

The first episode of the series airs Monday at 11 p.m.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)