Descendants of The Sun

Chapter 2

Author's Thought:

  We get to the meat of the story in this episode, which is simple on the outside but seems deep with potential for conflict and heartbreak. If nothing else this is an absolutely gorgeous drama, in every possible way. We also get a better look at our leading characters in this episode, with Mo-yeon's strong sense of justice and respect for life, and Shi-jin's mischievous sense of humor combined with his fierce loyalty to home and country.  

Chapter 2

With a promise to see her soon and one wistful look back, Shi-jin leaves Mo-yeon on the roof to join his team for a top-secret mission. Mo-yeon watches his helicopter take off, and she's joined by her colleague SONG SANG-HYUN (Lee Seung-joon), who asks what she's staring at.

She asks him almost distractedly if people in the Special Forces get helicopter escorts and sometimes get shot, and he says that really never happens. Mo-yeon wonders who exactly Shi-jin is, then.

Shi-jin is now in Afghanistan, on a mission to rescue two UN representatives who have been kidnapped by the Taliban. During a practice run, the Korean team's rookie sets off a booby trap, causing both Shi-jin and Dae-young to holler at him.

An American(?) soldier throws his dagger into a box next to Shi-jin's head and yells at them to go back home, and of course Shi-jin can't let that go. He hurls the dagger right back, where it sticks into a box right between the other soldier's legs.

Now it's on, and Shi-jin and the other soldier fight viciously, seeming evenly matched. Dae-young holds the rookie back from getting involved, telling him that when Special Forces from different countries get together, something like this always happens. It's a test to see if the other side is strong and trustworthy.

The fight is pretty awesome actually, between the American's strength and Shi-jin's quickness and agility (at one point he literally climbs the other guy). You get the sense that they could do this all day, but the captain finally breaks up the fight and orders them back to work.

Mo-yeon complains to her colleague DR. PYO about the position she's applying for, apparently for the third time, and her friend is certain that she'll be accepted this time. Another doctor comes in to make snarky comments to Mo-yeon, seeing as how she's up for the same job and certain she'll get it.

The two seem pretty antagonistic, and they end up in the same surgery room, where the snarky woman, Dr. Kim, happily chirps that there's been a change in plans — she's in charge, and Mo-yeon will be assisting her. They continue to trade barbs while operating, until something goes wrong and the patient starts to bleed out.

Some pretty slick editing switches us between Mo-yeon's operation and Afghanistan, where the Special Forces are beginning the real mission. Shi-jin's team infiltrates the building where the UN workers are being held, while Mo-yeon works fast to save the patient.

Things get ugly during the mission — a booby trap is set off and shots are fired, but Shi-jin and Dae-young manage to keep themselves and their team alive, for the moment. Shi-jin gets creative as he works his way to the heart of the building, and shoots the Taliban kidnappers just as they're about to kill the hostages. The hostages are saved — mission complete.

At the same time, Mo-yeon stabilizes her patient and orders Dr. Kim to finish the surgery. Dr. Kim complies, but she's not at all happy about Mo-yeon having to step in to save her surgery.

Mo-yeon could chew nails as she leaves the operating room, ranting about how that doctor nearly killed their patient, but a third doctor, DR. JANG, follows to tell her she did a good job, which calms her down. She pats Dr. Jang's belly and tells her unborn baby that her mother did a good job too, and Dr. Jang is happy to announce that the father finally proposed.