In the latest romance-drama, Descendants of the Sun (《太阳的后裔》), a handsome soldier Yoo Shi-jin(柳时镇) (Song Joong-ki)(宋仲基) meets the pretty doctor Kang Mo-yeon(姜暮烟) (Song Hye-kyo)(宋慧乔) in a hospital, and he doesn't hesitate to hit on her.
The dialogue, which takes place early in the first episode(集), immediately indicates that this is no ordinary South Korean drama. There's no family feud (不睦), or love tangles, or guesses and misunderstandings. The 16-episode show is set in the fictional war-torn country of Uruk(乌鲁克). Song Joong-ki is the leader of a special warfare command unit, while Song Hye-kyo plays a doctor who works for a humanitarian medical organization. Both are sent in the midst of disaster and disease as part of their work with UN peacekeeping troops. Both know and show clearly what they want and what they hate.
But what stands out the most are Song's skills as a pick-up artist(撩妹技能).
Boldness and creativity are the key weapons in his arsenal. When Kang invites Yoo to drink wine with her, Yoo, who is not allowed to drink alcohol as a soldier, says, "There is a way." before kissing her. Forget about the "eighth-episode rule" . This kiss happens in the fourth.
Humor also does the trick. On their first date in a cinema, Yoo says, "This is the most exciting moment of my life. The moment I am with a beautiful woman before the theater lights go out." When Kang tries to give Yoo a hard time, Yoo jokes, "I mistook you for a beautiful woman because it's dark."
And actor Song Joong-ki, who just came back from two years of military service last May, makes sure he delivers his pick-up lines just right.
"In Deep Rooted Tree (《树大根深》) and The Innocent Man (《善良的男人》), he [Song Joong-ki] showed he had the steel to play fearless and heartless men — that he could be taken seriously as an actor, despite his pretty face. In Descendants, he hits the emotional core of every scene, whether he has to be bold and amorous, guarded and mysterious, or sad,"said critic Foong Woei Wan in The Straits Times.
①humor ②Boldness and creativity ③bold ④emotional