Warning: spoilers ahead!

Descendants of the Sun (DOTS) is a life-and-death romance between Captain Yoo Si Jin (the Big Boss of South Korea’s special forces Team Alpha) and Doctor Kang Mo Yeon (celebrity surgeon of Haesung Hospital).

After overcoming various ordeals of sudden separation, conflicting ideals and life-and-death situations, they finally found each other again.

Their romance spanned 16 episodes in real life, charting their relationship across ~2 years in reel life.

This are my favorite love scenes from the show and what they meant.

1. Love is noticing her from afar, even if he’s too shy to show it

Captain Yoo tries hard to stay aloof from Doctor Kang even though he still has feelings for her. He wasn’t sure how to approach her after they had broken up for 8 months. But he still has her at the back of his mind and takes special notice of her.

2. Love is trust that he will put his life and career on the line for

Trusting Doctor Kang to operate on a dying patient at the protests of the patient’s bodyguards almost cost Captain Yoo his life. If she had failed to save the patient, he would have been dismissed for the leap of trust he took.

3. Love is putting away pride and taking the first step to show affection

Even after Doctor Kang embarrassed him in front of his boss, Captain Yoo decided that it was time to acknowledge his feelings for her. He struggled internally between pursuing his feelings for her, or to hide those feelings to remain a neutral acquaintance. But it got too much for him to control when Doctor Kang asked him if he wanted some (referring to a bottle of wine, but he was thinking of her).

4. Love is dropping whatever he’s doing to save her

When Doctor Kang was teetering in a car at the brink of a cliff after she skidded off the mountain road, Captain Yoo rushed to her location. He climbed into the car and crashed it into the sea while deploying the airbag, risking his life to save hers.

5. Ah, that feeling when the person you love confesses her feelings

After pretending to not have any feelings for Captain Yoo, a voice recording Doctor Kang made when she was waiting for him to save her at the cliff was unintentionally broadcast for all to hear. It was a sweet night for him, and an embarrassing week after for her.

6. Surviving a life-or-death ordeal strengthens love

Captain Yoo and Doctor Kang finally reunite after escaping from a minefield using teamwork. The threat of death made them realise how much they rely on each other to live.

7. Fighting the enemy to protect the one you love

Captain Yoo fought off a gang of international criminals with Team Alpha to save Doctor Kang from being blown apart by a bomb. He used his body to protect her from being shot by Argus, a former special forces soldier who had betrayed his country.

8. Love is staying with him even though he may disappear at any moment

Doctor Kang struggled throughout with the uncertainty of whether Captain Yoo would be around or even alive the next moment. After a few break-ups, she decided, in a leap of faith, to give him her love and accept come what may.

9. Reuniting after a long, despairing battle against the odds

After a year of disappearance from the face of the earth and thought to be dead, Captain Yoo reunites with Doctor Kang when she visits his tombstone in Albania on his death anniversary.

The intensity of emotions can only be felt by those who have followed the story and understand how difficult it was for them to be together against the odds.

In Descendants of the Sun, there isn’t much frilly talk of love, sexual action or scandal. It is a captivating drama about the reasons why people live, love and choose to die for.

It will either reinforce the reasons you have chosen for your life path, or reveal the lack of motivation in your life and help you discover what you really want to pursue.