Descendants of the Sun Finale Ep 16 Recap (and happily ever after?)

Moyeon and Shijin have an extremely emotional reunion in the desert. Both cry, clutching each other tightly. Moyeon can’t believe he’s still alive, but is just grateful he’s back.

Her emotions run the gamut from frustrated, to grateful, to pissed as hell, to grateful once more.

All Shijin can do is hold her until the storm passes. Meanwhile, Myeongju stares out the window while Kibum exclaims of Urk’s first snow in 100 years. She walks outside staring at all the white falling around her when a beloved figure rounds the corner.

She simply stares as he walks over.

She starts to sob, hitting his chest until he pulls her close.

Kibum’s giving instructions to his men, reminding them to take care of their own safety within any operation. He’s every inch the sterm drill instructor until Daeyoung comes in. He crumples then and starts to cry while Daeyoung gently pats his neck, telling him not to cry in front of his men.

Aww! How strange is it that it was this young man who basically brought Shijin to Moyeon and began this drama!
Myeongju returns Daeyoung’s dogtags and shaves him silently.

Her silence prompts Daeyoung to promise that he’ll never die again. Myeongju says she doesn’t believe him, even if she wants to, but Daeyoung vows that this won’t ever happen again. She nods, saying she’s used up all her luck, she has to rely on his now. She asks what happened and how he even knew to come here. Daeyoung says he received news of her transfer at the same time he and Shijin returned to Korea to reveal that they were alive. He headed off to Urk, while Shijin headed off to Albania. In said country, Shijin gives Moyeon the same report. She says that their bodies were never recovered. Shijin’s eyes darken for a moment before he says that the local militia arrived before the Korean army and locked them up for months. However, rescue arrived in the form of an old but unexpected comrade.

He says his debt is repaid in full now and wishes them good luck before leaving. (I rather like that guy.) Shijin rests in Moyeon’s tent and is as flirty as ever. Moyeong just hugs him once more, relieved that he’s there. He winces when she brushes the site of his injury which has her instantly apologetic. He shakes his head saying that he’s the one who who should apologize. He thinks back to all the time he’s gotten shot in the past before saying that it won’t happen again. Moyeon sighs she has no choice but to trust him. Shijin looks somber before he notes the tray of food to the side. He asks what that’s for and Moyeon says it was food for his memorial. She grumbles at having even prepped the rites for his memorial before pausing.

One of the other volunteers comes over then to return her knife and she hurriedly asks the man if he can see Shijin. The man nods while Shijin gapes.

She shrugs saying he did appear on his death anniversary and brings the fruit over, telling him to eat up. It was for him anyway. She gets a video call from Jisoo and the others back in Korea right then. Jisoo can’t see her and asks her to move into the light a bit. Moyeon does, which puts a hungry Shijin in the background of the video. Everyone in Korea freezes, Sanghyun faints.

Ja Ae mutters that today was his death anniversary and he’s eating the food for his rites, while Moyeon tries not to die of laughter.

She grins at how cute they are. Chihoon videocalls her once more and tearily asks her to tell Shijin that she loves him, so he can move on in peace. She isn’t going to believe then, he says, but Shijin’s actually there in the room with her.

Moyeon just hands the phone to Shijin and asks him to say something. Shijin sighs at being told to rest in peace.

She says she’ll explain everything when she gets back and waves off with a wide grin. And Shijin makes this face while eating an apple. No man should make that face while eating an apple. How is that legal?

Shijin and Moyeon return to Korea soon after that. General Yoon is overcome at seeing them both.

He sincerely thanks them for returning alive. One by one the other soldiers come up to offer their relief. Lt Park appears as well, only he’s Commander Park now and the boys leave mid-way through his speech on how his promotion meant nothing without them. A disgruntled Commander Park orders them to write a texbook-length report on the past year. Shijin and Daeyoung debate on what mixture of truth and fiction to use within the paper, deciding to go with something like the Bourne films, Daeyoung’s suggestion as Myeongju likes Matt Damon.

With that Shijin saunter off, Daeyoung asks what he’s going to do about his share of the paper but Shijin cheerfully dumps it all on him. His girlfriend’s in Urk, he has the time. Shijin, however, has a date with Moyeon. They meet at the cafe she formerly dumped him at. Moyeon teases him, saying that she might dump him again this time before seriously asking if he’s going to continue as a soldier. What if she objects? Shijin doesn’t answer and Moyeon sighs, saying she won’t object.

Shijin says he’s both grateful for her understanding and sorry that he can’t walk away just yet. Moyeon proposes a fishing trip the next day to which Shijin enthusiastically agrees. He’s still enthusiastic the next day but Moyeon’s irritated at having spent two hours waiting for a fish. She proposes other places to visit but he just points at the tent behind them with a winsome smile. It has one bedroom, and they get to share. Moyeon agrees, giving Shijin pause. He reminds her that she said she didn’t just go with men like that.

Moyeon catches a bite right then and Shijin pouts at her running off.

He gets hilariously squeamish at the slicing and dicing of said fish though. Moyeon grins at how cute he is.

Later that night, he cuddles up as close as he can to her in the tent and oohs and ahhs at the hotels she’s looking, telling her to go for one with a big bed.

She says that doing stuff like this was how she survived her year without him and Shijin agrees that he really is a jerk. Moyeon smiles, thinking of Urk. She asks if they can really go back there someday and he asks who she wants to go with.

He asks when she’ll go and she grins that he’ll just have to keep guessing. Someday, she’ll just call him out of the blue and say ‘now’ and he’d better run over with his passport. Shijin agrees wholeheartedly and snuggles even closer, asking her where the line between them is.

Aw, Shijin’s just a puppy. Meanwhile, Daeyoung’s having writer’s block when Myeongju calls. She’s relieved to hear his voice, still not sure at times if this is real. He tells her to call him anytime, but not tomorrow. Tomorrow, he’s escorting a VIP. Serious action music plays as Team Alpha gears up and Shijin and Daeyoung are at their most serious.

Only said guests turn out to be the girl of Red Velvet, and the soldiers, Shijin and Daeyoung included, go mental. Daeyoung starts to dance, while Shijin waves a banner that will undoubtedly piss Moyeon off. I’ll just let the screencaps talk.

The photos and videos they take end up online where a very pissed Moyeon sees them.

Ja Ae mutters that she thought he’d said he had a mission today. Moyeon begins revenge but asking the host of the show she’s on to ask her whether she’s dating someone at the end of the broadcast. The host obliges and Moyeon cheerfully says that she does not have a boyfriend. She ensures that Shijin’s there when the show airs.

Calling from Urk, Myeongju gives her boyfriend a similar earful.

Both men try to argue that the editor of said videos was to blame and that they were just cheering for Commander Park who was having so fun much. Moyeon brings up the boards he was holding.

Daeyoung finally tries to reassert that he’s not giving up on Myeongju no matter what but she’s not having it

Shijin sighs that most men would say that they haven’t even done anything that bad, but he’s different. He apologizes but Moyeon still whaps him with a pillow. Shijin puts a halt to her pillow fight by revealing that he’s been promoted. Moyeon’s eyes go huuge.

Shijin is officially promoted in front of his father and team. Days pass and Shijin remains in Korea, helping out people whenever he can. He smiles at a poster of Moyeon on a bus stop and waves. She’s become the most famous doctor at the hospital and regularly lectures. Myeongju returns from Korea and drinks with Daeyoung, musing that all that thought on how to kill him just made her miss him all the more.

He ruffles her hair and proposes going to see her father tomorrow, hand in hand. He promises that he won’t be leaving the army, and she beams. She says she has a plan to gain his approval, and reaches for a second drink. Daeyoung tries to stop her, knowing that she wouldn’t want to show up drunk the next day but Myeongju growls that this is her first taste of soju in six months. He hurriedly lets go of the bottle but looks at her like she’s the cutest thing. They both show up the next day, hand in hand as promised and General Yoon’s about to call for tea when Myeongju announces that she’s pregnant. Daeyoung freezes before stuttering that that is absolutely not the case.

Daeyoung takes over the talking once tea arrives and and says that he never once regretted being a soldier, even when he was locked up in a hellhole and getting the crap beaten out of him. To leave the army would be doing the army a disservice. He promises to find another way to earn General Yoon’s approval. But Myeongju’s father says that’s no longer necessary. He says he approved the day Daeyoung left on that mission a year ago, and regretted not telling him after news of his death, but now he can say it. He’s sincerely happy that Daeyoung’s staying in the army and asks him to take good care of his daughter. Myeongju hugs her father in happiness.

Myeongju visits Moyeon and gives her the news as well as a card from Fatima. Moyeon smiles to hear that the girl’s learning Korean and wants to follow in her footsteps.

Meanwhile, Chihoon’s elated at a video from the kid who’s name he still doesn’t know. He watches it on Sanghyun’s computer Daniel appears to have bought him a goat, and the kid waves before introducing himself. Only the goat bleats right when he says his name. Chihoon repeats it over and over but can’t gather what his name is.

He sighs that he’ll just forever be Blackey to him. Ja Ae goes through Sanghyun’s computer when the other leave, hoping to delete his porn folder. She unlocks it and grimaces in disgust at three folders titled 10 year-old, 20-year old and 30-year old. Only when she opens them, they’re pictures of her.

They clearly grew up together and he’s liked her for that long. Ja Ae tears up and walks unsteadily out of the room, tripping over her own feet. Sanghyun swoops in, to settle her on a chair. He know she went through his folder because she deleted it. She mutters that he did want it deleted but he says he asked her to do that once she died. He was saving that for when he proposed so he could show her that he’s liked her for that long. She asks if it could be out of pity, but Sanghyun’s certain of his feelings. She asks him not to confess to her because she’ll be the one doing the confessing. Sanghyun lights up, but Ja Ae says it’ll be after  she repays him and runs off to the OR to  make money. with Sanghyun happily chasing behind her.

Meanwhile, Moyeon gets Big Boss to driver her car, also  named Big Boss for a wash.

She’s in a flirty mood and makes hearts at him while he freezes outside, washing her car. She comes out to help after a while. Only she’s of no help at all.

She hilariously pulls the same move he once pulled on her. And he loves it.

Meanwhile, in the barrack’s cafeteria, Daeyoung and Myeongju are…eating?

Well then. Daeyoung says he’s going to get indigestion but Myeongju’s good with take because he’ll have to come to the sick bay for her to take care of him. With that she starts shoveling food on his plate before deciding that she’d rather have all of him functioning. Speaking of such activities, Daniel and Yehwa are married and everyone on the Urk team has been invited with plane tickets included in the invitations. Chihoon muses that he thought they were already married while Minji and Ja Ae are distraught. They sober up when Chihoon tells them Yehwa’s tragic story. Her father was a doctor who treated soldiers regardless of their affiliation. As a result, he, her mother, and brother were shot to death one night.

I WILL PAY TO WATCH THIS DRAMA

Daeyoung muses that she and Yehwa must have been pretty close. Myeongju says she even told her about his will. He asks if she read it. She scoffs, saying that everyone writes song lyrics on their or copies someone elses, not revealing how she had simply wanted to cling to the last trace of him on earth. As long as she didn’t read it, their story wasn’t over. Daeyoung looks her straight in the eye and speaks what he wrote in his will. The soldiers eating around them can’t help but eavesdrop
Daeyoung: I was always running away. You who’s more courageous than anyone, loved me, who was more cowardly than anyone. I want to thank you and apologize. If you are reading this will, I, the coward, will remain a painful memory until the end. Do not forgive me. And, as much as I thought of you, I hope you live a happy life.

Myeongju says there’s no way he remembers that, and pulls out the letter from her breast pocket. Daeyoung softly notes that she carried her that close all this time. She tears up upon seeing the same words he just said on the letter.

He say she wanted to run to her over a hundred times. All the other soldiers in the run have long given up eating their lunch in favour of the drama playing out in front of them.

And of course, no one closes their eyes.

[Can I please insert her how much I LOVE that she’s grabbing him by the neck. Reminds me of Bromance (the TW drama) and that show is love so there we go]

Shijin and Moyeon discuss Daniel and Yehwa’s upcoming wedding, and who to give their monetary gift to. Shijin notes Moyeon’s picture from when she was class valedictorian and wonders if she was the smartest in her year.

Shijin’s not convinced, asking it if was alphabetical order, or in order of age, which earns him a glare from Moyeon. She attends this year’s graduation at her alma mater the next day, while Shijin attends the graduation ceremony for soldiers. The valedictorian of the former group reads out the Hippocractic oath while the later reads out the oath to Korea. Moyeon and Shijin think back to their time in Urk and how much it drove in the meaning of these oaths. Moyeon muses that a whole group of future Moyeons and Shijins just graduated today and hopes that they keep their oath always, no matter where they are.

Moyeon calls Shijin.

And so they return to that beach on Urk. The pebble is returned to its rightful place and Shijin (looking fine in a white shirt and dress pants) muses that he’s glad to be back, with her. Moyeon teases that she feels differently.

He’s about to chase after her when she asks him to pause for a picture. The only one she’s ever had of him was an x-ray.

Work that pose, Shijin.

They play about before lounging on the deck of the wreck with wine once night falls. Moyeon’s doing all the drinking, while Shijin stares at her like…I don’t even know what magic Song Joongki works with his eyes, honestly.

She offers him a sip but he has to drive the boat back and declines. He keeps watching her drink though and she muses that he must want some badly. She reminds him of what he could do though.

She says she was crazy nervous when he swooped in last kiss. Shijin says he’s crazy nervous right now, being with her,and alcohol, and them being alone on a tiny, deserted island. He’s caught by how beautiful the stars are.

She asks him to hurry up and get her a star from the sky and he leans in to say he did. It’s sitting right beside him. She grins and asks him to go on and he says that the star is shining brightly and so his life suddenly brightened too.

Moyeon says he must have saved a nation in his previous life before realizing that it would be he was a soldier back then as well. And he’s a soldier now meaning that he’ll meet her (his prize for saving a nation) in his next life as well.

She says she wished he’d kiss her. Moyeon asks if he thinks it’ll come true.
They laugh before he pulls her in for round two.

Cut to the entire Urk team taking off to Vancouver for the wedding. While the bride and groom are unfortunately not present at the table, having gone to go change, there is no lack of entertainment.

Onew comes up to narrate the ending directly to us.

The power goes out. Myeongju wonders if this is kissing time. Ja Ae thinks there’s a drama filming at the moment. Sanghyun doesn’t think a city would turn off its power grid for a drama, while Moyeon argues that this isn’t a flashback so why are the lights out? Shijin agrees saying that this isn’t leading to a romantic scene. The lights come on then, as does the fire alarm, and a waitress screams that a volcano has erupted. The Urk team collectively groans.

I would like to draw attention to what the men are doing here because there’s something about it that kills me

And off go our doctors and soldiers to serve any nation under the sun.
All in all, I thought that was a heartwarming sendoff to a group of characters that have been through a great deal. Through this drama wasn’t the most narratively cohesive, it featured immensely likeable people and always stayed true to their characters. I love what the title ultimately means as well, that we’re all look to the same sun, erasing racial and political differences between people, and tying in nicely with the Hippocratic oath. This show featured two of the best male and female leads and characters I’ve seen, and was a pleasure to recap! Thank you everyone for reading! Ending pictures below with captions!

Song Hyekyo: Yep, I’m one lucky girl

Fallen (literally) angel or Shijin Over Feathers

Manly Men [insert the song the soldiers ran around the Urk barracks to]

Troublemaker Three

Under my Um-buh-rella

Dumb and Dumber

Bridesmaids

Let Me Flip Those Pages for You

I Know We Sort of Had a Bromance but I’m with Daeyoung now.

The Gun of Love

Dumb-Dumb-Dumb-Dumb-Dumb-Dumb

Do Not Try This At Home

The People Who Make It Possible

Beauty and her Big Boss.