Saturday is a special occasion for “Descendants of the Sun” cast, as it marks the second anniversary of the korean military romance.

On February 24, 2016, KBS aired its first episode of “Descendants of the Sun,” which was fondly dubbed, “Dots” by Korean drama fans.

If all goes well, the cast and crew, along with the newly wed Hallyu couple, Song Joong-Ki and Song Hye-Kyo, will turn up at the ‘‘Dots’’ reunion either tomorrow (on Saturday) or on April 16, the day the drama concluded in 2016.

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Last year, the SongSong Couple — then unmarried but secretly dating —showed up at the reunion, where most of the cast and crew of the K-drama were present.

Regardless of this year’s reunion with the cast members, February 24 definitely marks a special day for the SongSong Couple. It was on this day in 2016 that the couple made their re-entry into the Hallyu entertainment scene. Song Joong-Ki signed up for “Descendants of the Sun’’ after his two-year-long hiatus, serving in the South Korean military, while actress Song Hye-Kyo returned to Hallyu K-drama scene after a brief disappearance.

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After her critically acclaimed K-drama, “That Winter, the Wind Blows,” in 2013, Song Hye-Kyo went on to try her luck in Chinese movies. She acted in “My Brilliant Life,” “The Queens” and the two-part movie, “The Crossing.”

However, her fans were keen on seeing her in a drama than in the movies. As luck would have it, the actress was cast opposite Song Joong-Ki, a real life soldier who donned the part of a reel life military man. Song Hye-Kyo played the beautiful Kang Mo Yeon, an army doctor with a mind of her own.

KBS Vs SBS

Korean television network SBS made a big mistake.

When the pre-produced drama was pitched to SBS, the network had its doubts about the drama’s profitability and turned down the project. The opportunity was grabbed by KBS, which decided to air the drama that marked the comeback of both Song Joong-Ki and Song Hye-Kyo. The production cost of “Descendants of the Sun” was around $10.8 million.

Joong-Ki Wasn’t The First Choice

Although actor Song Joong-Ki played his part well in the military romance, he wasn’t the producer’s first choice. The casting team approached top actors like Kim Woo-Bin, Jo-In-Sung, and Gong-Yoo, who all turned down the part as they were not comfortable playing a soldier sporting an army style haircut. The Hallyu stars were not comfortable with the drama’s pre-production format as well.

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Looking back, these actors must be ruing the day they turned down the project that went on to become a commercial success, not just in Asia but across the globe. In fact, “Descendants of the Sun” featured on Google’s most-searched list. It ranked ninth in the most-searched TV shows (globally) in 2016.

Awards

Korean drama, “Descendants of the Sun” was written by the renowned duo Kim Run Sook and Kim Won -Seok.

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It was directed by Baek Sang-Soon and Lee Eung-Buk. The drama won the grand prize in Grand Prize in television at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards.

Besides winning the Grand Prize, lead actors, Song Joong-Ki and Song Hye-Kyo, won the Best Couple Awards multiple times.

The soundtrack of the show was also a huge success. Memorable numbers like, “You are my everything,” by South Korean singer Gummy, “Always” by Yoon Mi-Rae and “This Love” by Davichi went on to win several music awards. The soundtrack series topped music charts across Asia.

SongSong Shippers

The SongSong shippers played a vital role in bringing Song Joong-Ki and Song Hye-Kyo together. Facebook pages supporting the SongSong couple built a loyal SongSong community, which grew to hundreds of thousands of followers in less than a week after “Descendants of the Sun” aired on KBS.

Thanks to these shippers, today, Song Joong-Ki and Song Hye-Kyo are married in real life.

Fans are waiting with bated breath to see a “Descendants of the Sun” reunion.

READ MORE: SongSong Couple Hiding Something Big
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