Self-professed K-drama lover Sylvia Goh, 48, started watching Descendants for the leading lady, but was soon drawn to the boyish leading man.
She says: "I like Song Hye Kyo. I remember watching her in past dramas Autumn In My Heart (2000) and Full House (2004). Song Joong Ki is cute. I'm looking forward to more touching moments between them and if she accepts him."
Undergraduate Lee Meiyan, 23, is unabashed in her appreciation of the actor. "On top of the interesting plot, he is really charming. Six episodes into the drama and he has already saved the female lead from a car dangling off a cliff. It was really romantic and exciting. After his military service, he has definitely become more man, more mature-looking and muscular."
Male viewer Eugene Quek cannot deny Song Joong Ki's appeal after watching him in the 2012 melodrama The Innocent Man and Descendants.
The 17-year-old polytechnic student says: "The Innocent Man was a big hit in Korea. After Song entered the army, fans have been waiting to watch him again."
Some discerning fans also give screenwriter Kim Eun Sook credit for the swoonworthy Descendants. Kim, who has created hit dramas including The Inheritors (2013), Secret Garden (2010), On Air (2008) and Lovers In Paris (2004), is famous for her buzzy shows and punchy dialogue.
For South Korean housewife Oh Jung Yun, Kim's name alone was enough to draw her attention.
Madam Oh, who is in her 30s and lives in Singapore, says: "Secret Garden showed me the charm of a romantic comedy. The Inheritors was a bit disappointing. Still, hearing Kim's name made me anticipate the drama."
She recalls how Kim's lines lifted a solemn scene in Descendants, where Dr Kang has reservations about dating Captain Yoo because his job might get him killed any time.
The soldier then asks the doctor if she would be more likely to accept him as a boyfriend if he were "an ordinary man from a rich family".
Dr Kang says: "No, it sounds too ordinary to me."
Which is when Captain Yoo wins smiles from her and from viewers when he says: "I know I should have said 'a handsome man from a rich family'."
Publishing coordinator Geraldine Koh, 27, says: "The couple's banter makes the drama lighthearted and fun to watch. They are very direct with each other, sometimes to the point of making viewers blush."
There is no draggy second- guessing in this courtship. From the get-go, Captain Yoo identifies his target, Dr Kang, in the hospital, goes in for the kill and scores a date - all within the first episode.
Administrative service executive Angelina Ong, 25, says: "That's what I find so refreshing about this show - the way they are so straightforward with each other.
"The romance blossoms in the first episode, then they break up in the second episode. It breaks the norm of how K-drama romances usually unfold. So it keeps you wondering if the leads will end up together."
Madam Oh may be in Singapore, but she chats about the drama with her mother in South Korea and her sister in the United States on a daily basis on a text-messaging app. They discuss the latest developments in the show and also debate over which K-drama actor is more charming.
She says: "I asked my mother which K-drama male lead she prefers - Do Min Joon or Yoo Si Jin.
"Her answer is Yoo Si Jin. Because Do Min Joon is from a star, he can't be real in this world.
"Maybe it's possible to find someone like Yoo Si Jin because there are so many soldiers in Korea."
- Descendants Of The Sun airs on KBS World (StarHub TV Channel 815) on Wednesday and Thursday at 8.50pm. The series can also be viewed on K-drama streaming site viu.com and the Viu app, which can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play Store. New episodes are available as soon as eight hours after the telecasts in South Korea on Wednesday and Thursday.
- Tell us why you love Descendants Of The Sun. Write to stlife@sph.com.sg