'Dynamite Kiss' Jang Ki-yong held onto Ahn Eun-jin.
On the 11th, according to ratings research firm Nielsen Korea, the 9th episode of the SBS Wednesday-Thursday drama 'Dynamite Kiss' (written by Ha Yoon-ah, Tae Kyung-min; directed by Kim Jae-hyun, Kim Hyun-woo), which aired on the 10th, recorded nationwide 6.4% and metropolitan area 6.3% viewership, ranking first among all channels in the same time slot. In addition, it continued an overwhelming record of being the weekday drama No. 1 across all channels for five consecutive weeks. The momentary peak rating reached 7.5%. Also, the 20-49 demographic rating, a key indicator of channel competitiveness, surged to 1.8%–a peak of 2.2%, ranking first among all Wednesday broadcasts. Earlier, after ranking No. 1 globally on Netflix for two consecutive weeks and proving strong overseas popularity, 'Dynamite Kiss' is continuing its unchanging box office run domestically as well.
In that episode, Gong Ji-hyuk (played by Jang Ki-yong), having learned all of Go Da-rim's (played by Ahn Eun-jin) secrets (that she was neither a married woman nor a mother), after much deliberation began a direct romance toward her. The ending, in which Gong Ji-hyuk grabbed Go Da-rim, saying "Don't go. I don't want to let you go," and kissed her, delivered an electrifying thrill and sent dopamine soaring.
Earlier, Gong Ji-hyuk learned Go Da-rim's secret just before his wedding to Yu Ha-young (played by Woo Da-bi). Go Da-rim was neither the wife of Kim Seon-woo (played by Kim Mu-jun) nor a mother. Confused, Gong Ji-hyuk entered the wedding venue thinking of his mother Kim In-ae (played by Nam Gi-ae). However, during the ceremony Kim In-ae collapsed. Startled, Gong Ji-hyuk urgently tended to Kim In-ae. In fact, Kim In-ae, who wanted her son to be happy with the person he loved, had pretended to faint as an act.
The next day, Gong Ji-hyuk, carrying a complicated heart, went to work and grew more confused when he saw Go Da-rim. Go Da-rim, thinking Gong Ji-hyuk's discomfort was because of his mother's health and the postponed wedding, became consumed by worry alone. At that moment Yu Ha-young appeared. Seeing Gong Ji-hyuk make a gesture as if to cover Yu Ha-young's mouth, Go Da-rim misunderstood that the two were about to kiss. At that moment, Go Da-rim's heart ached as if it had dropped.
Meanwhile, Gong Ji-hyuk kept bringing up "sincerity" to Go Da-rim and continued to pick at her. He had given her an opportunity to open up, but Go Da-rim did not notice. Eventually Gong Ji-hyuk directly asked Go Da-rim, "Who are you? Are you really Kim Seon-woo's wife?" Startled, Go Da-rim bowed her head and said, "I'm really sorry." But from Gong Ji-hyuk's perspective, who had been suffering inside, his resentment and hurt toward her did not easily fade.
That night Go Da-rim went to find Gong Ji-hyuk. Standing before Gong Ji-hyuk and waiting in the rain, Go Da-rim confessed everything—why she had disappeared silently in Jeju, why she had taken a job pretending to be a mother, and other facts. Gong Ji-hyuk sent Go Da-rim back as she was, and in front of Kim Seon-woo Go Da-rim shed tears, saying, "It's all over."
In response, Kim Seon-woo confessed his feelings for Go Da-rim. It was a difficult night for everyone—the confessed Go Da-rim, the confessor Kim Seon-woo, and Gong Ji-hyuk, who could not easily let go of his feelings for Go Da-rim. The next day, seeing Go Da-rim still helping those in need with a smile, Gong Ji-hyuk recalled the moment he first fell for her. Using an external assignment with Go Da-rim as an excuse, he pretended otherwise and kept approaching her.
Then Gong Ji-hyuk and Kim Seon-woo were interviewed together. The two men, with Go Da-rim between them, engaged in a childish yet adorable battle of nerves. Afterwards Gong Ji-hyuk learned that Kim Seon-woo had confessed to Go Da-rim. Worried, Gong Ji-hyuk was anxious that Go Da-rim might go to Kim Seon-woo. In desperation, he grabbed Go Da-rim as she was about to turn away and, saying "Don't go. I don't want to let you go," poured out his long-hidden true feelings. Then he kissed her.
After a long journey, Gong Ji-hyuk decided to drive straight toward his love for Go Da-rim. It was a thrilling kiss ending that contained his aching love. Viewers who had watched the two's long struggles could not help but cry out in admiration at the ending. Actors Jang Ki-yong, Ahn Eun-jin, Kim Mu-jun, and Woo Da-bi sometimes captured their characters' emotional lines in a lively and lovable way, and other times in a tender and delicate way, raising the drama's immersion.
Meanwhile, director Kim Jae-hyun and Namkoong Min and Kim Ji-eun, who worked together on the SBS One Dollar Lawyer, made special appearances in that episode. The two appeared as the characters Cheon Ji-hoon and Baek Ma-ri from One Dollar Lawyer and interacted with Jang Ki-yong and Nam Gi-ae. Namkoong Min and Kim Ji-eun, boasting excellent chemistry, completed a pleasant scene highlighted by their back-and-forth. It was an enjoyable time for both Dynamite Kiss viewers and One Dollar Lawyer fans.
[Photo] SBS 'Dynamite Kiss' broadcast capture
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