The series bowed on Nov. 12 and delivered exactly what the pre-release buzz promised: a dopamine-spiking romance that literally starts with a kiss. The curtain-raiser was fizzy, flirty, and downright swoony―more than enough to match the hype.
According to Nielsen Korea, episode 1 opened to a 4.9% rating in the Seoul metro area and 4.5% nationwide, with a peak at 6.3%. With the leads’ chemistry kicking into high gear in the back half of the premiere, viewers are already betting on an upswing from here.
In ‘Dynamic Kiss’, Gong Ji-hyeok (Jang Ki-yong) and Go Da-rim (Ahn Eun-jin) couldn’t be living more opposite lives. Da-rim, a weary job seeker, is doing her best to keep smiling―even when her only sister hands her Jeju travel vouchers and asks her to skip the wedding out of embarrassment. Ji-hyeok, meanwhile, is a fix-it pro who crushes major projects without breaking a sweat―but he doesn’t believe in love.
Both end up on Jeju Island for different reasons: Ji-hyeok to recruit Kim Jung-gwon (Park Yong-woo), and Da-rim to dodge that awkward wedding. The twist? Jung-gwon is Da-rim’s ex―the one who dumped her with the line that she was “like blanched spinach.” When Da-rim bumps into a friend and realizes her ex is now dating that friend, pride kicks in and she fibs that she’s there with her boyfriend―then downs drinks alone to swallow the sting.
Later, spotting Ji-hyeok standing alone at a cliff, Da-rim mistakes the moment for something dire and rushes in, hugging him from behind. They stumble and tumble together, and Ji-hyeok ultimately leaves the passed-out Da-rim at the hospital. She wakes up broke―after covering his medical bill, no less.
By breakfast the next morning, fate throws them together again at the hotel restaurant―right as Da-rim’s friend couple appears. Da-rim, still protecting her pride, links arms with Ji-hyeok and introduces him as her boyfriend. Sensing an opening to land his scout, Ji-hyeok proposes a fake-dating deal, then gives Da-rim a Cinderella-style glow-up―ring and all.
Seeing Da-rim’s transformation, Jung-gwon is stunned…and suspicious. Panicking that their ruse will crumble, Da-rim plants a kiss on Ji-hyeok to sell the story. The effect is seismic―especially on love-averse Ji-hyeok, for whom the moment lands like a stick of dynamite.
When Da-rim mutters, “Still better than getting caught, right?” Ji-hyeok stops her and says, “Should we do it again? Let’s do that again.” He strides in for a bold, breath-stealing kiss. As his voiceover puts it, “That night, we were nitric acid and sulfuric acid―and our kiss was dynamite.” And with that, episode 1 cuts to black.
The premiere crackled with pace and charm, charting a gloriously tangled meet-cute to a full-on, lightning-strike kiss―exactly the trope-flipping, kiss-first, dopamine-blast romance the creators promised. Jang Ki-yong brings suave swagger and sly humor to Ji-hyeok, while Ahn Eun-jin shines as the sunny, lovable Da-rim; their chemistry sparkles. Surprise cameos from Lee Seo-jin and Kim Kwang-gyu also landed big laughs.
After a pilot that sent dopamine levels soaring―and signaled a fresh resurgence for SBS weekday romances―anticipation is high for what’s next. Episode 2 airs tonight, Thursday the 13th, at 9 p.m. KST.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)