According to Nielsen Korea, Episode 8 drew a 7.1% viewership in the Seoul metro area, with a momentary high of 8.5%. In the key 20-49 demo, it also notched a series-best 2.41%. The drama ranked No. 1 across all networks in its time slot, finished as the top weekday drama, and led all Thursday programs in the 20-49 demo. The hot streak continues as the series also sits at No. 1 globally on Netflix among non-English titles for Nov. 24-30.
This week’s episode found would-be lovers Gong Ji-hyeok (Jang Ki-yong) and Go Da-rim (Ahn Eun-jin) drawing a hard line despite their feelings―until a discovery flipped everything. Earlier, Ji-hyeok announced he’d marry Yoo Ha-young (Woo Da-bi), choosing what he thought was Da-rim’s happiness over his own. Ha-young, who knows Da-rim isn’t a mother and isn’t married to Kim Sun-woo (Kim Moo-joon), rushed into an engagement with Ji-hyeok, turning up the emotional heat.
The engagement news sent Da-rim into a tailspin. Believing Ji-hyeok’s sudden coldness was because of Ha-young, she resolved to keep things strictly professional. Ji-hyeok couldn’t stop worrying about her―especially as Da-rim kept getting hurt―and in turn acted even colder, leaving her in tears.
A business trip to a remote island―engineered by marketing team leader Ma Jong-gu (Park Jin-woo)―stranded Ji-hyeok and Da-rim with the last room in a local inn. The walls they’d built started to crumble overnight; overwhelmed by his feelings as he watched Da-rim sleep, Ji-hyeok fled outside to cool off.
Back in Seoul, Ji-hyeok spotted Sun-woo comforting a sobbing Ha-young, which to him looked like an ongoing affair. Fueled by anger and heartbreak, he threw a punch at Sun-woo and warned him to back off. Ha-young nearly spilled the truth, but Sun-woo stopped her―leaving Ji-hyeok convinced he still couldn’t stand beside Da-rim.
On the eve of the engagement, Ji-hyeok found himself at Da-rim’s cherished “Grandpa Tree,” where he saw Da-rim, Sun-woo and Sun-woo’s son, Kim Joon (Chae Ja-woon), together. He turned away―until the big day, when he again crossed paths with the trio at the venue. Then came the kicker: young Joon called her “Aunt Da-rim,” not “Mom.”
In a single beat, Ji-hyeok realized Da-rim isn’t a mother and isn’t Sun-woo’s wife. Episode 8 cut to black on his stunned face. Haunted by a childhood scarred by his father’s infidelity, loving a “married woman” had felt impossible for Ji-hyeok―until that barrier vanished. It was the kind of goosebump-inducing cliffhanger viewers have been waiting for.
The hour carefully stacked the tangled emotions of its central foursome―Ji-hyeok, Da-rim, Sun-woo and Ha-young―then delivered a clean, high-impact pivot that spiked both tension and heart rates. The tonal balance between swoony romance and sly comedy landed, and the cast’s layered performances and chemistry did the rest.
Episode 9 of ‘Dynamic Kiss’ airs Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 9 p.m. KST.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)