Dynamite Kiss- Episodes 9-10
Truths Surface, Hearts Collide, and the Kiss That Changes Everything
Episode 9 of Dynamite Kiss is where secrets finally start cracking, and emotions refuse to stay buried any longer.
We rewind to just before the engagement party, where In-ae sits quietly as her makeup is done, clearly weighing a difficult decision. While Ji-hye and Choong-gu prepare to sabotage the event with compromising photos of Ji-hyuk and Da-rim, fate intervenes in a far more personal way. Outside the venue, Ji-hyuk overhears Jun calling Da-rim “aunt” and catches a joke about marriage. In that instant, everything clicks. The story Da-rim told him no longer adds up, and the realization stings.
Inside the hall, Ha-yeong reaches her breaking point. She’s finally ready to tell the truth, only for In-ae to suddenly collapse. The engagement party is called off in chaos, and it’s later revealed that In-ae faked her illness to buy her son more time. It’s a quiet, but powerful act of love.
Da-rim, unaware of the truth behind the cancellation, walks past the venue and sees the engagement banner. The realization hits her hard. Ji-hyuk is getting engaged, and she was never meant to stand anywhere near his world.
At the hospital, In-ae meets with her lawyers and begins planning her divorce from Chang-ho, carefully and quietly. She later urges Ji-hyuk to stop sacrificing his happiness for her sake. That night, Ji-hyuk finally admits to himself what he’s been trying to deny all along, his heart still belongs to Da-rim.
The next day at work, his frustration spills over. He nitpicks Da-rim’s work, making her redo tasks endlessly. When Ha-yeong drops by, Ji-hyuk confronts her about hiding the truth, but the moment is misunderstood. Da-rim walks in at the worst possible time and assumes she’s interrupting something intimate.
In reality, Ji-hyuk is asking Ha-yeong to stay engaged just a little longer while he figures out how to protect his mother. Ha-yeong, relieved to finally be free of the “mistress” label, accepts—and boldly admits she’ll continue pursuing Seon-u. Before leaving, she drops a bomb on Da-rim, casually revealing that she knows Da-rim is single.
Ji-hye overhears fragments of the exchange, but the truth is narrowly concealed.
Later, Ji-hyuk shocks his father by admitting he may stay at the company long-term. Chang-ho is pleased, while Ji-hye grows increasingly uneasy. With the truth now out in the open, Ji-hyuk gives Da-rim one chance to come clean. When she finally admits to lying, he fires her on the spot, too hurt and angry to hear anything more.
That evening, Da-rim visits her mother, who remains blissfully unaware of her daughter’s heartbreak as she celebrates her upcoming discharge. Seeing her mother’s pride gives Da-rim clarity. She decides to fight for her job and face Ji-hyuk honestly.
She calls him repeatedly, then braves the heavy rain to go to his place. When Ji-hyuk finally appears with an umbrella, the walls come down. He listens. She explains everything. Though still angry, he promises to think it over.
Back home, Seon-u comforts her and quietly confesses his feelings. He doesn’t pressure her, asking only for time.
The next day, Ji-hyuk watches Da-rim help a cleaner at the office and is reminded of exactly why he fell for her. He softens. He keeps her by his side, working together, teasing her driving skills, and even promising not to fire her just yet. Their chemistry quietly returns.
Tension rises further when Ji-hyuk and Seon-u appear together for an interview promoting the exhibition. Compliments turn competitive, and jealousy simmers beneath polite smiles, leaving Da-rim awkwardly caught between the two men.
As the day winds down, Seon-u invites Da-rim to dinner and promises to wait. Ji-hyuk overhears everything. When Da-rim prepares to leave, Ji-hyuk stops her, pulls her back, and finally says what words have failed to express.
He pins her gently against the door and kisses her, no hesitation, no misunderstandings left, bringing Episode 9 to a breathtaking close and officially changing the course of Dynamite Kiss.
When Feelings Can’t Stay Hidden and Love Walks Through Fire
Episode 10 of Dynamite Kiss picks up right where our hearts were left racing, Ji-hyuk kissing Da-rim without warning. For a split second, she gives in and kisses him back… until reality crashes in. Remembering his engagement to Ha-yeong, Da-rim pulls away, hurt and angry, accusing him of treating her lightly. The disappointment in her voice cuts deep.
Ji-hyuk runs after her, desperately trying to explain that his engagement is one of obligation, not love. But Da-rim won’t hear it. She convinces herself that he’s just playing games, maybe even punishing her for lying. Shaken, she leaves and bumps into Seon-u, dodging their dinner plans before running off. Ji-hyuk follows, but once again, he’s too late.
At home, Da-rim spirals, deciding Ji-hyuk must be a charming playboy after all. The next morning only makes things worse when she sees him standing close to Nan-sook, only to learn he was scolding her over work. Slowly, Da-rim realizes she may have misunderstood more than just that moment with Ha-yeong. She softens, comforts Nan-sook, and offers her help.
Ji-hyuk, meanwhile, makes his intentions painfully clear by sticking close to Da-rim all day while preparing for the exhibition. He openly lists reasons he likes her, one after another, leaving Da-rim flustered and accusing him of bullying her with his shameless flirting.
Elsewhere, Ha-yeong spends time with Seon-u at the exhibition site and notices his low spirits. When he admits he’s confessed to Da-rim, she surprisingly encourages him, joking that a quick rejection might help him move on and maybe even give her a chance.
At the same time, Gyeong-min quietly struggles with his growing feelings for Go-eun, setting up yet another soft romance on the sidelines.
Things turn unexpectedly domestic when Ji-hyuk learns his mother plans to stay with a friend, who turns out to be Da-rim’s mother. At Da-rim’s home, Ji-hyuk and Seon-u immediately fall into a ridiculous competition for Myeong-soon’s approval. Their jealousy-filled antics are pure comedy, and In-ae watches with growing amusement.
As Ji-hyuk helps around the house and flirts with Da-rim while washing dishes, In-ae finally sees it clearly. Da-rim isn’t just important to her son...she’s the woman he loves.
Later, Gyeong-min seeks Ji-hyuk’s advice about liking someone from work. Ji-hyuk is fully supportive of office romance, briefly panicking when he thinks Da-rim might be the woman in question. Once Go-eun’s name comes up, he gives his enthusiastic blessing.
Back in scheming territory, Ji-hye continues plotting Ji-hyuk’s downfall with Choong-gu. A tense meeting with Chang-ho and Ha-yeong’s parents reveals that Ji-hyuk is set to take over the company, infuriating Ji-hye. Though she hates it, she agrees to work with Tae-young, who reveals he’s been preparing for this moment for a long time, even buying company stocks. His goal is clear: push Chang-ho and Ji-hyuk out for good.
At Da-rim’s home, Myeong-soon proudly brings out the family album, much to Da-rim’s embarrassment. As memories of her late husband surface, Da-rim suggests a picnic to lift the mood. Seon-u joins, and once again, he and Ji-hyuk turn everything into a competition. When Seon-u wins a game and gets to buy drinks, Ji-hyuk sulks shamelessly, until Da-rim and In-ae gently soothe his wounded pride.
That night, Ji-hyuk treats everyone to dinner and sleeps on the sofa. In a quiet moment, In-ae opens up to Da-rim about Ji-hyuk’s lonely childhood and explains that he’s drawn to Da-rim’s warmth and kindness. Later, Da-rim asks her mother how to know if a man truly loves her. Myeong-soon’s answer is simple and heartfelt: watch what he does, not what he says.
As Da-rim tucks a blanket around Ji-hyuk, memories flood in, every time he protected her, stood by her, and believed in her. The realization hits hard. Ji-hyuk doesn’t just care for her. He loves her.
The next day, the exhibition launches successfully, though Da-rim can’t help feeling jealous seeing Ji-hyuk and Ha-yeong together. Sensing this, Ji-hyuk quietly reassures her. Everything seems fine...until danger strikes. A masked man sent by Tae-young sneaks into the building and pours gasoline in Ha-yeong’s office.
Ji-hyuk confronts him and gets into a brutal fight, but he’s overpowered and knocked unconscious. A fire breaks out, and while everyone else escapes safely, Da-rim realizes Ji-hyuk is still inside. Without hesitation, she runs back in, finds him, and somehow carries him out. When he wakes up, she breaks down, hugging him and crying from fear and relief.
Forget the fire, the danger, or the chaos, Ji-hyuk looks at her and finally says it plainly. He likes her exactly as she is. Overwhelmed, no longer able to deny her heart, Da-rim kisses him back.
DramaZen's Opinion
Honestly, Episodes 9 and 10 of Dynamite Kiss put me through it...in the best and most frustrating ways, like the kind of episodes you immediately need to talk about with someone afterward.
What I really liked about Episode 9 is how everything finally started lining up emotionally, even though the characters were still making questionable choices. In-ae completely stole the episode for me. Her faking a collapse to stop the engagement party felt dramatic, yes, but also very on-brand and oddly touching. It showed how far she’s willing to go to protect Ji-hyuk, not by controlling him, but by buying him time to figure out his heart. I also loved watching Ji-hyuk slowly piece together the truth about Da-rim. That realization hurt, but it was necessary, and it made his anger later feel earned rather than random.
That said, watching him take that anger out on Da-rim at work was tough. The constant rewrites, the coldness, and then firing her on the spot felt harsh, even if I understood why he was hurt. Da-rim’s quiet panic afterward, worrying about her coworkers finding out and trying to stay strong for her mom, was honestly heartbreaking. But I did love that she didn’t just crumble. Her going to Ji-hyuk in the rain and asking for a chance to stay felt brave and very her. And that ending? Ji-hyuk pulling her back and kissing her like he couldn’t hold it in anymore was the kind of messy, emotionally charged moment this drama does really well.
Episode 10, on the other hand, was a rollercoaster in the most K-drama way possible. I loved how Da-rim immediately pushed Ji-hyuk away after the kiss. It made her feel grounded and self-respecting, even though it hurt. Her insecurity felt painfully real, especially when she convinced herself he was just playing games. But once Ji-hyuk decided to stop holding back and openly flirt, I couldn’t help but smile. His shameless honesty and the way he kept listing reasons he liked her were both funny and oddly sincere.
The domestic scenes at Da-rim’s house were a huge highlight for me. Ji-hyuk and Seon-u competing for her mom’s attention was pure entertainment, and In-ae quietly realizing that Da-rim is the woman her son loves felt like a turning point for the story. I also appreciated how the episode slowed down enough to let Da-rim reflect. Her conversation with her mom about love, and realizing Ji-hyuk has always shown up through his actions, gave her emotional growth that felt earned.
If I had to nitpick, the corporate scheming and villain plotting started to feel a bit heavy-handed, especially with everything else going on emotionally. And the exhibition fire escalated things very quickly, but I’ll admit, it worked. Da-rim running back into the building without hesitation and breaking down when Ji-hyuk wakes up was such a powerful moment. His confession afterward felt raw and stripped of pride, which made it land.
Honestly, I loved these episodes because they finally stopped dancing around the truth. They’re messy, emotional, and sometimes frustrating, but the characters feel human. I found myself rooting for them even when I wanted to yell at them and honestly, that’s when a drama has me fully hooked.
