In episode 11 of Dynamite Kiss, Jihye joins forces with Taeyeong, Hayeong opens up, and Jihyeok and Darim remind us how fun secret office romances can be.
Having overcome the hump of Darim’s fake marriage, our two leads waste no time starting their new relationship in this fluffy episode of Dynamite Kiss, entitled “Pokerface Expert.” While Jihyeok and Darim are off being cute, Hayeong waits for Seonu to come to his senses.
Also Read: Pop Corner: Dynamite Kiss Episode 10 Recap: Together Under One Roof
I like you too
After the incident at the art hall, Jihyeok is overjoyed that Darim feels the same way. The very next day marks their first official day as a couple. They both adorably dress up nice to impress each other, with Darim getting a bit of fashion advice from Mama In-ae.
At the Natural Bebe office, their secret romance is fully underway. Jihyeok sends Darim a bouquet of flowers, which the Mother TF ladies mistake as being from Seonu, much to Jihyeok’s dismay. They hold hands in a crowded elevator, try to steal time with each other when the rest of the team is out, and go on lunch dates away from the office.
When the team walks in on them though, their acting skills are tested. Jihyeok has to pretend he’s yelling at Darim while actually asking her out. On another occasion, Darim has to shoo everyone in a different direction while Jihyeok hides behind a watering can to “avoid suspicion.”
Where there’s smoke
Seeing that he’s serious about helping her, Jihye chooses to trust Taeyeong, and they bond over their mutual dislike for Jihyeok. At the meeting, she can’t hide her own happiness at how the disaster had pulled focus from the campaign and shifted attention onto the lack of fire safety at the event.
The perpetrator is pegged as a disgruntled member of Taeyu Art Hall’s labor union, which Taeyu has agreed to take responsibility for. However, Jihyeok insists that the culprit be apprehended to get to the bottom of what happened. He gets CCTV footage from Hayeong and does his own investigation, as he was able to look the arsonist in the eye during the struggle.
Darim helps Jihyeok gain more information in the office archives after hours. After a close call with the security guard, Darim tells Jihyeok about how her conversations with In-ae helped her understand him better. She reassures him that he doesn’t have to go through everything on his own anymore, promising that she’ll be by his side from now on.
Seonu and Hayeong
Darim is steeling herself to tell Seonu that she and Jihyeok are dating. Seonu, who already saw Darim and Jihyeok kissing, knows what she’s going to say and heads her off, saying that he only said he liked her as a joke. Although freed from the burden of having to reject him, Darim is still upset that she worried so much about hurting his feelings.
Hayeong is doing etiquette training with her mother when Taeyeong comes by. The family discusses the fire, with Hayeong saying that she’s sure it was because someone wants to sabotage her. Taeyeong puts her down immediately, saying she’s not worth sabotaging, but for the first time, Hayeong’s mom defends her. She says that some buyers were interested in Seonu’s work and acknowledges Hayeong’s taste.
Happy to finally be affirmed by her family, Hayeong goes to tell Seonu the good news, only to find him heartbroken from his rejection. Though she saw this coming, she comforts him and tells him she’s still waiting for him.
Two drunk girls
Darim sees Hayeong and Jihyeok act like a couple in front of Jihyeok’s dad and rants aloud to herself in the bathroom. Hayeong overhears her and tells her that she knew everything all along. Hayeong invites Darim out for a drink between “a fake wife and a fake girlfriend.”
The girls bond over soju. Hayeong talks about why she likes Seonu despite him not returning her feelings, saying that his warm gaze made her want to experience love in that way, similar to the woman in the photo. Darim, reassured that Hayeong isn’t just taking an interest in Seonu out of pity or a desire to take advantage of him, takes Hayeong under her wing as her new little sister. They then proceed to get incredibly drunk.
Seonu and Jihyeok take the girls home to Darim’s house. After they’re settled, the two men talk about where they stand now that Jihyeok and Darim are a couple. Seonu says Darim is his family and Jihyeok promises to take care of her from now on.
Customer service
The Green Forest Campaign gets reassigned to the marketing team, deemed a more “stable” team than a group of inexperienced interns. Meanwhile, the Mother TF team gets assigned to customer service, fielding calls and complaints from difficult customers.
Darim talks to a mother who claimed to have found a chicken bone in one of their diapers. The interaction does not go well, and the customer posts a defamatory statement online, complete with a fake audio recording of Darim’s voice. A group of angry moms show up at Natural Bebe and pelt Darim with what looks to be diapers. Thankfully, the Mother TF team (not Jihyeok!) comes to Darim’s rescue and leads her away from the hateful crowd.
Darim and Jihyeok go to find the woman who left the hateful post. The woman is defensive, though she is also clearly stressed. During their confrontation, the lock on her baby’s stroller fails, causing it to hurtle downhill. Darim throws herself between the stroller and an incoming wall, injuring herself but saving the baby. The woman is grateful to Darim and retracts the statement.
The episode ends with Jihye, who knew about the fake audio but only escalated the situation further, coming to the Mother TF team office and holding up evidence that Darim is unmarried.
Dynamite Kiss Episode 11 Thoughts and What To Expect Next
Dynamite Kiss is at its best when it lets the chemistry between the two leads work its magic, and this episode had no shortage of heart-fluttering, blanket-kicking Ji-Rim moments. Everything down to the smallest interactions between them, like when Jihyeok was stroking drunk Darim’s hair as they sat on the sidewalk, felt full of genuine affection and warmth.
Hayeong stans also have a lot to enjoy this episode, as our girl is finally getting a little bit of justice. Her bit at the restaurant really showed her as a bright person who just wants to be loved. Her moments with Jun were also sweet, showing how that very brightness and child-like quality she possesses helps her to connect with him.
As for what awaits us in the next episode: Despite Jihye’s big reveal, it actually looks like Darim might come to the decision to leave Natural Bebe on her own. Seonu is still the main anti to his own ship, so here’s hoping the tides turn them in the right direction.
What’s your favorite moment from this episode of Dynamite Kiss?
Source: SBS
