‘I Was Just Kidding With That Kiss!’ Sparks Fly as Jang Ki-yong and Ahn Eun-jin Fall in Love with a 'Once-in-a-Lifetime' Kiss
SBS's new Wednesday-Thursday drama, ‘I Was Just Kidding With That Kiss!’, kicked off with a bang, captivating viewers right from its premiere.
The first episode, aired on the 12th, recorded viewership ratings of 4.9% in the Seoul metropolitan area and 4.5% nationwide according to Nielsen Korea, marking a successful debut. The peak viewership reached an impressive 6.3%, fueling anticipation for the romance between Jang Ki-yong (as Gong Ji-hyuk) and Ahn Eun-jin (as Go Da-rim).
In the drama, Gong Ji-hyuk is a man of immense talent who doesn't believe in love, while Go Da-rim struggles day by day as a job seeker. Both find themselves in Jeju Island for very different reasons. Through a chance encounter and a series of misunderstandings, they fall together on a precarious cliff, unexpectedly ending up in the hospital.
The next morning, out of pride, Go Da-rim falsely introduces Gong Ji-hyuk as her boyfriend to her friend's couple. Seizing this opportunity, Gong Ji-hyuk proposes a 'fake relationship' act, and their connection quickly intensifies. To escape a compromising situation with her ex-boyfriend, Kim Jung-kwon (played by Park Yong-woo), Go Da-rim impulsively kisses Gong Ji-hyuk. However, this unexpected kiss becomes a 'natural disaster' of intense attraction for both of them.
Gong Ji-hyuk, who had never believed in love, boldly approaches Go Da-rim and asks, 'Shall we do it again?', initiating a passionate kiss. The episode concludes with Gong Ji-hyuk's thrilling narration: 'That night, we were nitric acid and sulfuric acid, and our kiss was dynamite.'
The drama's strong chemistry between the lead actors, dynamic directing, and witty cameos by Lee Seo-jin and Kim Kwang-gyu contributed to high viewer satisfaction for the premiere.
Following the broadcast, online communities and social media were flooded with reactions like 'Jang Ki-yong and Ahn Eun-jin's chemistry is insane!', 'That kiss scene was breathtakingly romantic', and 'Can't wait for next week!'. Viewers especially responded enthusiastically to the bickering chemistry and unpredictable plot development between the two leads.