How K-Drama Dynamite Kiss Became the Year’s Rom-Com Breakout

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Korean television is famous around the world for shows like the thrilling Squid Game, historical dramas like Mr. Sunshine, compelling character studies like Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and realistic slice-of-life stories such as When Life Gives You Tangerines. However, classic romance stories are still the most popular type of Korean drama exported internationally. The ‘Korean wave,’ known as Hallyu, really began with romantic comedies like Full House, Coffee Prince, and Boys Over Flowers. This genre remains incredibly important, so many were waiting for a breakout K-drama rom-com in 2025—and Dynamite Kiss finally delivered.

The recent Netflix release, Dynamite Kiss, quickly gained attention by challenging the typical K-drama romantic comedy formula. Most K-dramas follow a familiar pattern: a charming first encounter (or a contentious one, if it’s an enemies-to-lovers story), followed by episodes dedicated to building the relationship with lighthearted mishaps and easily-resolved conflicts. Typically, the couple gets together around two-thirds of the way through the show, faces a breakup near the end, and then happily reunites in the finale. While this formula has been successful and created many popular shows, after years of building a dedicated fanbase, it’s refreshing to see something a little different.

The K-drama Dynamite Kiss quickly jumps into a romance between Gong Ji-hyeok, a wealthy heir played by Jang Ki-yong, and Go Da-rim, a woman struggling with unemployment, played by Ahn Eun-jin. They meet while on vacation in Jeju and share a kiss by the end of the first episode, going on a date and becoming intimate by the second. However, a family emergency – Da-rim’s mother being hospitalized – throws a wrench in their budding relationship. Da-rim suddenly disappears while Ji-hyeok is showering, and the next episode follows their separate journeys: he searches for her, while she desperately tries to find money to cover her mother’s medical bills and her sister’s debt.

Following a unique beginning, Dynamite Kiss settles into a more predictable storyline. The two main characters happen to meet at work. Ji-hyeok takes a job at his family’s baby product company, Natural BeBe, hoping to help his mother escape his overbearing father. Da-rim, needing a job and lacking experience, also applies to Natural BeBe, unaware that the man she recently met is connected to the company.

Da-rim is applying for a job on a team specifically created for working mothers. Since she isn’t a mother herself, she asks her single father friend, Seon-u, to pose as her husband. Seon-u’s son, Jun, already knows Da-rim as a family friend. When Da-rim starts the job, she’s surprised to find that her boss is the man she met while on vacation in Jeju. He believes she’s married with a child and that she wasn’t honest about it when they first met, a meeting that had a big impact on both of them.

Romantic comedies haven’t been very strong in K-drama this year. Several highly anticipated shows like Potato Lab, Would You Marry Me, and Nice to Not Meet You didn’t quite succeed, often because of a lack of believable connection between the leads or flawed storylines. While some rom-coms, such as Love Scout and My Dearest Nemesis, offered satisfying stories, none have generated the same buzz as Dynamite Kiss. This might be because Dynamite Kiss is the only one readily available on Netflix globally. (Love Scout is on Netflix in some areas and available in the U.S. on Viki.)

The popularity of Dynamite Kiss extends beyond simply being available on a major streaming platform. The series has quickly become a welcome romantic comedy success in a year dominated by thrillers, action comedies, and more realistic dramas. It’s a type of K-drama that, while not disappearing, might become less frequent as the TV industry changes with the rise of international streaming services. With more investment in the industry and a growing desire to attract global audiences, there’s a trend towards funding action, superhero, and crime dramas—genres that often appeal more to male viewers.

It’s great that Korean dramas explore many different genres, and they’ve always been good at combining them in surprising and fun ways. However, while chasing blockbuster hits like Squid Game, there’s a danger of losing the focus on romance – a genre that traditionally appeals to female audiences and isn’t well-served by American TV. The most successful romantic comedies aren’t afraid to be genuinely romantic and heartwarming. While these kinds of stories are often limited to the holiday season in the U.S., they remain popular all year round in Korea.

Like many Korean dramas, it’s tough for Dynamite Kiss to maintain its strong beginning. Few K-dramas fully deliver on their early potential. The series will finish its 14 episodes next week, with the last two airing on December 24th and 25th. Regardless of how it ends, Dynamite Kiss has provided a welcome, lighthearted escape during the last part of 2025, and that’s really valuable.

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2025-12-24 16:08