Yes, the kiss was a real one, and it takes both participants by surprise. In fact, what makes this scene (for me) is Tae-kyung’s gobsmacked expression as he pulls away, completely confused with what he’s just done. Mi-nyeo is just as startled, and the moment she recalls her bearings, she presses her nose.
At a loss, Tae-kyung tries to cover up the moment. He very awkwardly laughs, “Ha. Ha? HA! Go Mi-nam, you’re funny.” Turning stiffly, he hurries away and heads into the building. I love how utterly discombobulated Tae-kyung is. He rationalizes to himself, “I was just so angry that I lost reason. I’m not this kind of person. Why did I do that?”
Mi-nyeo is lost in a daze and prays, “Mother Superior, the star in my heart has exploded into thousands of them. What do I do?” She stumbles into the building (after first geeting lost in the revolving doors) and sits down to rest: “It’s like fireworks are going off inside my heart. I’m dizzy.”
When Shin-woo calls, she vaguely recalls that she was supposed to meet him. She’s too stunned to be very coherent, and murmurs, “Where am I? I’m doing fireworks.” Shin-woo tells her to calm down; he’ll come to her.
Mi-nyeo wonders what prompted Tae-kyung’s kiss, and imagines a few possible answers. Was it out of anger? (But he’s never done this and he’s been angry before.) Was it out of flirtatiousness? (No, he’s not that kind of guy.)
Heyi arrives outside the agency, wondering at the best way to send Mi-nam back home. She considers telling Tae-kyung about the nunnery, but cautions herself to handle this with care. She spots him leaving the building, but he’s so lost in his own thoughts that he walks right by without acknowledging her. Thinking he’s ignoring her out of anger, she asks if he’s still upset with her.
Tae-kyung replies that he’s not angry, nor does he have anything to say to her. But it’s almost worse that he doesn’t care enough to be angry with her anymore. She asks, “Am I nothing to you? How could a woman like me be nothing to you? I’m pretty and popular. We were voted Korea’s best-suited couple — how could you not like me?” (What saves this speech from being aggravating is the honest-to-goodness confusion in Heyi’s voice as she asks it. She genuinely believes her own hype.)
Tae-kyung agrees that Heyi is pretty and popular, but she’s also fake, “so don’t confuse things.” She asks, “Then what will you do if Go Mi-nam confuses herself and says she likes you?” That makes Tae-kyung pause before answering: “That won’t happen, not when she’s foolish enough to cast away her pride. I’m sure.” He doesn’t sound quite convinced, but he’s recalling Mi-nyeo’s supposed feelings for Shin-woo.
Heyi spies Mi-nam exiting the building, and takes advantage of the moment to ask pointed questions that will get overheard while Tae-kyung remains ignorant of Mi-nyeo’s presence. Heyi warns Tae-kyung not to get “confused” regarding her: “Go Mi-nam is a man — don’t mistake her for a girl.” I’m pretty sure she knows that by pushing Tae-kyung’s buttons, she’ll get the desired answer out of him:
Tae-kyung: “I’m not someone who gets confused. Go Mi-nam isn’t a woman.”
Heyi: “Then when you bought her the hairclip and clothes and protected her, did that mean nothing?”
Tae-kyung: “Yeah, it had no meaning, I just did it. It meant nothing.”
He doesn’t see that Mi-nyeo has overheard and turned away in sadness. Heyi asks if he can be sure that those gestures also meant nothing to Mi-nam. Tae-kyung tries to convince himself, “It was nothing to her.” Then he stops, bothered. “How can it be nothing to her? Forget it, it was nothing to me too. If I let it make me feel bad, I lose.”
