Smiling
Episode 11 of Run On begins with Seon-Gyeom heading out to eat with Woo-Sik. They greet the latter’s Grandmother at her restaurant. There, Seon-Gyeom asks about Woo-Sik’s rehab and reminds the runner that a lot of this rests on good posture. At home, Seon-Gyeom gets fully invested in Woo-Sik’s rehab and begins devising a training plan for him. Meanwhile, Lee Yeong-Hwa prepares for his TOEIC test (For those unaware, this is an English test and a requirement for Korean students) However, he’s more interested in drinking, eventually seeing him stumble home reeking of alcohol. Obviously Seon-Gyeom is not happy but brushes aside the drunkard when he receives a phone call from Mi-Joo. Seon-Gyeom heads up to the roof and sees Mi-Joo down below on the phone. Shooting a big grin her way, he heads out for a night walk with the girl. There, they discuss the past and Mi-Joo apologizes for what transpired between them. In the morning, Seon-Gyeon heads for a morning run. After, he heads up to training and decides to take Woo-Sik with him. After cleaning up Yeong-Hwa’s place, Yeong-Hwa asks Seon-Gyeom to drop by with his flash drive. It turns out Seon-Gyeom actually left it in his fridge while cleaning. En-route to college, Seon-Gyeom runs into Tae-Woong but the former is not in the mood for talking. Seon-Gyeom eventually saves Tae-Woong from a bully who shows up to antagonize the celebrity. Unfortunately, when Tae-Woong’s identity is revealed they’re forced to run away from a stampede of screaming girls after them. Managing to hide and evade them, the trio catch their breath but Tae-Woong collapses and is rushed into hospital. Once there, Yeong-Hwa begrudgingly takes advantage of Tae-Woong and has him sign an autograph for Ji-Yun… and then Hye-Won. Seon-Gyeom can only watch, puzzled at this taking place. With May struggling and doubting her own skills as a translator, she encourages Mi-Joo to show up and help. For now, Mi-Joo decides to think it over. On the way out the door, Mi-Joo bumps into Yeong-Hwa who helps her carry shopping up the stairs. Eventually they sit together and talk, specifically about their respective love interests. Yeong-Hwa admits that he’s narrow minded and discusses with Mi-Joo the best way to approach his Dan-A problem. Mi-Joo later heads out with Seon-Gyeom, with the enthusiastic former runner encouraging her to enter a half marathon. Although they apply together, they’re both in different groups. When Woo-Sik shows up outside, he gasps as he sees Mi-Joo and questions Seon-Gyeom’s motives. Eventually though, the trio eventually head up to the scheduled training. Woo-Sik and Mi-Joo watch from the sidelines as Seon-Gyeom trains the kids. Eventually though, Seon-Gyeom has Woo-Sik out jogging and doing laps with him. Of course, he’s nowhere near his top speed for now. With Mi-Joo filming, the trio eventually watch the footage back and lavish praise on him. Meanwhile, Yeong-Hwa shows up at Dann Academy to see Dan-A. With a big grin on her face, she greets Yeong-Hwa and asks if he’s yielded. He refuses to admit this, but she does give him 10 minutes of her time. Dan-A half-heartedly gives an apology before outright asking if he likes her. “I… did.” He says honestly. Dan-A hands over a contract which Yeong-Hwa agrees to sign, giving him three weeks to get the painting done. It’s clear she’s hiding her feelings though and this time it’s Yeong-Hwa who comes across as the cold and distant one, telling Dan-A the ten minutes are up and quickly leaving. Mi-Joo shows up at Dann Academy but there’s obviously tensions between her and Dan-A too. Eventually Mi-Joo asks to participate in the half marathon and asks about Seon-Gyeom. Mi-Joo is understandably cautious and remains tight lipped about much of her life when Dan-A probes, specifically dancing around details surrounding her rough upbringing. Just before Mi-Joo leaves, she warns Dan-A and tells her she better let her compete in the half marathon. That evening, Mi-Joo heads out with Seon-Gyeom and the two have an impromptu date at May’s work. With a projector on, comfy pillows sandwiching them in and fried chicken, the pair watch a complex movie together. Afterwards, they discuss the specific plot points and ideas. Mi-Joo likens the movie to Seon-Gyeom’s personality, given how complex he is. As the two start joking around and being cute together, their natural chemistry oozes through every line of dialogue. Eventually, a drunken Seon-Gyeom heads home. Meanwhile, Yeong-Hwa heads back to Dann Academy and asks to watch him paint. With a canvas already set up on an easel, Dan-A stands and watches the artist work. Yeong-Hwa uses an array of different strokes and shading techniques for his piece but Dan-A eventually asks him to smile. Yeong-Hwa refuses to do so, telling Dan-A she needs to make him smile instead. Eventually she takes a gamble and heads over to Yeong-Hwa, kissing him softly.
The Episode Review
Run On returns with another very good, character-driven episode this week. As Seon-Gyeom and Mi-Joo grow closer together, we receive some decent scenes of the pair flirting and growing ever-closer now that they’re communicating openly. Their dinner date with the movie was really well done, with lots of natural dialogue and a good ebb and flow. By comparison, Dan-A finally caves to her own emotions, understanding that it’s Yeong-Hwa that she’s fallen for after all. Of course, there’s still an aspect of his painting there too but it’s clear that Yeong-Hwa is the only person she’s allowed herself to open up to. In fact, that also brings up the intriguing aspect of Mi-Joo’s past too which ties into Dan-A’s complex upbringing. Both have had difficult pasts but have obviously approached things in a very different way. This juxtaposition between the two leads to some good dialogue exchanges as they’re both on completely different wavelengths. Run On has been a really solid Korean drama and the ending here certainly leaves the door open for more to come.
