Run On – K-Drama Episode 9 Recap & Review

Miscommunication On Set

After her night holding Seon-Gyeom’s hand, episode 9 of Run On begins with Mi-Joo waking up and gasping when she sees her reflection. Her hair is a mess and she’s determined to look her best for Seon-Gyeom.

Our runner meanwhile, is out for a morning jog. When he returns to the hotel, he helps himself to some noodles from the cafeteria and sits with Mi-Joo, complimenting the girl on her good looks. Seon-Gyeom jumps on this chance to make a good impression, especially after what she messaged him the previous night.

Mi0-Joo eventually introduces Seon-Gyeom to James, who teases her over how hot the new man in her life is. Seon-Gyeom arrives on set along with everyone else and learns he needs to wait before driving again.

That gives him the perfect opportunity to open his diary and write…nothing. Seon-Gyeom is unsure what to write, which is exactly what he tells Mi-Joo when she shows up to ask what he’s doing.

Instead of procrastinating, Mi-Joo encourages him to use her app and watch movies. There’s way too many choices for him though so instead he continues on, this time allowing his thoughts and feelings to come out properly.

Back home, Lee Yeong-Hwa continues to tutor his student but she teases him, knowing that he’s clearly in love with someone. He refuses to reveal who but we obviously already know who that is. Afterwards, Yeong-Hwa heads back to his studio and continues painting. Ye-Jun shows up though and talks to him about his “Rapunzel.”

Back on set, Yeong-Il shows up to greet Seon-Gyeom. He tells his friend to be careful riding his motorbike and introduces him to Mi-Joo. She’s immediately taken aback by the fact he has friends. This friendly reunion is short-lived though when Seon-Gyeom is called away to drive again.

In his absence, Yeong-Il and Mi-Joo discuss Seon-Gyeom and how his nickname is Mr One Month. It turns out Seon-Gyeom is notorious for getting bored of girls and in the past, has broken things off after a month.

This obviously gets Mi-Joo thinking but she’s immediately interrupted by trouble on-set between James and the others. Unfortunately the language gap gets his wires crossed with Producer Yeom, who tells James there are no guarantees. Yeom believes this is to do with money but it’s actually to do with the duration of the project.

This miscommunication causes all sorts of problems, especially when James fails to show up on set the next game. Eventually Seon-Gyeom drives there with James in the back seat. Swearing breaks out between the cinematographer and Mi-Joo though, especially when the former belittles Korea and its people.

Producer Yeom eventually arrives and tells Mi-Joo she’s fired and taken off the job thanks to her outburst. Yeom is incredibly smug about it when she walks off, while Mi-Joo drowns her sorrows in soju, courtesy of Seon-Gyeom. He’s also got a lot of food for them to share too. It’s a touching moment, especially when Seon-Gyeom proudly learns that his name will be in the credits for the film.

The next day, Mi-Joo apologizes to the cinematographer and finishes her last day incident-free. Afterwards, she says goodbye to Hui-Jin and winds up meeting Seon-Gyeom out by the ocean. As a nice touch, this beautiful pier is shaped like an anchor too. As a side note, if anyone knows where this is, please leave a note in the comments!

Anyway, back to Run On. After spending time together, Seon-Gyeom gives Mi-Joo a new pair of running shoes with high arches, something to help her running style and prevent any ankle injuries.

Mi-Joo is troubled though, and admits to Seon-Gyeom that she feels left out from some of the more important moments of his life. As they finally get their feelings out in the open, Mi-Joo tells him she doesn’t want to leave with him as she may say something she’ll regret. Seon-Gyeom eventually opens up and tells her he’s been trying to like her. While Mi-Joo gets the bus home, Seon-Gyeom drives.

Meanwhile, Dan-A shows up before Yeong-Hwa and asks where her painting is. Yeong-Hwa tells her he’s juggling a lot right now, what with school, tutoring and painting, and will have it done when it’s ready. He holds his own against Dan-A, eventually calling her cute and leaving. Dan-A however, can’t stop thinking about him and finds herself breaking into a wide smile in bed that night.

It’s a momentarily glimmer of kindness from this girl, and enough for her to ring Mr Jeong and head out for drinks that night. Before she gets in the car, Dan-A asks him if she’s cute. He dodges the question completely though, leading to an absolutely hilarious bout of silence.

Meanwhile, Seon-Gyeom begins cleaning with Woo-Sik and catches up on current events. He discusses living with Mi-Joo and the girls around him, before turning the attention to Woo-Sik. Seon-Gyeom tells his friend to focus on himself and do what’s right for him.

After a hostile encounter with Director Seo, Dan-A shows up at Yeong-Hwa’s gallery to ask about her painting. He likens Yeong-Hwa to a vending machine, which certainly annoys him. Clenching his fists, Yeong-Hwa tells Dan-A that until he hands the paintings over, they belong to him – not her. It’s a fierceness that certainly catches her off-guard.

The Episode Review

Run On feels like a mash-up between last year’s Record Of Youth and Do You Like Brahms? There’s a definitely feel of slice of life with this, but instead of a contrived love triangle  like Youth, we’ve got two different couples who each have their own hopes, dreams and issues – like Do You Like Brahms.

On the one hand you have Seon-Gyeom and Mi-Joo, with the former struggling to break free from the icy façade that surrounds him. Being called Mr One Month certainly doesn’t help Mi-Joo’s confidence and it’s clear she’s trying her best to understand him more without falling into the trap of being another “one month” girl.

On the other hand, you have Dan-A and Yeong-Hwa. These two are arguably more intriguing and complex, with Dan-A forced into putting up a bitter and angry front to keep her family at bay and make a name for herself.

Yeong-Hwa has very clearly managed to chip away at some of that ice and now we’re seeing fragments of a kind-hearted girl underneath. It’s not much, but it’s glimmers of what-could-be further on down the line.

The ending certainly allows us to see Yeong-Hwa in a different light and the show leaves the door wide open for where this one may go next. Run On has been a wonderful surprise this year and while there’s no crazy plot twists or makjang in sight, it is a very poignant and real drama about people finding love and living their lives. Roll on tomorrow’s episode!