Run On: Episode 16 (Final)

85 February 7, 2021February 7, 2021

by abirdword

The end has arrived, and Run On must decide what a happy ending looks like for our two couples and all of their friends and family. But the beauty of a story like this is that life keeps going, even after the director yells cut. So while we bid adieu to all the lovely people we’ve spent this time with, we can trust that the story goes on for each and every one of them.

EPISODE 16 RECAP

Sun-kyum bustles in Mi-joo’s kitchen, making pasta. He’s happy to make a meal to share while they’re both awake during the day now. He also wants to thank Mi-joo for inviting his sister over to commiserate, since he struggles to talk about problems with her.

Mi-joo savors the pasta, claiming it’s as good as the food she ate while visiting the Riviera once. She was inspired to go after finishing up a translation project set there, and her work often inspires her to travel. She does most of her travel solo, but when Sun-kyum asks if he can come with her the next time she gets the travel bug, Mi-joo smiles and nods.

Dan-ah joins her siblings at her father’s hospital bedside. The chairman holds what I must assume is his favorite guitar, and he tells his children that he loves them. Dan-ah manages to call him Dad, rather than Chairman, and gently tells him to rest. The heart monitor eventually slows and the Chairman’s hands go slack, the guitar dropping to the floor.

Myung-min’s already making calls as Dan-ah catches him at the elevator. He tells Dan-ah to do whatever she thinks is right to grieve for their father, while he’ll work on getting promoted. Young-hwa learns of Dan-ah’s father’s passing not from her, but from the news articles online.

Assemblyman Ki’s secretary rushes in to tell his boss the news of Chairman Seo’s passing. The assemblyman’s first concern is first about the planned marriage for Sun-kyum, and then he tells his secretary that he wants to let Eun-bi’s scandal continue to damage his political opponent’s reputation, rather than come clean about the misunderstanding. His secretary is shocked to hear that Assemblyman Ki has no intention of protecting his daughter, but his protests just prompt his boss to threaten his job.

Young-hwa spots Dan-ah in the neighborhood, and she finally tells him about her father’s death. When Young-hwa asks if she’s okay, she admits that she’s too busy to actually grieve, or address her mixed emotions of relief and sadness. Young-hwa gathers Dan-ah into a comforting hug, and Dan-ah doesn’t resist. Seeing her father pass, Dan-ah has started thinking about her own mortality, and she tells Young-hwa that’s why she can’t be together with him.

He starts to protest, but she tells him that she can’t be his happy ending, because she’s run out of time. His face falls, and he turns from her, warning that she shouldn’t come after him. He says he’ll take his own life if she tries, and he knows that she’ll respect that threat.

Dan-ah recalls their time spent in Young-hwa’s hometown, and an admission she’d made while she watched him sleep then. “I’m sorry, I should have been the one to enter your world. Instead, I dragged you into mine.” As Young-hwa walks away, he also recalls those moments, and a secret he whispered to Dan-ah as she slept: “If you’ve already decided to end this, I’m going to do my best to postpone the end.”

At Young-hwa’s apartment, Assemblyman Ki’s secretary has sought out Sun-kyum. It seems the secretary has resigned his position after all. He tells Sun-kyum that the assemblyman started Eun-bi’s scandal on purpose, and he’s telling Sun-kyum now because he always wanted the best for both Eun-bi and him. Sun-kyum says that this moment makes him think of when they were both younger, and Sun-kyum saw the secretary as an honest politician. The secretary lets one last secret slip, now that he’s no longer Assemblyman Ki’s employee: he tells Sun-kyum that his mother has officially threatened divorce.

That’s a lot to unpack, and Sun-kyum calls Mi-joo to ask if she’s interested in dinner. It’s unclear whether the japchae Mi-joo makes him is any good, considering he immediately grabs for a sip of water after tasting it, but Sun-kyum clearly sees that she’s trying to comfort him.

Mi-joo asks if something happened, and Sun-kyum tells her that he’s worried about how to break some bad news to his sister that he knows will hurt her. Mi-joo asks Sun-kyum why he’s afraid to say something in this situation, when he’s normally so straightforward with his thoughts and actions. She suggests that in this case, it’s because the news also hurt him. Mi-joo tells him that he can’t worry about how his sister will react, and instead he just needs to be honest and offer her a hug to comfort her. Mi-joo wraps her arms around Sun-kyum to demonstrate, and to give him the comfort he needs. “That’s what family is for,” she tells him.

So Sun-kyum meets with his sister and tells her the truth about their dad and the scandal. Eun-bi says that her boyfriend believed her, so that’s all she really cares about. Sun-kyum, meanwhile, thinks there might be something they can do to fix things for themselves as a family, and he calls their mom. Eun-bi’s impressed with Sun-kyum, since she knows he never would have tried this before.

Ji-woo looks dismayed when she hangs up with Sun-kyum, and cancels her trip to the US. Her assistant is frantic to stop her, but Mom declares that there will be other audition opportunities, but she only has this one chance to be there for her family.

Being there for her children means marching over to her husband’s office and delivering a mighty slap to Assemblyman Ki’s face. She yells at him for using their children for his political gain, and the assemblyman’s first thought is to ask whether she’s told her father about it yet. Ji-woo says that she thought they’d loved each other at least, but now it seems he just wanted her father’s financial backing, oof. She tells him that she plans to take the kids in the divorce, and tells her soon-to-be-ex husband to have fun preparing for the election alone.

Meanwhile, Mi-joo and Mae-yi have received a generous stockpile of homemade kimchi from Mae-yi’s mom, awww. Mi-joo admires Mae-yi’s family for being so close, and Mae-yi brings up a benign argument the family always has about how her name is spelled and registered. Mi-joo says that she always thought she was alone, but she realizes that Mae-yi and her family have claimed her for their own. In return, Mi-joo suggests that they could make their own kimchi to send to Mae-yi mom’s next year.

Dan-ah’s interrupted at work by Young-hwa’s arrival. She invites him into her office, and he presents her with the finished painting. Young-hwa says that he knows how important time is for Dan-ah, and so he says that he knows that the best thing he could do to respect that would be to move on quickly.

Dan-ah says that he put his heart into the painting, and he says that actually, she’s already taken that from him. When she asks if he’d like it back, he tells her no, that she should keep it until it fades, and then recycle it. There’s no longer any playfulness to the banter, but it’s not cruel either, and a tear slips down Dan-ah’s cheek.

Young-hwa wipes her tears away softly, and she reaches out for a hug. They hold one another, and Young-hwa says that he’ll keep loving her, even after their relationship has ended. He also asks Dan-ah to live long, and she promises to do so.

Young-hwa holds back his own tears until he gets back to his apartment, and there he finally unleashes his pain as he sobs on Sun-kyum’s shoulder. He remembers his declaration to Dan-ah, that his dream was to never break up with her, and with this dream extinguished, he cries.

Dan-ah heads to her favorite bar to mourn the break-up. Her bartender says that people have a jewelry box where they keep mementos of their best memories, where they can hold on to a shell or a button from someone’s uniform to help them save their most precious moments.

Dan-ah asks the bartender what he keeps in his jewelry box, and for him, it’s a key to his very first house. The house was torn down when the neighborhood was redeveloped, but he has that key to remind him of all the good things experienced there.

And then who should turn up but Mi-joo, sent by Mr. Jung to keep Dan-ah company. Mi-joo conjures her best Bond impersonation to ask for a vodka martini, shaken not stirred, and the bartender shoots her some finger pistols before supplying the drink.

Several drinks later, Dan-ah’s head is on the bar top. She eventually breaks and shares her pain for her lost relationship. Mi-joo’s retorts are gentle and understanding, and she pulls Dan-ah’s head onto her shoulder to offer comfort. Also, she checks to make sure that Dan-ah is paying tonight, since the drinks here are pricey, haha.

When Dan-ah gets home, she checks her drawer for Young-hwa’s student ID she still has tucked away, a memento for her internal jewelry box. At the same time, Young-hwa tries to attend an art exhibition but can’t get his student discount without his card. So he heads home instead, where Sun-kyum hands him a gift. It’s a grill of his own for future BBQs, and this brings a small smile out.

Young-hwa says that he’ll let the pain subside naturally. He sees his time with Dan-ah as a way to keep growing, even with its sad ending. Sun-kyum nods and agrees that perhaps the experience has helped lay a foundation so that Young-hwa could become more mature for the future, no matter what it holds.

On a sunny day, Mi-joo meets with Director Kim (Kim Sun-ho, hehehe, I’ve been waiting for this cameo!). Thanks to her translation of his film, he’s been invited to an international film festival in Dubai. He mentions all the revisions he pestered her with, and while they’re both laughing now, it’s clear there were some fraught exchanges during the writing process.

Director Kim flashes those dimples as he says that even though Mi-joo swore at him a lot, he owes his international success to her and her excellent work. Awww.

Sun-kyum waits for Mi-joo outside, and she fusses over his nice outfit when she joins him. Sun-kyum reports that he officially has a job as an agent. Mi-joo offers to treat him to whatever food he wants, to grab a star from the sky for him if necessary. Sun-kyum counters with the offer that he’s going to treat her to a meal in celebration.

Sun-kyum references their first encounters, like at the police station, how awkward they were, and Mi-joo notes how they click so well now, not like when they first met. Sun-kyum fakes offense, and then echoes his question from the police station encounter, asking if Mi-joo is sure she isn’t a pervert, teehee.

Dan-ah meets with Tae-woong in her office before they head to the company’s stockholders’ meeting the next day. She tells him that now is the moment that she needs him to act like her brother. “Just for tomorrow?” he asks, and Dan-ah relents that he has always been her brother. Tae-woong leaps to his feet to embrace his sister, and Dan-ah narrowly dodges, haha.

Ji-woo drags a sledgehammer on the ground on her latest movie set, when a bouquet of flowers are thrust in her face. This time it’s not her husband though, but Eun-bi. “Congratulations on the divorce!” Eun-bi announces. Mom apologizes for not always being there for her daughter, while Eun-bi says that she learned from her experience that not all moms are the same. Ji-woo asks what Eun-bi’s up to now, and she says she wants to relax and spend some time having an ordinary life.

Dan-ah stops by the coffee shop for her usual Americano, and while there she gets a chance to apologize to Ye-joon. She says that she shouldn’t have poked at his feelings, and Ye-joon responds by finally admitting that he likes Young-hwa. He tells Dan-ah that she was the first one to ever ask, and he wanted to finally respond. She says that she pretended to be a lesbian to avoid getting married off by her family, and now sees that her excuse was a reality for some who are struggling every day with prejudice, and apologizes again.

Ye-joon heads to Young-hwa’s apartment after work, and for once he’s completely sober. He tells Young-hwa that Dan-ah came by to apologize to him, and then Ye-joon finally admits, “You’re my first love.”

Now that he’s said it, Ye-joon pronounces this the end of his unreciprocated love, and he seems relieved. He remembers when he asked Young-hwa how he would know when his own romance was coming to an end, and Young-hwa told him that you just know.

Young-hwa begins to cry and embraces his friend. Ye-joon chuckles and announces that he feels better now that it’s done (and he’s glad he rehearsed it, aww).

Time marches ahead. Sun-kyum brings Woo-shik to the office as his client to meet Dan-ah and the crew. Assemblyman Ki loses to his political rival and retires. In his office, he turns the framed photos in his office face down one by one. Tae-woong remains a successful idol, and Dan-ah even smiles when she receives his texts. Sun-kyum finally buys himself his own laptop and stops mooching off Young-hwa, hahaha.

Young-hwa accompanies Sun-kyum to Woo-shik’s next practice so that he can complete a drawing assignment for class. Sun-kyum suggests that Young-hwa come by to paint a mural for his high school running team next, and Young-hwa says he’ll need the student’s help if they’re going to paint something that big.

Young-il arrives then, and this time not dressed to run. All of Sun-kyum’s best friends meet at last, and while Young-il wonders how Young-hwa can live with Sun-kyum, Young-hwa wonders how Young-il manages to be Sun-kyum’s friend, haha. Young-il’s not carrying his bike helmet, and when Woo-shik asks about it, he hands over invitations to his wedding. It seems that Young-il has been dating someone for ten years, and Sun-kyum had absolutely no idea.

All of that equipment in Ms. Dong’s trunk finally gets used as she takes her two kids camping. Ms. Dong offers Ye-chan some wine now that she’s of legal age. The wine knocks Ye-chan out pretty quickly, and Ye-joon is left alone with his mother.

Ms. Dong tells Ye-joon that she remembers Ye-joon asking her when he was young if she regretted giving birth to him. Ms. Dong had Ye-joon when she was pretty young and divorced shortly after, and she did feel guilty because she had to hustle so much to really take care of him. She takes a sip of her wine for courage and then tells her son that being different isn’t wrong. Ye-joon nods, recognizing his mother’s peace offering after her poor reaction to his coming out.

Young-hwa drops his latest art piece off at a gallery for an upcoming exhibition. Meanwhile, Sun-kyum continues to journal daily, recording today that he discovered Young-il is getting married. Mi-joo shows up excited to show Sun-kyum a text. Director Kim is having success at the film festival, and he’s sent her a photo with her name etched into the sand in Dubai. “Oh Mi-joo was here as well today,” his accompanying message says.

Mi-joo is thrilled, and says that she’ll keep working hard on projects, big and small. She says that she really appreciated the message of this film, which was about sensitive individuals getting a chance to live happy lives (ahem, the theme of this show). Sun-kyum smiles at that and says he finally gets why she loves movies so much.

Mi-joo also has a small gift for Sun-kyum. She asks for Sun-kyum’s diary, and he’s reluctant to turn it over to her prying eyes. “I won’t read it,” she says, but he still hovers. She places a sticky note with a doodled stamp on it, like a teacher might award a good student. Sun-kyum grumbles about being treated like a kid, but leans in cutely when Mi-joo ruffles his hair.

A pair of purple Converse hit the pavement. Dan-ah arrives at her art gallery, newly crowned the youngest company vice-president. “We made it,” she tells Mr. Jung, and when he agrees that they did it because they stuck together, she flashes a smile in agreement.

Inside the gallery, Dan-ah is immediately drawn to a painting with a familiar signature in the corner. Young-hwa’s latest painting is still fairly abstract, but Dan-ah spots the figure of a woman tucked in the swirls of paint, a young woman wearing a pair of purple shoes.

“Me too,” she whispers, “I miss you too.” Her moment is interrupted by the artist himself, as Young-hwa approaches. He tells her she looks good, in the shoes he gave her and in the painting. She tells him she’s seen what’s in his heart, and it’s radiant. She declares that she will now observe today as her official birthday. Young-hwa smiles, and wishes her a happy birthday.

Sun-kyum and Mi-joo are out for a run together. Mi-joo is ready for a break, while Sun-kyum thinks they can make it a little farther. Mi-joo drags him to a bench, and notes that while they are still two very different people, she hopes they can line up their worlds and agree to stick together no matter what. Sun-kyum gently asks if he’s ever told Mi-joo that he loves her, and then follows the question up with the declaration: “I love you.”

Mi-joo’s flusters, and then Sun-kyum jumps up and announces that their break is over. Mi-joo protests that she thought he loved her, repeating the word love over and over again. Then she asks him to accompany her to watch “her” latest movie, since he loves her and all…

The crew is all together again, as Mi-joo and Sun-kyum join Young-hwa and Dan-ah for some grilling at the apartment. They talk happy endings in movies, and Mi-joo says it’s all a lie, and questions how you might even define a happy ending. “Is it living a long and happy life?” (ahem, cough, there’s the show’s theme again)

Young-hwa declares his happy ending would be having adorable children with the woman he loves. Dan-ah asks how he would have kids, and his answer is, “the power of science,” hahaha. Dan-ah, ever worried about time, suggests they stop wasting it and just drink. They decide to toast, and when they’re not too sure what to toast, Mi-joo suggests her first marathon run and they clink their beer cans.

Time passes. Sun-kyum and Mi-joo work across the table from one another, playing footsie underneath. Sun-kyum adds Young-il to his roster of athletes, while Woo-shik takes home a medal. Ji-woo finally gets her coffee truck from Sun-kyum and Mi-joo, and Young-hwa meets Ye-joon’s new boyfriend.

Time passes for everyone, not just the main characters. Tae-woong lives up the idol life, Ye-chan convinces her mom to join her for boxing at the gym. Mae-yi and Mr. Jung’s romance heats up, while Sun-kyum settles into a folding chair next to his dad while he fishes. That jerk boy with a crush on Soo-bin joins the track team after all, and Mae-yi and Mi-joo work with their movie production crew again. Mi-joo even lets Dan-ah in the door for a night in with chicken delivered.

Until finally, everyone gathers at the movie theater to watch Mi-joo’s movie. Name a character that has appeared over the last sixteen episodes, and you’ll find their face in the audience, munching on popcorn or laughing with friends.

At the entrance, Assemblyman Ki appears with a much humbler bouquet of flowers for his ex-wife. Ji-woo glares, but she eventually approaches and accepts the gift, and the assemblyman takes a seat next to Eun-bi.

The camera slides over the audience, as we catch Young-hwa gazing at Dan-ah in the seat next to him, and then finally settle on Mi-joo and Sun-kyum as they take their seats. The lights fade, and Mi-joo steals a glance at Sun-kyum. She ducks away when he returns the look, and then he takes her hand. She smiles and then settles in for the movie, as the woman on screen taps at her keyboard and picks up her gun. Of course. The audience claps and their applause continues as the credits roll.

COMMENTS

That ending really got me. Every episode of this show dedicated itself to creating an intricate, varied weave of its characters, so spending its final moments bringing every single one of them together felt really magical. Bonus points for bringing them together to experience an act of storytelling, especially a movie Mi-joo likes so much because it is about real people.

Run On from the start wanted to show real life, and that meant more than just focusing on the two main love lines. Friends and rivals and even just the friendly faces at the neighborhood coffee shop all intersected in different ways, and each got their own moments to act as the leads in their own lives.

Time always felt like it was on fast-forward for me as I watched each week. Some scenes were clearly all happening on the same day, while other instances clearly jumped ahead to show that things take time, and that time keeps moving no matter what. This momentum accelerated from trot to gallop at the end in a really satisfying way. We got closure on the love lines that remained central, but we also got to glimpse into the future too, to see what comes after closure. Maybe it was a bit too meta, but I appreciated that the core gang got together to discuss what happy endings even mean, when it’s unclear even when “the end” occurs. But this show follows the life of a woman who holds storytelling dear in her heart, as both her professional passion and a childhood touchstone. Who better to examine the themes of the show than the expert we followed along the journey?

The conversation between Mae-yi and Mi-joo about family may not have done much with plot, but it was a wonderfully simple scene that also expressed the perfect thesis to the show. All of our characters learned to appreciate their found family. Some of them had no parents in their lives, or the ones they had weren’t very good at being parents. Some of them were the bad parents. But as their lives intertwined with so many others, they found mother figures and father figures, sisters and friends who choose to be there not out of obligation but because they care. Even Mi-joo and Dan-ah, who are both so similarly prickly and driven, show up for one another for grumpy drinks and chicken. We’ve spent the last sixteen episodes celebrating human interaction, even between the most unlikely friends.

I love that, for example, on a surface level Sun-kyum and Mi-joo are so incompatible, they know it, and yet they work so perfectly. Mi-joo couldn’t help recall all the times that Sun-kyum didn’t get a movie reference, or just didn’t seem to be understanding anything she said. Some of that evaporated as they’ve developed their own couple’s shorthand with one another. Other things stay lost in translation, and that’s okay. Sun-kyum isn’t necessarily any less bored by movies than he was before. But as he tells Mi-joo, he understands now why they are so meaningful to her. He’s always willing to attend one with her anyway, and they can both enjoy the travel destinations that Mi-joo’s work inspires. It’s not so much the idea of opposites attract, and more an honest look at how very different humans can find their common ground.

And for Dan-ah and Young-hwa, they managed to navigate a case of the worst timing. I appreciated that Young-hwa recognized that this was not the time to fight for Dan-ah, when she was both grieving the loss of her father and fighting for her place in the company that her brother was determined to deny her. For Dan-ah, who fears time so much because of how her illness threatens to cut it short, it was really satisfying to see her love line be the one that was healed with patience and time. Young-hwa walked away without anything but love for Dan-ah, and it was that clean cut that I think allowed them to easily slip back into one another’s lives once the big drama had passed and Dan-ah had found more freedom.

It was also interesting to see the way that Dan-ah’s apology to Ye-joon gave him the inspiration he needed to move forward. We are still sadly not at the stage where the gay characters in a drama can live and love freely for their own happy endings, but I do think this show made an attempt to at least do a couple of things right. The first was Dan-ah’s apology. As a rich and powerful CEO, Dan-ah had the privilege to lie about being a lesbian just to deflect her family’s bad behavior. But she sees how hurtful that could be for someone like Ye-joon, who actually struggles with the way that the world treats him. And she doesn’t just realize it, but she apologizes to him directly.

The second success that the show can claim is that it didn’t leave Ye-joon a sad lonely boy at the end. The show’s refusal to admit that anything ever ends gives it a chance to show what Ye-joon’s life looks like after his crush on his best friend. Ye-joon meets a guy and his friends meet him with smiles. He doesn’t have to hold a torch for Young-hwa forever.

Though Assemblyman Ki didn’t get that push off a cliff that he completely deserved, I think this is a good end for his character, especially seen through the concept of ordinary people. His presidential candidacy fails, he loses his family because of it, and he has to spend some time alone thinking about what he did. Some of his family members decide that they want to repair the broken relationship, while others are more reluctant. You still may run into Dad at that movie premiere, but everyone can deal with it in their own way.

When Ji-woo threatened divorce initially, I really didn’t think she would go through with it. I kept coming back to an earlier scene, when she said that she put up with everything her husband did because they still loved one another. I was reminded again when Ji-woo brought it up right before she finally left him. Because they wanted to portray real people, not caricatures, the relationship between these two was more complicated than just the assemblyman’s desire for power or Ji-woo’s neglect. There was love, and then there were choices that made it impossible to stay in that love.

There were ultimately no big dramatic choices or actions that resolved things in this finale. No one suddenly left the country for three years, or blew up a political campaign with some big leak to the press, or beat any world records in track and field. Most things were resolved with apologies, distance, or steady hard work. And really, nothing is resolved, because the whole point is that they keep on living and running forward. Sometimes together, sometimes solo, but everyone keeps living their lives.

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1 OldLawyer

February 7, 2021 at 5:52 PM

I loved this show and I loved the final episode.

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Alluvial_Fan

February 8, 2021 at 7:32 AM

I second that emotion! Many thanks to all the cast and crew for a heartfelt effort. The most gratitude is extended to the writer and director for taking so many tropes and turning them inside out to find the humanity within. It was like watching "The Four Agreements" in drama form.

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FlyingTool

February 8, 2021 at 8:29 AM

Same here. Wonderfully done.

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2 Radily

February 7, 2021 at 6:32 PM

'No one suddenly left the country for three years'

LMAO I don't know if the writer intended for it to be sipping tea (I doubt it actually) but I myself see it as shade upon True Beauty's finale.

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panshel

February 7, 2021 at 10:00 PM

True Beauty's timeskip is canon and in the webtoon.

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pandasa

February 8, 2021 at 2:37 PM

That comment also reminded me of Start-Up LOL

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Kammie

February 18, 2021 at 6:02 PM

Also throwing shade at A Love So Beautiful 😆

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DK-Drama 🫘🏆Image of drama FL Character Deterioration🚺🍉🌱

August 2, 2023 at 4:07 PM

We had been totally prepared for Mi-Joo just leaving poor Sun-Kyum behind. It was nice that she didn't.

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3 Krampa

February 7, 2021 at 6:47 PM

I’m going to miss this show a lot. It wasn’t perfect or groundbreaking but the show had lots of compassion, heart, and understanding of human relationships.
The characters felt like long lost friends I was catching up with and no single character was compromised in order to sell a facade.

I loved MJ and SK’s dynamics (playing footsie under the table lol) and the way they brought out new sides of each other. Dan Ah and YH broke my heart but I nod the show for being realistic, not all candy/chaebol relationships are happily ever after, even if the genders are switched. I’m just happy the two can remain close friends and maybe somewhere down the line when things calm down for them in their careers, there’s time to rekindle that flame.

I think the strength of the show was its legion of supporting characters, from adorable May, Mr Jung, Seo Tae Woong to chill get guilty Career Moms who want to be there for their kids. There’s too many to appreciate but they all had a hand in making Wed/Thurs something to look forward to.

And lastly, thank you for recapping this series with us and providing more precise translations to better understand the show!

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Krampa

February 7, 2021 at 6:55 PM

Also how perfect was that ending scene? All the characters sitting in a theater made me so emotional.

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4 Ally

February 7, 2021 at 6:53 PM

The montage was probably the most satisfying ending I’ve seen in a while. I really liked that all the characters were in the same room at the end and you could see the interconnected nature this show tried to continue through the end, which it did amazingly.

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5 RK123

February 7, 2021 at 7:13 PM

The final montage was so satisfying. I appreciate that the show ended on a note of life simply going on for all the characters, some happier than others, but all still very much a part of the journey.

I also really appreciated that all the women characters on the show were specifically depicted as being absolutely terrific at their jobs, total winners, and yet, all of them were warm and sympathetic in their own way. We need more women like that in the drama world.

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6 mj91

February 7, 2021 at 7:16 PM

This show is amazing and now i don't know what to do. Just love it so muchhhhhh. It's so amazing in everyway. Maybe it's not everyone cup of tea. I rewatch this again from ep 1. and it even getting better in one binge.
There are so many analysis and writing about characters in tumblr and twitter. So runners you can check it out!! XD.
Just want to point out, the scenes where that discussed happy endings actually is the same day as they BBQ day. (look at their clothes). That's why DanAh still called YeongHwa as haksaeng. The ending for them is the museum one,
the one thing that i want to know is the time skip though, i mean YeongHwa clearly already become an artist. Even he looks mature..
I really love that married and 'happy ending' is still out of the picture for them.
can't wait for this writer next drama.

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jess

February 7, 2021 at 9:38 PM

I felt a bit sad when realizing the happy ending talk happened in the same day as rooftop bbq party (that's why they cheered for Mijoo finishing the marathon too, right?). I think the conversation also tied to Danah saying she cannot be Yeonghwa's happy ending. They had different idea of happy endings after all.

I cried at DanHwa's break up scene. It's sad but beautiful. Both actors did a great job.

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Mj91

February 7, 2021 at 9:48 PM

Yesssme too. But like they said the writer intended all of them just keep living their live happier and better XD.
Although DanHwa ending is very 'open', they still love each other so much and that's the point.

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7 bil

February 7, 2021 at 7:24 PM

I definitely miss this show, as abirdword said, after the final ep we believe they still continue their lives like usual, sungyeom and mijoo still together, run every morning, and they still eat together (BBQ party) with Dan ah and Yonghwa while continue doing their job.
The show give me feeling and vibes like Diary of Prosecutors, not too grande or perfect but they had their unique charm

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8 LookieLooWho

February 7, 2021 at 7:27 PM

I loved this drama, period. I'm not really ready to say good bye either and I found myself misty- eyed at the end. It made me so happy to see 2 of 3 members of SK's family accepted Mi Joo and it gave me hope for her as a potential member of the Ki family. There's a Youtube video on Netflix's The Swoon channel featuring the Dramabeans creators answering what makes a happy end. The Run On finale checked all their boxes; one being that a happy ending gives us a glimpse into the future. Here, we saw exactly what our couples would be doing. The only downside is I want another season of our pairs going through their lives, deciding to advance or separate, all while managing their lives.

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9 ramenqueen

February 7, 2021 at 7:41 PM

Arghhh I love this show! Have I mentioned it more than once? I love that Sun-Kyum called mom LOL, yes let her handle it!
The main couple has learned and gone a long way from the beginning. It must be the good acting bc I can clearly feel the awkwardness in the flash back vs how well they click together at the moment.

I cried during the break up scene and love the comment about recycle Young Hwa's heart since they talked about recycling before (and the lovey touch that throughout the entire show, Dan-ah consistently reusing one cup for all of her Americanos).
And I love that the stock holder meeting or whatever it is that gave Dan-ah her well deserved VP position didn't take any screen time! LOVE that we can fast forward to the result since none of us want to sit through another stuffy board meeting with 99% of the room being men in suits.

What a perfectly ordinary ending or all the extraordinary stories wrapped perfectly in a series!

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meowingme

February 7, 2021 at 9:03 PM

Love how the script consistently makes throwbacks to their earlier words, like the recycling. There's John Wick, what's inside Young-hwa and rice burgers, the so-called natural encounter, and I bet there're many more I've missed!

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Possum

February 7, 2021 at 10:13 PM

Agree about the meeting! The audience is only interested in the result after all.

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neener ~ Inside the Magic Shop ~

February 8, 2021 at 8:00 AM

Yes to the meeting! Instead we got more scenes of our side characters’ lives, even Dyson got to exhibit its’ skills in the montage.

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ar_arguably romantic

February 8, 2021 at 9:01 PM

I was a little lost as to how Dan-ah snag the VP position and who is P to her VP? But I'm also super glad that we didn't waste any time with the board meeting. The drama shows that there are many sides to the characters and we're going to mainly focus on her personal relationships.

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panshel

February 8, 2021 at 9:52 PM

Personally, I would've loved to have seen the stockholders' meeting to see Tae-woong "act" as Dan-ah's little brother and the siblings take down Myung-min. If Dan-ah's vice-president, who is president? Was Myung-min the one who leaked Tae-woong's secret of being an illegitimate child?

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10 meowingme

February 7, 2021 at 8:50 PM

It's a deliciously perfect (non-)ending for Run On, because we can imagine our characters continues running on with their life even when we can't watch them anymore...

Am happy the secretary is the first to desert Assemblyman Ki, seems fitting. The scene where he turned down the photos one by one, I'd like to think it's him acknowledging he's been riding on his family's wings and he's nothing on his own. Could do with him not appearing any more tho, why can't he goes off the cliff before the movie... Also, super happy Young-il is joining Woo-shik, hope he left the coach all alone and bitterly regretful.

Dan-ah & Young-hwa's beautiful goodbye broke me, but am glad they both have a shoulder to cry on in Sun-kyum and Mi-joo, and they have gained precious friendship even if the lost a lover. But because am a sucker for happy ending, thank you show for their reconciliation!

Sun-kyum's "I love you is yet again his trademark, matter-of-fact and no fanfare move, yet so sweetly swoony...

Run On is a delight for all it's 16 episodes, and made even more enjoyable with the many recappers and beanies each with their own interpretations of this drama; what a wonderful journey!

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OLakes

February 8, 2021 at 2:06 AM

I appreciated that, like Assemblyman Ki's secretary, there were quite a few instances of people acknowledging that they had been wrong about something, apologized, and actively tried to rectify and/or do better.

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Eazal

February 8, 2021 at 9:22 AM

Apologizing, realizing the real length of one's acts or words has been a constant theme of the drama. People should apologize more, not only because they've been caught (main reason why people apologize), but because they realized they's done wrong.

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neener ~ Inside the Magic Shop ~

February 8, 2021 at 8:03 AM

I wanted the secretary to tell SK that MJ returned the money. But after much thought, in the bigger picture of things, it wouldn’t matter to SK. Because for him, he was ashamed more of his father for doing it and not disappointed at MJ.

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meowingme

February 8, 2021 at 5:44 PM

So true! Also went through this thought process and realized that this doesn't matter the slightest to our couple who accepted everything about each other, flaws and quirks and all...

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11 gimzy🐣

February 7, 2021 at 8:51 PM

Thank you for the beautiful ride, show (and for introducing me to Im Shi-wan *heart eyes*) You will be remembered. I love you.
(And I love director Kim's dimples *swoon*)

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12 thatstp

February 7, 2021 at 10:00 PM

Does anyone know who the guy is with the actress during the montage?

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seed

February 7, 2021 at 10:20 PM

Mi Joo's ex-bf, the movie director

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meowingme

February 8, 2021 at 5:30 PM

Comment was deleted

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meowingme

February 8, 2021 at 5:46 PM

Show siccing Tae-ri's extra-annoying agent to the similarly annoying ex got me the giggles.

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thatstp

February 10, 2021 at 6:01 PM

Thanks!

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beanslover

February 8, 2021 at 11:19 PM

Thanks for asking this question. I had to pause the screen to figure out but still couldn't tell

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13 wapz

February 7, 2021 at 10:50 PM

Love Run On. Never would I have imagined that a show would compile two very different professions (running and interpreter/translator/subber) and still make it seem like they fit. As you said abirdword, MJ and SG are very different just like their professions but refreshingly fit so well together. I'm a tad bit still confused about DA and YH, are they together or not but everything else was just perfect. It is so surprising that Run On basically had no or very little plot but it was one of the most watchable dramas. I drop shows on bad plot but Run On's strong dialogue and characterization made me stay to the extent that plot no longer mattered. It might just become the first show I will rewatch because I don't have to worry about knowing what's happening next beforehand, I just need to sit and enjoy. And to me that was the purpose of this show anyway.

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14 geminirat

February 8, 2021 at 12:31 AM

Thanks for the recap, @abirdword! Young-hwa and Dan-ah's romance didn't continue but I love the scene when YW presented DA's painting and she said it was so loud. And in the end, although she has reached her goal as VP, she saw another of his works and understood it to mean 'I miss you.' SK and MJ keep on working for their life together, and I'm glad that everybody is around to cheer for them, like Mom's coffee truck. If there ever will be a part 2, I wish DA and YW will be together.

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CS

February 8, 2021 at 7:31 AM

Hmm... I got the impression that DA and YW ended the show back together... They are sitting together in the movie theater and sharing popcorn. I thought the scene in the art gallery was them coming together as two equals. She's a VP, he's now an established artist - the can begin again on even footing.

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OldLawyer

February 8, 2021 at 9:19 AM

With the fall of Assemblyman Ki and the death of Dan-ah's father, and the defeat of Dan-ah's 'older' half-brother the obstacles to their relationship have been largely removed. Accepting her younger brother was the key to her victory in the company while helping her at the stockholder's meeting removed the threat to his idol career. The two half-siblings have discovered that they are far stronger when united.

It would almost be silly if Dan-ah and Young-hwa were not together again. They may need to be somewhat discrete for a while longer but there will no longer be a rational reason for separating. These two have found a partner who supplies a strength where the other is weak- I find their relationship quite logical.

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meowingme

February 8, 2021 at 5:54 PM

The sharing popcorn part reminds me of him trying to share on his "date" with Secretary Jung ><
"On even footing" is well-said, am 100% behind this!

Dan-ah managing to interpret Young-hwa's paintings shows that they are connected in a way that's beyond age or any economic/social differences, love how it's been constantly shown...

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OLakes

February 9, 2021 at 12:17 AM

Haha I totally forgot about the Secretary Jung movie date!! 😆

I think the writer was trying to make a point that there's never a guarantee how things will go, but (to borrow the line), that whole gallery scene basically screamed "I still love you." If their breakup was meant to be a definitive ending, it would have been much different. Something like DA admiring a beautiful but generic painting and friendly dialogue between two people who have fond memories but who have clearly moved on and are at peace with their past, probably coupled with YH making some comment about how he was moving abroad. There would not have been popcorn at the movies, or her cool-but-pleased little smile. 🤷‍♀️

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15 firefly

February 8, 2021 at 12:57 AM

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CattyEve

February 8, 2021 at 7:18 PM

I have kept my eyes on Shin Sae-Kyung since her The Girl Who Sees Smell days, she has a lot of potential and she has a unique acting style that only she can pull off. Some people might dismiss her as another pretty face in Kdramas, but I have yet to be disappointed by her dramas.

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firefly

February 13, 2021 at 10:58 PM

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16 immawish

February 8, 2021 at 1:15 AM

As much as I agree with how the journey is as important as the result, with a drama personally I think the ending can make one drama exponentially remarkable or exponentially forgettable despite how good or mediocre the journey is (not bad because bad journey is unsalvageable, I think). And this happened yet again with Run On. It was very strong at the start up to mid point, kinda get loose in the last couple episode (but not bad!! not at all!! even much better than some recent K-dramas) but that finale week. That finale week succeeded to make this one of my most favorite of all time.

The main attraction for me with Run On is that complex emotion in simple everyday life they are trying to portray (yeah maybe a little chaebol-only life problem but they are as human as 'peasant' as Dan-ah like to call). This is definitely what I felt and expect a view episodes into Record of Youth. And I'm actually glad I find solace in Run On for that.

Another thing is that how you can feel the love this writer has for every of these characters they created (Ummm maybe not Myungmin). What can you love more than a drama with a writer than actually love one by one of their character and willing to create a happy ending for every one of them. And without seemingly too good to be true on top of that! It's just the right amount for each and everybody. Taewoong getting attention for Dan-ah, Maeyi finding love and comfort from Mr. Jung vice versa. Eunbi knowing how to love herself, Jiwoo knowing how to love her children, Ms Dong family finding new balance. These are definitely not a happily ever after ending and there would be more story to be told in their future life after we part with them in that last scene, but at least for now, everybody ended up in a new place where everyone of them are happy enough to attend that screening all together. Which is a happiness, in some specific hard times in our lives, we only wanted to have even just a tad bit of it. The finale was strong, remarkable, and made this show one of the gem that I think actually care about ending everything on the right note.

Ps. I was so worried how they seem to left off the whole Dan-ah liking woman thing, and voila they really did not shy away from addressing it. Oh and one more thing, I'm also happy with how much this show slips a stand about woman, sexual identity, patriarchy and a lot more without making it too forceful, intense, and in-your-face kind of way.

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Orientedstar

February 8, 2021 at 9:10 AM

Regarding the journey of a drama and its ending run on actually reminded me of one of my favourite shows mixed up investigative agency. The starting episodes were bumbling but the show picked up steam in the middle episodes and delivered a pitch perfect finale where every thread and detail came together for delivering a superb ending. And they actually had a montage of all the characters that appeared in the drama(even the delivery guys) showing that they are living their own lives and they won't be coming in the drama anymore beacuse they are busy being the main leads of their life. The love they showed to the secondary and tertiary characters is so similar. Highly recommend the drama. Strong endings are really a rarity in dramaland.

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OLakes

February 8, 2021 at 12:17 PM

When I think back on some recent dramas I've like a lot all the way through, I have to say that a weak or rushed ending can really take the wind out of my sails of enjoyment. I'm so glad this one finished strong. It leaves me with such a good feeling.

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ar_arguably romantic

February 8, 2021 at 9:10 PM

I agree with you on the writer having a lot of love for her characters and creating a happy ending for them all. They're not pawns to push the OTP into a happily ever after. Even Seon-kyum's dad ended on a hopeful note.

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passingthruu

April 25, 2021 at 5:47 AM

who was the other pair that was fishing too during the montage? was it dan-ah's brother?

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ar_arguably romantic

April 25, 2021 at 7:31 AM

That's my thought as well - Dan-ah's mean brother and maybe a secretary? since he was the bad-tempered one and the ending montage tried to capture everyone down to the actress and her dad-like manager from the first week. I'm guessing Dan-ah may have ousted or demoted him so he's out fishing - like the other mean guy in the drama (Seon-kyum's dad).

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Kipikip

February 11, 2021 at 5:36 AM

Yeah, might be an unpopular opinion but I also noticed that the drama slightly faltered in the last 2-3 episodes. But still, I agree that it was not bad at all. I just feel that the first twelve or so episodes came up with a higher ‘peak’, quality-wise, and they managed to hit that ‘peak’ more consistently in its delivery.. if you all get what I mean. I also felt that the lead characters just lost a little bit of layer while approaching the final episodes, as they became simpler and somewhat standardized.

In spite of that, even in those final episodes we still get a fair number of great scenes and importantly, a nice ending scene (the movie studio scene). That was one unique and very metaphorical ending there, which I end up appreciating more after I read this recap and plenty of other’s perspectives in the comment section.

All in all, my few complaining above do not really matter. Run On was a great drama and I absolutely love it!!
At first I have zero expectations of the show because the promotional story description sounded so generic. But then the show surprised and overwhelmed me with its many likable characters and their amazing interactions.

Run On got to be one of the best romance Kdrama I’ve ever watched.

Final score: 9.5/10

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17 OLakes

February 8, 2021 at 2:02 AM

I loved this show, and I loved the final episode. I love that it gave me enough to be okay to move on, but also stayed true to its theme that life holds many endings and beginnings. We live the best we can, and we just...keep going.

Relationships (of all kinds) take work, communication and honesty. There are no guarantees, but wonderful things can also surprise you, too. Ji-wook taking the initiative to develop a new relationship with her children; SG reaching out to his noona; Dan-ah letting in Tae-woong; Ye-jun and his mother finding their way; SG learning more and more to love himself.

Perhaps indirectly, both couples touched on a theme that was important to me: there really is no such thing as a fairy tale. Mi-joo acknowledging that sometimes they were just not going to get each other, that there were differences that they would not necessarily be able to reconcile but that they should just focus on doing what was possible was so awesome. Sometimes our worlds intersect...but sometimes they don't. So sometimes we just live them next to each other and that's enough. And that's why I love how understated the "I love yous" were. Simple, sincere - and then keep running on.

I think Young-hwa in particular learned about fairy tales the hard way - but he's able to take the lesson. And we finally saw some fairly impressive growth for a guy that had, frankly, been pretty childlike for most of the show with his naïve insistence that "all you need is love." I always felt that put so much stress on Dan-ah, and it was bound to bring them down. So by finally realizing that what she needed at this moment in her life was time to do what she needed to do for her, he was able to cut through his own ego and just let her go, without rancor. And while he does not deny his feelings about her, it's clear from his conversation later with SG that he's able to let go without expectation. I agree with @abirdword that without this, no future would be possible for them. And if the gallery scene is truly an indication that they are finding their way back to each other, then all that came before probably gives them a better chance because now their vision is much clearer.

No matter what happens, everyone in that theater will keep on going. They'll have good moments and hard moments, quiet ones and loud ones. People will move in and out of their lives, ever shifting, ever shaping, ever growing and ever living. And while the Young-hwa (and pandemic stress) in me is always a bit wistful for an obvious HEA, I think my takeaway is that the best part of running on is that anything really is possible.

(Thank you for letting me pour my heart out here. The finale made me realize some things about my own life that I think I can now make peace with, and I was not expecting that.)

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Eazal

February 8, 2021 at 9:30 AM

You are so right about how hard you have to work on relationships (love, friends, family). I always say I take lots of time and effort to cultivate my loved ones: I keep in contact with my friends, I remember their birthdays, I send them presents, I listen to them when they need me, and the same goes for family (no wonder I'm single, this is too exhausting, haha).
When people tell me I'm the friendly one and the one who always has someone by her side, I always tell them: I work really hard on it. I do.

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OLakes

February 8, 2021 at 9:51 AM

I'm the same. I told someone once that the people I care about are my garden, and you need to be diligent when you garden. Yes, it's work, but there's a lot of joy in seeing it flower.

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18 Blue (@mayhemf)

February 8, 2021 at 5:36 AM

This show had my heart ♥️ for 8 weeks. It was like sipping a warm cuppa tea during these months of winter. Thank you show, will miss you.

I loved the way the show ended. It was like it slowly closed the curtains giving me time to dwell on every character.

It might be one of those few shows I would come back to rewatch.

Thanks @abirdword for the recaps. It was nice to read your thoughts and have a discussion here with beanies.

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19 CS

February 8, 2021 at 7:20 AM

I thought the finale was an absolutely perfect end for this quirky and delightful show! It was consistent down to the last second. I'm glad that we go to see each of the characters get a satisfying ending - especially our main couples. The Mae/Mr.Jung couple was especially a fun last minute addition! The writers were so thorough that during the "where are they now" montage at the end, I found myself asking "who was that person?". It took me a long minute to place them, but I laughed out loud that they even included the starlet, her manager and Mi-joo's ex-boyfriend director!

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Elaine Durán

January 23, 2024 at 8:26 PM

i know you wrote this a long time ago but if you or anyone could answer. Who were the guys sitting at the lake (not referring to seongyeom and his dad) the older one had gotten mad and thrown his hat as the younger one ran away…?? i can’t recognize them for the life of me and it’s driving me crazy lol

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20 Gaby

February 8, 2021 at 8:05 AM

I appreciate this show. It was such an easy watch- even the drama that was didn’t give me the anxiety drama in dramaland usually does lol. It just felt comfortable and watchable the entire time.

I will say that I would’ve rather watched an entire show based solely on Dan-ah and Young-Hwa’s relationship. Their story and relationship felt so raw and real and touching, whereas I didn’t feel that from MJ & SK’s story. Tbh, I felt that their interactions as a couple fell flat. At first I cheered Mi-Joo on but eventually I stopped liking her. I didn’t hate her, but I had a hard time relating to and feeling empathy for her character and the couple moments between her and SK felt unnatural to me. Maybe it had to do with her as a character or the way she was portrayed, but I lost interest in the main couple’s story line halfway through. I actually liked her interactions with other characters, like Dan-ah, Dan-ah’s assistant, and her best friend/roomate (whose name I can’t remember) a lot more, but even then, something about Mi-Joo’s character just didn’t win me over.

Still, not a bad watch at all.

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21 neener ~ Inside the Magic Shop ~

February 8, 2021 at 8:13 AM

So happy to have come across Run On, such a gem! It was a simple drama that has SO MUCH warmth. Will definitely be rewatching this in the years to come.

Thanks to @abirdword and to beanies for the discussion about these awesome characters!

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22 cortadochica

February 8, 2021 at 8:32 AM

I am still processing how this show has made me feel. Whenever I recommend it to friends, I ask myself what is it about this show that is so good and it is hard to articulate fully. Is it the characters? their development? the dialogue? the cast? how real it felt? the positive relationships?
I am not sure. All I know is that this show has made me dig up my unused Reddit, Discord, and Tumblr so I could actively connect with others and talk about the show. I have heard that others have had the same experience in wanting to reach out. I feel like I have made new friends in watching this show and discovering this amazing community. I am new to the whole kdrama world as I have only started watching in December and it has been wonderful to discover this community.

As for the finale itself. Where do I begin? I loved everything about it. I know a lot of people are a bit disappointed at our second couple but I feel it was an appropriate ending that was not a full end but rather an evolution that reflects the moment in their life. All the moments between SG and MJ were perfect, of course. I am disappointed at Netflix for mistranslating the conversation immediately after SG's "I love you" in which MJ tells him she loves him but we all understand that she does anyway.
As I was rewatching various previous episodes, the very final scene struck a cord. The one in which SG and MJ sit down in the theatre, she looks at him, he catches her looking and raises his eyebrows asking "what?" and she shakes her head as if to say "nothing". They both turn to the screen, he then looks at her hand and confidently grabs it. She tries to hold back a smile. The scene took me back to that moment after their confession when they awkwardly try to hold hands and don't quite manage. The amount of comfort with each other in the last couple episodes was a joy to see.

I could go on and on but I really need to get back to work!

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23 miss h

February 8, 2021 at 8:52 AM

The ending was so good and satisfying. I loved everything about this drama: the acting, dialogue, well-developed characters, gender and relationship dynamics, movie references and parodies … I already feel like starting a rewatch to pick up all of the little details I missed.

I loved that Seon-gyeom solved the Assemblyman Ki problem by calling mom.

Seon-gyeom’s “I love you” was so simple and sweet and Mi-joo’s teasing afterward made me smile. They may not always understand each other, but they've built a strong, healthy relationship.

I’ve had issues with Dan-ah and Young-hwa’s relationship but their break up was so beautiful and mature. I loved that Mi-joo and Seon-gyeom were there for both. Sometimes you just need a hug. Their scene at the gallery was also touching. I loved how Young-hwa incorporated the sneakers into the painting.

Another great scene was Ye-jun's confession to Young-hwa. I loved Young-hwa's reaction and the hug.

The flashback to the happy ending discussion was perfect. The montage was perfect. I loved seeing everyone in the movie theater at the end.

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ar_arguably romantic

February 8, 2021 at 9:16 PM

Ye-jun's confession to Young-hwa brought tears to my eyes. And I love how we later get a glimpse of Ye-jun introducing his new boyfriend to Young-hwa. I've been hoping that the writer will give Ye-jun a love interest before the drama ends and the writer delivered.

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24 Orientedstar

February 8, 2021 at 8:57 AM

This finale was everything I did'nt know I wanted. It had everything and addressed every little issue and brought a nice resolution to every character without being over the top. They made me feel that everyone's life will go on whether good or bad. Everyone has already commented on everything but I still want to add my own words. Somehow this episode made me feel so much and I did'nt expect that. The important takeaway in this drama for me as abirdword has said you need not have someone who "gets you". You just need someone who is willing to put in the time and effort to "get you". Mijoo and sun kyum demonstrated this perfectly. They are not opposites but just different persons and are willing to work for their relationship despite their differences. Somehow I found this so romantic than finding the perfect soulmate for you because it just does'nt happen so easily in real life. And they actually showed how much work goes into a relationship to make it happy. Another favourite of mine is ji woo's breaking point is her children. Though she was not beside them until now she acted when it counts the most. And woo shik winning a medal made me so emotional. Ye jun ye chan and their mother's storyline is amazing. I never expected much from it so was shocked how good they made it. I like the open ending for dan ah and young hwa. Soo young killed it in the crying scene. And the best best thing beside the main romance is the friendships of the 2 male leads and female leads. How awesome is that. I tuned into this drama expecting romance but I got much more than that. A beautiful ensemble drama with well written and thought out characters giving justice to every character. I love you so much drama. Thank you for not disappointing and exceeding my expectations.
P.s started rewatching the ep 1 and 2. And it is much more hilarious. How far mijoo and sun kyum has come.

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FormAnOrderlyQueue

February 8, 2021 at 7:04 PM

Thanks @orientedstar125! You put into words something that I had been thinking for a while in this drama: that real romance is found in someone who is willing to work hard to "get you" and willing to accept that they will not completely understand, but that's okay and they won't back out because of it. I loved that about SK and MJ's relationship - and was really happy to see DA and YH on their way to that too. It was so great to see this kind of relationship celebrated.

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25 Eazal

February 8, 2021 at 9:17 AM

First of all, I want to thank you and Laica for the wonderful recaps and comments, as well as all the other beanies who commented here and on the beanie wall this drama. Commenting and reading your comments has been as satisfying as watching the drama itself.

I can't add much more, just that I loved the drama and the story, I loved how it revolved around communication and words. I hadn't enjoyed a couple as much since SeRa and Gong in ITR.

And that last scene, that beautiful epilogue is the best ending I've seen in a drama (even better than my two favourite drama endings: Forest of Secrets S1 and S2).

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amara

February 12, 2021 at 11:28 PM

Love ur fav endings lmaooo

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26 merry

February 8, 2021 at 10:03 AM

Ahh, what a satisfying journey that was. I love how the show treated us with intelligence and respect. I really feel affirmed! No idiocies nor misunderstandings that did not get resolved by communication. I always consider that people who can recall memorable lines and acting in films are creative and nerdy and I love 'em. Writer-nim and director, thank you! Laica and abirdword, thank you for superb recaps and your own thoughts that added a unique layer to this drama. Beanies, we got this! Yay!

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27 Dramas found by chance

February 8, 2021 at 5:35 PM

I felt this show was hard work to understand but well worth the effort, and the recaps made a big difference for me.
As far as Dan-ah and Young-hwa are concerned, the crucial moment for me was when she decides to set her birthday as the day she meets him in the art gallery. In effect she has made him the reference point for the rest of her life.
When the bartender said Dan-ah needs a bigger box (to put Young-hwa in) was that a Jaws reference? I took this to mean she needs to change her perspective and give more (mental and emotional) space to him.

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28 CattyEve

February 8, 2021 at 7:09 PM

Finally, a drama with solid writing and realistic casts. It has been a minute since the last time I enjoyed watching a show, not to mention some of my favorite oppas chose mediocre dramas for their comeback projects and I, sadly to say, has been burned so many times I almost gave up on watching Kdramas. But shows like this are the thing that pulled me back to Kdrama stratosphere, a show so genuine and witty and smart and acknowledge that the audience too are smart that you can’t help but root for all the characters, even the bad ones. Thank you, director-nim, writer-nim, all parties who worked hard for this show, may y’all live a long and prosperous life!

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29 ar_arguably romantic

February 8, 2021 at 9:45 PM

Thank you @abirdword and @Laica for the recaps and beautiful commentary that articulates all the awesomeness of this drama! And thank you for fellow commenters. You all enhance my enjoyment of the show and have beautifully expressed so much of what I wanted to say.

For the finale, I admit that I was a little discombobulated at times. I knew the Young-hwa and Dan-ah relationship needed to take a pause but was emotionally confused when they really did break up. So glad to see at the gallery and at the theatre - hearts still in their eyes.

I love that scene of them just sitting in Young-hwa and Seon-kyum's home and talking about happy endings. It makes me realize how difficult it is to write a happy ending that can satisfy everyone since everyone has their own concept of what constitutes a happy ending. If that happy ending is being together forever with someone, Mi-joo has some truth bombs for you!

I loved how we got to check in with so many characters' lives and how we got to see them all at the theatre. It is such a beautiful sendoff to the people who have crossed paths with our gang.

I love seeing Kim Sun-ho cameo, but did anyone get the sense that he didn't film that scene with Shin Se-kyung and vice versa? It seems like they may have used body doubles due to scheduling. I would have loved to see a special flashback or outtake of Mi-joo and Director Kim character arguing and Mi-joo dropping an F-bomb.

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ar_arguably romantic

February 8, 2021 at 9:53 PM

Forgot to also give a shoutout for the last image of the credits- where everyone is masked up and doing the ET finger thing! So cute!

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panshel

February 8, 2021 at 10:35 PM

I got the sense that Director Kim liked Mi-joo from their bickering and his writing her name in the sand. Mi-joo has the best chemistry with people who do fast banter like Young-hwa and Director Kim, while she talked to Sun-kyum like she was talking to a child and worst, treated him like one, which he was rightfully offended by.

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30 beanslover

February 8, 2021 at 11:07 PM

Run On is such a gem and I'm so sad that it has ended. Now my Wed and Thu are so blaah.
I could just watch the quads SK-MJ-HW-MJ, SK-WS-YI-HW; trios SK-MJ-HW, MJ-DA-HW, SK-YI-WS, MJ-MY-Mr.Jung, SK-HW-TW; duos SK-MJ, DA-HW, MJ-MY, SK-DA, HW-Mr.Jung, MY-Mr.Jung, MJ-JW, DA-TW and all of these, any of these combos, or individuals because the writers did an amazing job to give each character its own self, just like in real life. I held off on watching this show until episode 10 was released because based on beanies' reviews/comments, this show is my cup of tea and didn't want to anxiously wait for every week for new episodes to come out. When I finally decide to watch, I binged it during a Saturday and just left my husband and rambunctious toddler to fend for themselves.
Besides the show, I found the recaps are as entertaining and addicting as I anxiously wait to read on the recaps after finish each episodes. I love the commentary sections as I could understand the show and characters much better. Thank you so much, recappers!!!
My top ten moments of this show:
1. How different SK-MJ are but they find their ways to understand and compromise with each other. You can see by the progression of their conversation and interaction.
2. DA-MJ's friendship - they have different background but they form a very bond. Love how DA just "kidnapped" MJ to go to HW's hometown.
3. MY and Mr. Jung - OMG, the scene when they were caught on their first date had me ROLFMAO - My husband and my son thought I was crazy.
4. SK - EB sibling relationship - how they protect and love each other.
5. SK's growth and improved relationship with his friends - I would say it's the positive effects from MJ.
6. SK cooking for MJ - finally MJ gets to eat SK's food
7. DA's sincere apology to YJ about faking being a lesbian, especially she mentioned that she has never apologized to anyone before - much respect to the writers for being sensitive to this.
8. HW crashing SK-MJ date after the movie
9. Mr. Jung showed up as HW's movie date
10. Ms. Jong and JW's effort to become a good mother.

Looking forward to another show like Run On to enjoy with all my fellow beanies :)

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31 velagirl

February 9, 2021 at 8:11 AM

I am going to miss this show so much. Thanks for all the thoughtful recaps. This show goes into the bucket with My Unfamiliar Family and I'll Find You When The Weather is Nice. Lovely shows with a focus on communication, a community of characters, some tough and damaged people and not relying on all the most irritating Kdrama tropes: lots of drunken scenes, lying and more lying, wailing and screaming, and weak female characters.

I can see myself watching this again somewhere down the line.

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OLakes

February 9, 2021 at 9:05 AM

I feel the same way about all three of these dramas, too. Well said.

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Long

February 9, 2021 at 1:48 PM

My thought exactly ^^. I 've watched all type of shows but I've been always drawned more to slice of life kind of show and Run On hit all the right buttons.
Real flawed relatable people, no extravagant plots or useless conflict.
I am with you with the 3 shows, I'll add also 18 again and hospital playlist which were also kind like that.
Now which show is next ? ^^ She would never know is nice but I am not as engaged as in Run On for now.

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32 amara

February 12, 2021 at 11:26 PM

This show sounds so beautiful i know i wouldnt be able to handle it. Ty for the write-up

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33 DesOk

March 1, 2021 at 9:15 AM

I have to say that, although there were some rough spots, this drama was really good. The cast/crew, music, plot, etc. were really good. Also, that ending was perfect for this drama. I would like to thank everyone who worked on this drama and the people who recapped it here on dramabeans. Thank you!

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34 RaylaSan

August 25, 2021 at 11:59 PM

It was nice to watch a drama that was pretty competent, and didn't bore me. This drama was definitely much more of a slow-burner though, but it wasn't bad. I loved the characters, and the ending was actually pretty good.

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35 geunyang_

February 3, 2022 at 6:21 AM

Thank you for your amazing reviews and recaps of that episode. They were concise and detailed, and really sweet too at times. But the most what I loved is those reviews you put at the end of each episode. As it helped me understand the drama more. You also gave words to what I was feeling inside my heart by being s honest and piecing every little detail so nicely... Really loved your recaps!! Thank you ♥

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36 jssy

July 24, 2022 at 7:54 AM

Aww what a nostalgic way to end this series! I’ve enjoyed watching this. Seon-gyeom and Mi-joo are definitely my favs. I super love their cute interactions esp. during the start of the show. Will also miss Ms. Seo and Heong-wa! Omg there are so many memorable characters here… I super love them all. Now I’m sad to say goodbye to them :((( On to my next kdrama!

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jssy

July 24, 2022 at 7:56 AM

Cant believe I finished watching this for a week despite my full work schedule haha!

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37 Goyangi

September 14, 2022 at 5:48 PM

Thank you for the insightful recaps! These helped me to enjoy the drama even more.
I did wonder at the mom's comment about divorce that she "keeps the kids". The kids are adults so how can she keep them as if they were minors? Unless she meant metaphorically. Also I had hoped with the secretary's revelations on Eun Bi and the divorce that he would also share how Mi Joo had not kept the bribe money. Overall a nice show, I enjoyed it. I watched it because I liked Kang Tae Oh in EAW.

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38 DK-Drama 🫘🏆Image of drama FL Character Deterioration🚺🍉🌱

August 2, 2023 at 4:01 PM

I filled out the bingo card for this one, too.
I loved it much more than the bingo card expresses - there were so many diverse characters to like, and without being as silly as some sweet dramas are, it managed to tell more interesting stories and still leave me lighthearted and ... thankful even! ... at the end.