'Run On' Episode 5: Mi-joo wants to be Seon-gyeom's human shield and rescues him from ruin, she is his knight
The charm of 'Run On' that airs on JTBC is the chemistry between Shin Se-kyung who plays Mi-joo and Im Siwan who plays Seon-gyeom. It is refreshing to see that their chemistry is not about excess affection, excess consideration, or the trappings of romance that Korean romcoms are well-known for. Instead what we see is Mi-joo and Seon-gyeom get to know each other in a way that is free of prejudice, judgments, or any bit of fake interest. They riff off of each other, but romantically and that will leave you with a smile on your face because that is how charming the two of them are together. This chemistry and fuzzy feelings also turn out to be the exact thing that fans are tuning in for.
In episode 5 of 'Run On' we see Seon-gyeom confront Mi-joo about being paid by his father but instead of making her feel guilty about the entire incident, he ends up accepting it and it only makes Mi-joo feel worse. The fact that she calls out on his habit of making others feel pathetic with this attitude of being extraordinarily considerate hits a nerve because we see him stumped when it comes to having to respond to her. Right after, the two seem to part ways as if to never meet again but coincidences come calling. Mi-joo's friend who is more a nemesis is getting married and she invites her to the same hotel in which Seon-gyeom is staying and that allows both Mi-joo and Seon-gyeom a chance to reconcile.
Then, we see Seon-gyeom's junior Woo-shik create an opportunity for both Mi-joo, who helped him interpret his emotions and thoughts to international journalists while he had tried to call out what really happened with Seon-gyeom's assault case, and Seon-gyeom by inviting them to dinner. This is when they get over all the misunderstandings that had cropped up. She lightens up Seon-gyeom's mood and he does the same for her and at the end of their arranged date, the thing that Mi-joo had most expected to see appears. The international report based on an interview with Woo-shik.
The moment it arrives, she works hard to interpret it, translate it in Hangul and upload in as many blog sites as possible so the next morning news of what really happened in the Seon-gyeom assault case goes viral. This does redeem Seon-gyeom but the truth is that Woo-shik announced his retirement in the report without informing Seon-gyeom, in consideration of what was better for his senior. So it doesn't make Seon-gyeom extremely happy, instead makes him miserable.
The whole point of standing up to the athletes association, rebel against his father and stand up against his better and selfish judgments was to help Woo-shik stick with running. Instead, his actions led to Woo-shik announcing his retirement. Of course, Mi-joo who had interpreted it for the interview was well aware of Woo-shik's plan so that's another truth that she has hidden from Seon-gyeom. However, this one hidden fact, considering how he would feel, ends up bringing them closer romantically as well.
'Run On' will air on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9 pm KST on JTBC and can be streamed on Netflix in the US.
