K-Drama Rewind, Run On: Gentle Im Si-wan and towering Shin Si-kyung steer a mature drama of self-love and healing

It’s clearly the week to appreciate Shin Se-kyung. After mesmerising fans in BTS Jin’s latest MV—playing yet another partner teetering on the edge of a breakup, Twitter did what it does best. A fan posted a clip from Run On with a stern reminder: don’t forget one of her best roles.

It’s hard to disagree. Thank you, good K-Samaritan. 

No doubt. Run On, is one of the most mature, profound lump-in-your-throat dramas, without even going overboard with the melodrama. It doesn’t need to. It has everything for a re-watchable show: Grounded storytelling, splendid acting by all the leads, Im Si-wan, Kang Tae-oh, Choi Soo-young, and everyone has a fleshed-out, fulfilling arc, while confronting trauma and broken households.  It’s the story of healing, and finding the path to self-love, without relying on any sort of sermonising. It’s quiet, soft, and yet doesn’t miss showing how painful the process can really be. Gentle Im Si-wan plays a former athlete Gi-yom, while Se-kyung’s sturdy, self-reliant Mi-joo, is a transcriber.

Gi-yom is a rather submissive soul, under the influence of his father, and unable to take a strong stand for himself. Mi-joo, who’s fought hard for financial stability, values every penny. Their love story gradually unfolds, through gestures of tenderness—one particular moment being where an overworked, ill Mi-joo is in hospital, frazzled by the constant chatter of the people next to her—and Im Si-wan just draws the curtain to give her the privacy.

That’s where the immaculate power of Run On lies: In simple words, gestures, conversations in parks, at night on the steps, and just getting to know each other. The dialogue writing is crisp and clear too, one sweet moment being where Mi-joo asks Im Si-wan the reason why he has come to see her. “I didn’t need a reason, he answers.

And, the reason for the strange power that Run On wields, lies in Mi-joo’s character. It’s where many other shows, from K-Dramas, to the West and Bollywood could take lessons on writing a strong female lead. Too often, the strong female lead either preaches about her strength until you can recite her monologue by heart, or, she somehow goes back on all her values, to slot herself in the male lead’s ambitions. Moreover, storytellers enjoy the idea of sacrifice—more notably women’s than men’s. It’s the low-hanging fruit in writing, where rather than showing actual complicated conflict, it’s easier to pretend that one is sacrificing their interests for the other,

But not Se-kyung’s Mi-joo. In one of the rarest displays of steely resilience, she holds on to her self-respect. After Gi-yom’s father almost breaks her door down, telling her to stay away from Gi-yom, you almost expect her to crumble and tragically tell Gi-yom that they must part ways, as he should listen to his father. You’re not completely wrong, but in a rather anguish-ridden scene, a tearful Mi-joo says that she doesn’t want to face such insults and humiliation; she doesn’t deserve it. In other words, please sort your family out. The noble sacrifice is that there isn’t one—and as painful as the scene is to watch, your respect for Mi-joo intensifies manifold. 

Their reconciliation is just as admirable: A teary Gi-yom asks her, “You taught me everything. Why didn’t you teach me how to break up?” And as she later reminds him—that while they will be together, he needs to respect and love himself first, and only then, can they be a fulfilled, happier couple.

Run On is a rare, rare show and deserves a lot more discussion than it gets, for its approach to acceptance of oneself, healing, overcoming one’s biggest obstacles, which lies within themselves.