Summary
While it’s better than the previous chapter episode 4 is only a slight improvement — there’s still no spark between the two leads though. Maybe it’s coming.
This recap of k-drama Netflix series Run On episode 4 contains significant spoilers.
We will be recapping this series weekly — check out the archive.
The opening
Episode 4 continues with the aftermath of Ki Seon-gyeom not running on the track and field in front of the media and politicians out of protest. He announces that he assaulted his juniors and there’s shock amongst the journalists. He looks up at Oh Mi-joo and asks her to translate it. The father does not look pleased, and Kim Woo-sik walks off. There’s so much awkwardness here.
The aftermath
Journalists ask Kim Woo-sik if it was Ki Seon-gyeom that assaulted him. They’ve got the wrong end of the stick. The Coach and other athletes gather around the athlete and pull him away. Assembly Ki berates Oh Mi-joo for translating Ki Seon-gyeom’s words. He’s an angry father, but there’s an obvious issue between him and the son; flashbacks show how controlling the father has been. Ki Seon-gyeom brings up his control, and his father slaps him and calls him an ungrateful brat. As Ki Seon-gyeom walks away, Dan-ah says she will fix the mess.
Laying down the rules
Dan-ah hosts a dinner with the sports journalists. She lays down the rules and wants honest and transparent reporting. She then introduces Kim Woo-sik to the table and states he will tell them what really happened. This is what you can damage control.
Spending time with Oh Mi-joo
While on the beach, Oh Mi-joo tries changing the awkwardness and tells Ki Seon-gyeom that she’s hungry to lighten the mood. They head to a cafe to eat. Ki Seon-gyeom tells Oh Mi-joo that he’ll either get kicked out or suspended. She asks him if he’s scared, but he reckons he will “bear with it”. The conversation lightens up again, and Ki Seon-gyeom reminds her of the first time he saw her, and she was running. It’s evident the characters are interested in each other, but they are biding each other’s time due to the recent events.
PR prepping
Dan-ah asks Ki Seon-gyeom to give Kim Woo-sik some interview skills. A flashback shows Dan-ah telling Kim Woo-sik that he might be outcast as a whistleblower. Kim Woo-sik vows to clear Ki Seon-gyeom’s name.
Before the interview
Ki Seon-gyeom tells Oh Mi-joo to leave out some of Kim Woo-sik’s statements in the interview where he defends him. Oh Mi-joo believes it is absurd that he’s trying to protect everyone but himself — she states that she cares about his story, no-one else’s. She wants him to start taking care of himself. Oh Mi-joo is showing how much she cares for the man.
The interview with Kim Woo-sik
Oh Mi-joo attends Kim Woo-sik’s interview to translate. The athlete tells the journalist that Park Gyu-deok and Gi-beom hurt him. Kim Woo-sik then praises Ki Seon-gyeom, the man who protected him. Meanwhile, Ki Seon-gyeom watches from outside. After the interview, Ki Seon-gyeom tells Oh Mi-joo that she did great, but she isn’t impressed and walks off. There are tensions between them already.
Do you like me?
Ki Seon-gyeom offers to give Oh Mi-joo a ride to the airport. He then asks her if she likes him because everything she has said so far seems to hint it. Oh Mi-joo says not everything she has said has hinted that but some stuff has before walking off. The story props Ki Seon-gyeom as someone who does not easily open up.
No longer a blind eye
Assembly Ki learns that all athletes are complaining to the association. They can no longer turn a blind eye. He wonders what Dan-ah is doing to resolve all this and wants her to speed up. He then faces the press.
Checking up on Ki Seon-gyeom and a meeting with Dan-ah
Ki Seon-gyeom has made the decision to quit the athletics team voluntarily. On the news, it says he has been kicked out. Oh Mi-joo texts him and asks if he’s okay. She’s desperate to talk to him. Oh Mi-joo then meets Dan-ah. The agent wants her account number to pay her, but Oh Mi-joo says it will be professor Hwang that will be paid. Oh Mi-joo then asks why she took the job as she doubts Assembly Ki paid her to do a good job. Oh Mi-joo says she pitied Ki Seon-gyeom. Dan-ah tells Oh Mi-joo to make sure Ki Seon-gyeom doesn’t know about the bribe. Are these two women now at war over Ki Seon-gyeom? It seems so.
Don’t tell Ki Seon-gyeom about the bribe
Dan-ah then reveals that she was the last person Ki Seon-gyeom liked and Oh Mi-joo is shocked. She asks Oh Mi-joo if they’ve met since recent events and tells Oh Mi-joo that she pitied her. Oh Mi-joo downs her iced coffee and tells Dan-ah she’s going to see him now. Dan-ah seems to be stirring the pot.
The ending
Oh Mi-joo walks aways frustrated and then rings Ki Seon-gyeom and asks for her lighter back. When Ki Seon-gyeom tells her now is not the best time, Oh Mi-joo asks if he’d say the same to Dan-ah. Ki Seon-gyeom says he doesn’t want to meet her as he’ll make a mistake and that he’s at a hotel room. Oh Mi-joo demands an address. She heads to his hotel room and thinks it is weird. Ki Seon-gyeom asks Oh Mi-joo if his father paid her. This shocks Oh Mi-joo; she didn’t think he knew. There’s a weird silence between them. Oh Mi-joo confirms he paid her and she took it — she tells him to be disappointed in her. The episode ends with them standing in the doorway.
While it’s better than the previous chapter, Run On episode 4 is only a slight improvement — there’s still no spark between the two leads though. Maybe it’s coming.
Additional points
- Dan-ah requests a meeting with Kang Baek-ho and wants him as a client. The man ends up in a swimming pool with his clothes on, and Dan-ah helps him out. There’s a lot of flirting involved. Outside, her brother is bothered about him talking to her.
