Run On episode 13 recap – Ki Seon-gyeom asks for “time apart”

This recap of k-drama Netflix series Run On episode 13 contains significant spoilers.

The opening

Well, the last chapter wounded the viewers in making them feel it may be over for the lead characters — and at the moment, it certainly seems the case. It wouldn’t be a k-drama if there were not any last-minute hiccups. At the start of Episode 13, Oh Mi-joo suggests that she wants to break up, and Ki Seon-gyeom wants confirmation; he’s disappointed that she made him say it first, and didn’t sleep on it. He asks for them to have time apart and think about it because he feels he deserves that. He’s clinging on to every last hope to ensure they do not make a mistake.

Eun-bi offers to help out Oh Mi-joo and Ki Seon-gyeom

The next day, Eun-bi tells Ki Seon-gyeom that the way her father has treated her is typical of him and that he does the same to the one she loves. Oh Mi-joo feels like she doesn’t deserve Ki Seon-gyeom, and the love makes her lose focus on her work, and herself. Eun-bi offers to help out with Ki Seon-gyeom the best she can while the pair focus on themselves. There’s plenty of “absence makes the heart grow fonder” in this episode.

It’s Dan-ah’s birthday

Lee Yeong-hwa senses that something is wrong with Ki Seon-gyeom, who starts wondering if Oh Mi-joo really wants to break up — he believes he tried hard enough. However, Lee Yeong-hwa learns it’s Dan-ah’s birthday and wants to do something special for her, so he’s distracted. Dan-ah is not too bothered about birthdays and does not see the point of them, but Lee Yeong-hwa keeps pressing her and wants to meet her on the day, but she keeps on pushing back. Dan-ah does come across as the type of character that does not care for celebrations — she’s very specific in her needs.

Oh Mi-joo continues to form an unlikely alliance with Dan-ah

Oh Mi-joo heads into Dan-ah’s office and tries to talk to her about her situation with Ki Seon-gyeom and his father. Dan-ah claims Assemblyman Ki is too busy at the moment in politics so that she will be fine. Meanwhile, Assemblyman Ki learns he is not faring well in the polls. We can already see where this is heading — he will take it out on his children.

Speaking to Lee Yeong-hwa’s best friend

Dan-ah goes to the coffee shop again; she observes the man who is Lee Yeong-hwa’s best friend. The same best friend heads over to Lee Yeong-hwa’s apartment. At the café, the best friend accuses Dan-ah of messing Lee Yeong-hwa around. The story feels quite baseless at the moment, so it will be interesting to see where it leads to.

Presenting Woo-sik’s stats to a track and field organisation

Ki Seon-gyeom meets a track and field organisation on behalf of Woo-sik. He shows a manager the athlete’s stats, but the man asks why he’s supporting a whistleblower. The manager wonders if they can sign both of them as they both have good stats. Ki Seon-gyeom politely withdraws from the meeting. Meanwhile, Seo Tae-woong confronts Lee Yeong-hwa about his birthday celebration preparations; he tells him to stop planning her day, and they end up scuffling. In the process, celebrations are ruined.

Birthday celebrations have gone wrong

And then some drama is injected into what feels like mostly a dull chapter 13.

On the way to Dan-ah’s birthday venue, Ki Seon-gyeom and Oh Mi-joo bump into each other; the earth feels like it stands still, but they are soon distracted to the scuffle going on between Seo Tae-woong and Lee Yeong-hwa, and their friends trying to split them up. Dan-ah arrives and wonders what is going on. May accidentally makes Oh Mi-joo jump and a party popper goes off, making the baker drop the birthday cake. Dan-ah stands there expressionless looking at Lee Yeong-hwa — it’s absolute chaos. We will see if Dan-ah is happy or not with Lee Yeong-hwa’s efforts in the next episode.

While cleaning up the mess, Ki Seon-gyeom talks to Oh Mi-joo. He wonders if she would have still come over if she knew he was good my to be there and she doesn’t answer.

Ms Bang is in trouble

But the athlete doesn’t have much time to reconnect with Oh Mi-joo. Ki Seon-gyeom gets a call that Ms Bang cannot be reached. When he gets to the school, the parents are fuming and tell him he cannot train the students again. They want to know where Ms Bang is. There’s been an incident. Ki Seon-gyeom believes they should hear both sides of the story before they jump to conclusions. He’s learning from his time in his athletics team and the scandal it caused.

The ending

Oh Mi-joo finds her bottle in Run On episode 13 and defends a young student named Su-bin who is accused of stopping another student from succeeding on the track and field. They become good friends very quickly. As she makes her way home, she sees Ki Seon-gyeom, and they both stand there, looking at each other again. He runs after her and hugs her from behind and says “don’t go”. He asks her to teach him how to break up.

Despite introducing a turning point for Oh Mi-joo and Ki Seon-gyeom that needs to be dealt with, Run On episode 13 is dull and does not offer much to care about.

Additional points

• Seo Tae-woong tells Lee Yeong-hwa that he is the “b*stard” in the family tree.