Welcome to Kdrama and Ramen!

A national marathon runner meets a movie subtitle writer when she is hired by his agent to be his translator for a weekend.  Despite the fact that they seem to have nothing in common, there is an instant connection between them.  So when the runner suddenly finds himself in the middle of a scandal that causes him to be removed from the team, he turns to her for guidance and support.  As they get to know each other, they learn that love goes deeper than similarities.

Im Shi Wan as Ki Seon Gyeom

Ki Seon Gyeom became a national athlete because his politician father insisted that all of his family members needed to help him raise his public image.  But when he finds out that a younger team mate is being abused by older team members he refuses to sit back and do nothing.  Unfortunately his actions get him kicked off the team.  Left to his own devices he moves into Mi Joo’s living room and decides to use his personal sports knowledge to work as an agent for other athletes, starting with his bullied friend on his old team.  

Ki Seon Gyeom is adorably blunt and socially awkward.  Because of his own sheltered and dysfunctional family, he doesn’t really understand the feelings of the people around him.  But he is also kind and generous at heart, even if he doesn’t know how to show it.  Seon Gyeom is willing to stand up for the people he cares about, even when he knows it will cost him.  Im Shi Wan has the perfect cool exterior to play this part.  Watching Mi Joo help  him raise his emotional intelligence was cute and inspiring.  

Kang Tae Oh as Lee Young Hwa

Lee Young Hwa is a young art student.  He is honest and hard-working.  When Dan Ah shows an interest in his painting, he instantly likes her and begins pursing her romantically.  Young Hwa also meets Seon Gyeom by coincidence and the 2 become friends and eventually roommates.

♥ Movie Cut-Scenes

Because Mi Joo is a subtitle writer and movie fanatic, it fit perfectly to use the “Run On” characters in movie cut scenes.  It allowed for fun costuming and a little creativity in the storyline.  Seeing them dressed in classic Hollywood styles was really cute and must have been a great opportunity for the cast to act in different genres.    

♥ Confession Scene

Okay.  I have to say that the confession scene between Young Hwa and his long time bestie Kwon Young Il was one of the sweetest scenes I have ever seen.  To watch Young Il agonize over his feelings and finally work up the courage was great, but it was Young Hwa’s reaction that really moved me.  Without missing a beat or making his friend feel awkward, he hugged him and cried with him and told him how unfair it was for him to love someone who didn’t love him back in that way.  It was such a beautiful picture of real friendship and empathy.  Really well done!

No Family Resolution

It was a little sad to me that even on his deathbed, Dan Ah’s father never really apologized for the mess he had made of their family.  Sure, he did give a half hearted “I love you” to his grieving daughter, but that really did nothing to bring about any kind of resolution for his relationships or the relationships of those he was leaving behind.  At lease, Dan Ah and her younger brother were working to establish some kind of relationship, but I would have liked to see more.

Poor Ki Eun Bi

The writers really had no love for the poor daughters in this drama.  How can you not feel sorry for Ki Eun Bi.  She spent her life doing her father’s bidding at the risk of losing the one man she had ever loved.  Luckily her boyfriend was understanding, but it could have been much worse.  Her career suffered from the stress of it all.  And after all that sacrifice, her father still threw her to the wolves to save his own career.  She really deserved so much more.  

It’s pretty much a happy ending for everyone, including a happy divorce for Seon Gyeum’s mom.  Seom Gyeum’s dad fails to gain the sympathy vote by using Eun Bi and loses the election.  Luckily, Eun Bi’s boyfriend choses to believe her side of the story, so they are still together.  Young Il’s family goes on a camping trip where they bond and Young Il’s mother  finally seems ready to accept the fact that he is gay.  Mae and Je Wook have started dating.  Dan Ah has taken over her father’s business and Young Hwa has his paintings displayed in an art show.  So when he finds Dan Ah in a gallery admiring his latest piece Dan Ah finally decides to quit running away and give their relationship a try.  And our lead couple are happy together and Seon Gyeum is learning how to communicate his feelings.  The final scene shows the cast in a theater at Seon Gyeum’s mom’s movie premiere.  Her ex-husband shows up with flowers so maybe things aren’t really over for them after all.  And that’s a wrap, ya’all.