Goodbyes & Mended Hearts
Do-Ha and Du-Sik are in a heated argument about who is to blame for their father’s deteriorating condition. Do-Ha insists that Du-Sik was to blame, but Du-Sik doesn’t believe him. The argument quickly turns physical, with both men fighting for control.
When Hye-Jin hurries to catch up with Du-Sik, he confirms that he is feeling glum. The two part ways, with Du-Sik deciding to take some pills and sleep it off. ..
Do-Ha’s father worked as a security guard at YK Asset Management several years back. Du-Sik was a fund manager back then and convinced him to invest in a risky fund.
Du-Sik’s father took out an investment loan and put his money on those stocks. Unfortunately, he lost everything when the stocks plummeted, prompting him to attempt suicide. However, Do-Ha was there to witness all of this. In fact, Du-Sik’s boss also died in a car accident around the same time, which Do-Ha chalks up to bad luck. I mean, stocks are tricky things to predict so it’s not fair to blame Du-Sik for this, surely? ..
Gongjin is abuzz with people, which creates a problem for everyone. Du-Sik doesn’t show up the next day, which is a problem for everyone given that Chun-Jae and Nam-Suk are struggling to cope.
Ji-Won and Seong-Hyeon are having a conversation outside when Ji-Won starts to feel jealous of Seong-Hyeon’s talk with another guy. Seong-Hyeon makes up a story about how the two of them met and had a brief chat in truth, but the video eventually ends up being edited.
Gam-Ri, a patient of Hye-Jin’s dental clinic, brings steamed corn to show her gratitude for the successful treatment of her implants. Du-Sik, another patient at the clinic, has not eaten in days and is clearly unwell. ..
While this is going on, drama ensues when Hwa-Jeong and Yeong-Guk break the news to I-Jun that they’re getting back together and remarrying. That evening he runs down to the park alone though, trying to keep himself up on a high pole. Bo-Ra is the one to find him though and eventually finds out what’s going on.
It turns out I-Jun is crying with happiness but didn’t want them to see him cry as he knew they’d end up heartbroken. He loves eating together as a family and now they’re able to do this as a family again, it’s filled him up with elation.
Du-Sik and Hye-Jin sit down to talk about Du-Sik’s past. Du-Sik tells Hye-Jin about his experiences during the Korean War, and how he was affected by the war.
Du-Sik tells the story of how he and Jeong-U became friends and how Jeong-U convinced him to get a job at the Asset Management company. Du-Sik was promised that he and other ordinary people could become rich through working at the company. ..
Do-Ha was forced to sell his shares in the company after it went bankrupt, and now he’s struggling to make ends meet. He’s met a lot of new people and made a lot of money, but now he’s stuck with the debt.
Do-Ha’s father took out a loan and bet everything on these funds. However, Do-Ha encouraged him not to sell the stocks and wait as they could well bounce back. Do-Ha blamed himself for this and also not opening up about this more.
Jeong-U and Du-Sik were driving on a road in South Korea when they lost control of their car and hit a white truck. Du-Sik was more forceful with his father, but Jeong-U did not have the same reaction.
Cho-Hui, a friend of Hwa-Jeong’s for many years, tells us that the crush she had on Hwa-Jeong in the past is actually with her. Hwa-Jeong doesn’t have any ill-feelings toward her old friend though, remaining understanding, although clearly breaking the news that there’s no way she can reciprocate the feelings.
Do-ha tells us that he was surprised that despite his financial situation, he still managed to live a good life, with his student loan completely paid off. He credits his hard work and dedication to his education and says that he is grateful for the opportunities that have been given to him.
Do-Ha finally opens up not long after this, admitting that he just wanted someone to blame. This, unfortunately, fell to Du-Sik in the end.
Du-Sik finally dares to wear the suit Jeong-U got for him all those years ago. This also allows him to meet Seon-A and his nephew, Ha-Rang. This moment down on the beach together paves way for Du-Sik meeting his old friend too, who comes to him in a vision from his subconscious. Tears stream down Du-Sik’s face as he admits how much he missed his friend. Jeong-U tells him to move on and live his life again. ..
Du-Sik’s depression led him to contemplate suicide before he arrived back in Gongjin. Standing atop a busy bridge, he seriously contemplated ending it all… until Gam-Ri and Gongjin came – quite literally- knocking. Or, well, texting. This singular act helped Du-Sik turn up in town and change his entire outlook, determined to be Chief Jong and do right by everyone.
Meanwhile, our three old ladies are having a lovely evening together. Gam-Ri, after talking about her past and how she loved eating squid and speaking fondly of a picnic, passes in the night next to her two best friends. And someone’s cutting onions in here! Her friends say their goodbyes, with Sook-Ja encouraging Gam-Ri to go to her picnic and wait for them there.
It seems that Hye-Jin was determined to make sure her new friend Du-Sik was okay and waited for the ambulance to come so she could be sure he was safe. This pairing is definitely fated and we can see it in their interactions.
The Episode Review
The final episode of the show was a tear-jerker as secrets were finally revealed and the truth came tumbling out. Gam-Ri’s death was a nice way to close her character out, but it still pains to see her go. ..
This show has done a great job with its characters and the closure with Hwa-Jeong and Yeong-Guk is equally satisfying too, with the pair getting back together after realizing the grass is not greener on the other side.
Du-Sik’s father gambled everything they had on stocks, and now Du-Sik is struggling to make ends meet. ..
In the penultimate episode of “Running Man”, Jeong-U successfully passed the test and was given the green light to continue living with his friends. However, everything is not perfect in the end and a white truck of doom comes to take him away. This has been one of the best episodes of this show, as it perfectly bows out on a high ready for tomorrow’s finale.
