I Am a Running Mate: Episode 1 (First Impressions) » Dramabeans

I Am a Running Mate: Episode 1 (First Impressions)

by solstices

When an embarrassing incident turns an unassuming high school boy into the talk of the town, he finds himself abruptly thrust into the spotlight. With this newfound notoriety comes not only endless mortification, but also an unexpected popularity that has the student election’s frontrunners vying for his support.

Editor’s note: This is an opening review only. For a place to chat about the entire drama, visit the Drama Hangout.
 
EPISODE 1

Our story kicks off just a few paces before the finish line, opening on a momentous day at Youngjin High. It’s polling day for the student council elections, and the school hall is abuzz with activity as the culmination of both parties’ efforts finally come to fruition. Before the race kicks off proper, a montage of the campaign season flashes by, skimming past triumphant moments and downright brutal tactics in equal parts. Clearly, high school is a microcosm of society at both its finest and its absolute worst.

Rewinding to 33 days before the election, we follow our titular running mate NOH SE-HOON (Yoon Hyun-soo) on his way to school. At first, it seems just like any other day, until Se-hoon starts dozing off on the bus. In contrast, his little friend down there decides it’s the best time to perk right up. Scandalized by the morning wood poking its way into her line of sight, a fellow passenger — cameo by Joo Hyun-young — delivers a resounding slap that’s captured on camera by Se-hoon’s snickering schoolmates.

This incident earns Se-hoon the unfortunate nickname of “Mr. Hard-On,” commencing a relentless bout of gossip that spreads like wildfire throughout the entire student body. In particular, the extroverted Mr. Popular PARK JI-HOON (Lee Bong-jun!) delights in teasing Se-hoon every chance he gets. After all, what better way to demonstrate your love for your best friend since kindergarten? (Cue Se-hoon’s chagrined cringing.)

For the most part, the self-effacing Se-hoon meekly navigates through the school day while attempting to keep as low of a profile as possible, which really doesn’t work out as well as he’d hoped. As his luck (or lack thereof) would have it, Se-hoon ends up running right into his crush HA YOO-KYUNG (Kim Ji-woo) and causing her to stain her school blazer. Oops. At least Yoo-kyung’s nice about it, even if she has to stifle a giggle, and Se-hoon resigns himself to wistfully gazing at her as she plays the piano during choir practice.

Someone else is also busy observing amidst the singing, and that’s the choir sunbae YANG WON-DAE (Choi Woo-sung), who has his sights fixed on Se-hoon. Inviting Se-hoon out for lunch, Won-dae extends an offer to join him in running for the student council. Needless to say, Se-hoon is bewildered by the sudden invitation, but Won-dae points out that Se-hoon has experience being student president… of his elementary school. LOL. Hyping up Se-hoon’s diligence and potential, Won-dae frames the vice-president candidacy as the perfect chance for Se-hoon to restore his reputation.

The recognition of his abilities — and from a sunbae he admires, at that — is enough to restore Se-hoon’s spirit, and he squares his shoulders with a newfound purpose. It’s actually quite telling how eager Se-hoon is to tag along with Won-dae, because we see how such simple external validation is enough to brighten his day. The way Won-dae sings Se-hoon’s praises may come on a tad strong, but Se-hoon doesn’t stop to question it in the least. After all, as Ji-hoon enthusiastically declares, Won-dae is well-liked by the teachers and students alike. In other words, Won-dae is a shoo-in for the presidential position.

Buoyed by the great opportunity, our best buddies toast to Se-hoon’s imminent big break outside a convenience store (sipping from yogurt packs, hee). They’re overheard by school sunbae KWAK SANG-HYUN (Lee Jung-shik), who is hands down the most popular guy in the neighborhood. Pretty much everyone admires him with an enamoured awe, and Sang-hyun graces them all with an amiable greeting and a dashing smile.

Immediately taking his juniors under his wing, Sang-hyun offers to treat them to chicken… but unlike Ji-hoon’s excited assumption, it’s not fried chicken. It’s chicken skewers at a pojangmacha. HA. Contrary to his disappointed grumbling, the chicken fanatic Ji-hoon stuffs his face anyway, while Se-hoon groans at his hamster-cheeked friend. To Sang-hyun’s credit, he doesn’t bat an eye, though I can’t help but wonder what motives lie behind all this generosity. There’s something just short of sincere about Sang-hyun’s smooth smile, almost as if he’s projecting a carefully-crafted veneer.

In any case, the innocently naive Se-hoon doesn’t think too much of it, and Sang-hyun’s connections get Se-hoon into highly-competitive academy classes. Marvelling that he managed to score a coveted spot, Se-hoon can’t help but feel a tad out of place. Once again, though, he doesn’t look the gift horse in its mouth. At the academy, Se-hoon encounters the bespectacled YOON JUNG-HEE (Hong Hwa-yeon), who seizes the chance to show off her English proficiency in class. Jung-hee comes off as a tad pretentious, but perhaps she’s just a nerd who marches to the beat of her own drum.

Eventually, Sang-hyun’s motives soon come into focus — he’s also running for student council president. On top of that, he’s the son of the parents’ association’s chairperson, and he’s not above plying Se-hoon’s mom with lavish gifts to further turn the tides in his favor.

At first, Se-hoon refuses to let his staunch loyalty be shaken by Sang-hyun’s sugar-coated tactics. That is, until the teacher SHIN JUN-KYU (Park Geun-rok), who’s in charge of the election commission, asks to speak with him. Teacher Shin reveals that Won-dae had asked him about the freshmen’s grades, explaining the significance of a party’s overall academic performance. Since Se-hoon ranked twelfth in his cohort, though, he likely wasn’t all that high on Won-dae’s priority list. Oof. So much for all that talk about character and solidarity — it seems Se-hoon was merely an afterthought once the higher-ranked students declined Won-dae’s party invitation.

On the contrary, Teacher Shin mentions that Sang-hyun spoke highly of Se-hoon, and that’s enough to change the tune that the simple-minded Se-hoon marches to. Stinging from what he perceives as Won-dae’s betrayal, Se-hoon approaches Sang-hyun, seemingly ready to switch factions.

Ooh, this is a decently fun watch so far. It’s not entirely compelling just yet, but it’s intriguing enough to keep me curious. Sang-hyun does indeed have a charismatic aura, but how much of his benevolence is a genuine altruism, and how much of it is shrewd manipulation? Won-dae appears to be a down-to-earth guy, and his lack of a filter gives off the impression of a candid honesty, but does that belie a calculative mind as Teacher Shin seems to imply? There’s so much we don’t know about our central characters just yet, and I wonder what else I Am a Running Mate has up its sleeves.

For one, the drama is already dropping hints that Ji-hoon may not be as benign as his adorable smile makes him seem. Not only has he already picked up the habit of vaping despite being underage, but he also forges report cards — and not just his own. In fact, he’s already made a profitable business out of it, and I can’t imagine it not coming back to bite him one way or another. But all that aside, Ji-hoon seems to be a pretty solid friend to Se-hoon, which makes it all the more interesting that the promotional posters indicate they’ll end up on opposing sides of the election. I guess Sang-hyun’s chicken skewers weren’t enough for Ji-hoon?

It’s still too early to tell which candidate is more deserving of the position, or even who is being truthful at all, though I wouldn’t be surprised if both of them have skeletons in their closets. At the center of it all is the burning question — why Se-hoon? Surely there are other equally capable candidates, and I don’t quite see how Se-hoon’s notoriety factors into the picture just yet. If anything, I’d have expected his besmirched reputation to work against him, not in his favor. Maybe any publicity is good publicity, at this stage?

For now, I’ll stay tuned in while anticipating a good dose of political satire, more hilarious antics from our Chief Detective 1958 reunion (or should I say pre-union, since this was filmed earlier?) — and of course, that clip I saw of Lee Bong-jun flexing his musical actor vocal chords while singing his party’s campaign song. That’s more than enough reason for me to keep running till the finish line!

 
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