The ‘academy-themed specialty’ Tving's newly introduced high school political comedy 'Running Mate' was indeed different.
The Tving original 'Running Mate' (directed and written by Han Jin-won) was fully released on the 19th amid high expectations. The students of Yeongjin High School, who began to experience everything differently just because they ran for student council president, found painful awakening and growth after a ‘no-right-answer’ competition, leaving a heavy aftertaste. Above all, praise poured in for the dynamic performances of the rookie actors who vividly portrayed the behind-the-scenes chaos of the election, including Yoon Hyun-soo, Lee Jung-sik, Choi Woo-sung, Hong Hwa-yeon, Lee Bong-jun, and Kim Ji-woo.
'Running Mate' begins with a surprising incident that turns No Se-hun (played by Yoon Hyun-soo) into the laughingstock of the entire school as he runs for student council president to refresh his image. Not only was he chosen as a running mate by Yang Won-dae (played by Choi Woo-sung), the representative face of Yeongjin High School and head of the choir, but even the students' ideal, Kwak Sang-hyun (played by Lee Jung-sik), sent love calls, leading No Se-hun to rise from the ‘humiliated guy’ of the school to the hot topic of the day. Kwak Sang-hyun captured No Se-hun’s heart, who was torn between Yang Won-dae and Kwak Sang-hyun. Disappointed that he was Yang Won-dae's twelfth candidate, No Se-hun took Kwak Sang-hyun's hand. Meanwhile, the first-place student Yoon Jung-hee (played by Hong Hwa-yeon) joined the Kwak Sang-hyun camp, drawing attention. On the other hand, Yang Won-dae, who faced a fracture due to No Se-hun's departure, completed his camp with the suggestion of vice-presidential candidate Ha Yoo-kyung (played by Kim Ji-woo) to recruit No Se-hun's best friend and ‘popular guy’ Park Ji-hoon (played by Lee Bong-jun). The conflicting relationships from the start opened the curtain on the fierce student council presidential election war.
As the official campaigning began, the Kwak Sang-hyun camp promoted ‘trend’ and ‘innovation’, while the Yang Won-dae camp advocated ‘tradition’ and ‘unity’ to win public opinion. The first campaign rally favored Yang Won-dae's camp with Park Ji-hoon's popularity power during the school trip campaign song, but the Kwak Sang-hyun camp was no slouch either. They counterattacked with a promise to invite a famous coffee brand, shaking up the situation. However, the Kwak Sang-hyun camp soon found itself in crisis after being embroiled in the incident of damaging a life-size cutout of Yang Won-dae, pushing them further into a corner.
As the election intensified, the desires of Kwak Sang-hyun and Yang Won-dae also began to show their true colors. A malicious frame war had begun. Kwak Sang-hyun pressed No Se-hun, stripping away his warm facade, while Yang Won-dae's deception went beyond shamelessness, pushing No Se-hun's anger to the extreme. The shock didn't stop there. After an anonymous social media account exposed a party video of Kwak Sang-hyun, suspicions arose over Park Ji-hoon's report card forgery. The fact that the altered voice targeting Ji-hoon belonged to No Se-hun himself, who secretly recorded and used it in his trusted camp, made it hard for No Se-hun to bear it. The election gradually lost its essence, drowning in personal attacks and fake news, devolving into an emotional battle. Although each of them entered the election war for their own reasons, the students no longer found those reasons important. They had to win at all costs, and they had reached a point where there could be no retreat or compromise in a war where the other side had to be defeated.
At the last joint speech venue, Yang Won-dae shifted the blame for the smear campaign to Nam Kyung-tae's personal misconduct, making a tactical move for victory. The one who turned the tide was No Se-hun. He told Kwak Sang-hyun, who had lost his fighting spirit after being egged on publicly, “If you’re not crazy, you can’t win this election.” Stung by the advice to drop the pretense and arrogance, Kwak Sang-hyun kneeled and countered, “It’s my fault that the election has come to this. I will serve for the next year with a heart of repentance.”
After the intense election, No Se-hun had a painful awakening. Reflecting on himself, who had become neither a ‘need’ nor a ‘want’, but ‘disposable’, No Se-hun lost a friend and even himself, ultimately standing at a new starting line for himself. The growth that came after the ‘no-right-answer’ competition left a deep aftertaste.
[Photo] Provided by Tving.
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