I Am a Running Mate ending explained, and season 2 renewal possibilities explored: Did the elections change Noh Se-hoon & Kwak Sang-hyun's lives?

I Am a Running Mate, starring Yoon Hyun-soo and Lee Jung-sic, unveiled all eight episodes on TVING on June 19, 2025. I Am a Running Mate follows the story of a top student, Noh Se-hoon, played by Yoon Hyun-soo, whose reputation at school was damaged because of some rumors.

He was approached by two seniors, Yang Won-dae (Choi Woo-sung) and Kwak Sang-hyun (Lee Jung-sic), to become their running mate as the school's vice president in the upcoming Student Council elections. Noh Se-hoon tried to improve his image after accepting one of the seniors' offers and suddenly became the center of attention at the school.

I Am a Running Mate episode 8 revealed that Noh Se-hoon found out the accomplice behind the hit-and-run case was Kwak Sang-hyun. Noh Se-hoon eventually confronted him, and he revealed that he only decided to run the elections with him so he could easily “dispose” of him.

They got into a fight, and he threw an object from the top floor, damaging a resident's vehicle. The police arrested Kwak Sang-hyun, and Kang Jae-won decided not to help him anymore. Later, Noh Se-hoon dropped out of school as he could no longer continue to be normal with his friends at school anymore.

Given that the elections concluded and the characters move on with their academic lives, there seems to be no possibility of a second season. However, the production team of I Am a Running Mate is to comment on the same.

I Am a Running Mate ending explained: Noh Se-hoon realizes his mistake after the elections

In episode 7 of I Am a Running Mate, Yang Won-dae, in his final speech, threw Nam Gyeong-tae under the bus, blaming him for the campaign's mishaps. Nam Gyeong-tae was devastated, as Yang Won-dae was the one who encouraged him to play dirty so he could win.

Meanwhile, Kwak Sang-hyun was hit by eggs from the audience before he could begin his speech. Additionally, the tablet on which he was supposed to read the speech stopped working. He panicked and almost quit. Noh Se-hoon stepped in and told him to confess about everything, including the alcohol party and exposing Park Ji-hun. He did as he was instructed.

In the final episode of I Am a Running Mate, Noh Se-hoon's last-minute idea helped Kwak Sang-hyun win the elections. Kwak Sang-hyun became the school president, and Noh Se-hoon, along with Yoon Jung-hui (Hong Hwa-yeon), was appointed as vice president.

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Meanwhile, Kang Jae-won had previously beaten up a senior and threatened him into deleting Kwak Sang-hyun's party photos. He was arrested ahead of the voting process and was seen apologizing to the senior at the police station. The matter was resolved as the senior agreed to a settlement. After the incident, Kang Jae-won cut ties with Kwak Sang-hyun and refused his offer to pay the compensation.

After learning about the mission run accomplished, Noh Se-hoon reached out to the homeroom teacher for help. Instead, he reminded him of how he was there at night when Yang Won-dae's standee was sabotaged.

Although Noh Se-hoon did not himself damage it, he was seen clearing the evidence. Noh Se-hoon realized that during his time in the election, he forgot about his morals and resorted to the wrong methods.

Later in I Am a Running Mate, episode 8, Noh Se-hoon went to Park Ji-hun's place in hopes of reconciliation, but Park Ji-hun refused to meet him. Noh Se-hoon went to the private penthouse of Kwak Sang-hyun to confront him. They got into a fight, and Kwak Sang-hyun confessed to ordering his friend to hit Noh Se-hoon with the bike. Noh Se-hoon caught this on the phone, and the police dragged Kwak Sang-hyun and his friend.

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I Am a Running Mate season 2 renewal possibilities explored

Noh Se-hoon decided to quit school after all the things that happened and how they affected his friendship with his classmates. Yoon Jung-hui and Yang Won-dae wished him well for his future endeavors. Nam Gyeong-tae also reconciled with Noh Se-hoon. However, Park Ji-hun was nowhere to be seen.

A year later, in I Am a Running Mate, Kang Jae-won picked up Noh Se-hoon in a luxurious car. It was revealed that Kang Jae-won worked as a celebrity's manager. At the same time, Noh Se-hoon took the GED to pursue his future studies. It was also shown that Noh Se-hoon was not in contact with Park Ji-hun.

By the end, it can be said that the storyline was restricted to school elections, and there were no signs of progress into a new season. However, TVING has not made any official statements about this.

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Meanwhile, fans may catch up with all eight episodes of I Am a Running Mate on TVING.

Edited by Riya Peter