Lovely Runner (2024)

Handsdown one of the best drama in 2024

I am proud to say I am one of the few people that started the drama way before the craze and hype, all because I was excited since last year when Wooseok and Hyeyoon were announced as the cast. Frankly, I don't particularly care about drama theme when my fav actors or actresses star in it and in this case, it was Hyeyoon.

I started it out not expecting any great or perfect drama, I simply expect a usual romcom. Man was I wrong, episode 2 was absolutely magical and I knew right away I had to promote tf out of this drama to every single of my mutuals.

I just finished watching finale and my thoughts are jumbled up lol I'll comeback when I have sorted out my thoughts and feelings and will write a proper review.

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THE MOST PERFECT DRAMA OF THE CENTURY

Sunjae. Sol. Two perfect characters and what a beautiful journey they took us on. Hooked right from the moment we realised Sunjae fell for her. Not a moment in this drama felt like a drag. They never wasted time on useless narratives (IM Geum is an exception). My heart is so full. Thank you for creating this beautiful masterpiece. We enjoyed this drama together, as a whole. Perfect acting, soundtrack, storylines, even the villain was perfect. The parallels were so beautifully crafted. The story never felt confusing even with 4 time slips. How will I deal with my Mon, Tue now? ???

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Good but not great

First off, I really love all the actors. Byeon Woo Soek has solidified his place as an A list actor in Korea. I first saw him in Record of Youth but this role is where he really shined. He has come a long way.

I have to say, I did not like the script. I hated the back and forth so many times and just couldn’t keep up.

The music was fantastic. “Rain Shower” is so beautiful. And!!!!! “A Day” by my favorite group (Ateez) member Jongo!! So great!

Also, it was funny how the “bromance” reminded me of True Beauty. I really liked the other guy and also her brother and family!

It took me forever to get through this series but I’m glad I did. As for time travel though, I prefer Twinkling Watermelon.

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The defniton of mood swings

I started watching this on Sunday and I was hesitant to watch it due to the drama around but hey yoon is my favourite actress so why not, i really enjoyed it and that's the suppressing considering i don't really like unexpected twists in dramas it was very emotional ( i didn't cry though ) i enjoyed this drama however there are a few things that could've been different.
1. The chemistry I didn't think their chemistry was bad or awkward it just didn't feel natural, especially in the last few episodes

2. i felt like they could've gone in more depth like what does the grandma know? Why does she change time or world or whatever? which world or time is the real one? It feels like it needed more than 16 episodes and there were A LOT of things that were left unexplained

3. i understand why the fl was frustrated but why did she have to lie and pretend like she didn't like him or shout at him because he got her a gift... like girl be happy after changing time and dimensions about 100000 times you would think would realise there's no reason for her to lie or pretend to be okay.. or act like she hates him right? but no

but yeh watch it i haven't watched a drama without dropping it for months so it must've been good

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A Charming Timeless Romance that will leave you wanting one of your own

After watching Strong Woman Namsoon, I needed to see more of Wooseok because I loved his portrayal of his villainous character, Ryu Shi Oh. His character was so charming and his acting was the saving grace that saved the whole show for me. Naturally, I went through his filmography to see what other dramas there were but realized he was never THE male lead, but he had Lovely Runner (I think it was titled Run Away with Sunjae then). I say all that to say that this was my most ANTICIPATED drama of 2024. Needless to say, the expectations I had for this were through the roof!

Did it meet my standards? ABSOLUTELY!! It completely blew away all my expectations and surpassed them. It is the best time travel drama I have seen, top 3 K-Dramas & top 5 Asian dramas ever!! Let me break it down!

STORY:
Im Sol, an aspiring film director and a stan of her K-pop idol Ryu Sunjae, finds out he died and it was apparently via suicide. Through one of her personal memorabilia (Sunjae's watch she bought in an auction), she can travel back in time to attempt to change his fate and she has only a certain amount of times she can go back in time. As she is trying to save her favorite's life, she eventually learns she has to deal with an unlucky and tragic part of the original timeline that she did not know about before.

ACTING/CAST:
PHENOMENAL CASTING + ACTING!
First, I will talk about the leads. Wooseok as Sunjae is genius casting & I could not see anyone else playing him. I loved watching all the different sides of him: the comedic side, the emotional side & the serious side if he has to be. As for Kim Hye Yoon, we know what she brings to the table with her acting and she did not disappoint. I do feel as though her acting helps to elevate all of her co-stars & brings out the best in them & that is why these two are a match made in heaven. Wooseok is always looking to improve himself & she has the tools to do so. Their romance is one for the books & it took me through a rollercoaster ride emotionally, but it had its funny moments too that perfectly balance it out. I ADORE the way they looked at one another & the chemistry along with those kissing scenes were so top-tier. One of my favorite K-Drama couples!

Now for the supporting cast! A good supporting cast can take a drama to another level & make it feel like it is not dragging without seeing the main characters! For the most part, I appreciated them & they made for HILARIOUS moments!

First up are the MVPs of the drama: Song Geon Hee as Kim Tae Sung & our N.Flying leader Lee Seung Hyub as Baek In Hyuk. At first, I was not sure how to feel about Taesung because I am a ML type of gal & I have no room for 2MLs in my heart, but I am appreciative of how he stood by our FL side and is supportive of her relationship with our Sunjae! He is probably the best 2ML in K-Drama history because he helps the leads TREMENDOUSLY to achieve the lives they want! You have my thanks, Taesung! Now for Inhyuk, he was THE comedic relief outside of Sunjae and I love his friendship with SJ and the advice he has to continuously give him because SJ is so clueless.

Shoutout to Im Sol's grandma... you made everything possible & Sol's mom & Sunjae's dad added their charming humor. Although Im's best friend & brother had their funny moments. there were times I felt as though they were taking up screen time in almost every timeline, but thankfully they toned it down a bit in the last timeline.

MUSIC: Lovely Runner OST has been on repeat ever since all the part one songs came out. I get intense goosebumps when I start listening & remember all the scenes the song plays in. Since there are 15 songs, I will list my top 5: Sudden Shower, A Day, I Think I Did, Run Run & Star (HONORABLE MENTION: Spring Snow). But, ALL the songs are good!!!!!!!!! It puts you in such a good mood!

RE-WATCH VALUE: 10/10 I was re-watching every episode every week to prepare for the next episodes because the wait for the episodes was literal torture. I have not felt this obsessive about a K-Drama in a while. I love that I have another comfort K-drama to add to my list: DoTS, W: Two Worlds, WFKBJ, Shooting Stars & LoTBS

OVERALL: A wholesome drama that will fill you with overwhelming happiness & leave you feeling satisfied. This drama came to me in a time when I was not in the greatest of places so I do feel more emotionally attached to it than others. If you love romantic comedy with a dash of overcoming tragedy, this is for you. If you are not a romance fan, give it 2-4 episodes and if you do not like it by episode 4, then maybe it is not for & that is okay. Move on. You do not have to finish everything you start.

ANYWAYS, WATCH THIS DRAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has a special place in my heart because of the beautiful love story between Sunjae + Sol. It was an emotional yet fun ride. I will never forget Soljae & the supporting cast because everyone played their part so perfectly!!! I loved that Wooseokie got the popularity he deserved with this drama! I am so happy for the success of this drama, especially for the leads who worked so hard over the years. I am looking forward to their next drama & the many re-watches I will be giving this drama!

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Overall a good drama, I can’t watch it again tho my patience could never.

I want to love this so bad. Spoilers ahead. I was waiting for a different result with the many chances the main character was given to change things. However, with the exception of the first back in time, it was a repeat of almost the same thing every time after. It’s not that I didn’t like it, but it was hard watching Im Sol keep making the same mistakes trying to push Sun Jae away just to get the same result . It got tiring after the second time, buy the third time it was just annoying that she could treat him so bad. Sun Jae kept choosing her and again and again. Im Sol kept breaking his heart, acting as though she didn’t care. I was hoping at some point she would just say something! I was screaming at the tv if she would just communicate what she was doing or trying to do especially the last time around. I understand that she was trying to protect him, but she left him in the dark which could’ve saved them both some heartache. She missed the fate part of it & he would keep choosing her. I’d hoped for more romance between the two verses the bits and pieces throughout the episodes only when she let down her guard. Overall it was a good watch, I rooted for them and it paid off with happy ending. The two had great chemistry, there was plenty of humor, but I probably would not watch again, the storyline was frustrating until the last episode when it all worked out.

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"Lovely Runner: A Drama That Surpassed All Expectations"

Almost every drama I've watched has disappointed me at some point. I start watching, thinking, "Oh, it's good," but then it lets me down. However, "Lovely Runner" is the type of drama that has never disappointed me! Most of its OSTs are my favorite so far. The cinematography, the cast, the story—I've never felt bored for a single second! I've never skipped any scene. I took at least 100 minutes to watch a one-hour episode. I've never felt like this while finishing a drama. I never thought I'd like it this much! I started watching it without any expectations, and it's my favorite drama now.Before this drama, I saw Byeon Woo-seok in "Strong Girl Nam-soon," but to be honest, I didn’t like him. I also didn’t like Kim Hye-yoon that much! So, I wasn’t interested in this drama at all. I started it out of monotony! But after watching this drama, I like them more than anyone else. They are my obsession now.I don't know how to express my thoughts. I have so many words to say, but it feels like I've lost all my words. Beat me, but "Lovely Runner" is the best drama this year.

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A total fan service!

Before starting the review, I'll share my experience while watching "Lovely Runner." For the first time, I followed a show from Day 1 to the last episode. I used to wait eagerly for each new episode to be released and would watch it immediately—not just to avoid spoilers, but because the show had me giggling, kicking my feet, blushing, and feeling stressed all at the same time ><

Let's start the review now?!

The story of the show “Lovely Runner” is centered on Im Sol, a hardcore fan who is heartbroken by the sudden death of her favorite idol, Sun Jae, as he tragically dies. As she is in the process of accepting his fate of death, Im Sol travels back in time to 2008 when Sun Jae is still a teenager. Not wanting to see her beloved one in his tragic ending, she attempts to alter his destiny.

Ryu Sun Jae?! WHERE do I start from, gosh?! HE is the need of the hour, for saving humanity and preserving human sanity HAHA. Byeon Woo Seok breathed life into Sun Jae like no other actor could. He was made for this role, setting a standard for male leads in the drama world. Sun Jae is such a refreshing character, brimming with expressions, energy, and excitement. From his giggles and blushes to his veins and vulnerability in love, I was in love with him ?And HE graduated from the University of Loserism with flying marks(⁠◠⁠‿⁠◕⁠)

Im Sol, the most adorable munchkin FL. Hye Yoon has captured my heart with her talent for portraying angst. Honestly, I did enjoyed her character. It made sense for her to hesitate, worry, and push away the ML to *some extent*. However, her decision-making lacked rationality. It's understandable that she often acted impulsively due to her circumstances, but when you are stuck in a never-ending cycle, it's important to take a step back and think logically, that's how I felt about it.

The chemistry between our leads was adorable, full of giggles and blushes, which might make you cringe (no, it is not! I'm just jealous because I haven't experienced this kind of love yet TT). They were a swoon-worthy couple that makes you want to experience a Wattpad romance irl, filled with countless little gestures, that gets you screaming externally/internally(⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

Tae Seong is now added to list of my favorite second male leads. He's non-problematic and full of fun. There was never a dull scene with him. I enjoyed his dynamic with Sol a lot. I wished they had given us more of his bromance with Sun Jae. I appreciate that the writer's made Tae Seong likable yet he never over powered the ML, and thus no SLS in this one.

Im Sol's Brother and her friend's story was veryyy random and off for most of the time, like it was too RANDOM to have a opinion about it. I felt like I'm watching a different show altogether, I skipped their scenes at times ngl. NO BRAINER in simple words.

Supporting characters were very nice as well, like no unreasonably bitch behaviour by either parents of the leads. I love how loving and supportive they were towards their kids and bickering is fine with me♡

OST's that you definitely need to check out!
• Sudden Shower by ECLIPSE
• Like a dream by MINNIE
• Spring Snow by 10 cm
All these OST's were so soothing to hear, I listen to them ON LOOP, no joke!

So where it went wrong for me:
•The time travel elements were frustrating to watch at times, with decisions feeling impromptu and unplanned.
•Use of misunderstanding as plot developments
•The female lead constantly pushing the male lead away, repeatedly, was tiring to watch after a point.
•The murder mystery plot was initially engaging but became frustrating due to its lack of motivation and random developments.
•The repetitive flashbacks, showing the same scenes over and over, were also annoying.
•Tae Seong not getting enough screen timeರ⁠_⁠ರ

This was a plot-driven drama that started off fast-paced with many rapid development happening in the initial episodes. However, by episodes 10-11, it slowed down. Comedic elements took over, and some scenes felt like fillers to many of the viewers. I didn't mind personally because the comedic timing in this drama was extremely on point but there were many flashbacks and repetitive scenes, so I ended up skipping scenes here and there.

Overall, Lovely Runner is a fluffy watch (can't say that, mystery plot can be frustrating and too stressful at times). But it offers plenty of giggles and a refreshing take on the romance genre. With great comedic timing and some interesting plot developments, bits of dumb writing but remains an entertaining watch rather than a flawless one.

If you're looking for a solid, no-loopholes story, intellectual time travel drama, this isn't it. The time travel aspect is far from perfect. But if you watch it as a romantic comedy, you'll be entertained.

Thank you for reading my review ^^
END

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An Intriguing Plot Line and Acting

At first the drama started really smoothly and each episode unfolds everything so well. First of all the story line and the plot twists is so good that you never get bored. I'm watching it from the very first episode of its airing and I'm currently watching while its still being aired. It pains me to wait every week to see the next episodes of the drama but I love this drama like no other so I can wait. The 'Lovely Runner' has become my most favourite drama so far replacing 'Goblin'.

Next let's talk about the theme of love in this drama. It's a modern drama with a 'Classic Love'. We have seen in the classic love stories by Shakespeare 'Romeo and Juliet' where they love each other so much so that one's life is empty or incomplete without the other just like how Im Sol's life is without Ryu Sun Jae and Sun Jae without Sol. I will include this drama 'Lovely Runner' among the classic love stories. Also how they are able to sacrifice themselves for the person they love. Sun Jae saves Sol and Sol travels back in time to save Sun Jae. Sun Jae doesn't care if he loses his life to save Sol and Sol doesn't want a life without Sun Jae so she doesn't care if she loses his affection for her. This kind of love is the most Selfless and Pure love like that of classic love stories. This is what attracts the viewers most.

Then the most talked about thing in this drama is the acting of the main leads. The role Im Sol played by Kim Hye Yoon and Ryu Sun Jae acted by Byeon Woo Soek portrays all the emotions of the characters so well that it is praiseworthy. I have seen the drama ' Extraordinary You' it is also a really good drama worth watching. In 'Lovely Runner' I like the chemistry of the main leads (Kim Hye Yoon and Byeon Woo Soek) on and off screen. Their height difference is soooo cute and good together. I would really love to watch more of their drama together. One more thing I would like to mention is the pain of the female lead character, each and every painful side of the story of her is very well acted by Kim Hye Yoon's crying scenes which hits the sad side of the story perfectly.

After that let's discuss about the supernaturality in the drama. The 'willing suspension of disbelief' is well maintained. The theme of time travel and where ever Sol tries to talk about future the time stops. The medium through which she time travels is also make good reasoning in the frame of the supernaturality. The time Sol travel back to past and in the present is interesting , sometimes its funny and sometimes its sad. The supernaturality is well represented.

Next is the symbolism. The childish and full of bright personality Sol's colour is yellow which carries the meaning of happiness and enthusiasm with it , also yellow colour depicts the cheerful and energetic nature of Im Sol. Holding the yellow umbrella Im Sol comes running towards Ryu Sun Jae and at that time he falls for her. He says that he used to hate rain but he doesn't anymore because with rain the image of Sol holding a yellow umbrella will come to his mind whenever he sees rain again. His clouded life which is full of problems will still be full of happiness if Sol is in his life. And Ryu Sun Jae is represented by blue. Blue is a colour which symbolises stability, serenity, intelligence and loyalty. We can understand how much clam is Ryu Sun Jae but his life becomes chaotic and full of fun aspects with Sol in it. Then again it is admiring how much loyal Sun Jae is to Sol that he can not even watch Sol's mother scolding her and he is willing to to go any length for her just as Sol is willing to do anything for him. Moreover yellow gives a warm feeling and blue gives a cold vibe which is like Summer and Winter, contradictory but inseparable and irreplaceable to each other. When Sol was in wheel chair Sun Jae's umbrella is of black colour which tells us that his blue has turned to black with grieving and regretting that he could not protect Sol from that accident. And in later episode we see Sol's scarf is more of a white or cream colour now than the first episode where it was yellow conveying that her life has turned to something colourless white with her loss of hope and happiness of a life where there is no Sun Jae with her.


The concept of life and fate and its chances to change. There are things that you can not change even when you travel back in time and things that you can change it depends on the choices one makes. And if you change you have to pay a price just like Sol pays the price which is her and Sun Jae's love and affection to save Sun Jae. Whether it's a happy ending or a sad ending it's yet to reveal. But now it's a happy ending for Sol as she was able to save Sun Jae and it's a sad ending for Sun Jae as he lost the love of his life.


The villain is also a classic one because he seems scary and gives a strong impression. The actor portrays the character very well which that of a bad psycho personality.

This drama is a slice of life with School Drama, Campus Drama and obviously More than that. Beautiful cinematography and the ost Sudden Shower, Spring Snow, Run Run and Like A Dream and many others suits the drama very much. I like all of the drama but some of the scenes that I would like to specially mention is the scene where Sol comes running towards Sun Jae and the accident scene and the college trip and where they both enjoy cherry blossoms and make wish further more the sea beach scenes and amusement park all of them.

The cast and the crew did a very good job making 'Lovely Runner'. The directors and other crew members did a commendable job.
I would recommend this drama. It's totally worth the watch. 'Lovely Runner' "hwaiting".

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The Perfect couple do EXIST.

This drama was an incredible PERFECT surprise for me.
I already knew the actors were good but the plot seemed so basic and I really though the main lead would be another cold guy who slowly falls in love but not before pissing me off HHAHAHAH, turns out, I couldn't be more wrong.

Sun Ja really entered to my Top Green Flags ML in dramaland besides Jang Uk, Yong shik, Taek and a few guys.

Kim Hye Yoon did an amazing job portraying someone without any will to live and at the same time a determinate fangirl, definitely will keep up with her work more often.

The chemistry between the two is so strong that is impossible to not believe they fell in love in real life.

The story is absolutely incredible and well executed, nowadays I get scared when I see a drama with 16, the story just goes downhill after a while and AGAIN the prove me wrong.
Watching this drama brought me so many feelings... the feelings I used to get when I first started to watch dramas in 2011.

Lovely Runner I miss you guys already ?? my Mondays will be sad for a long time. Glad they gave us an incredible OST to keep up ?

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