Lovely Runner

Overhyped & Repetitive — A Frustrating Watch (12/16 eps)

Ep 1–2: Bored.
Ep 3–7: Finally felt some momentum.
Ep 8 onward: Gradual decline.
By episode 8, I started getting irritated with the female lead, Im Sol. By episode 9, that irritation turned into genuine disconnect. The emotional scenes, which should have been impactful, didn’t land for me at all.
I pushed through until episode 12, but I found myself stuck there for days. I had already crossed the halfway mark, so I didn’t want to drop it. Eventually, I did.
The central concept... repeatedly going back to the past and returning to the present... felt fresh at first but quickly became repetitive. Instead of deepening the narrative, it started to feel like the only driving device.
Despite a few enjoyable moments, I couldn’t stay invested. For me, it didn’t live up to the hype.

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Way overrated is actually being kind

I'll start off by saying I actually love fantasy and time travel is not something I'm against watching. But this drama just did not cut it for me, and the hype it gets made me more disappointed that I did not end up watching some great romance - indeed it turned into a thriller more than half way through.

It's anti-climatic, illogical, and thoroughly full of clichés throughout. I do like the odd cliché but this went beyond that, and I think would only appeal to literal teenagers just like Sol and Sunjae in the past. It's very *2013 Wattpad romance* and probably not for adults today.

Time travel doesn't include logic anyway but this felt like a whole other level of illogical with unnecessary twists and turns. It was also unnerving how badly the FL screwed it up and doesn't learn from her previous mistakes. She took time travel for granted and as if it was to be played with, she never had a firm plan in her mind of what she had to do. It grew tiring the third and final time she returned and still made stupid mistakes, including being reckless and going out alone at night when she was fully aware a serial killer was after her. The serial killer is another thing in an endless list of overused tropes here - this drama was SOLD as a romance, yet it seems the writers must have been bored as it turned into the serial killer taking centre stage and his only purpose to be the main barrier between the leads. It could have been a full on thriller by that point.

i do think they tried hard with what they were given for romance and chemistry - Immediately on Ep 2 I felt their romance *could* have great potential, and I can see at points where the actors tried their absolute best with it. Later on I actually liked 2-3 scenes such as when she meets him on the bridge with the yellow umbrella 15 years later, and also when he says to her he is willing to go through every aspect with her to change their fates. But overall their romance came off immature and not well thought out; you end up feeling sorry for poor Sunjae-ah as she repeatedly makes bad decisions that also affect him and doesn't communicate her plans with him. I don't think she deserved him at all, other than the fact she was a 34 year old in a 19 year old's body (🚩🚩🚩), she doesn't learn from her mistakes and comes off even more childish than him, who was actually the 19 year old. You might understand why he likes her as a hormonal teenager, but that's just giving the benefit of doubt a little.

Neither was the acting anything special, it seems Kim Hye-yoon was either very loud and bubbly or fully in tears, with no inbetween. Byeon Woo-seok was definitely the better one of the pair, and you can feel his range given how hard he tries to make the chemistry between them work. But even then he was a pretty plain character who's prime role was to be a lovesick puppy for Sol. I think I came out of this drama liking the secondary characters more, especially her Mother, his Dad, and the 2ML.

To be honest it's like the 2nd half really affected the drama overall and how it was perceived. This is where the plot and writing went completely off the rails - Sol the FL was outright making bad decisions by this time, to the point Ep 11 till about Ep 14 were painful to watch. She deliberately creates misunderstandings between them, and leaves Sunjae-ah adrift with trying to save her which ends up harming him instead. The entire purpose of her character was to save him, but ironically it was her OWN bad decisions which end up harming him!

You have to go into this drama with a large amount of scepticism and low expectations, and know that it's largely not going to make sense as there's many little plotholes they don't answer. It was medicore for a one-time watch, and I can definitely say I won't be watching this drama again.

The only 10/10 I have given is for the OST which was truly deserving of praise 👏. But I've given this drama a rating of 4/10 as the plot holes and 2nd half reduces it's quality by a lot. Even then this drama wouldn't be so overly popular for many if it wasn't for Byeon Woo-Seok. It felt like many were in it for his face card and the few moments where he secretly crushed on her. Again, an example of being straight out of wattpad 🌟

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A Highly Overrated Trashy Piece of Nonsense Paired With Absolute Cringe Acting of The Female Lead.

This story was so cringy that it forced me to question the high ratings of this show. I forced myself to watch it till the last due to its high rating, thinking it would get better. The female lead was absolutely irritating and dumb to the point of making my blood boil. I liked the female lead only in the opening scene, where she showed me that she can act. But later, all she did in the entire drama was Seon Jae this and Seon Jae that. She had no life of her own. I absolutely hate such female leads who have no life of their own other than thinking about the Male lead. I lowkey felt like the creators of this show hated the FL. Because otherwise, you can not write such a dumb female lead. The over-the-top acting of the actress made the drama unbearable as well. The male lead was far better in terms of acting and as a character. Though the music of the drama is very nice but it couldnot save this cringefest. Though the last episode was bearable, the experience was spoiled for me due to the uncomfortable expression of the FL which felt like the ML was the only one in this relationship. She looked visibly uncomfortable to me in response of the ML's affection, which made no sense to me as she was risking everything earlier for the ML. Overall, this was an absolute torture of a drama that can be recommended to others as a punishment.

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only stayed for byeon wooseok

gonna be honest, i did not feed into the hype that this kdrama had. just from the clips i saw online, it didn’t look all that interesting to me. just your run of the mill cheesy drama. and i was right.

it was funny for sure and if not for byeon wooseok i never wouldve watched this. my main issue is with im sol’s character. she lacks depth and personality throughout the whole series, which is a fault many many kdramas are guilty of. they dedicate so much character development and realness to the male lead that the female lead is always overshadowed and unliked. her character was unnecessarily clueless, slow and overall, just stupid. literally in any scenario this girl was in, she chose to make the stupidest decision that negatively affected the people around her. made no sense and just left me resenting her character. also this immature/childish “personality” that theyre always giving to the female lead- get over it already. this 30 year old woman jumping around like a preschooler? really? baby voice at her grown age?

while it is cute and swoonworthy, it just was not developed enough. it was kind of random like many kdramas out there—some random crime happening and super tragic backstory like i don't even know why the stalker plotline was necessary. well, i know why it was necessary —for drama— but come on. it didn't even make any sense. this is one of those dramas where it would've been perfectly fine if the storyline was just normal, mundane, sweet. but of course there had to be some sort of egregious criminal activity thrown in for the plot. the time travel alone was a stretch but sprinkle in all this random other stuff?? personally i don't find that smart or appealing.

the best best component about this show is the soundtrack. it is jam packed with catchy songs by great artists and of course, byeon wooseok; the real treasure of this series. let's be real it's probably why most of us tuned in to watch this but he carried this show's success on his back. yes, they are cute, both in real life and this show but only wooseok was giving what needed to give. is it funny? yes. is it cute? yes. is it also at the same time something that seems like it was written by a 14 year old who has never seen a real life couple before? also yes.

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Time travel gone wrong

The world setting was done fine where it was explained that the time will stop if the FL talks about an event that happens in future. Half way through the story, this is not the case - she is able to sing a song that is not yet out in the public , she is able to explain that she is from future and many other issues with the overall screenplay. During the third time, she is even able to see the future .
It is a mix of many other time travel series like 'Some Day or One Day', 'Blue Birthday' and many other series, but I felt it doesn't have a proper story which is convincing enough. It is the same villain who is coming back again and again even though there is no issue between the protagonist and the villain. Screenplay could have been better to include the different possibilities of butterfly effect , but the whole series turned out to be a mediocre.
In case of 'Some Day or One Day', the time travel is happening via the doppelganger and not to the past of the same person so it is understandable the difference in the character and memory loss etc, but here it is the same person ; I agree that a person may have a different point of view once they mature but here it is shown as if she is a completely different person.

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Procrastinated Watching For A Reason

I procrastinated watching this show for a very long time. I visited Korea and was shocked by seeing Byun Woo Seok on every cafe, product, and store sign. I even got his photocard as a freebie way before knowing his name. It really hyped the show up for me and I knew it would end with me being disappointed. Boy was I entirely correct.

I want to start by saying that I already have a hard time with shows about idols/singers/celebrities (Record of Youth was fine at this, but most are not great) AND with shows about time travel. Twinkling Watermelon is the only drama I’ve ever seen be able to combine two of my least favorite genres/tropes and make something amazing.

Despite all of these issues, I tried to go into Lovely Runner with an open mind. It clearly had to go viral and get amazing ratings for a reason, right? I like Byun Woo Seok as an actor, I loved being on a swim team as a kid, and mostly I really needed something to watch.

My efforts to enjoy the show were in vain.

Definitely not a show for watchers that struggle with cringe humor/secondhand embarrassment. Reminds me of classic Kdramas in the worst ways. Characters doing embarrassing things all the time, misunderstanding each other, and even potty humor….it just ends up being hard to watch and not funny at all. If this show came out a decade ago I’d give some of the writing a pass, but it’s really not what I want to see.

SPOILERS

Over half of the story makes no sense, and I’m not talking about the fact that time travel exists. It feels like the writers forgot about certain things that happened/were set up and forced their way back in later.

FLs choices don’t make any sense, even considering she’s sacrificing herself for the ML, half the time she didn’t have to. Only time I felt connected to her emotionally was realizing she had to watch the guy she loves die 3 times and never got to mourn him. Watching her get out of bed after he got stabbed, and immediately having to take care of a baby broke my heart.

The entire plot line of the kidnapping is unnecessary to the story and only resurfaces when convenient. She gets kidnapped multiple times, her legs get paralyzed for 15 years, and multiple people die, but the only way it impacts her emotionally (post stanning eclipse) is the next few times she crosses the road she has to take some deep breaths?? Plus she nearly stepped into traffic from not paying attention every single one of those times. Just look at the road babe. After a couple of times that’s entirely forgotten too.

ML getting stabbed could have been the perfect set up for him finally getting a chance at time travel and them making things work together, but no somehow the FL just gets extra bonus tries??? Like the 3 she got at the start meant nothing. Not to mention, she doesn’t go back again after that.

Not a fan of the way the FL only got a chance at happiness because she saved herself from becoming disabled. I really would have loved to see her become happy and in love in the wheelchair. I understand that was a point of frustration and limiting for her but it sends the message that disabled people can’t be happy/fall in love. They also don’t do anything else with the MLs anxiety/depression after the first death. It’s very lightly hinted at in the second (?) timeline but again it’s like the time travel cured him instead of him going to therapy, doing anything else to get better. I guess as long as you have a girlfriend you can’t be depressed??? Not great.

Side characters were impossible to watch. I liked the trope of best friend’s brother but every scene with them was so over the top cringe. And toilet humor? Juvenile.

The second male lead definitely grew on me after a couple of episodes, but I also feel like they could have done more with him. I liked that he was fine with her “multiple personalities” and that he became a cop later on. That was pretty cool. However, I would have loved to see him get memories of the past timelines back as he solved the case. I think that could have been a cool addition. Also I swear in the beginning they mention he’s in eclipse (inhyuk knows him somehow) but he never was. Could have just been another thing that didn’t make any sense to me.

I do want to say Byun Woo Seok doesn’t deserve all the hate he’s getting right now for his acting. He was the only thing I liked about the drama. Even without his visuals his acting was well done.

This is the longest review I’ve ever written and it’s because of just how frustrated I was watching it. Maybe if I watched it when it came out or if it was my first kdrama then I’d have enjoyed it more. I’m happy other people like it.

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Strong start, then spiralled downwards

May 2025
This started strong and I was quickly invested, however, sadly it started to go very askew from ep9.

It got much too stretched out for me, with the story becoming far too convoluted. The writer should have kept it simple.

I soon grew tired of the FL character's increasingly questionable thought processes, and decisions/actions. No thought seemed given to the effects of the past on the future, with their love encompassing everything.

The leads were nice to watch. I loved BWS in Moonshine, which I started watching to get a break from this 🫣 His character in this was more likeable (possibly because none of the scenarios he was drawn into, were of his making). I have to say, BWS really has great screen presence, with a great aura, whatever his part.

Supporting characters were OK. No one really stood out, although the way Kim Tae-song's (actor Song Geon-hee) personality was bounced around, gave me whiplash.

I didn't get the urge to drop it, didn't use the FFWD button (tempted, but always worry I'll miss something crucial), but did get bored. Such a shame the writer took the story back, more than once too often.

So disappointed.

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cringy romance with an interesting time travelling plot

i was initially interested in this drama because i followed the leads and those actors were ones who usually didn't get main roles but when i saw that it was an idol-fan romance i instantly got the ick and abandoned it. the rumors of it being based on real life situation also didn't help much. now this is one of the most talked drama of 2024 so i made it a point to watch it and see what the hype is about. it certainly won't be bad if that many people like it right? i was wrong.
i would say the main reason why this drama was so successful is because it had pretty main leads who were down bad for each other. no proper/solid plot.

i was very creeped out by the fan-idol thing in many of the first episodes. the reason for her becoming a fan was genuine but her behavior was borderline obsessive. there were many times where she did things for him because she is a fan in 2023, which kind of creeped me out. also the fact that she was a 30 something year old in a highschooler's body chasing another highschooler was creepy to me.

my biggest complaint is how one dimensional both the main leads are especially sol. whatever we know about them revolves on the fact that they like each other. sun-jae likes sol but why? he likes her so much he is willing to die for her, what made him like her so much? i understand crushes but doing all this? in the first timeline it makes sense cause the accident is kind of his fault but after that? what is about her that he likes/loves so much? his whole personality was being in love with sol. at least taesung had a reason to like her. she was oddly mature with him and he liked that.
sol was so childish for majority of the show. it wasn't until the end she acted like an adult. during her first few time travels there was no difference between 30 year old her and high school her. she absolutely did not think before she acted.
so much of the comedy depended on sol making dumb decisions, it cringed me out. they could have shown sol and sun-jae better by avoiding all those cringy scenes between the brother and the best friend. sol got her ability to walk after 15 years yet it was barely acknowledged. she never seemed to spend time with her family nor her friends. same with sun-jae. u would think someone whose grandma lost her memory due to old age would be more emotional at getting her back. also how did sun-jae and sol end up in their respective careers. we don't see sol being so in love with movies nor sun-jae with acting. they could have given the characters more depth.

the time travelling plot was the most interesting part. the change in timelines and the effects they had were interesting. they were honestly what kept me through the series. even though the rules of time travelling and everything was weak it was nice. them being connected in every scenario was a nice touch.

the director/team could have just made a highschool romance with
Byeon Woo Seok and Hye Yoon and it still would have been a hit. they were the best parts of the show and did their roles well. them being casted might be one of the sole reasons the show is successful.
i would have preferred to have the idol fan thing out and make them like neighbors or something and not have the female be obsessive with the male lead, especially in the fan idol sense.

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You Guys Gave This A 9.1?

This review is for those who've already seen it. You may enjoy it as it's just a compilation of notes I made watching this drama.

Let me start off by saying this drama is like Twinkling Watermelon meets W. W is one of my favorite dramas and Twinkling Watermelon was amazing. This, however, is really hard to watch. Like really hard. I'm sticking with it, but fast-forwarding quite a bit. I've only quit one drama before because I couldn't stand the FL and I'm trying not to have a repeat of Kill Me, Heal Me.

FL, Im Sol (Kim Hye-Yoon) was really cute and sweet in the first episode. Then when she travelled back in time she became really annoying and kind of ditzy/stupid. ML, Ryu Sun-Jae (Byeon Woo-Seok) was weirdly nice in episode one, despite his clear depression, but past him was a bit odd. In his defense, Im Sol was being a creep and a half.

Someone in the comments (on Viki) said that Kim Tae-Sun (Song Geon-Hee) was the 2nd ML, but when searching the names, I see a different male billed above him. Never seen this guy in any drama before but he looks too old for high school.

Okay, now it's just annoying. He keeps trying to confess, and she's either the world's biggest moron, or she's deaf. Maybe both.

This whole her rushing home to stop the fire, whilst dumb and dumber, her best friend, Lee Hyun-Joo (Seo Hye-Won), and brother, Im Geum (Song Ji-Ho), is not only stupid, it's infuriating.

Her teenage self took over? Ugh. This is going to be exhausting and drawn out for no reason, I can tell.

I feel really bad for 2nd ML. She needs to end it with that poor guy. Also, harsh take but maybe she didn't deserve working legs because the amount of times this girl falls, trips, gets knocked over, etc is annoying.

Omg. He keeps saying "I like you" and she keeps running away. What even is this plot and how on earth was it rated so highly on this site?

Oh good. And now we're at the "I can't accept your feelings." dumb *#&@^$(#& crap.

Baek In Hyuk (Lee Seung Hyub) is completely right. It's been like 15 years and suddenly he just falls for her all over again? Especially after how ungrateful and shitty she was the last time they met in the past.

Her losing her mind about the watch and screaming, "I should have died instead!" like he's not even dead. Go be with him in hospital instead of doing all this nonsense.

"I can't die before I save him!" proceeds to close her eyes and make no attempt to save herself. God she's infuriating.

2ML is definitely my favorite character. He's keeping me hanging on. Much like the bromance in Goblin was the only thing keeping going through that because that girl was obnoxious and acted like a child.

"Hey my dad said the killer is stalking you, shouldn't you tell your family and move everyone somewhere safer?" No. That would be intelligent, why would I do that?

So they both learn the killer has escaped, she breaks down to Tae Sung's dad about catching him and then her boyfriend is cautious about everything and she's like "What's up with you?". Good god she's insufferable.

I struggled to get through this drama and the only reason I did was because I skipped a lot. I'm glad we got the happy ending for everyone. The last episode was pretty sweet. And I will say, unlike other dramas, it wasn't a super rushed happy ending so I will give them that.

Justice for my man Tae Sung though. lol

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