Lovely Runner

i would die for this kind of love story ?

rewatch value 100%

all the characters are well written and quirky in their own typical kdrama way i literally GUFFAWED at each episode and cried hard and loved deeply

soundtrack is BOMB ASF where is the petition for eclipse to be a real kband 🫵🏼

im sol x ryu sunjae is the new romeo & juliet the it couple who would die for each other i stan hard and the actors deserved all the awards praise and recognition from it 💕

i also love men who were written by women and i love wooseok’s portrayal of sunjae. he has his moments of insecurity but he shows sunjae’s bright and dedicated personality very well!! and hyeyoon perfectly encapsulates the essence of sunshine and loyalty through sol 💝

i already can’t wait to watch it and experience it again ☺️

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the best thing of 2024

I usually don’t post reviews, but wanted to do it this time because this is indeed the best drama of 2024. Every single song was amazing. The leads did a fantastic job in terms of acting. I am not a fan of time travel plot, BWS was the reason why I gave it a shot. I am so glad that I watched it. I don’t even know how many times I rewatched it. If you like time travel and youth drama , you will definitely enjoy it. There are some negative reviews, but don’t listen to them. Either it is not their genre or they are not okay with this being the most popular drama of 2024. This drama will make you emotional for sure. All I can say is it is worth the hype and definitely one of the best shows of all time ❤️

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Overdid the time travel

To my surprise there wasn’t much to the story. It was quite plain. The writer didn’t overcomplicate the time travel theme which is good but it doesn’t mean there can’t be interesting factors in the plot. The writer didn’t think out of the box much Simply put I lost interest several times while watching the show.

I don’t care about how the time travel(the watch) worked. I liked the simplicity of it but story was too monotonous. There were no “wow” moments. Sol could time travel many times as she wanted so what’s the catch here? Time travel lost the charm simply by overdoing it and coming back with the same problems. Why drag the show for that long! It could’ve easily been a 12 episode drama. Too many filler episodes.

The 2nd lead guy didn’t had much relevance in the story or on sol’s choices same as many other characters !! The comedy had off timing. One moment something serious was happening and the next moment something totally lame. Sol herself wasn’t serious. As the main character she was lacking and wasn’t doing anything sensible that will make you support her.
Sunjae on the other hand was portraying a “boy in love” and we loved him. Mostly bcz he was unaware of what was going on. He was loveable character. But I can’t say that about Sol. Overall it was okay but bit boring.

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THE PERFECT BLEND!!! ( of romance, fantasy, emotions, comedy, suspense and thrill)

Lovely runner is a coming of age drama that managed to blend together different aspects and actually made it work some how, lovely runner covers the emotional aspects through its plot and then it goes ahead and adds romance which is heartfluttering and heart warming and then goes ahead and adds in a little comedy to balance out the heaviness of the plot and then it continues to add in many other different aspects such as time travel which is done in a way I found interesting and Intruiging...it then goes ahead and adds suspense and thrill...all of this mixed up together to give as a memorable story....now it isn't easy to balance all of this together without giving much priority to one affecting the other but somehow lovely runner makes it work till the end.

lovely runner tells the story of a fan who loses her idol and during her time of desparation finds her self travelling back in time to the time when her idol was in his highschool days....hence she takes it upon her self to protect him from harm....and make sure she lives to see the future.

I loved the build up of the idol and fan relationship, i loved how the idol was shown as some one who was their for the fan during her tough times and that added a specific emotion towards her bond with him.

We explore the story more and find out that there is more to these two's relationship than just then being fan and idol and that's when the fun begins.....

There are plenty of things I loved about this drama and I'll try to summarise them into five respectively....

THE PLOT : Any one would say that this story has been seen before and yes maybe it has but I loved how it was executed in a way that made it feel fresh to me as a watcher...like I said I love how they blended various aspects together to create something rather memorable.

THE ACTING : The acting was nothing short of being phenomenominal...every one gave their best and I love how they acted with passion, it was the kind of acting that draws you in as a viewer because you get to feel every little bit of emotion through these characters and it was really amazing....

THE CHARACTERISATION: The characters in this drama were made for the actors and actresses that took them on......my only flaw was that I wished that they fleshed out some of the characters a bit more for example I wanted to see the second male lead as more than just this cool guy but rather a glimpse of his personal life and his family something to get me connected to him as a person not that I wasn't but I needed a bit more...a other interesting character that felt wasted was lnyuk, his passion for music alone could have been a build up for his own story he would have shined.. because best believe he knows how to act but it felt like he was a guest role that only showed up when they needed some comedic reactions from him...I also kind of wished that his friendship with the male lead was fleshed out a bit...it would have been heartwarming to see their bromance...that felt lacking other than that the leads were written perfectly each felt complex and each felt like they had personality...the male lead being showed as this golden retriever and a string willed and headed female lead whose hate O wont entertain btw considering her actions and reactions to things were nothing short of how any human being would react......the characters were written well enough...

THE COMEDIC TIMING: This dramas strongest weapon was the spot on comedy..nothing felt un natural or forced..the characters them selves had amazing comedy timing..their reactions to things felt real to the point that some situations couldn't have really called for laughing but I did because the characters sold it...hearts off to the direction of the comedy scenes they added a charm to the story....

THE ROMANCE: what makes a good romance, the answer is being well written in a way that it doesn't cringe but rather gives you flutters and leaves you feeling single...and then the chemistry.. chemistry is such an important factor for me when it comes to romance having no CHEMISTRY ruins everything for me and thank God the leads had song chemistry..they had the tension, they had the cute interactions that felt natural it all felt right so I have to say in addition to the way their there romance was built I appreciated the chemistry that sold that romance to me...I also loved how their love story was a mixture of different genres...we had first love, live at first sight, he fell first and harder, unrequited love, friends to lovers, highschool sweethearts, college romance, adult romance, meet against, and many more....

THE OSTS: “ cause Iam falling slowly in love with you.." I have this on repeat....the osts were absolutely amazing.

This drama was the perfect blend...the romance was done well and so was the thrill and suspense in addition to the time travel and fantasy in addition to the comedy it was the perfect blend!!!

I'll wait to conclude my review before I watch the final episode.....

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don’t think it needed 16 episodes but it's definitely worth your time

really enjoyed this drama, but i don’t think it needed 16 episodes, it could’ve ended just fine at 12, since some parts felt a bit repetitive. I loved the destiny theme, every time they met again it gave me such a warm feeling. The way Sungjae looks at Sol is so sweet and comforting! I did feel a bit sorry for Tae Sung, but it was nice how Sol cared for him too. And the final plot twist, where the story turns into a movie script, was just amazing, i loved it so much.

//
pt//br ୨୧

Eu realmente gostei muito desse drama, mas não acho que precisava de 16 episódios, poderia ter terminado tranquilamente com 12, já que algumas partes pareceram um pouco repetitivas. Ainda assim, eu amei o tema sobre destino, cada vez que eles se reencontravam era reconfortante. O jeito que o Sungjae olha para a Sol é encantador! Eu fiquei com um pouco de pena do Tae Sung, mas foi bonito ver como a Sol cuidou dele também. E o plot final, que a história se transforma em um roteiro de filme, foi simplesmente incrível, eu amei demais.

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Lovely Runner is a bubbling triumph of a fanfiction-like romcom. The chemistry of the leads, or even just the whole cast was sizzling, the humor mostly great - the secondary couple were very grating to me. And the youthful, almost nostalgic vibes and the feel light and breezy that the drama managed to hold onto was delightful and echoes of longing and yearning tugged at your heartstrings. There was something quite old-school about this sort of rom-com that I could really appreciate.

Some stories do manage that suspension of disbelief just a bit more smoothly than others. And Lovely Runners seem to be able to introduce us to the logics of their little fluffy, rom-com universe quite seamlessly and therefor making the more unbelievable moments feel both earnest and earned enough that is just might work. Or you are willing to forgive it despite how much of a fan fiction this story feels like it is.

The drama has a tendency to use excessive amount of tropes in it's storytelling, like the clumsy heroine, noble idiocy, miscommunication and so forth. The amount of times the two leads fell into each other arms was way to excessive to become endearing after a certain point. It also does have a tendency to drag out the plot and the twists on a bit too long as we get further into the story resulting in some pacing issues.

Towards the end the story, the convoluted timelines and the murder mystery subplot does becomes more of a burden to the drama, causing it to lose some momentum - I feel like episode one and until around 10 is this dramas sweet spot. Things just seem to be happening to the characters without too much depth but the character have such a good emotional core within them, despite me wanting a bit more development from them as the timelines become more messy and annoyed as things are just happening to keep the plot going, no matter what you are rooting for them to get together in the end.

The actors certainly add more spunk and feelings into these characters than they have on paper and really sell the earnest of the story and keep you coming back for more. It's a fluff, it's tropy, but it's fun and bubbly and compelling enough and you never really get the sense that the drama is trying too hard to be something more than it is. It's a breezy, cute watch with very likeable leads and characters that you enjoy spending times with despite it's flaws - I just wish we could have gotten more scenes with the second male lead.

The drama manages to blending humor and cliché with heartfelt moments and I do think the drama does a good job making you feel very at home in it's world and therefor invested in it and so light and airy that you just enjoy these moments with the characters. The drama creates a narrative that is light-hearted yet earnest, as it finds the most absurd situations and gives the characters enough stakes that you want to cheer them on and make sure that they finally get their happy ever after.

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"Memories don't disappear, they're all smeared into one's soul"

"Memories don't disappear, they're all smeared into one's soul, the brain may forget, but one soul's been keeping every piece of it" - Im Sol's Halmoni

The above quote perfectly describes what this drama is about. What started as saving one's life ended up being created memories with that special person. Those memories will always be there in one's soul, trying to find its way back no matter what.

Although the 2 episodes before the final 2 episodes felt like a slow progress, this drama was written pretty well overall. I love how this writer always included events that happen in a previously timeline back to the current timeline. The development of Im Sol's feelings to Sun Jae from being a fan wanting to save him, to wanting to save him because of her love for him.

The only repetitive part that I found in this drama was Sol keeping pushing away or avoiding Sun Jae (during college and then Eps 13-14). I get why she did that but still, I'm not a fan of those kind of tropes as I prefer the leads just communicating with each other and not hide anything from each other. Still, it was great seeing Im Sol's love for Sun Jae grow each time she travels back in time and Sun Jae getting chance after chance to be with Im Sol since his love for her never changed.

A huge amount of comedy between the main characters and their friends. Even when the preview for each week shows seriousness, there's so much more laughter that occurs in me when watching each episode and a lot of romantic and cute scenes between the leads.

THIS DRAMA IS THE DEFINITION OF A ROMANTIC COMEDY!

Even though there was a killer/kidnapper in this drama, I'm glad the writers stuck with the idea of keeping his screentime at a minimum towards the very end. It would've been okay to find out his motive but at the same time, since they barely showed him, I'm glad they got rid of him quickly as well.

The whole cast was awesome! From the best friends to the parents. Great acting! I like almost every character in this drama, and I find that as a rarity in dramas.

The ending was great. Although I kind of wish there was a wedding at the end, I'm glad we got a glimpse of what their wedding look like as our leads both saw their future together. At least they ended it with a proposal. I'm satisfied.

We're about halfway through 2024 as I'm writing this, and I haven't found any k-dramas that I would consider rewatching again, but this one definitely makes the list.

THIS IS MY FIRST FAVORITE KOREAN DRAMA OF 2024

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All the emotions

Lovely Runner is a good 'cliche' time-travel romance that starts off as a straightforward fan-idol love story. The plot follows Im Sol, a 34 year old fan of K-pop star Ryu Sun-jae, who is sent back 15 years to prevent his death. The series blends nostalgia, romance, and suspense, with the finale that emphasizes emotional logic over strict plot mechanics.

This drama will take you on a wild emotional ride. It can make you laugh, cry, and feel all the butterflies that come with falling in love. Every episode is filled with moments that touch your heart and keep you wanting more. The characters and their story feel so real that you can’t help but get fully pulled in. By the end, you’re left with a full heart, maybe a few tears, and a drama you’ll never forget.

Some parts of the story feel a little slow or don’t make sense right away, but later everything comes together and it all fits. The show makes you feel all kinds of emotions, and by the end, you’re left with a full heart and maybe even a few tears. It’s the kind of story that stays with you long after it’s over.

Some parts of this series, particularly in episodes 3-4 and 11-12 exhibits uneven pacing. Episodes 3-4 introduce slapstick humor and exaggerated situations, such as the time Sol knocked Sun-jae into a fountain ensuing chaos. Episodes 11-12 feature prolonged comedic gags, including the subplot where Sun-jae's father is trapped in the bathroom, which some people (myself included) found quite excessive.

There are many times in this drama that makes you question "why?"
- "why is there a love triangle that never ends up occurring?"
- "why didn't he end up joining the band that he would've joined before Im Sol meddled?"
- "why was the murderer THAT interested in Im Sol?"

^These are questions I have asked myself while watching this drama.
But despite this, I feel like Lovely Runner ultimately delivers a satisfying conclusion, one where it didn't need to answer these questions. It was like this drama came full circle and made sense without answering them.

The finale episode ties together the various plot threads, providing emotional closure and left me with a sense of fulfillment.

-
p.s. a good quote for this drama would be: "I didn't know how much I missed you until I saw you." i was thinking about this quote when Sun-jae told Sol he remembered everything.

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Still a 10 but some things could have been explored a bit more

I love this drama and the story. My rewatch value is 7.5 just because of the time travel. That suspense won’t hit the same the 2nd time around for me. But I definitely recommend watching the series if you haven’t already!

People are saying it’s a star falling in love with a regular person but that’s not true. ML has been in love with FL since the beginning. But the story showed that sometimes no matter how your try to change a situation, the person may remain the same (Leads being in love, the murderer being a murderer)

I what I think should have been explored more was:
1. Living with disabilities - FL was able to change her fate but a lot of disable people can’t and while it was an important message in the beginning for everyone not to give up hope no matter the circumstances; I would have loved to have seen the FL interact with someone who’s disable. Maybe hire them as one of her staff members on the short film project and show that even though this person is disable they still deserve work and treatment and not how she was discriminated against for being in a wheelchair at the beginning which caused her not to get the job initially. Even go as far as having ML who’s rich ensure the place where she worked or other places in the city had for example Elevators or Ramps for easy wheelchair access. It seems like a lot but disable people go through a lot and as FL would have had those struggles it would have been nice for them to touch on that a bit more in their own way, even if it be a few minutes of the last episode.

2. Granny’s knowledge - I don’t know about you guys but it was clear to me after a while that the grandma was aware that Sol had been time traveling with the watch. The end also made it seem as though she knew Sun Jae from a past life (I could be reaching). But nevertheless, the fact that she threw the watch into the river at the end means she knows it’s no longer needed. I would have liked her connection to the time traveling to be explained a bit more.

Overall, I still give this series a 10. The story was heart pulling and tear jerking. It showed the sacrifice of Sol who just wanted what was best for the person she loves even if that meant staying away in order to save his life. And it showed the other side pertaining to Sun Jae where it doesn’t matter what happens to him because why live if I don’t have love? A lot of complex decisions were made that always affect everyone around them. Great romance, thriller, time travel and goofy series.

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Lovely Runner - #1 out of 417 KDramas

Contains Spoilers!!

Lovely Runner Review and why it has become my #1 KDrama out of 417 seen (so far).

This will contain a review of Lovely Runner (LR), and giving a few spoilers as possible, but will also provide data showing the uniqueness of this show, and its bombshell effect on the global audience which resulted in a first leading role catapulting ML Byeon Woo Seok (BWS) into a global superstar.

Other than seeing posts of excited fans on KDrama pages, I had no information on Lovely Runner (LR) when I started watching.

It still had several weeks of airing when I “thought” I would just pop in and check out Episode 1 to see what all the stir was about and then wait for it to finish to see straight through.

Ah…NO!

From the concert to the scene on the bridge, I was HOOKED

https://youtu.be/T_uVy8v9-S8?si=onMuDs1mn1vgy039

When we got to the time-travel back to 2008 and her run to “Sun Jae-ah!!”, I was enthralled.

The story is fascinating and fabulously executed by the cast and directors who all went far beyond the norm to make this 3 years in-the-making-story come to life.

https://youtu.be/76CbAftjgRQ?si=_1FDZmxSW5-8p0L4

Due to a challenge to her perspective in the darkest time of her life, Im Sol is Eclipse lead singer Ryu Sun Jae’s longest and most dedicated fan. Through a series of events. when devastating news about him hits, she is transported from 2023 to 2008 where she attempts to change his path to avoid the catastrophe.

This leads to a hilarious intersection of 30-year-old Sol with teenage Sol’s life, much of which she doesn’t remember, as she acts bizarrely for the teenage Sol in order to save Sun Jae.

What she learns is that what is done differently in 2008 has an effect on 2023, some unforeseen.

Since it involves multiple trips as she goes back-and-forth, she begins to understand the patterns of what is transferring between 2008 and 2023, and make adjustments accordingly, with her eye on the goal of saving Sun Jae.

However, Sun Jae has his own thoughts on the new Sol in each timeline.

This brings us laughter, joy, frustration, deep concern for their safety, desperately wishing for things to work out for the future, and ultimately a fabulous romance.

I am a retired professional singer and actress, so music with theatre is my bag. Anytime those two are put together with excellence, I’m in, and that was certainly the case for this show with BWS actually singing the lead for the five Eclipse songs, the majority of which ended up on real life professional music charts, one of which so resonated with the global audience that it broke and set records.

Hearing the behind the scenes footage between the actors and main director lets us appreciate the beauty of KDramas in building depth in a relationship through a directorial fine hand to make the romance heart-grabbing while specifically avoiding pushing it into being explicit.

https://youtu.be/IuF53Sw21UQ?si=zQmSpPiGr21qkkys

Result:

https://youtu.be/vY7AEc7OljY?si=dwM6cp7pPDCqA10q

I applaud that the villain propelled the story forward without overpowering the leads’ story and romance. Even as a very real threat, he was written as the impetus behind their story vs the leading couple’s story being back-burnered as disappointingly happened in the much anticipated KDrama Queen of Tears earlier this year.

I love a story that is intriguing, that makes you stay glued to the screen to keep up with the events happening to put the puzzle pieces in place instead of spelling everything out as it goes, one that requires some effort from the viewer and this one DOES - though in case you missed the clues, everything is put in place for you by the end.

We have comedy, time-travel with multiple trips back and forth, sports, music/idols - and a romance for the ages.

(Spoilers):

https://youtu.be/G273OX8r-bQ?si=FNrP06eer5G7GqAe

Sun Jae’s faithful and sacrificial love for Sol and her faithful and sacrificial love for “Sun Jae-ah” are exemplary of what true love should be. Each repeatedly put their lives and happiness on the line to protect the other.

https://youtu.be/Eh-ImBhwg7E?si=fOzOlHVzzb2Zvf-A

All KDrama fans quickly learn that S. Korea has some pretty phenomenal actors, even with K-Poppers turned actors.

Kim Hye Yoon (Im Sol) is well established as a FL and known for several roles including Extraordinary You which is set in high school (as is part of LR) where she had an even taller ML than BWS.

However for a first lead role, LR was a very ambitious and risky undertaking for novice ML Byeon Woo Seok. LR made Ryu Sun Jae a sink or swim career role for BWS’s first lead, which was a risky “make it or break it” move. The role covers swimming, singing, acting - and portraying the ML from ages 19 to 34, and he made the transitions beautifully.

In many scenes, his emotions are pouring out of his eyes, if you look. I refer you to the scene in Episode 8 right after he dumps his best friend in the bathtub and walks out to see Sol holding what he wanted to remain hidden.

As a retired actress and former university faculty in Theatre, I have to say that I pegged BWS for global stardom some time back from his appearance in another show

I am very impressed with him - not just his acting ability and talent, but also his tenacity and dedication to his craft.

Not only did he tackle a difficult and complex role as his first lead role and bear the responsibility of carrying the weight of the show as the ML, but he also had to learned to swim (he said he previously could only dog-paddle!) well enough to portray an Olympic level swimmer AND swim credibly against South Korea’s own real-life Olympic Gold Medalist in swimming Park Tae Hwan, which he DID.

Additionally, BWS mastered singing five songs to play an idol, with the majority of his songs placing on real life professional music charts, especially Sudden Shower (Sonagi).

Additionally, we have a wonderful second lead in Sun Jae’s rival for Im Sol, 2nd ML Kim Tae Sung (played by Song Geon Hee), who honorably steps aside when he realizes that it is not himself, but Sun Jae who holds Sol’s heart.

Sol’s goofy brother and her best friend provide many instances of comedic relief (as do the rest of the cast), as their awareness of each other and romance plays out.

We also have other great supporting characters in Sun Jae’s best friend played by real life S. Korean band N. Flying's Lee Seung Hyun, Sol’s not-so-out-of-it G’ma (Sung Byung Sook), Sol’s Mom played by veteran actress Jung Young Joo, Sun Jae’s Dad played by veteran character actor Kim Won Hae.

I shared LR with both of my adult daughters who are also KDrama fans, and for them it has also become the #1 KDrama they have seen, and we have all seen MANY.

Those who may not like LR will probably be those who love depressing, angst driven shows such as My Mister, My Dearest, Moon Lovers, etc.

However, those who liked positive, cute, comedic, music filled, uplifting shows with a happy ending, this one should be your bag.

LR has a great script, including a love for all time, incredibly talented actors, excellent direction, a fabulous OST, much of which was sung by the ML, award winning cinematography, comedy, pathos, intrigue, celebrity, off-beat families and a happy ending - what’s not to love?

_____________

Some of the awards and global response:

The Eclipse band (in the show not a real life band) has won numerous real life awards!

(To hear their #1 song, Sudden Shower’s Official Music Video - no English my subtitles):

https://youtu.be/fBB4MaBybyg?si=id6uGjBiKJaburq7

With English (no video):

https://youtu.be/Rx-R_qIYAiA?si=VCDuztOf02t5vkFL


The complete Lovely Runner OST is so well done it’s worth purchasing as well as being one-of-a-kind with the addition of fictitious band Eclipse’s songs sung by non-professional singer, ML Byeon Woo Seok as Idol Ryu Sun Jae. The OST has released Eclipse’s songs as a Bonus album to the show’s OST.

One of the unique qualities of Lovely Runner among 2024 KDramas showing it’s global fandom is that it brings a compilation of record-breaking and record making accolades including:

• LR script book becoming a #1 best seller BEFORE it hit the market

• LR OST recorded the all-time highest pre-release sales of any KDrama OST

• Sudden Shower sung by Byeon Woo Seok placed on the U.S. Billboard chart which has never before happened for a Korean actor

• Being the #1 show in over 130 countries on its original streaming platform Rakuten Viki

• Being Netflix’s highest rated KDrama to air in 2024 - even though it only aired for NF after the show ended airing on Viki and only aired on NF in limited parts of the world

• Its Fundex/Gooddata numbers showing that even not being originally aired on NF (for which NF viewers gave them major grief), tvN‘s OTT platform’s airing of LR beat NF in streaming viewership for the first time and LR (95,789,84) even beat NF’s Queen of Tears (71,412,39), which had just beaten the record held by Crash Landing on You a month before

• BWS and KHY won many unique awards including multiple fan voted popularity awards for their roles in LR

• And several more, listed below.

• Sudden Shower/Sonagi reached #3 on S. Korea’s professional music chart (Melon) AND placed on the US Billboard professional music chart at #199, ultimately reaching #167 where it beat Taylor Swift and even BTS. Currently, Sudden Shower has over 100 million plays on Spotify, alone.

Now add in the astounding number of awards Byeon Woo Seok and LR have racked up.

We’ve seen K-Pop singers turn into actors plenty of times, but BWS is the first actor to become a real-life professional music Idol - through a KDrama.

He is the first actor who by playing an Idol received:

.• A real life Global Music Award at the professional MAMA Music Awards (which upon winning, he acknowledged his Eclipse band members by their LR names).

• The first actor to sing at MAMA before 55,000 people - LIVE

• AND BWS’s Sudden Shower/Sonagi (소나기) just won S. Korea’s Melon professional music award for Best OST song

- All of which has never happened before.

And believe it or not, LR and its beloved leading couple have received even more awards, attention, applause, mentions and imitations than I have listed here, with even S. Korean celebrities taking selfies with BWS’s life-sized ad cutouts as the industry clamors to cast him or hire him for endorsements.

Obviously, LR hit a record breaking home run with S. Korean and the global audience.

Hats off to Byeon Woo Seok and Lovely Runner for giving us a great show with a love story for all time, fabulous music and for climbing new mountains in the industry and with the global KDrama fandom. 🫡

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