I just finished watching hidden love and in this drama the relationships of main leads are very healthy and peaceful. The male character was a complete green flag and then I read synopsis of The Great dreamer and I find it very much similar and now iam so so excited to watch TGD especially ShenYue as a XiaXia and I'm pretty sure she gonna nailed it That’s all I have to say—feel free to watch when its aired
Focuses on the inheritance and promotion of handmade Xuan paper making, a representative of Huizhou culture. By depicting the intertwined fates of younger and older generations of artisans, it explores how young people today find self-worth between ideals and reality, and between tradition and innovation.
Lin Yi Ran, who worked in Beijing, returned to her hometown due to her mother's illness. She then took the civil service exam and landed a position in Taohua Town's Economic Development Office. Seeing the traditional Xuan paper industry, exemplified by the millennium Xuan family, struggling to survive, Lin Yi Ran worked tirelessly to help the industry overcome its difficulties. By developing a Xuan paper notebook business, securing orders for Xuan paper wallpaper in Beijing, and organizing the "Four Treasures of the Study" Cultural Festival, she helped the Taohua Town Xuan paper industry overcome its difficulties.
Lin Yi Ran, who worked in Beijing, returned to her hometown due to her mother's illness. She then took the civil service exam and landed a position in Taohua Town's Economic Development Office. Seeing the traditional Xuan paper industry, exemplified by the millennium Xuan family, struggling to survive, Lin Yi Ran worked tirelessly to help the industry overcome its difficulties. By developing a Xuan paper notebook business, securing orders for Xuan paper wallpaper in Beijing, and organizing the "Four Treasures of the Study" Cultural Festival, she helped the Taohua Town Xuan paper industry overcome its difficulties.
The core similarity between the C-drama The Great Dreamer and the K-drama Lovely Runner lies in their powerful "mutual healing through youthful struggle" narrative. Both series feature deeply resilient couples who must overcome severe familial and personal hardships while fiercely protecting each other’s dreams.
Here is a breakdown of how these themes mirror one another across both shows:
Resilient Leads Overcoming HardshipThe Great Dreamer:
Xia Xia (Shen Yue) faces severe family neglect when her stepfather refuses to fund her education. She secretly works multiple part-time jobs to survive and maintain her law school studies.
Lovely Runner: Im Sol (Kim Hye-yoon) faces a devastating, life-altering accident that leaves her paralyzed. Despite this profound trauma, she maintains a fiercely bright and determined spirit.Saving Each Other From Despair
The Great Dreamer: Xia Xia’s partner, Xie Huai, is crushed by the overwhelming financial and emotional weight of his mother’s terminal illness. Xia Xia actively steps in to pull him out of despair, helping him rediscover his academic aspirations and face his reality.
Lovely Runner: Ryu Sun-jae (Byeon Woo-seok) faces immense pressure as a celebrity, ultimately meeting a tragic fate in the original timeline. Sol risks everything to travel through time to protect him from his hidden inner darkness and alter his future.The Impact of Separation and Time
The Great Dreamer: Real-world burdens force a painful five-year separation between the leads. When they finally reunite as changed, matured individuals, their bond remains unbroken.
Lovely Runner: The story relies on time-slips where the leads are separated by different eras and timelines. Every time they cross paths in a new timeline, they have to re-navigate their bond under different pressures.Feature Comparison
The Great DreamerLovely RunnerMain ThemeHealing through real-world hardshipsHealing through fate-altering choicesMale Lead's TraumaCaregiving burden & mother's terminal illnessCelebrity burnout & tragic lonelinessFemale Lead's StrengthAcademic perseverance & financial independenceUnwavering loyalty & time-traveling courageThe ObstacleA 5-year separation due to medical leaveChanging timeline events and altering fate
Here is a breakdown of how these themes mirror one another across both shows:
Resilient Leads Overcoming HardshipThe Great Dreamer:
Xia Xia (Shen Yue) faces severe family neglect when her stepfather refuses to fund her education. She secretly works multiple part-time jobs to survive and maintain her law school studies.
Lovely Runner: Im Sol (Kim Hye-yoon) faces a devastating, life-altering accident that leaves her paralyzed. Despite this profound trauma, she maintains a fiercely bright and determined spirit.Saving Each Other From Despair
The Great Dreamer: Xia Xia’s partner, Xie Huai, is crushed by the overwhelming financial and emotional weight of his mother’s terminal illness. Xia Xia actively steps in to pull him out of despair, helping him rediscover his academic aspirations and face his reality.
Lovely Runner: Ryu Sun-jae (Byeon Woo-seok) faces immense pressure as a celebrity, ultimately meeting a tragic fate in the original timeline. Sol risks everything to travel through time to protect him from his hidden inner darkness and alter his future.The Impact of Separation and Time
The Great Dreamer: Real-world burdens force a painful five-year separation between the leads. When they finally reunite as changed, matured individuals, their bond remains unbroken.
Lovely Runner: The story relies on time-slips where the leads are separated by different eras and timelines. Every time they cross paths in a new timeline, they have to re-navigate their bond under different pressures.Feature Comparison
The Great DreamerLovely RunnerMain ThemeHealing through real-world hardshipsHealing through fate-altering choicesMale Lead's TraumaCaregiving burden & mother's terminal illnessCelebrity burnout & tragic lonelinessFemale Lead's StrengthAcademic perseverance & financial independenceUnwavering loyalty & time-traveling courageThe ObstacleA 5-year separation due to medical leaveChanging timeline events and altering fate
