16 Episodes

Main Cast: Byeon Woo Seok, Kim Hye Yoon

When Lovely Runner originally came out, I thought it was overhyped and decided not to watch it. A few months later, I saw an article about it and decided to give it a chance. After recently finishing it for the second time, I can say with absolute certainty that it was always appropriately hyped. Starring Byeon Woo Seok as Ryu Sun Jae and Kim Hye Yoon as Im Sol, Lovely Runner gives a whole new meaning to fated love, and captivates its audience through its plot. Taking place in 2022, Im Sol is a fan of the boy group Eclipse and lead singer Ryu Sun Jae, both of whom helped her through a difficult time in her life. Im Sol is on her way to their concert in December when she gets a call about a job interview. She is not able to make it back to the concert in time, and listens from outside of the venue. After the concert, her phone dies and her wheelchair runs out of power while stuck on Hangang Bridge, and she has a run-in with Sun Jae. Later, she gets the news that he died by suicide and in her grief-ridden state she drops her watch and attempts to crawl to retrieve it. At midnight on January 1, 2023, she is transported back to June 2009 and meets a younger (and very much alive) Sun Jae. She realizes she’s in the past and must work to ensure that Sun Jae never has a reason to die in the future, in order to save his life.

Their love story was so fun to watch come to life, especially when we see both points-of-view at different times throughout the show. My favorite had to come from episode 2, where it’s revealed that Sun Jae had always liked Sol. The montage of shots of him trying to get close to her and learn about the things she likes is so endearing. I love love love the scene from the DVD shop and how it set up so much conflict and bickering later on. Their romance felt so natural and youthful, which was contrasted by their chemistry in adulthood. Both actors did a terrific job showing what love looks like as it grows and changes, which coupled with the time travel aspect, proved that their love transcended time itself. My favorite character from the show was Sun Jae, and Byeon Woo Seok did such an incredible job in the role I constantly found myself kicking my feet and giggling as he tried to win over Sol. Sun Jae was the epitome of young love, both with the innocence and the goofiness of his attempts to win Sol’s favor. I kept thinking that he was just so corny, and so down bad for Sol it was adorable. Sol continuing to go back in time, even erasing herself from his life in order for him to live, showed her love for Sun Jae. She was willing to sacrifice her own happiness for him to be happy and healthy, proving her genuine love for Sun Jae, not just her original adoration as a fan. Sol was an adult the entirety of the show, but it was clear that reliving her teenage years helped her to mature further into her adulthood. Especially with her relationship-to-friendship with Tae Seong (played by Song Geon Hee), by approaching her teenage years differently she came back to the present approaching her adult years differently (not ignoring the fact she didn’t have a wheelchair in her altered present). Traveling back to save Sun Jae completely changed not only his life, but hers as well, and she became a better person as a result.

One part of the show that made it difficult for me to finish my second time through was Im Sol’s last time in the past. I understand why she thought she had to go back and face the killer alone, but by not communicating with Sun Jae it just put him in danger anyway. This scene showed the inevitability of Sun Jae’s intervention in Sol’s life and how he would always strive to protect her regardless of how it would affect him, showing the parallels between their characters. However, erasing Sun Jae from her life just wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair to him and his feelings for her, on top of the fact that it just didn’t make sense. Because of the inclusion of this plot point, Sun Jae had to get his memories of the alternate version of the past back in a very nonsensical way. I still don’t fully understand how he was able to remember something that had never happened if Sol made it so they never met in the past. If I had to try to explain it, I would relate it to Sol’s grandma, who was able to remember alternate timelines because of her dementia. Her memory loss created a bridge between different timelines, so it’s possible that when Sun Jae saw the yellow umbrella, it created a bridge between his memories. Since everything worked out for the best I can’t be upset, but I would’ve been okay with sacrificing less time in that episode (or more happy moments towards the end!) for not having to experience the sadness of Sun Jae existing in a world where he didn’t know Sol. I’m happy with the ending and don’t think the show went longer than it should’ve. Everything ended exactly as it should’ve for Sol and Sun Jae, and I couldn’t have asked for a better final episode.

Lovely Runner was Byeon Woo Seok’s breakout role, and another standout performance from Kim Hye Yoon. I have since watched many shows from both actors and will continue to support them in their future roles. I’m sure many can agree that Lovely Runner was THE show of 2024 (my personal favorite was Doctor Slump), as it was everywhere for months after it aired. I strongly recommend this to anyone who hasn’t yet experienced the joy of Ryu Sun Jae, as well as hoping that those who have already watched it give it a rewatch. Truly a great experience and amazing work from the cast and crew!

First-Watch Experience	10
Rewatchability	10
Characters	9.5
Plot	9.5
Overall	9.8