Lovely Runner

BORING - how can this show be this overrated ?

Everything is in the title : boring.
I struggle to watch 13 episodes, it was good at the beginning, a lot of potential but EXTREMELY repetitive. Every episode is the same, they could have shorten it to 10 episodes, maybe it would have been better.
Romance was so childish and unreal... I couldn't relate.
Also, the disability part and depression would have been a great plot of this show, but barely developed, this drama wasn't deep enough...
Nevermind, I will have trust issues now with the rating of a Kdrama show ... gave me hope, but waste of time for me.

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Criminally overrated

The fact that this drama has a 9.1 rating over here has made me lose faith in this website's rating system and the current generation of drama raters.

Firstly, apart from the semi-interesting but not original premise of going back in time to save someone, there is not much in this drama, once again, but fluff. Fluff and the usual new-gen formula -- make them fall in love as soon as possible (with hardly any sexual tension). Just make them fall head over heels in love with each other with hardly any conflict at all. And then make it all be cute and fluffy couple scenes. Then when we hit episode 10, insert a totally artificial conflict about a serial killer that the couple must vanquish. What a sad state kdramas are in these days. Except for those, of course, who want nothing but cuteness and fluff, which seems to make up the majority of the new drama viewers, as evidenced by the totally undeserved 9.1 rating.

The drama actually gets off to a relatively good start, but it actually is a bait-and-switch. At first, you think you're getting into a complex drama about time travel, depression, suicide, disability, fan culture -- but all of that seem to exist only in the first episode and are hardly given a second look by the writers for the rest of the drama. Instead, what we actually get is a failed attempt at various disparate genres -- slice of life, teen romance, sci-fi, crime/thriller, comedy. All of these are thrown in the mix but none of them are done well. The slice of life is shallow. The characters that make up the family and neighborhood are just not written well enough to rise above their flatness, and to make you care or feel any real warmth. The teen romance, as I had already mentioned, has no tension at all. It is just there almost from the very start that they are equally smitten with each other. No sexual tension. No conflict. No push/pull. It is romance wrung dry of all negativity, so that what we are left with is a squeaky-clean perfect vision of sunshine and rainbows and heart-eyes and fluff fluff flufffffff that is so perfect that it is utterly boring. We all know that romance and all matters of the heart are fraught with a lot of stormy emotions -- doubt, fear, jealousy, anger. Hardly any of these are portrayed with any conviction. It is just a perfect teen daydrem, utterly bland and uninteresting. But cute!! Don't forget cute because that is what netted the 9.1 rating, that attempt at cuteness. That trying to be as cute as possible. Because apparently the modern drama watcher will go a single awwww and run here and rate it a 10. In my honest opinion, the leads actually lack enough chemistry to elicit any kind of real awwww from me. But maybe that's just me. I never felt any real spark between them. They have the chemistry of siblings, IMO.

As for the sci-fi, which is the time travel element, it is so hollow and thin that it is practically not there. It is obviously used as just a device to create the "interesting premise," but the writers couldn't be bothered to create a clear explanation or rhyme or reason to it. Apparently, the grandmother developed dementia-related superpowers and am able to go beyond time. How or why, no one knows. The comedy is just dismal and does not deserve even a single sentence. The thriller aspect is totally predictable and uninteresting. The killer is just some rando person out to get the couple, again just to serve as a plot device to sub for the missing conflict in the story.

The drama does not even delve into the very real issue of kpop idol depression and suicide, which it selfishly again trivializes and uses as a mere plot device. It does not even go 1-inch deep into this matter. In fact, it is unclear whether the ML actually did commit suicide or was just offed by the killer. The drama does not show whether he truly was depressed. Depression and idol culture are totally shoved under the rug, discarded and forgotten. So is disability. It is used as, again, another plot device to make the drama seem interesting but is magically done away with within the second or third episode and is totally forgotten for the rest of the drama. The drama writers just could not be bothered to insert any depth or substance into their story. Apparently this is the new in thing -- squeaky clean, sanitized fluff that is bleached of all negativity or conflict and of all sexual tension, which it seems is considered by the new generation as "toxic." Romance is apparently toxic nowadays, apart from fluff. Fluff is the only thing that is safe and will not draw the ire of the new woke public.

This drama was actually the final death knell that marked the end of my love affair with Kdrama. After seeing this, I have decided it is high time to stop. There are other, better alternatives, such as Jdorama, which is not as woke, not as sanitized and still has the courage to delve into very real human concerns that at least make you feel something.

As a postscript, I do want to add that this drama has one shining light -- the second male lead! How I wish he would have been the ML instead, but alas. He is, of course, relegated to the sidelines, just like everything else in this drama that could have been good if given better focus and treatment. But again, we are left walking away with nothing but air and fluff. No substance. No depth. No real drama. Just fluff.

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SO MANY HOLES

Lovely Runner had me at “time-traveling fangirl saves her idol,” but by the end, I was laughing through my tears, not always for the reasons it intended. Starring Kim Hye-yoon as Im Sol, a paralyzed superfan, and Byeon Woo-seok as Ryu Sun-jae, the doomed frontman of the fictional boy band Eclipse, this drama promised a swoony mix of romance, thriller, and time-loop shenanigans. It starts with Sol, whose life was upended by a childhood accident, clinging to Sun-jae’s music for solace, only to learn he’s spiraling into depression, a career-killing shoulder injury, and a gut-wrenching suicide in 2023. Then, poof, a magical watch drops into her lap, letting her zip back to 2008 to rewrite his fate. She dives into her high school days, armed with future knowledge, dodging a creepy serial killer, and trying to save Sun-jae from shady managers, overwork, and his own dark path. The setup is a nostalgic love letter to the early 2000s with flip phones, skinny jeans, and all, blending romance, comedy, and a dash of menace. The first half is pure magic: Sol’s fangirl fervor is adorable, Sun-jae’s brooding charm is catnip, and their chemistry crackles like a K-pop banger. Kim Hye-yoon plays Sol with a mix of pluck and pathos, while Byeon Woo-seok makes Sun-jae’s quiet pain achingly real. The supporting cast like Sol’s quirky family, Sun-jae’s bandmates, and Taesung, a sweet cop’s son, adds warmth, and the glossy visuals, paired with Eclipse’s catchy tunes, hit all the right emotional notes. But oh, how the mighty fall. By the end, *Lovely Runner* is a mess, tripping over its own time loops, drowning in plot holes, and leaving me chuckling at its absurdity while mourning what could’ve been. With weak worldbuilding, characters who forget who they are, and a narrative that feels like it was written by a committee of confused time travelers, I’m giving it a 6 out of 10: a bittersweet watch that’s equal parts charming and infuriating, like falling in love with someone who keeps forgetting your name.

The tragedy starts with the worldbuilding, or lack thereof, which is less a foundation and more a crumbling sandcastle. The magical watch that powers Sol’s time-hopping is a mystery wrapped in a shrug. Who owned it before her auction win? Why does her grandma act like she’s in on the timeline secrets, only to vanish into narrative limbo? The watch’s rules are a cosmic joke: it triggers at midnight one day, at Sun-jae’s death the next, or maybe when Sol’s feeling extra regretful, with a supposed three-attempt limit that’s more suggestion than law. It’s like the writers tossed a coin to decide how it works each episode, leaving me giggling at the sheer audacity. Sol’s time-freezing trick is even more maddening. She uses it to sneak into Sun-jae’s house or dodge his dad, but when she’s stuck in a kidnapper’s car, does she freeze time? Nope, she runs in front of it like a sitcom character. Or when Sun-jae’s stabbed and tumbling off a cliff, she’s got 10 seconds to act but just stands there, as if her superpower took a coffee break. These moments are so contrived I couldn’t help but laugh, but it’s a hollow laugh when you realize the stakes are supposed to matter.

The characters, bless their hearts, are a parade of missed potential. Sol’s arc is a tearjerker that never quite lands. Her growth, especially around her disability, happens mostly off-screen, leaning on sappy manipulation instead of depth. Kim Hye-yoon tries, but the script gives her little to work with, leaving Sol feeling like a plot pawn rather than a person. Sun-jae’s bandmates and family are reduced to background noise, their arcs so incomplete I half-expected them to wave at the camera and say, “We tried!” Taesung, the second lead, is a walking plot hole: suddenly Sol’s bestie in altered timelines, despite no prior connection in the original, and the show doesn’t even try to explain it, which had me snorting at its laziness. The serial killer, a taxi driver with a vendetta, is the biggest joke of all. His obsession with Sol, his random possession of her phone at a reservoir (maybe tied to a dead homeless guy, who knows?), and his motives are so vague that when he leaps off a bridge to end his arc, I cackled at the anticlimax. It’s like the writers said, “Eh, close enough.” Younger Sol’s behavior in resets, going from wallflower to cigarette-snatching brawler, feels like a comedy sketch gone wrong, with no bridge to her original shy self, making me laugh and wince at once.

The pacing and tone are where the show’s soul truly shines, or rather, stumbles. The first half zips along, balancing romance, humor, and mystery like a well-choreographed dance. But the second half? It’s like the show got stuck in a time loop of its own, repeating the same beats until I was begging for mercy. The endless cycles feel like a writer’s room prank, dragging the story into a slog that’s both exhausting and absurdly funny in its refusal to move forward. The tone is a disaster: slapstick comedy crashes into gut-punch drama, like a clown stumbling into a funeral. One minute, Sol’s chasing a goat in a goofy gag; the next, she’s sobbing over Sun-jae’s fate, and I’m left with tonal whiplash, laughing at the absurdity while craving coherence. The thriller subplot is a forced mess, like someone tossed a serial killer into a rom-com and hoped for the best. And don’t get me started on Sol’s baffling choices: she sees future visions (like tripping during that goat chase) but lies about them to Sun-jae, who already knows she’s from 2023, stretching misunderstandings into a sitcom-level farce that’s equal parts infuriating and unintentionally hilarious. The romance, initially so tender, gets buried under these repetitive loops, with too few intimate moments to keep the heart fluttering, leaving me chuckling at the irony of a love story forgetting its own spark.

The plot holes are the cherry on top, a laundry list of absurdities that make you laugh, cry, and question your life choices. Sol’s ability to walk in 2023 after erasing her connection to Sun-jae is pure nonsense. In the original timeline, he saved her from drowning post-accident, so without him, she should be paralyzed or worse, but the show just shrugs, tossing in vague butterfly effects like a bad punchline. The lottery ticket Sol gives her brother with 2024 numbers somehow wins across resets, even when those events are erased, which is so illogical I snorted. Her family’s move to dodge dangers like a fire or redevelopment is a head-scratcher. Some timelines show no burn marks on her mom, suggesting the threats aren’t consistent, and how Sol pulls it off repeatedly is anyone’s guess. Sol’s consciousness during time slips is a comedic riddle, is her past self on auto-pilot? She keeps skills like driving but needs triggers for memories, blurring whether it’s parallel universes or a single timeline, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the confusion. The timeline count, maybe five, from handicapped Sol to erasing links, is a chaotic mess, with returns flipping between morning and midnight like a drunk time traveler. The police arresting the killer is a farce: handcuffing him in front, not securing him in the car, and letting him escape for no reason other than drama, which had me giggling at the sheer incompetence. Sol writing a script about their romance after swearing to avoid Sun-jae is a contradiction: it jogs his memories, undoing her plan, and she’s somehow surprised, which is both sad and absurd. The watch’s random reappearance in timelines where they don’t meet, with no explanation of how Sun-jae gets it, is another laughable gap. These holes pile up, turning the story into a circus, equal parts exasperating and unintentionally funny.

In the end, *Lovely Runner* is a K-drama that woos you with its big heart and bigger dreams, only to trip face-first into a pile of its own plot holes, leaving you laughing through the pain. Kim Hye-yoon and Byeon Woo-seok are the saving grace, their chemistry a beacon in the storm, making those high school scenes and early romantic beats feel like a warm hug. The visuals, dripping with 2000s nostalgia, and the Eclipse soundtrack are pure joy, tugging at your heart even when the story doesn’t. Themes of regret, fate, and idol pressures could’ve been profound, but they’re lost in the shuffle, like a poignant line in a bad comedy sketch. It promises a masterpiece but delivers a messy love story that’s as frustrating as it is charming. I wanted to adore it, but I ended up laughing at its stumbles while sighing for what might’ve been.

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Kim Hye Yoon stuns and Byeon Woo Seok is great, but after that?

Attempting to keep this brief.

Kim Hye Yoon and Im Sol are as perfect a pairing of actor and character as can be achieved by human effort.

Byeon Woo Seok is more than capable as a lead and is particularly good when Seon Jae is uncomfortable and awkwardly trying to make something happen with Im Sol. Somehow, when he's supposed to be cool and under control, doesn't seem as natural.

The two together are fantastic particularly through the first time loop sequences up until Im Sol finally (in present day) comes clean about her feelings and the big scene in her apartment doorway delivers the awaited romantic payoff.

These two can duke it out with the lead couple of just about any drama and hold their own.

But the rest?

Not great.

There's a second couple but 1. it's forgotten almost completely from episodes 4 through 15 and 2. they are clearly intended to be the comic relief in a show where the leads provide plenty of laughs so the second couple has to take their acting to a sketch comedy level that is nails-on-chalkboard grating.

Kim Won Hae is great (as he almost always is) but the relationship between Sun Jae and KWH's father is rarely given any in depth play. What could have been a terrific subplot, particularly when dealing with Sun Jae's swimming career, is ignored.

Tae Sung is a promising character but he needed a bit of backstory and consistency. Like a lot of characters that aren't the main two, Tae Sung is too frequently simply a convenient device that transforms in to whatever the story requires him to be. A bad boy that needs to fake a relationship with Im Sol. Later a buddy for Sun Jae. Then an object of jealousy. Intermittently, a character teased as the third spoke of a triangle (thankfully only teased but even the teasing of it was unwelcome). Finally, a cop to pursue the villain. Although the time loop changes can account for some of this, it's jarring when in one loop he's a successful fashion entrepreneur and then suddenly he's a civil servant.

Back to the villain: it's the most bland villain ever and the final confrontation with him is so painfully anticlimactic.

And the storytelling overall is lacking. It starts after major events that drive the storyline have happened but the context is never adequately exposited. The time loops are fairly well handled but there is absolutely one more loop than there needed to be and it's clear that the writers grew tired of incorporating how the most recent loop back changed the present day circumstances.

It's a show that could have 1. been a show exclusively about the lead couple for about an 8 episode run (like a longer "Soundtrack" drama) or 2. a more traditional 16 episode drama that invested more screen time in the secondary stories and characters. Either way, with this lead couple, it could have been an all-time great show. Instead, it's a fun watch and certainly recommended but falls well short of what it should have been.

[EDIT: Wow. Thanks so much to everyone who has liked this review! The positive feedback is very appreciated :)

The review should have mentioned that Im Sol's grandmother, both the character and the portrayal, were wonderful but, frustratingly underutilized.]

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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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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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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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An amazing start, but...

1. Something about "fix me" stories as it relates to people with disabilities just doesn't sit right with me, I was hoping the part of the story about the FL being a wheelchair user would return, at the very least because it was wrapped very quickly, but instead it was mainly used to further the plot, with few moments focused on representation, which was disappointing.

2. The serial killer plot dragged on for sooooo long and it ended in such an anticlimactic way, it felt like in the end the writer didn't know what to do with the guy.

3. The constant timeline changes killed the momentum, especially the last one because I absolutely despise the amnesia trope, I find it usually useless because it puts a stop at the character/relationship development.

All of that means that if the drama was shorter, around 12 episodes, some of the issues with the storytelling could have been resolved, at least for me. All in all though, I did enjoy the lead couple immensely, no matter the little things I disliked, their chemistry always made up for it in the end.

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Still undeserving high rating. Show has a negative message

9.1 is crazy high. Show still needs a rating for what it truly deserves

This show being in the same position like some of the few 9 above rated shows in this site seems like an insult. Try checking the other 9 above rated ones here and I wouldnt complain. God, there's even lower rated dramas that deserved a 9 but didnt make it. I recently just rewatched Story of Yanxi Palace too ( best c-drama) and that show is stuck at 8.8 here. Then i'll just give my own opinion of what I've digested from this show as to feel validated for this trouble.

The Good:
OST, Attractive and talented main actors (BWS is the clickbait of the show), good editing. Thats it.
The Bad:
Storytelling, Characters, and Moral story.

Storytelling:
No need to talk about the good, let's start with the bad. The plot of lovely runner has been done many times and is simple as it gets, I was actually curious how they would execute it as long as it holds out. Story was solid, not unique but alright. It wasn't a standout time travel plot like taiwanese drama 'Someday but Oneday' but Lovely Runner need none of it since all they had to do was to be consistent in story telling, but thats the first disappointment. Storytelling of the show was dead and non cohesive. They introduced our depressed female lead had a disability, then our kpop idol male lead who had a mysterious regret. Great start but for some reason they abandoned this part to the point where everything later on is just shrugged off literally because everything becomes solved with our plot device called time travel.
Throughout episodes 2-16 the show literally forgot the story introduction and became a forced love till death do us apart story instead of like showing us how our main leads cope with their initial problem then later on learning how to love because it was instantly solved with the continuous time travel. She had a disability, well one time travel later it's fixed! and goes on to never ponder about it again. He had a troublesome regret, well one time travel later it's fixed! and never ponders about it again. Same goes to the side characters, they had a problem before, well one time travel later it's fixed! Sure. Genuinely theres nothing wrong with time travel and making it as a solution to the plot's conflict and LR isnt the only one doing it but LR is taking the wrong path and it's proven towards the end. Our main leads literally did not suffer consequential matters that were done by time travel cause it was fixed again and again. It's like LR is a water filled transparent vase that keeps on getting broken and the writer keeps on putting a patch to seal it. As to why this is problematic, I talk about it later down on the moral story of the show. Let's move on to the characters.

Characters:
One dimensional characters to the point where they were written to be perfect for each other. Too perfect perhaps. When they genuinely have interaction, we never get a gist of their human thoughts because it will be used as filler time to put fluff romance and unintelligent dialogue, same goes to the other characters. Like I said, the story itself wasn't difficult so the plot should've been the characters but they were just given dead and unrealistic characteristics. What goes on FL's mind besides the ML? and etc. Basically they were written to be fated and meant for each other 'cause they gave us the reason why but the show spare zero effort to give us a reason how.
Let's not even start with the villain. It already has the trope that is rampant in Kdramas, the mysterious killer. But the mysterious killer isn't so mysterious because he's literally a random with no background that was given an excuse to be psychopathic but turns out to just be lazy writing. Atleast other kdrama dared to give their mysterious serial killer to be mysterious and even given a acceptable motive.

Moral story:
Earlier I mentioned how time travel was used as a plot device for fixing the problems this show has and why it's bad. The main reason is because Lovely Runner's story and conclusion made us feel that way. Time travel dramas would give the viewers a message that going back in time would be consequential and morally give a message.
Last year, Twinkling Watermelon aired and also introduced time travel. There, the main leads get caught up to the past of their parents. This experience led them into their character development and eventually the conclusion of the show. The leads wanted to change the present but was lead to the inevitable. None of the things that happened in their time travel changed the literal present timeline but instead what ended up changing is our main characters and how they view themselves and their parents. This is how you leave positive a message for your story. Think again, why did China ban time travel dramas, they did it to not confuse the mass as they think it leaves a bad message. So recent C-drama time travel would come up with ways to make sure it doesn't conflict with the ban.
Lovely Runner's plot has an unhealthy message. The biggest no was when they bypassed through Im Sol's disability just like that using time travel and never to be explored ever again. The story couldve used this opportunity to simply give Im Sol the moment to cope and live on through this disability to leave out a positive message. It's such a negative outlook to such problems that if you're ill fated then all you need to basically change your fate is with a simple time travel and fix problems easily like that, no room for acceptance whatsoever.

Still Lovely Runner, without the criticism should still be a solid 7.5. Despite all, the fluff and romance is definitely the best in recent k-drama release. I just hope people carefully digest a show before easily handing out 10s in MDL.

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So many timelines, so little development.

I want to start with - I really did enjoy the show a lot, I hyped it at the beginning like crazy and got quite a few people to watch it too. That said, I cannot act as if it had no flaws. In fact, it had many.

Started as a fun and entertaining rom-com delivering some well established cliches in a refreshing way, with just enough angst to keep you invested. And next? It turned into its worst nightmare - poorly written development making the last few episodes lose the initial charm. The fate of many dramas in the past. The fate of many dramas to come.

Truth to be told, I have no idea how to write the review in a way that will point out all the issues I had, while also delivering the clear idea of the fun and joy I felt while watching. The drama is honestly mediocre, but it’s such an excellent presentation, you just forget and ignore how mediocre it is.

The plot was messy, with little explanation of how anything works. Time travel had close to zero rules truly established, the villain had literally nothing going on for himself and I feel like the yellow umbrella had more personality than him. He had no business being so important to the plot with this little fucks put into actually writing it in engaging and coherent manner.

Kim Tae Sung and Baek In Hyuk were pure sunshines, but it’s a joke to call them main characters (and they are named as such even on namu.wiki). The supporting couple was painfully unnecessary and the whole drama had overall too many filler scenes and flashbacks of things that happened even in the same episode.

And yet it was fun and adorable. The chemistry between Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon was amazing from literally the first scene - they aced the romance, comedy, drama. Lovely Runner is filled with scenes that will make you smile and laugh and lighten your mood. The down to earth comedy driven by the characters’ personalities and daily accidents was probably one of my favorite aspects of the show. Even though I felt like the characters were not truly complex and well developed, at the same time I fell in love with their quirky personalities. Seon Jae and Tae Sung? Surprisingly great and fun chemistry. Now I wish to see the two of them in a drama together as close friends.

What’s more to love? Amazing soundtrack with many uplifting and moving songs. Sudden Shower (소나기) just melts your heart when you listen to it. With a great soundtrack goes beautiful visuals - loved the set design, lighting, camera angles. The drama also had amazing timing - turning some romantic and dramatic scenes into comedy bits with a fun presentation. So many things worked, so what didn't?

Ryu Seon Jae is technically the main character, but the writing matches the supporting ones more. Where is the development? Where is the rich characterization? Where are the flaws and personal goals? Why is he Haru 2.0? On paper he is perfect, but would I want a man like that in real life? A person with little to no individuality, whose whole existence revolves around me? That’s how Seon Jae is presented. He is a 1+1 deal with Im Sol and that’s it. Yes, he is good looking, yes he is adorable with his loser charm, he is dedicated, killing viewers with his puppy love towards Sol. But I need more from my lead characters… I need some spice with that sugar.

Sol is not much different, so at least we have equality here. Everything she does is done for Seon Jae’s benefit. I get it, it’s a plot driven show about preventing the bad thing from happening - it does not mean they cannot use some screen time to develop the characters a bit more beyond what the plot needs them to do. Why are they giving so much screen time to a side romance when your main characters are 2-dimensional plot puppets even half way through the show?

And it’s not like the plot was well developed. As I already said, time travel has no rules established except how to get back in time. The crime/mystery part is laughably bad with ridiculous conclusions. 80% of the show is just cute and fun moments, and there would be nothing wrong with that if the drama did not try to pretend as if the reminding 20% were interesting and important. Make it 12 episodes and switching a crime to depression and we would get top quality heart warming healing rom-com. You could feel how they did not have enough material for 16 episodes when they started to show flashbacks of events that happened maybe 20 minutes ago in the same episode.

Acting wise I overall loved it. There were a few moments when I found Kim Hye Yoon’s performance not quite convincing, especially during a few lighter romantic scenes - the smile was just too much, it did not seem real. Something about her being so excessively happy did not vibe with me, as if she tried to convince me she is happy with her smile instead of showing it with her eyes. But these were truly just a few moments and overall I truly loved her as Sol. When you think about it, at least in some aspects it was in fact noona romance. Byeon Woo Seok did an amazing job too. Loved how he could be both cool and charismatic and a dorky loser and it made perfect sense.

Overall, often after I finished watching the episode I had this thought: wow, that was really a filler episode, but I had so much fun. It’s happy and bright, overdramatic with its mystery when the mystery is shallow and barely working for this plot. I had a great time watching, but I would hesitate to recommend it.

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The romance and music are great. PLot Holes. And characterizations greatly diminish the enjoyment.

The effervescence around this drama is excessive. If one can watch without a critical eye it is absolutely wonderful And I agree. If you are The type of k drama watcher, who likes cohesive plots and well developed characters.Then you may have issues with this drama. It may still be well worth watching for the emotional beats and the music. The acting is very good and the couple is amazingly cute. I do not regret watching this show but it was stressful at times.

This is my first review. I wanted to present overall a more balanced view. I rely in part on these ratings to decide whether to watch a show or not. If I relied on the ratings and reviews here I would have thought this is The absolutely Best drama ever and this is definitely not the case.

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