Lovely Runner

A Green Forest Kdrama

This is undoubtedly my favorite kdrama of all time!

I had started this unexpectedly because the plot was something which is not everyone's cup of tea and I really liked KHY and BWS as actors so gave it a go. And ngl I was seated from 1st ep to the 16th one with rewatching each ep after it aired. It was also surprising to see a drama do well with next to zero promotional activities.

This drama had all tropes like time travel, love at first sight, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, comedy, bromance and what not. It was hard to bring all these together, but the director and the writer did a fabulous job portray it wonderfully. Even the 3 timelines shown were also beautifully put together. The acting was top notch from everyone and this drama had one of the green flag SML. The OST's are also so good that I listen to it almost everyday.

The chemistry here is one of the best I've ever seen. The way KHY and BWS portrayed sol and sunjae I don't think any other actor could have done it like them. They made me laugh, cry, gave me so many butterflies and made me stuck with them in this joyful ride together. For me they've become the best on screen couples of all time.

This drama had everything in it that captivated the viewers hearts from the beginning. It made my 2 months so wholesome that it'll forever remain in my heart. It'll be hard to get over this masterpiece but till then I'm gonna just rewatch the eps or else I'll miss each monday and tuesday from now on.

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Watch this after the drama is finished! if not, the waiting for episodes is hell.

I was a manhwa fan. At first, I was worried how the drama would turn out as the adaption drama story line and manhwa/novel story line are tend to be different. I’m not worried about the actors’ acting tho. They have already proved their acting with their previous works.
But when it aired, I love it! The drama gave more solid reason for Sol being a fan of Seon Jae and tried fo save him.
But I didn’t expect that in drama story line, Seon Jae fall Sol first. It seems that drama and manhwa/novel have only core similarity like time slip and FL tries to save ML.
The chemistry between leads are so superb that I fall in love with this cp.
I give this 10 out of 10.
As I said, because the drama is so good, you should wait for all episodes. I’m here regretting that I watched it as soon as they aired as the waiting for next episode is hell. :’)

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Started out strong, downhill ep 12 on

The moment she left the train, all logic lost.

The story started out fun & interesting, so I thought it was going to be as strong as the drama "Extraordinary you."
Favorite aspects of this drama:
-ML Byeon Woo Seok did an amazing job and surprised me with that singing voice.
-FL Kim Hye Yoon always does a great job with these kinds of roles.
-The pairing is super cute, great chemistry

Not so great....
-Weak supporting characters & stories.
-Pacing started to slow down midway, and the constant crying scenes got repetitive. Nowadays the most annoying trend is for dramas to replay scenes that JUST happened 10 seconds ago as if viewers need a reminder.
-Ep 12 on the script went south as the FL made illogical decisions. And if you just go with those decisions she comes back to current time, shouldn't she try to find the SAME one-dimensional suspect? Girl has a cop friend/2wk ex/15 yrs 2nd lead she can ask..... Running away from the killer situation is not really fixing the source of the problem.

Downfall of many fluffy romances with strong beginning is the sloppy writing at the end.

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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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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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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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A Drama that Heals Our Sorrows

It gave me such an indescribable feeling when the more I rewatch this drama, the more I think Lovely Runner is a perfectly written and directed drama from start to end.

Then it hit me that I’m not gonna heal from this withdrawal syndrome any soon. It will be hard to find a drama that’s as amazing as this.

For 13 years as a Kdrama fan, I used to feel like this with some dramas I watched before, but I’ll admit that this one is quite different. I can’t describe it. I feel like there’s a hole in my chest after it ended.

What makes Lovely Runner loveable:

1. The simplicity (brings us back to older Kdramas that we genuinely enjoy without much heavy stuff).
3. Fast-paced storylines that keep us engaged.
4. Unpredictable (most viewers’ theories were proved wrong by the next episode).
5. Easy-to-understand storylines (IDK why some have problems regarding this aspect).
6. Almost flawless (most so-called “plot holes” are debunked when we focus from the start or rewatch).
7. The beauty of every details, plot twists, parallels in every timeline (KUDOS TO THE DIRECTOR).
8. The satisfying romance (the BEST, so far)
9. No wasting time with the villain & second male lead’s backstory;
10. Hence, not draggy (like most dramas after early half).
11. The balance and right timing when it comes to comedy & dark aspects.
12. The perfect OST & Eclipse songs (top ranked on music charts).
13. Iconic scenes (umbrella, nostril, lamppost, Sunny).
14. The chemistry between all characters.
15. The BEST we could ask for.

I’d love to describe more but I don’t think using words is enough to talk Lovely Runner. But one thing that I could use to describe this drama from my perspective is that Lovely Runner is “the kind of drama that heal our sorrows”. :) <3

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Over used trope

Story was good but it has been done before. Time traveling and romance between a celebrity and a fan is nothing new. . In the first episode, female lead was in a wheelchair and i thought wow this one is going to be good. But that was only shown in 1st episode and she gets normal later. Unfortunately, I was struggling to find some exciting factor in the plot but there was none. Sol gets to travel to the past and change fate but she makes blunders over blunders.i get that it was part of the plot. But it wasn't very interesting to watch same thing over and over again. Apart from her stupidity she was really selfish from the beginning till the end. You are a fan doesn't mean you get to interfere with someone's life like that. For example, she tries to get in his way of joining the band and tries to stop him from auditioning etc. She acts like a stalker not a fan and she treats him soo bad. Male lead had no self respect at all. Love is one thing but that was too much as he tolerated her again and again.

Simply put the story was quite bland and had no exciting moments. It was hard to keep watching.

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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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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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The K-drama of the Year! 10+++

What makes this rom-com THE BEST of its genre is its just oh so nostalgic and real chemistry. This rom-com is a MUST watch. I think it's as good as Crash Landing on You. Queen of Tears is also good, but it has too much vengeful conflicts and repetitions. This is a true nostalgic rom-com ... This couple is natural - doesn't feel like forced/acting as shown in the QofTears' couple.

1) The main leads have chemistry. The way they look at each other ... the way they enhance each others' appealing qualities. Everything just works for them. Regardless of budget, famous actors, plot, etc ... if the actors don't have chemistry, the drama fails. This couple - not the most handsome and beautiful - has the best chemistry and charms. And they bring out the best in each other. The director gives enough time for the couple to develop chemistry.

2) The plot - ok typical time travel plot - but it's so nostalgic and the filming of the past looks so retro and pretty. The director knows how to make the audience feel nostalgic. The filming of the rainbow scene, for example. So beautiful and cute to watch! And the use of colors in the retro scenes - so perfect ... her yellow umbrella and his blue umbrella - so beautiful and symbolic.

3) The humor - classic irony and just typical humor that makes you laugh - it's old but whatever works! The humor just has its classic charms. I couldn't help but laughed out loud A LOT throughout the 16 episodes... Humor doesn't have to be sophisticated, it just has to fit the situation.

4) The suspense - you really root for the couple because they are so believable. The key is the director and chemistry make you care for them. This is what makes a good crime drama ... not showing everything ... physical abuse and violence are so trendy right now because it's easy! In a rom-com, it would be too much to mix in physical violence. I think this was executed perfectly by the director.

5) The poetic justice - the resolution at the end just ties everything up nicely. He got what he would have given his victims. This is the perfect ending that cinched the deal.


After all the disappointments in K drama this year, this drama is a redemption ... It makes me want to watch K drama again. It has all the classic elements: the humor, the time travel, the suspense, the chemistry, the good actors, the good plot, etc.. what it doesn't have is the abusive relationships and predictable stories that started creeping up everywhere starting last year (after the glory)!

I didn't know both lead actors when I first saw episode 1. Not knowing what to expect, I was very patient to watch ep 1. I think the lead actress makes this story so interesting! The way she acts is so perfect for this role. She makes it funny without being too overacting. This story was written for her.

The main leads have chemistry.
The story has logic and every time she travels, it changes accordingly.

Highly recommend this drama. If you haven't seen her in Extraordinary You (2019), she acted similarly and made that story interesting too. But the plot was too repetitive!

Wow ... such an amazing ending to the story. I really love how grandma says it: "Where do you think memories of what I see, listen, and feel in my life go? ... They are all smeared into my soul."

Episode 1:
The reality version 0 - she is crippled. He met her in high school and feel for her but she didn't even know about him. They "met" later through a radio talk show. He impressed her with his sincerity and encouragement. She became his fan. She went to his concert ...
The person to watch is the grandma: actually, in the first ep, the grandma already hinted at the ending when she puts the red dot makeup on Sol. Korean brides wear these on their faces.

Episode 2:
He was killed by the crazy taxi driver ... she became heart-broken and time-traveled to the past by using his watch. It's a crazy and funny ride until the end from here on.

.... fixing the past to get a better future ....

Episode 15:
New Reality: You kind of know where the ending is heading ... He didn't get killed but the taxi driver did.

Episode 16:
This is the first time I can see that a rom-com made it entertaining until the end. It's so funny!
Grandma threw away the watch. So it hinted that she time-traveled. Also, when she came back to hold SJ's hand after the birthday party, he cried as if he remembers her suddenly. So she did something ... I think that would be an interesting story to see how she was able to change the past!

Poetic Justice: the bad ends up in the scenario for his victims!

Why this rom-com is SO WORTH watching? and re-watching?
I haven't seen a rom-com where the entire 16 episodes were worth watching ... even to the last few scenes! So entertaining and funny! The FL actress is so versatile. You can see her eyes can be shy, gentle, and funny ... but when she glares, she can also be a toughie!
The combination of the leads actor and actress is a winner. I think I read somewhere that she brings out the charming quality in him. This is totally right ... the contrast in height, size, and personalities adds charm to his personality.

Will there be a sequel??
I think the ending is open so there is a chance.
A few things to note:
The ending is filmed in a dreamy sequence with soft focus filter and the wedding has no one attending ... the whole thing looks like a dream ... so is it real?
Sol also said that "let's be with each other even in our dreams" ...

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Just a recent viewer trying to balance out the hate

I haven't written a review in a while. But then again, I haven't watched such an addictive drama in a while. The kind that you can see yourself going back to every as some kind of annual rewatching festival (such dramas pop up once every five years or so). And if anyone knows me, they know that I can't help writing a review for a drama I fell in love with. And I definitely fell for this one. Hard.

As someone who watched Dark recently, I have to say that no time travel plotline would manage to surprise me anymore. Once you watch Dark, you've watched everything time-travel genre has to offer. But Lovely Runner is not about time travel. It's about love. Time travel is merely a plot device to keep things going. The true heart of this beautiful drama lies in its wonderful characters, its unforgettable male lead and its hilarious female lead. She is one of those rare actresses who can make a cutesy character funny and not cringe. And can we talk about how many actors whose careers she has kicked to hallyu level (Rowoon, Lee Jae Wook and Byun Woo Seok being a few examples). She's extremely talented and deserves all the praise in the world.

Coming to Sun Jae. This character is definitely everyone's internet boyfriend right now and for good reason. He has the most pure love, the most beautiful heart and not to mention the cutest reactions to everything Sol does. He is definitely the cause of all those nights in the future when we are binge-watching this drama like crazy.

They use all the romantic cliches in this drama but definitely give a 2024 touch to it (or should I say 2009 touch? LOL). You will find no red flags here. The SML was awesome and I haven't enjoyed a love triangle this much in a long time.

I know many people are concerned with loopholes in the story but that happens in almost every time travel story if you ask me. A lot can happen and a lot is left to interpretation (her grandmother, the killer's motive etc). But honestly, if you ask me, I feel that they give you enough hint about everything and leave a bit to your imagination (which isn't necessarily a bad thing; I mean it's not like they forgot to tell you who she ends up marrying in the end (you know what drama I'm talking about lol)).

The music is to die for, Definitely ringtone material and more.

You can love this drama or hate it, but you can take it from me that this is going to be the most relevant 2020s drama in the future decades (and for good reason).

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