Lovely Runner

선재 업고 튀어 ‧ Drama ‧ 2024
Completed
JaysonAguinaldoAbion
12 people found this review helpful
Dec 26, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Kdrama life changing 2024

I had episodes in my life that i am struggling of all the things that’s happening in my life (personal and work) this series saves me like always always looking forward on Monday to watch the new episode! I have binge the series more than 10 times. I love the story, cast and everything about it. Its just a fantasy. Thank you to everyone who make this webtoon to a live series.
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Completed
Pawis
9 people found this review helpful
Jan 12, 2026
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

la mejor serie de la existencia

Es, sin duda alguna, la mejor serie que podrás ver en toda tu vida. Nunca había encontrado algo siquiera parecido, ni una historia que lograra atraparme de esta manera desde el primer momento. Cada episodio es una experiencia única que te envuelve por completo, haciendo imposible dejar de verla. Los visuales son simplemente espectaculares, cuidados hasta el más mínimo detalle, convirtiendo cada escena en una auténtica obra de arte.

Las canciones son otro nivel: cada una encaja perfectamente con la historia y logra transmitirte emociones profundas, haciéndote sentir parte de ese mundo. Es una serie que no solo se ve, se siente, y que permanece contigo incluso después de terminarla.

La recomiendo totalmente a todo el mundo, porque es una experiencia que merece ser vivida al menos una vez en la vida. De verdad, quedé completamente encantada y enamorada de cada aspecto de esta serie 🥹💓

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Completed
Oliviaa
9 people found this review helpful
Oct 9, 2025
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 8.0

I’ll Never Stop Thinking About This Drama

Lovely Runner wrecked me in the most beautiful way possible. It’s not just a time-slip romance it’s a story about fate, grief, and the desperate ache of wanting one more chance. The writing, the acting, the music… everything hit like a slow-burn heartbreak you never want to end.

Byeon Woo-seok as Ryu Sun-jae is the blueprint for tender devotion, and Kim Hye-yoon made Im Sol feel so painfully real that I could feel her joy and loss through the screen. Every episode left me clutching my chest, smiling through tears, whispering, “please, let them be happy this time.”

It reminded me why I fell in love with K-dramas in the first place—that raw emotion, sincerity, and timeless magic that feels straight out of the iconic 2016 era. It’s been so long since a drama felt this alive, this fresh, this real.

It’s the kind of story that stays with you long after the final scene—not just because it was beautiful, but because it meant something.

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Completed
mikrokosmos228
9 people found this review helpful
Aug 7, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Be prepared for onslaught of dopamine hits

As complex as time traveling stories can be, at the heart of it, Lovely Runner is a simple love story about two people whose journey to happiness together will fill romance lovers like me with deep satisfaction and delight. And as light as that story is, there is nothing shallow about the impact this drama had on me that I can only call it a phenomenon. Even for a seasoned drama watcher like me, it far exceeded my expectations of what a drama in the romantic comedy genre could deliver. There is just something about it that gets me right in the heart. So if your experience is anything like mine, be prepared for an onslaught of dopamine hits to the senses that will stay with you well beyond the initial watch.

At the start, we are introduced to a wheelchair bound Sol (Kim Hye Yoon) in the present time who has committed to living well despite her circumstances, thanks to words of encouragement from Sun Jae (Byeon Woo Seok), the lead singer of the popular band Eclipse. Though Sol is a loyal and dedicated fan, she is metaphorically light years away from Sun Jae, or so it seems.

Sun Jae has that aura of a superstar, but also sorrow and regret in the way he carries himself that is a mystery as to why at this point. Soon, we learn he has died from an apparent suicide, devastating Sol. This touch of melancholy was so strong that it took me some time to settle into the lightness of the story as Sol travels back in time and we reset to Sol and Sun Jae in high school, 15 years in the past. Sol realizes she can walk again and learns Sun Jae is actually her next door neighbor. Equipped with the wisdom of the future, she sets out to save him from his untimely death.

Sol has the cutest, most relatable reactions to seeing her high school friends again, and in particular, the guy she had a crush on, which is just hilarious. I think I would have had the same reaction seeing my old crushes again haha. It's also at this point that we truly get to know Sun Jae. No longer the elusive celebrity from the future, Sun Jae is an ordinary 19 year old athlete. Sol's sudden appearance and interest in his life has him completely flustered. And as you're thinking as a viewer how he must be processing all this when they're virtually strangers, you learn that he knew her before she did, and in fact, has the biggest, most adorable secret crush on her.

It is at this stage of the drama that I turned from merely watching to completely in love with the drama. The incredible chemistry of Kim Hye Yoon and Byeon Woo Seok is evident from the get-go. As Sol and Sun Jae, they filled me with laughter and happiness at each interaction. The scenes are gorgeously shot, capturing the youthful charm of the two leads. The framing of each pivotal moment is like a work of art that's unforgettable, turning the romance spectacular. The music further strengthens these scenes and all this makes for a lethal combination that triggers a flurry of emotions from me and had me grinning like a fool.

Sol tends to get herself into very awkward situations with Sun Jae that had me feeling second hand embarrassment, only to quickly turn into giggles over Sun Jae's reactions. It's like she's got him wrapped around her little fingers, no matter which timeline they're in. As the story progresses, we see that their lives are even more intertwined than we ever expected, and in some ways, tragic. As a result, there is a layer of sadness present throughout the drama that gives it depth in that respect.

I have to say the pacing of the story is great. The plot is segmented into four main timelines as Sol time travels back and forth. And this has the added benefit of giving us progression in the leads' relationship throughout the drama without the expense of turning the story dull in the later episodes, as it often happens with dramas of this format. The romance delivers early on to your satisfaction. But there is also plenty left to keep you happy. A highlight for me is the part in which Sol travels back to the present, now able to walk and has the funniest encounters with the celebrity Sun Jae. You can turn Sun Jae into the most popular star on the planet, but you can never take the dorkiness out of him. Furthermore, I love seeing how steadfast his love is for Sol, which is perfectly captured in the song Sonaki (Sudden Shower) that pulls at my heartstrings every time I listen to it. Sun Jae is one of the best male lead characters I have ever seen. You think you have found the best version of him, only for him to endear you with an even better version in each progressive timeline. There were so, so many wonderful moments to look back on, but those flying kisses he gave Sol will forever be ingrained in my mind xD.

I'll acknowledge at this juncture that if you're watching for the time traveling concept, you may be disappointed because that is simply the mechanism used to propel the main plot, which is this deep focus on the love story of Sol and Sun Jae from teenagers to adults. I honestly didn't think much in length on whether it all made sense. All I wanted was for the two of them to have a happy ending and I was willing to accept anything that can make that happen. And to that end, it delivered enough for me to be satisfied with the resolution of the time travel aspect.

Kim Hye Yoon is naturally charming as Sol. She is like a little ball of sunshine. Her character can be frustrating at times but I never disliked her and I think that's all thanks to how Kim Hye Yoon portrayed Sol. Whether she's being cute or crying her eyes out, Kim Hye Yoon does it so well that it just elevates the scene. As for Byeon Woo Seok, thanks to him as Sun Jae, the heroine's reality in time traveling turned into a dream for all the viewers. Tall, handsome, and a wonderful actor with an incredible voice, it's remarkable how long it has taken him to get to this point in his career. He deserves all the recognition and popularity that has followed him since the debut of the drama. I see him as an underdog who was given a once in a life time opportunity with this project and he superbly exceeded all expectations with his impressive performance as Sun Jae. The OST, which he extensively participated in, is outstanding as well; sweet, touching and soothing, just like him.

In my opinion, this drama epitomizes all the wonderful idiosyncratic things that make kdramas special in ways that has captured the hearts of many romance lovers like me. It has been a lengthy period of time since I've come across a kdrama with this much rewatch value. The entire drama is filled with so many heart tugging scenes with such moving soundtrack that they have me in a tight grip and I can't let go. The characters of Sol and Sun Jae will remain in my heart as fond memories for years to come.

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Completed
kokwailam
10 people found this review helpful
Nov 26, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 10

The best kdrama in 2024 or even in the history of kdrama

The movie Lovely Runner was well written, well executed and won all other big budget drama production by a mile. The actors and actresses were all professional and executed their parts well. There were so many layers to the story that it is rich in relationships, storyline and presented a multi-dimensional yet entertaining, heart-warming and tear-inducing plot.

The love between Sunjae and ImSol, between ImSol and her mum, between ImSol and her maternal grandma, between Sunjae and his dad, between TaeSang and his dad were all so real, warm and relatable. The friendship between Sunjae and his bandmates, between ImSol and her bestie, the rivalry between Sunjae and TaeSang tucked a string in viwers heart. The hilarious boss of ImSol, the funny yet helpful driver of Sunjae, the pure kind hearted parents who hosted the gang in Tampuri, it was simply too much to take in all at once. Even the villain put up a good fight and made a deep impression on viewer.

I could not praise the supreme acting by the many good actors and actresses enough (particularly the leads, who braced freezing cold winter water for the filming), the writer, the directors, the lighting crew, the unsung heroes who made this show possible. I nearly to forget to praise the OST!!

So many memorable and catchy tunes by all the singers!!! The achievement by fiction band Eclispe and Byeon Woo Seok (who is not even a singer and yet sang Sunagi so well omg) were all highlights of 2024 and made this year so special. I think Lovely Runner deserved to be the best kdrama for 2024, and even deserved to be the best kdrama of all time. Way to go!!!

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Completed
Haru
10 people found this review helpful
Jan 30, 2025
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

The butterfly effect or we can just call it fate...

so at first i was pretty skeptical about it since im not a fan of dramas that have going back in time or that kind of stuff, cuz it just feels repetitive, however that was the whole point of the show. it was a bit repetitive in middle but, that itself potrays the character development and how the choices can lead to different thing.

so basically everyone is convinced that she was able to change her and his fate, well thats not true. yes she may have gone back to the past a few times and made some changes, but those changes were never meant to be changed or moreover she had no right to choose.
why i think this?
well the Main lead's friend, who had become a mother tells her that, fate cannot be changed, and even if she was able to go in past she wouldnt change a thing, because everything is already in motion.

so if we take that in account, dosent that mean there are more than 100 timelines, no probably more than that, because how do you truly know that you are in the present?

its just events in a paradox.

and that paradox will continue, sun jae's death is inevitable, because he will die one day.
like i said, im sol changed nothing, she was dancing on the palm of so called fate.
to support my statement, whether she is in present or past, you can go all the way to episode 16.

(SPOILER) ep 16
They both see themselves getting married, which is strange, because similar things happened to sun jae when he was recovering his memory from a different timeline, and same with im sol, when she was gonna catch the killer.
meaning that the memory they saw was either from a timeline, took place in future or a premonition, similar to when im sol was at the restaurant waiting for the killer.

why i made this post?
well, there are alot of people who kept on going on abt how its poorly made or how she did nothing even though it was obvious that she could save sun jae. No.

she had no right to mess with the timelines from the beginning and if she did, nothing is bound to change, either the events will take place later on, or in some other way. but they will happen whether she changes her choices or keep them the same.

"lovely runner"
could have many interpretation. for me I'd say it means that she is denying fate to protect her loved ones, but you know its 'runner' its as if its telling us that someone or something is running away from something terrible or unfortunate which cannot be outrunned or matched, because of how complex it is. it also shows the endurance of im sol backed up by runner, because she dosent give up no matter what.

i can keep rambling about it, but this series was very well written, they chose the story carefully and there were some hidden hints yall missed while watching the show, if you still call it shit despite not noticing all of that, you must be one biased individual.

producing a story with such a complex concept can be veryy challenging, especially dealing with timelines, but yes there were some loopholes, tho with enough thinking and common sense, it all adds up in the end. i would have given this a 10 if it had no loop holes, however no show is perfect imo. but this series really captured me because of its repetitive (that i dont like) it's music and Ost, truly 'crush'ed it lol.

my fav ost: spring snow by 10cm and sonaki.

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Completed
awari
10 people found this review helpful
Jan 10, 2026
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 5.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 4.5
This review may contain spoilers

tropey writing makes one dimensional characters

there was immense hype around this drama when this was airing. i finally got to watch this, and unfortunately i do not see what the hype is about. I feel like this drama is like those trope books which restrict the characters to one dimensional attribute and do not allow them to grow from their initial role. I cannot even begin to think/elaborate how frustrating the time-travel was - just too many plotholes, like i get that it's fiction, but even fictional stories are bound by their own rules of magic and world-building. For instance, Sol gets 3 opportunities to go back in time to save Sun-jae, then somehow there is a fourth try too with Sun-jae's watch after he was stabbed/drowns. I liked the way Twinkling Watermelon handled the timetravel shift . Sol's character had limited expressions - shocked, tearful, scared and annoyed - her role as a 16 year old girl and 34 year old woman were exactly the same lol, one would think a 34 year old woman would know better to use her brain and not cry at the smallest inconvenience. The only feel-good aspect to their romance is them saving each other's lives at multiple instances and the angst to override/change their fate by maintaining Sol-imposed distance. I wanted to know why were ML/SML head over heels over Sol despite her rejecting them at various instances and being mean/rude to them. So many elements of this drama was uneplored like why was that killer behind Im-Sol, time-travel rules. Sol had so many resources - SEEING GLIMPSES OF THE FUTURE - being one of them, yet she failed to use them in her favour. Sun-jae's own journey with his music/acting was left unexplored. I do not think the acting was bad but imo the actors didnt have a lot of room for expression and which is why i felt they were cringe and immature. Nevertheless, just because this drama live up to the hype doesnt mean i didnt enjoy it. The ending of ep 4 will forever be iconic. I will be enjoying sappy edits of Sol-Sunjae,

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Completed
blue
10 people found this review helpful
Feb 7, 2025
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

This drama is GOATED

I really liked this drama its quiet refreshing
i watched in the summer and it literally made my whole summer
the casting is great the plot and story is amazing
the chemistry between them is amazing


This is the second work ive seen for byeon woo seok and he absolutely slayed i hope to see him in more dramas in the future also the female lead is super talented and amazing i cant picture anyone other than her in this roll i will definitely be watching her othr dramas
Also the comedy and sad scenes is amazing i cant remember the last time ive laughed or cried this hard because of a drama, anyways it definitely worth a watch i 100% recommend
(if you notice any typos or smth thats because English isnt my first language:3)

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Completed
Zoe Hyuuga
10 people found this review helpful
Mar 14, 2025
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

Suprised by the immense hate

I am assuming most people don't like the fl, so they walked into this drama with already negative scrutiny and... jealousy?
While it's not the best, the story and plot was good, the acting was well done for the characters they portrayed.
The soundtrack, especially ml song was beautiful
I have read other high up voted reviews and it really is nitpicking based purely that the fl doesn't fit the ideal pretty Korean actress. I personally loved her despite slapping my head a few times from the decisions she made.
It ticked the "must watch the next episode now" checklist so I would definitely recommend.

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Completed
paul
10 people found this review helpful
Apr 6, 2025
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

this kdrama has been lingering even after i’ve finished it

“Love transcends time and will always prevail through every timeline” 🎡

This K-drama was just a casual recommendation from my friends — it’s been around since last year, but I only gave it a shot recently. At first, I thought the plot was a bit cheesy and slow, but as it progressed… oh boy, I got hooked. I was watching 2–3 episodes a day, even sneaking in an ep during lunch at work.

The plot, cinematography, and OST all worked so well together to bring out the heart of the story. The love between the two leads? Overflowing. It was so heartfelt and pure that it pulled me in completely. That said, I do feel sad for the second male lead — he really deserved better!

Also noticed something funny — these romcom K-dramas always throw in a bit of mystery or crime towards the middle, and it actually worked here. It added a little spice to the emotional rollercoaster.

Overall, it was such a great watch, and I’d definitely recommend it if you’re into time-travel, romance, and slow-burn emotional build-ups.

Started: March 24, 2025
Finished: March 31, 2025

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Completed
alovre
10 people found this review helpful
Jan 27, 2025
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Honestly, one of the best kdramas EVER literally got me out of my slump

I genuinely don’t understand people who hate on this drama. like if you don’t like fluffy sweet rom coms then don’t watch this why be such a hater? it’s literally one of the best kdrama the story the acting is perfect and the chemistry OH MY don’t get me started. the way they always find their way back to each even though the hard barriers. like if that ain’t love then idk what to say. ♾️/10 totally recommend.
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Completed
MLJH
18 people found this review helpful
May 30, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Absolutely knock out!!

Since My Dearest finished I’ve only given out a couple more 10 ratings in about a year. Wow, wow, wow. What a masterpiece!

Finally Byeon Woo Seok has his day. Why on earth it took the drama land folk this LONG to give him a ML lead part with a happy ending I don’t know. Let’s hope he stays squarely in that spot now. We all know we only endured that disaster of a show Strong Woman volume 2 because of him.

So well cast. Everyone- and I mean absolutely everyone on this cast played their roles to perfection. Lets give that casting director a gold medal.

While yes the revolving nature of this story started to get exhausting-I have to admit it was well written.

I was hooked from start to finish. The chemistry and the humor hit the spot.

The arc was simply beautiful.

Thank you for a wonderful show, that goes on the list of must watch reruns.

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  • Score: 9.0 (scored by 94,886 users)
  • Ranked: #70
  • Popularity: #38
  • Watchers: 165,501

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