Lovely Runner

Don't understand the hate in the comments?

I went into this drama based on the 9.0 score it has on MDL, but was a little dubious because the written reviews were so bad... it almost made me not watch it.
This drama is a great watch, a nice script/story that maybe deserved better execution, but all in all, what's not to enjoy about our leads?
They had chemistry, they acted well, their storyline was good... what is so wrong?

Well, I'm not going to lie, there are quite a few plot holes, the time travel could have been done a lot better.... The killer, coming out of nowhere and following through time was really badly done, but the essence of the drama, the connection between 2 people who love each other, and always find ways to bump into one another regardless of the year (back or forward) was a nice watch.

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"A Rollercoaster of Romance and Suspense"

"Lovely Runner" is hands down one of the most romantic dramas I've ever watched. The overflowing love between Sunjae and Sol is just too adorable to handle. Sunjae's constant devotion to Sol, never letting her slip from his mind, melts my heart every time.

And let's talk about Sunjae's second-hand embarrassment – it's like watching a cute puppy trying to impress his crush. Every awkward moment he faces just adds to the charm of the show. And the comedy scenes with the whole family? Pure gold. I couldn't stop laughing at their antics.
It was a decent watch, offering a strong chemistry between the lead actors and a fair share of romance. For viewers craving sweet romance, it's a perfect fit. However, it didn't quite hold onto intensity and suspense like some other dramas. What I predicted in the fourth or fifth episode turned out to be the main plot twist.

But what really surprised me was how second lead steps up to save Sunjae – talk about unexpected heroics.

From high school sweethearts to a married couple, "Lovely Runner" takes you on a journey filled with love, laughter, and a hint of danger. It's a must-watch for anyone who enjoys a good romantic drama with too much romance 😜

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Surprisingly good

I was at first hesitant to watch this because there wasn't anything in the title that made it sound interesting. But surprisingly, this rom-com is such a breath of fresh air.

From the visuals, backdrop, actors, dialogue....close to perfection :) It is not like your typical rom-com which gets boring after a while. This one continues to deliver a great and interesting storyline.

It is my first time to watch Byeon Woo Seok and he nailed being a high schooler. So did Kim Hye Yoon for that matter.
The camaraderie of the cast is apparent in their interaction and each carried out their roles impeccably.

This is now the only kdrama that I am looking forward to now that QOT has finished its run. Can't wait for the next episodes...

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Steadfast love transcending time itself

I almost didn't watch this because of the haters in the reviews but I'm glad I didn't read too many and gave this title a shot. If you love the ride or die, steadfast love then you'll love this. There were so many things I liked about this drama that it made everything else I found I didn't like completely forgettable within the best 30 minutes of the episode. I love the way this writer writes. The way she wrote the different timelines. How it didn't feel overwhelming to keep track of everything, and how the sorrow never stayed for too long, because it was so stupid in your in-your-face funny way. Which is what I like. I loved all the integration between families and friendship and how all those subplots could never overshadow the main couple's story, which usually happens a lot. I love how when they're high schoolers, she keeps cute and innocent, but once they step into adulthood, you can feel the change in their chemistry and how they seem to love each other more deeply and we're more desperate for each other.

LIKES:
- ep 1 was amazing, so hooked, and production looks just wow.
-I love that there was a really cute bromance between the guy who was supposed to be the second lead. Instead of putting hatred between them, it was more like friendship
- only ep 2 and I'm laughing so much my sister had to come tell me to shut up
- by ep 5 you couldn't get me to stop watching it if you tried. It's SO GOOD. This has the potential to be one of my favorites of all time
-The way they revealed the story, like a slow unveiling of a masterpiece.
-The concept is fresh and well done
- They always have them masterfully back together. Less cheesy, more realistic, and like something that could possibly happen if two people love each other. Not the time travel part but how they're always back to together.
- I thought they were going to erase the last 13 episodes from his mind and start anew, but I was so wrong, and for that I'm thankful -we were FULLY rewarded for all the heartache and pain from episodes 1 to 14. We got two full episodes of resolutions and love. It was beautiful.

DISLIKES:

-dint have much because the writer always corrected the things I found wrong with an episode. Not much to complain about.
- I was anxious thinking the bad guy would come back because of how quickly that was resolved. For a man we spent 15 episodes fearing, his end was pathetic and too quick. But I'm also appreciative of that cause I really didn't want to go through more hard times.


Overall, if you love romance and suspense put together and time travel well written not to tear your heart out but make you happy then this is the one. I came into it with no pre-existing feelings towards the main ML as an actor, neither loved nor hated him for being overrated or whatever, and I think that helped me stay subjective. I purely came and stayed for the plot and their love. And I was not disappointed.

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Drama Review: Lovely Runner

🌟My Rating: 9.0/10

It really surprised me. I started watching, thinking it would be just another fantasy idol romance—but it turned out to be so much more 💔. It's a heartwarming, emotional rollercoaster with the perfect mix of fantasy (time travel!), romance, comedy, and melodrama 🥹 .
So, the story follows a disabled girl who is the biggest fan of a top K-pop idol from the band Eclipse, who dies unexpectedly. The story revolves around their Past, Their Love & mystery of the idol's death.

There are many PROS & CONS to the Story.

✅ PROS:
The main leads have amazing chemistry, and both actors nailed their roles.

Even the side characters were well-developed

The OST is phenomenal—seriously, it gives life to every emotional moment.

Cinematography, sets, locations, and dialogues are all top-notch.

The emotions hit hard—some scenes stay with you.

❌ CONS:
The pacing gets slow at times, especially in the middle episodes.

There are a few scenes with weak or repetitive screenplay that could’ve been tighter.

Honestly, it felt like a 16-episode story stretched a bit—it could’ve been perfect at 14.

Too many clichés in some parts (yes, the usual K-drama tropes!), and some emotional beats got a bit repetitive.

I was ready to give it a 10/10 after the first few episodes, but some dragging brought it down a bit.

Despite those few issues, Lovely Runner is a must-watch for anyone who loves emotional, heartfelt stories with a fantasy twist. It’s not just about idols or romance—it’s about love, loss, hope, and second chances.

If you love time-travel romances with emotional depth, great acting, and a beautiful message about second chances and fate, you’ll enjoy this one. 🌙💫

It's a drama that stays with you long after it's over 🥹✨
Definitely worth the watch! 💯

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What could have been

I wished I could've liked this more than I did. It had great potential but somehow it missed it.

I like a good time travel drama, the kind where the time travel is at the beginning and then again at the end if the character has to go back to his or her own time. Which is what I thought this drama would be. She would go back in time to save him, they'd fall in love, she would stop him from dying, they'd come back to the present and tada happily ever after.

Unfortunately, that is not what I got. There was a lot of back and forth, back and forth, she'd save him from dying one way and then lo and behold he'd die a whole new way.

The FL was way too irritating. She'd go from not wanting to be away from him so she could protect him to pushing him away to protect him. Honestly, it got old in a hurry.

I felt so sorry for Ryu Seon Jae. She broke his heart over and over again. At no time did she deserve him.

Although the ending was a happy one, for me it was still a bitter pill to swallow after all she had put him through.

The only reason to watch this is if you're a fan of Byeon Woo Seok (he is perfect as Ryu Seon Jae), otherwise I'd give it a pass.

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A truly well executed time travel kdrama, way way above Twinkling Watermelon.

This is the best kdrama I've seen since a very long time. (probably since It's Okay to Not Be Okay)
The only serious problem I have with it is the villain's lack of personality/backstory and how they just dealt with him under 3 minutes in the finale. I could nitpick If I really wanted to, but I fail to see the point.
I always say that explaining the inner workings of time travel always ruins immersion in time travel shows, luckily in this one they have not even tried. (it's better to keep the unexplainable unexplained)

Everything else is pretty good, the cast is great, the chemistries are great. The romance is up there with the best, there are countless very fluffy and or very touching moments. Love triangle haters are safe to enjoy this as well, because the secondary love interest is weak like a straw. The ending is a banger too.

Anyway 9/10 seems fair to me. It's not perfect or anything, for example Someday or One Day is better in this genre, but I'm very happy that Korea can still deliver something of this caliber, since it's been so long..

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A truly lovely experience

*Very slight spoilers ahead*

Ahhh, Lovely runner. You know those series you begin to watch and from the very first episode you KNOW you are going to love IF the writers don't f**k you up? Yep, this series was one of those for me.
While the story does lack in some regions here and there and there are just a bunch of repetitive and annoying things that happen quite a bit that made me audibly groan, overall its a very vary enjoyable watch. All the actors, the music and the good ending really did give this series an extra star from my original rating. Never have I ever swooned so much and genuinely loved a character as much as I love Ryu Sun Jae, the greenest of all green flags, this man is a freaking forest. Byeon Woo Seok did a fantastic job portraying him.

This has the same vibes of Twinkling Watermelon (though that one had a stronger storyline). So if you're looking for a heartwarming romance with just a sprinkle of fantasy that will make you giggle and kick your feet like a little girl, definitely go for it. The hype for this is truly worth it!

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An Idol/Fan Romance or Two Roads Diverged

The beginning of this drama is not easy to get through. At first glance it appears as an Idol/Fan relationship that feels very parasocial, and as someone who is very sensitive to cringe factor, it took me 3 tries to start this drama and get through the first episode. However this story isn't that.

What this drama is really about, is the realization that you have been turning right your entire life when you could have turned left. It's about opportunities that have you missed by only looking one way and not the other. And if you could, would you make those decisions again or change them? Should you?

Imo it's been a while since such a well put together kdrama has come out, and not many more have come out since. The story, acting, directing, and OST were all on point. Each element was required to make this drama the masterpiece that it is. If one of those elements hadn't been up to par, it would have detracted significantly from the magic.

I put off watching this drama for a couple years. At first I thought it was a high school drama, which I'm not into at this stage of my life. But people just kept raving about Lovely Runner, so I finally gave it a chance. I'm so glad I did. The high school element is only a part of the overarching story, and it didn't feel cringe or immature. The actors portrayed their characters as adults and as teenagers very well, and in a way that felt natural and mature.

That isn't to say the the drama is without flaws. There are questions that go unanswered (what on Earth is up with the watch?), and side stories that don't add anything (literally anything to do with the brother tbh). But all of this is easy to forget because the drama is so engaging.

This drama made me feel the way I did when I first started getting into kdramas in 2018 - youthful, giddy, nostalgic.

None of us ever have the opportunity for a true re-do in life, but this is the type of show that makes you think about how your life would be different if you had just considered...maybe...what if...would things be different...if only you had taken the left road instead of the right.

I highly recommend this drama for fans of Goblin, Strong Girl Do Bong Soon, and anyone who just wants an emotionally engaging romance drama with a solid plot.

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Lovely Runner: 7/15/2025 ~ 7/16/2025

I really enjoyed watching this show, by that I mean I finished it in the matter of two days. The romance between the two main characters was amazing and the storyline was something new. It was also cool to see how little actions really changed the future, such as the development of the second couple. I also like how dedicated the FL and the ML were to each other, so much so that the ML loved her in every timeline. It was something so small but it made their romance so sweet. I also like the 2ml cause while he liked the FL he understood she didn’t feel that way for him and instead decided to remain as friends. It was something really cute and not seen very often. Also I loved how selfless the FL was since she was ready to give up everything for home to be safe even though that hurt her. The only frustrating thing was how she wouldn’t tell him things a times but made sense since she was scared. In the end the way they get their happy ending was really sweet and the proposal scenes was one of my favorite of all times.

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