I liked this one more than you, but I agree it felt like a modern drama with the actors playing dress up (I actually said that in my review!). For me, that was a plus, because historical dramas have SO much angst. This was more lighthearted. The ending, as per the norm, was rushed and underwhelming. Thank you for your review.
Don't you feel like FL liking the wrong person at the beginning takes away from the love story of the leads? That trope always bothers me. And don't get me started on how much I hate drunk confessions!
I totally agree with you. I gave it a higher score because I loved the couple, but the gaming and engineering stuff went on too long! I tend to not be the biggest fan of C-dramas because I need to fast forward through so much of it. You are exactly right, if they would edit all the ancillary stuff out, the shows would be a lot better.
Though I kind of napped through the gaming and aerospace stuff, I absolutely loved this show. It's so rare that we get to see a healthy relationship! I loved how Dilraba ran/bounced everywhere. And the chemistry was fire!
As someone who has watched both I will recommend watching lovely runner first ...
It depends if you want to save the best for last. I loved both Twinkling Watermelon and Lovely Runner, but it's been a while since I was so impressed by the romance in a drama as I was with Lovely Runner. And, if possible, it gets even better on rewatch because the timeline makes more sense once you know the whole story.