sulkytofu

I wonder if this project will be dropped now or have a new slate of actors, because Lee Jung Jae (co-owner of Artist Company, which is Kim Hye Yoon's agency) just announced that the corporation he's a major shareholder of (Artist United) is suing the production company for this drama (Raemong Raein). It seems there are legal problems stemming from Artist United's acquisition and investment contract involving Raemong.

https://www.mk.co.kr/en/society/11034527

I actually really like how the photo kind of intentionally makes the actual themes and execution of the drama a bit ambiguous? In some ways I feel strongly Lovely Runner gained quite a lot of attention because of the famous narrative twist in Episode 2 in Seon Jae's perspective, and it's better for people to go in expecting that it's a fluffy fan chasing after an idol romance (instead of the whole mash of genres that we've actually received).

Fun fact: I believe it was actually partly Hye Yoon's idea to have her climb on Seon Jae (therefore functioning as a contrast towards "piggybacking him" instead). There's a BTS clip where she suggests the idea and they roll with it, leading to these photos.

If there will be a wedding scene, it will be the first time Kim Hye Yoon wears a wedding dress for one of her acting projects! Fingers crossed and manifesting we see her as a beautiful bride at the end of the drama (may the MT "kiss" legend from Episode 9 be on our side and quickly come true!)

It's also important to note that BTS clips themselves are also specifically edited to give certain insights or implications on the drama process. Editors choose and select which scenes they feel are important to include, and so despite the fact that "making of" clips give an impression of unfiltered authenticity, they're in fact just as edited and scrutinized as the other content that is being filmed and released.

I agree with other comments though on how Hye Yoon is extremely professional and not only has good relationships with her co-workers, but draws a strict boundary as well. She's very devoted to acting and has talked many times on variety shows about right now how she's ambitious to take on as many roles as possible, and she also received quite a lot of unjust criticisms from fans of her co-workers while working on Extraordinary You. She's very cautious about how she's presented, and she makes sure to treat everyone around her well while also being extremely professional and prepared for her job.

The other flip side is that there is always a gendered dynamic around skinship and chemistry; actresses often have more criticisms for being close to actors, while actors have a lot more leeway and instead can be praised for treating their co-stars warmly. Personally, I think a lot of the excitement and speculation over their real life relationship is simply a product of how good their chemistry is, but I feel strongly that both have been in the acting circle for long enough that at the end of the day it's just part of their job to create chemistry (as much as viewers want them to go from reel-to-real and so forth).

Rather than anything romantic, I just hope that they can work together in other films and dramas, or are casted for the upcoming production of Goong. The most exciting thing is continuing to see their acting skills develop.

Hilariously, Woo Seok himself has also emphasized that he's not very similar to Seon Jae in real life, while also admitting that sometimes his warm actions to others can be misunderstood in other interviews.

It would be ironic if it was Moon Sang Min because I think he has a lot of eyes on him right now (especially as the next young actor about to break it into top awards/mainstream popularity), but the romcom project that he did eventually choose which just finished airing was honestly not great. He's also a lot younger (23/24) which may have made him struggle a bit more with the age 30 scenes; it feels a bit more satisfying knowing that both Woo Seok and Hye Yoon have been in the acting circle for quite some time already.

I think rumours circled around it being Cha Eun Woo because of the scriptwriter having worked on True Beauty and the director's insistence on an actor with impeccable visuals as a top star (but I can also see why Eun Woo may be a bit tired of taking on a role that's very similar to several of his previous dramas).

For those who are interested, there's an Eclipse version of Star sung by Byeon Woo Seok (I hope they actually release the official version very soon!) He really, really has a deep voice; it gives such a different feel from the original one.

https://twitter.com/hellobungz/status/1790008731997999470

Also, Geon Hee and Seung Hyub are amazing singers as well. They actually used to be on King of the Masked Singer, and although I definitely expected it from Seung Hyub given how he's in N.Flying, I didn't expect that at all from Geon Hee given that he doesn't have an idol or vocalist background. If Kim Tae Sung wasn't devoted to being an online shopping mall CEO/detective, he really could have been a vocalist in Eclipse!

For new watchers or those who are joining the show after seeing the media buzz and trending topics around Lovely Runner, I can't emphasize enough that if you go in with elevated expectations you may feel that it's overhyped or not enjoy it as much as other viewers. This type of show is carried hard by the romantic chemistry between Hye Yoon and Woo Seok as Sol and Seon Jae, especially as even in the drama both characters care little about how the time slip mechanics work, and instead focus on time slipping as a function of protecting each other across time and space.

I have a feeling that the wave of more critical comments are coming in with certain expectations that may not be aligned with what the show primarily focuses on. If you're therefore looking for a drama that has a lot of details about time travelling, is a more introspective drama, or is heavy on the thriller aspects, this is not a watch that I would recommend. It is at its core a romantic comedy that is dotted with periods of angst, mostly because of the star-crossed, selfless, and all-encompassing love between our main characters. However, if you want something that's very fluffy, with a love that transcends all sorts of obstacles, lots of heart-fluttering scenes, and a lot of sweet reflections on the transition from adolescence to adulthood, then I definitely think this is a good pick.

I do feel like the drama benefitted from being a bit of a dark horse, and that those who started watching from when Episode 1 aired didn't really think it would be as much of a hit as it currently is. If by Episode 2 (which is when I would say is one of the main narrative twists of the series that really started hooking in a lot of viewers) you're not really convinced and are not enjoying it, I think you should drop the drama and move on to something else instead. There's no point in trying to watch something that doesn't work for you. However, if you are curious, I would definitely recommend you come join the rest of us fans as we continue theorizing, gasping, and giggling over the adorable, warm, and moving love story between Sol and Seon Jae.

OMG UPDATE I FOUND IT LOL ITS LIKE $250: Casio G-SHOCK GW-B5600HR-1JF

It's the version from Japan!

I think you're right; I also enhanced the photo and realized that I guess this wasn't an ad (it's hilarious though because the watch shape is so iconic to Casio that it's honestly extremely hard to just see it as a regular watch instead).

I'm going to post around the Casio subreddit (LOL) and see if I can get any responses, and come back here if I find any new information. I've been dying to get my hands on one after the drama, and have been looking everywhere (thanks again for your hard work finding this one!)

Thank you so much! I don't think it's this one; the general shape looks the same but the one that Seon Jae is wearing has the G-Shock lettering on it in red. I definitely think it's one of the higher priced ones (the F91W is the $15 ~ $30 price range) but can't find the colourway or the model anywhere!

I'm really, really excited about this one; those who have been fans of Uhm Tae Goo for a while know that he is so timid, shy, and an absolute cinnamon roll in real life, especially when watching the (few) promotions that he does for his roles. He's someone who is completely devoted to acting and it's crazy to see the switch between his personality and the character he's playing, especially when a lot of his industry friends like Jo In Sung and Nam Joo Hyuk mention that he's "weak in body and spirit" due to his social anxiety. Of course, it doesn't help that he has the most distinct husky and low voice, and I'm so happy that he's finally in a rom-com!

Hoping this one is fluffy, sweet, and cute, and knowing that Sunhwa and Tae Goo have already worked together before is already a charming point of the show!

Alright, calling all eagle-eyed fans: Does anyone know the exact make of the Casio watch that both Seon Jae and Sol wear? I've been trying to find the name of the specific version everywhere but haven't had any luck so far!

I have to say not only do Hye Yoon and Woo Seok carry the chemistry hard throughout the show, but so many of the other members of the writing and production team did a fantastic job.

The stylists are amazing at making each phase or arc of their lives together visually very distinct; from the clothing to the hair, you genuinely believe that they're high schoolers/college students/mature adults based on their clothing and their attire.

Scriptwriter Lee Shi Eun also made so many incredible changes to the original source material; it's extremely clever that the story has been modified from simply Sol's pursuit to save Seon Jae, into a story about a power couple whose love for each other attempts to overcome time and space.

And of course, director Yoon Jong Ho and Kim Tae Yub put so much thought, time, and care into the details of the drama. There's been some discussion on how different the kiss in Episode 8 is compared to Episode 10, and the behind the scenes clips also show how that was a deliberate directing decision by the production team.

It's shocking that the drama was in a production slump for several years and almost couldn't cast a male lead actor; but instead has become a dark horse for one of the most noteworthy dramas of 2024. The blend of thriller, angst, and hilarious rom-com is so well done, and like everyone else I'll be sitting here waiting eagerly for Mondays and Tuesdays with our Soljae couple!

Hye Yoon has been in other variety shows before, but I'm not sure why her promotion right now hasn't been as extensive as some of her other works. I'm hoping that they can both show up together, but the fact that she isn't on Running Man with Woo Seok despite the fact that she already knows many of the cast members makes me keep my hopes extremely low.

I actually think that Hye Yoon was referring to the wave of popularity that Woo Seok received as Ryu Si Oh in Strong Woman Nam Soon! I think he was already gaining quite a lot of attention through Record of Youth, SWNS, and 20th Century Girl, although I completely agree with others that Lovely Runner really catapulted his popularity this year.

From looking at their other interactions, honestly Woo Seok is extremely considerate with all of his female costars, and he's well known for being called someone very kind and attentive to others by many of his other friends in the industry. But my delusional self of course just loves seeing the Soljae couple together and can't help watching all of the BTS clips with eagle eyes!

From my understanding, Artist Company (which Hye Yoon signed on to in April 2024) is the agency that used to be co-owned by Lee Jung Jae and Jung Woo Sung, but it was then bought over by a visual effects studio (I believe none of the actors are directly involved in CEO/managerial positions anymore although they may hold some form of ownership in the company). Oddly enough they only have Instagram highlights for these two actors, they don't even seem to be really promoting their other roster of talent as well. I'm not sure why she decided to sign with them especially as AC doesn't really seem to be actively on social media (and Hye Yoon herself is pretty private and rarely posts on social media).

Conversely, I think Woo Seok's Varo Entertainment has been doing an absolutely fantastic job at riding the wave of his popularity (especially even announcing a first Asia fanmeeting, as well as showing up on Hong Seok Cheon's Youtube show, Running Man, You Quiz on the Block, etc.) which may make Hye Yoon's lack of appearances and promotions seem sparse compared to his. I will say there were some BTS clips where Hye Yoon did want to be careful about her interactions with Woo Seok (especially with his growing popularity, and understandably, his growing fanbase) and that could also be a reason that she may have turned down/was not interested in joining him on variety shows (when usually both actors of popularity shows show up together).

As someone who absolutely loved the original novel, I have a lot of mixed feelings on this one, and I think it's because of how high my expectations were.

One major change is that in the original novel, there was a lot of tension before the moment that Sheng Sheng and Qing Cheng meet in person together — there's a bit of time where you always feel like they're so close to knowing each other, yet they just miss crossing paths, and a sense of excitement and anticipation over their first encounter. I was quite surprised that their first meeting in the drama is in episode 4 of a relatively longer-length contemporary romance drama, and I wish they had stretched out a bit more of this tension instead of reserving so much time for the side couples and other partners.

Tan Jianci is a fantastic actor, and is someone who has been in the entertainment industry for over a decade before finding mainstream success. Surprisingly, however, I found his performance as Qing Cheng to be much warmer than the character in the original novel — he's actually quite sweet to all of his friends and his peers around him, but in the novel he's much more introverted and generally speaking quite cold to everyone other than Sheng Sheng. However, I also think in some ways he was also well-casted because of his experience as a vocalist (I wish Zhou Ye had also sung her parts as well), and I think he did a great job changing his normally higher speaking pitch to a huskier tone for the drama. I still have a lot of mixed feelings about some of the characterizations, and really wish that more focus could have been on song lyrics as they were such an important part of the original novel, but also understand that this may have been done to revise the show to fit a 33 episode series.

I also wish there were many more scenes of the characters actively voice acting scripts, even though I recognize there are likely time and budget restrictions around this. There was a lot of opportunity to really play around with the cast and their skills here, and I wish that instead of focusing on side characters there was more time devoted to the industry and experiences being voice actors. Of course, the original novel also didn't have this — it's a purely fluffy novel and doesn't delve at all into any angsty topics or issues about personal struggles. However, after some of the work Mo Bao Fei Bao did editing the script for Go Go Squid to further flesh out some of the characters, I wish this one had some of the same treatment.

Alright, for those who are watching, can someone give any suggestions or expectations that one should have before watching this, with as little spoilers as possible? I've kind of read bits and pieces of the novel and even though it is a happy ending, there is a LOT of angst (ML & FL kind of torture each other emotionally and lots of miscommunication everywhere). Is this a sweeter, fluffy drama, or is it one where we're going to need lots of tissues?

It's really great! A lot of people were turned off by the series initially because it basically deals with local politics, but it's actually a very sweet and healthy romcom, and the politics is pretty easy to follow/not complicated. He basically plays the complete opposite character in Into the Ring, and the FL and ML in that drama have one of the healthiest and realistic romances ever! I definitely recommend it!

I'm a huge fan of Park Sunghoon, and it really shows how amazing of an actor he is and how much range he has through his works. You can hate him to death here because of his arrogance, narcissism, and sheer disregard for the people around him; he does an amazing job at making Jaejoon selfish and insufferable. And then you watch Into the Ring (2020) where he plays the main love interest who is extremely introverted, does things by the book, and absolutely hates drawing attention. It's like whiplash seeing these two different characters, and they really did an amazing job selecting all of the characters for this show.