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Series poster for Lovely Runner (2024)

Lovely Runner

“I will protect both you and me.”

2024
Ended • 1 Season • 16 Episodes
Director: Kim Tae-yeoup
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Overview

Right after Ryu Sun-jae, a top star, ends his life, Im Sol, his top fan, somehow ends up at a time when they were in high school and tries to protect him. A fantasy romance unfolds where people who missed each other in time finally meet.

Seasons

1 listed
Status
Ended
Seasons
1 season
Episodes
16 episodes
First aired
Apr 8, 2024
Last aired
May 28, 2024
Episode length
70m
Network
tvN

Latest episode: S1 E16 I Remember Everything (May 28, 2024)

  1. Season 1 poster

    Season 1

    16 episodes Apr 8, 2024 8.3

    Im Sol is devastated by the sudden and tragic death of her favorite star, Ryu Sun-jae, a former swimmer turned K-pop idol. But in the midst of her anguish, she magically time slips back to 2008 – when Sun-jae is still only 19 years old! Delighted that she has a chance to help him avert his unhappy future fate, Sol makes it her mission to change the future... and maybe find love along the way.

Cast

12 people

Reviews

Bignay

1. * Everyone has its own opinion, 2. the story of keep changing life or future is just too much. Its sucks and getting on ones nerve . the story is not becoming complete even it is fiction. Its so different from other Korean drama. There is no wholeness that even you dont like the story you just keep on continuing watching. this is a story of which the writer is the one who keep on running, get confused, making the reader bored. The music is good, the acting of the actor is very good seems innocent in all the facts but the actress leading role is too much OA or in some part less or boring. I love Korean film, movies music etc.. but this one SUCKS .

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leizyegg

my supposed diary entry for letterboxd, i'm exposing here for the meantime! I love them with all my heart, and I could write essays about their story, their soulmatism and the everything nonstop because suddenly I want my love to look so beautiful like theirs!! their love is so beautiful and poetic to the point that every song I heard I dedicated to them…I even have a playlist! I never loved a drama as deeply as I did with them!!!! literal LIKE UNG KILIG???1?1?1? GRABE I had severe case of kilig every week and tHAT WAS BECAUSE OF THEM. I’D GET GIDDY AS HELL EVERY MONDAYS AND TUESDAYS AND I HATED MONDAY LIKE HOW SUNJAE USED TO HATE THE RAIN BUT THEN SOL CAME!!! it’s the same case with me, but it was lovely runner that came to me 🥹💞 HAY ‘WHAT WILL I DO WHEN THIS ENDS’ IS WHAT I ASKED EVERY WEEK AND ME THINKS IM GONNA REWATCH THIS FOREVER ISTG MAY MAGIC TONG LOVRUN GRABE ADIK NA ADIK AQ DITO LITERAL NA MAHAL NA MAHAL Q NA SILA HUHU HINDI PA AKO READY MAG BYE FR!!!!!!! TAPOS ANO GUSTO K NLNG OMIYAK EVERYWEEK BCS OF KILIG AND KILIGIN AT TUMAWA NONSTOP HUHUHSUAHUSHWUS CLA ANG DAHILAN BKET AKO FUELED EVERYWEEK I SWAER oa na kung oa pero i became a fan of them both after this and even the other casts :((( its that deep for me like super duper love this drama!!! no one will top you now lovely runner, at least for me u will always be my favorite, my no. 1 ever!!! i just finished watching :((( im so sad and super happy at the same time cz wdym a perfect drama came to life and i watched it and i loved it so much it became my actual favorite!! thank you my loves, hyeyoon, wooseok, geonhee, seunghyub, directors and writer lee si eun, and everyone else for accepting and making lovely runner possible!! i love them sm i cant stop saying that lmao it’s the way this review is so scattered!!!! i just love them so much to the point i rambled everything i wanna say my diary entry from may 22-28 !!! wait till i finish my finals i’ll rewatch lovrun after i catch up with hyeyoon-wooseok films i missed :D

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ABTR

**I'm sitting here with a smile on my face crying tears of joy. I feel like a crazy person.** The story, the acting, the _chemistry_. Never have I gotten as invested in a k-drama as I did with this one. Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Joon were absolute perfection and a joy to watch together. The story was lighthearted and cute, full of adorable moments and smiles, but when the emotional moments came, they hit hard. I loved every second of it, including all the small side stories of the secondary characters. Every last detail was perfect. I'd thought Park Gyu Young and Cha Eun Woo were super cute in _A good day to be a dog_, but nah. Same with Jun Ho being the most adorable he-falls-first male lead ever. Or CLOY having a top-tier romance story. This show left them in the dust. Sonagi was a lovely song and so personal to Seon Jae and poignant to the story, and I love that there were scenes of live-played music. That may seem like an insignificant detail, but it's so unusual in k-dramas (even in the ones with idols playing the leads) and was so wonderfully unexpected and exciting. This drama will stay with me for years to come and surely bring a smile to my face whenever I think back on it. Someone get me a yellow umbrella so I can daydream about fated love the next time it rains! 💛💛

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Audience Opinions

Audience 8.7/10
"A swoony, emotionally charged time-travel romance powered by phenomenal leads and a standout soundtrack, undercut by messy plotting and shaky time-travel logic."

The romance, chemistry, and performances of the leads are repeatedly singled out as addictive, with many describing the early and mid-run as a binge-worthy, butterfly-inducing experience supported by a gorgeous OST and strong visual style. At the same time, the later episodes draw criticism for dragging, leaning too hard on an underdeveloped serial-killer storyline, and relying on confusing or inconsistent time-travel rules that leave noticeable plot holes.

What viewers praise
  • Irresistible lead chemistry The central couple’s interactions feel intensely romantic and believable, delivering numerous swoon-worthy and affectionate moments that keep viewers hooked.
  • Strong acting from leads Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon receive consistent praise for heartfelt crying scenes, playful comedy beats, and carrying the emotional weight of the story.
  • Beloved soundtrack and songs The OST is frequently called unforgettable, with several tracks sung by Byeon Woo-seok becoming personal favorites and closely tied to key emotional scenes.
  • Engaging first half The early episodes are described as tightly paced, exciting, and emotionally compelling, mixing romance, humor, and tension in a way that makes the show highly bingeable.
  • Charming visuals and aesthetics Cinematic flashbacks, nostalgic high-school sequences, and visually appealing staging and skinship scenes contribute to a warm, romantic atmosphere.
Common complaints
  • Inconsistent time-travel rules Questions about how timelines work, what changes stick, and why certain leaps happen are left hanging, making the time-travel feel convenient rather than coherent.
  • Overextended serial-killer plot The thriller element is viewed as a flat, one-note device whose villain lacks motivation or depth and drags the story away from the romance.
  • Draggy and repetitive mid-late stretch Multiple do-overs and similar obstacles make the story feel padded, with several viewers feeling it should have wrapped up in fewer episodes.
  • Questionable character choices Im Sol’s impulse-driven decisions and lack of clear planning when changing the past frustrate some viewers and strain believability.
  • Tone and ending issues The mix of fluffy rom-com, dark crime elements, and a finale packed with rapid-fire fan-service moments comes across as tonally uneven and too neat for some.
Recommended for
Time-travel romance fans Emotional K-drama binge-watchers Idol-and-fan love story lovers High-chemistry romance seekers OST-focused drama fans Light fantasy melodrama viewers

Buzz & Rumors

Public reports

“Lovely Runner” Uncut: Casting Chaos, Scandals & Sun-jae-sized Tea

When a time‑travel rom-com turns into a real-life drama? That’s Lovely Runner for you. Behind those heart-fluttering back hugs and time loops is a production that survived boycotts, casting drama, scandal allegations, and enough dating rumors to power ten seasons of variety shows.


Casting Chaos & “We Almost Didn’t Get Byeon Woo-seok”

  • According to Korean entertainment reports, Lovely Runner was stuck in limbo for around three years before it finally made it to air. The holdup? A perfect storm of casting struggles, scheduling conflicts, and even a director switch mid-journey .
  • Multiple actors allegedly turned down the role of Ryu Sun-jae before it landed in Byeon Woo-seok’s very capable hands, with online chatter and social posts frequently naming big idol-actors like Cha Eunwoo, Moon Sangmin, and Lee Jun-young as those who passed on it (these names are widely repeated by fans, but not officially confirmed, so treat this as unverified casting gossip).
  • Byeon Woo-seok has since said he’s actually thankful other actors rejected the role, because it gave him his breakout as the “perfect” Sun-jae [4]. Talk about one man’s trash becoming another man’s career-defining treasure.

On-Set Drama: “Your Visuals Need Work”?!

  • Director Yoon Jong-ho lit the fandom on fire when an interview surfaced where he admitted that he told Kim Hye-yoon her “visuals needed work” and that he had scolded her about her appearance during filming .
  • Fans and netizens slammed the remarks as misogynistic and cruel, especially given that Kim Hye-yoon is literally marketed as the “lovely” in Lovely Runner. Comment sections were flooded with posts like “Kim Hye Yoon is the definition of lovely, not the problem here” [3].
  • The backlash got so loud that “Lovely Runner director” and “Kim Hye-yoon visuals” became mini scandals of their own, overshadowing the show’s fluffy rom-com energy.

Scandals & Controversies: From Burning Sun to Boycotts

  • Just as the drama was becoming everyone’s comfort watch, supporting actor Lee Cheol-woo was dragged into renewed headlines over the infamous Burning Sun scandal. A BBC documentary and older reports tied his name to a KakaoTalk group chat associated with the case .
  • Lee Cheol-woo clapped back hard: he said the chat in question was actually for the JTBC variety show Hit Maker, used only for schedules and show info, and insisted he was never part of the illegal group chat. He stressed his family had “been suffering from the misinformation for years” and warned that any further malicious comments would be met with legal action [2].
  • Even before airing, Lovely Runner was hit with boycott calls from some SHINee fans. Articles and social media posts accused the drama of echoing the tragic story of SHINee’s Jonghyun: a beloved idol, mental health struggles, and a fan trying to stop his suicide .
  • The outrage escalated when fans noticed the first episode was slated to air on April 8, Jonghyun’s birthday, and some even dissected costuming (like shirt colors) as “clout-chasing references” [1].
  • Producers eventually denied any intentional link to Jonghyun, but the controversy left a stain on the drama’s pre-release buzz [1][4].

Romance Rumors: Is Sol-Jae Real or Just Reel?

  • The chemistry between Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon was so intense that even camera directors admitted they wondered if something was happening off-screen because the pair seemed “too natural” together during filming .
  • During promotions, an interviewer straight-up asked if they were dating. Kim Hye-yoon adorably tossed the question to Byeon Woo-seok, who smirked and dropped a “No comment” instead of a clean denial [6]. Fans, of course, treated that like a confession with subtitles.
  • Online, fan-made “breaking news” posts claimed their agencies had confirmed they were together—only for it to be revealed as an April Fools’ gag that went way too viral. No official confirmation of a relationship has ever been made; everything remains in rumor/fan-speculation territory.
  • Meanwhile, Byeon Woo-seok had to deny separate dating rumors with a Korean model, with his agency calling the reports “not true at all” [7].
  • Still, Kim Hye-yoon sending a support coffee truck to Byeon Woo-seok’s later project kept the Sol–Sun-jae truthers well-fed with “they’re still close!” content [4].

Reward Vacations, Fan Fights & Agency Heat

  • After the show’s success, the cast was rewarded with a vacation to Thailand—K-drama tradition. But lead star Byeon Woo-seok was not on the plane, as he had an overlapping Asia fanmeeting tour schedule .
  • Kim Hye-yoon did attend, leading to social media threads joking that Sun-jae “time-traveled to another schedule” and speculation that chemistry was now mostly a long-distance thing.
  • At the same time, Kim Hye-yoon’s fans were waging war not against a villain, but against her own agency, Artist Company. They accused the company of mishandling her schedules and not riding the Lovely Runner wave properly, staging protests and organizing online campaigns over alleged mistreatment [3]. The agency eventually responded, but the whole saga reinforced how fiercely her fandom is willing to fight for her.

Leaks, Deleted Scenes & Time-Loop Theories

  • IGInstagram·Lovely Runner's Blu-ray disk adds couple comment…
    https://www.instagram.com/p/C8uRIfUJum5/
  • The Lovely Runner Blu-ray became a holy grail for fans because it promised director’s cuts, deleted scenes, unreleased behind-the-scenes footage, and even couple commentary from Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon [8].
  • Among the juicier bits fans flagged:
  • An extended Episode 8 flashback that didn’t air on TV but appears on the Blu-ray as added emotional context [8].
  • A goofy hidden moment from Episode 5 where Sol and Sun-jae hide by a power pole and she accidentally steps on his head—pure rom-com chaos that was cut from broadcast but circulated via fan pages and Facebook clips [8].
  • Meanwhile, fan theories went absolutely feral:
  • Popular articles and threads pushed the idea that Im Sol isn’t the only time traveler—with some saying Sun-jae himself may have jumped timelines to save her, flipping the entire narrative [9].
  • Others insisted Sol’s grandmother is tied to the mystery of the watch and the time travel logic, keeping “Grandma-is-the-key” posts circulating long after the finale [9].

Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.