Lovely Runner is about a popular celebrity (Byun Woo Seok) who tragically passes away and his devout fan (Kim Hye Yoon) who lost her dream at a young age that travels back in time 15 years and tries to prevent his tragic fate.
Kim Hye Yoon is Im Sol who was severely injured in an accident as a teenager. She has found comfort in the music of her favorite celebrity, Ryu Seon Jae, and is a dedicated fan. Her world turns upside down though when she finds out about his death, but she is given the opportunity to go back in time and save him.
Byun Woo Seok is Ryu Seon Jae. Even though he’s a top singer, he finds himself struggling in the entertainment world. After he meets a tragic end in the present, his dedicated fan finds his high school self and tries to give him another chance.
Then we have Song Geon Hee as Kim Tae Sung. He’s a popular high school student that Im Sol had a crush on the first time around, but her going back in time suddenly piques his interest in her.
Lovely Runner is a fun time travel, romantic comedy. It has a well-developed and multi-layered story that remains pretty engaging all the way through. There’s a super sweet romance at the center with a big, fated sort of feel to it. There’s plenty of humor and lots of fun characters. This is a series with a lot of heart.
Sol and Seon Jae go on quite the journey together. They have a fun rapport and good relationship progression. It’s interesting to see the different ways that Seon Jae falls for Sol. They are very sweet with plenty of super cute couple moments.
This is a couple that also faces a lot of tragedy. Not only does Sol have to deal with her own personal issues, she goes to extraordinary lengths to save Seon Jae from his terrible fate. She doesn’t always make the best decisions, but she is loyal, passionate, and full of heart. She will sacrifice anything to save her love.
And Seon Jae does quite a lot too. He’s not in on the full story of Sol’s time traveling, but he too will go to great lengths for her, and we see that play out multiple times. This couple is dedicated to each other in every way, and the question simply becomes, “Is fate on their side?”
The story does involve multiple time lines and takes a sort of “Butterfly Effect” approach to show the various changes that happen in the future because of Sol’s interventions in the past. There’s a fair amount of jumping around, but I think for the most part, the drama handles it quite well and isn’t too confusing. As with any time travel drama, there are definitely loopholes and a few things that don’t quite make sense, but hey, it’s time travel. As long it’s not too crazy, I tend to give it a pass, and this one does well enough.
The pacing of the show was mostly good, but I do think it would have benefited from being tightened up. There are some slow spots scattered here and there where some of the momentum was lost. Luckily, the story itself was good, so that helped carry things along.
Lovely Runner was an entertaining watch. The story was solid with heart, humor, and a bit of tension. Our fated couple of Sol and Seon Jae bring a heart-fluttering romance that you just want to see work out. If you like time travel and rom-coms, Lovely Runner is a great entry in the genre.
My Rating: 7.5/10
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