Binge-worthy: Multi-layered K-romance Lovely Runner thrives on Byeon Woo-seok’s charms
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Lovely Runner, starring Byeon Woo-seok (right) and Kim Hye-soon.
PHOTO: VIU
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Lovely Runner
Viu
4 stars
Alongside Queen Of Tears and Marry My Husband, Lovely Runner has become one of the most talked-about K-dramas, with Time magazine hailing the 16-episode fantasy romance as the best of 2024 so far.
It revolves around star-crossed lovers Sun-jae (Byeon Woo-seok) and Sol (Kim Hye-yoon), with fangirl Sol travelling back and forth in time to save her pop idol Sun-jae from untimely deaths.
While the plot sounds straightforward, the story is multi-layered and gets deeper and richer with each episode. The series has enjoyed a steady growth in viewership ratings, thanks to word of mouth. According to The Korea Times, mentions of the show on social media saw a sevenfold surge by the eighth episode.
Here are some reasons why Lovely Runner – showing on Viu – is worth the hype.
1. Captivating love story
Written by Lee Shi-eun – best known for her work on True Beauty (2020 to 2021), which propelled K-idol Cha Eun-woo to international stardom – from a webtoon, Lovely Runner serves up three mini love stories in one epic romance.
Using time-travelling as a storytelling device, viewers are shown different aspects of Sun-jae and Sol’s relationship – from high school to college to the workplace.
The drama is also filled with lines that die-hard romantics will love (“My fate is, no matter in which time we meet – past, present or any other – I’ll fall in love with you.”).
However, to fully enjoy Lovely Runner, don’t take the time-travel elements too seriously, as they often don’t make sense.
The character of Sun-jae is well written and there is a clear progression of his arc. However, Sol comes across as almost too perfect, a stereotypical take on the self-sacrificing girlfriend. That said, Kim does a fantastic job channelling a gamut of emotions – from joy to despair. Byeon and Kim also share a winning and endearing chemistry.
2. The Byeon Woo-seok effect
Using time-travelling as a storytelling device, viewers are shown different aspects of Sun-jae (right) and Sol’s relationship, from high school to college to the workplace.
PHOTO: VIU
Lovely Runner has developed a strong fanbase largely because of former model Byeon’s credible performance – his first lead role in a drama series in his eight-year acting career.
Byeon’s popularity has gone off the charts. He reportedly gained more than two million Instagram followers within a month of the drama’s premiere in April, and now has over 9.9 million followers. Singapore fans will be able to see him in the flesh at his fan meet at Singapore Expo on June 30.
In addition, Sudden Shower, the song he sang in the drama as the vocalist of the fictional K-pop boy band Eclipse, made it to the Billboard Global 200 chart. It has also racked up more than 32 million streams on Spotify.
3. Boys banding together
The Sun-jae and Sol love story would not be perfect without the drama’s strong supporting cast.
The bromance between Sun-jae, bandmate In-hyuk (Lee Seung-hyub) and bad boy Tae-sung (Song Geon-hee) is a delight to watch.
Tae-sung, who is also in love with Sol, oozes such wit, he almost steals the show.
