Lovely Runner 선재 업고 튀어 (2024)

June 11, 2024

Ah, it’s been a while since I last enjoyed watching a kdrama.

Youthful energy. Good chemistry. Unconditional love. Funny. A little bit of suppressed memories. A little bit of serial killer.

This drama is super hyped these days, but there are also a handful of people who dislike it.

If you need the drama and the characters to be super logical, you might not like this drama. But if you enjoy lighthearted fantasy romance, give this drama a try.

GOOD GRASS RATING: 4.3/5

Synopsis

A fan tries to prevent her idol’s death after she accidentally travels back in time. Sounds lame but nonono, the story has layerssssss like a tear-inducing onion!!

There’s this strong sense of destiny — ML just keeps falling for FL no matter which timeline they are in. Of course, ML is soooo sweet to FL. Don’t watch it too many times or you might have unrealistic expectations of your partner ahahaha.

Essence of the story

I think the main message of this drama is in this casual conversation between ML and FL in episode 12 — “There are choices you make even though you know the consequences.”

In episode 5, some time after ML had an injury that ended his competitive swimming journey, he tells FL that he would have started swimming anyway, even if he had known he’d have to quit swimming at the age of 19. Coz he was really happy when he swam, and he wouldn’t have known that happiness if he hadn’t tried it.

And in episode 8, FL asks her best friend if she could turn back time, whether she would still choose to marry FL’s brother. Best friend says “How could I be certain that my new life would be any better?” She also mentions that if she never got married, she would never been able to see her beautiful children. awwwww cutiepie

Throughout the show, FL tries to change the fate of people around her, especially ML’s fate. And what’s so endearing and heartbreaking about this show is that FL and ML would choose to put themselves in danger in order to save each other.

“If I end up dying to save you, I’m fine with that.” T.T waaaaa i’m a sucker for this kind of trope

Highlight #1 First scene

We start off with an extremely emotional first scene, where FL just lost the ability to walk, and along with it, the will to live. “Somewhere out there… there are people who don’t want to live because it’s just such a nice day.”

But the story doesn’t stay gloomy for long, coz ML tells her “The ones around you would be thankful you’re alive. So stay alive today, because it’s such a nice day. I hear it’s going to rain tomorrow. So… wait until the rain stops, and live again. Who knows… there might come a day when living doesn’t feel so bad.”

bbawllllllingggggg

Highlight #2 Time travel

Hoho i kinda like the time travelling. It’s not as simplistic as just making the FL travel back once and FL and ML gradually falling in love — that would have been safe and boring.

I like that I don’t really know how the story will go because the time-travelling rules aren’t clear to the audience and to the FL. How long is she in the past? Will she go back into the future? There’s even a sorta faked time travel hah!

Oh we also got to see the flip phones when she went back to 2008!! kawaii~

One thing to mention, coz the FL was wheelchair bound in the original timeline, so when she travelled to times when she could still walk, she’s just so happy and grateful that her legs are still working T.T Ok I will appreciate my limbs more T.T kamsahamnida my limbs

FL’s best friend’s mushroom hairstyle when they were younger bwahahhahah omg are yall seriousss

I also like the use of objects as plot devices — the voice recorder, the time capsule, the song he wrote!!!

Highlight #3 FL’s grandma

Don’t you just love characters who know more than what they seem to know? And especially coz she has dementia so she’s not supposed to remember things!! ahhaahahh the ironnyyyyy

In episode 7, FL is living in a new timeline where she isn’t wheelchair bound. Then out of nowhere, grandma says “your legs have been cured. you’re walking” ahhhhhh nanniiiiii she retained her memories of the original timelineeeeee

In episode 9, FL is frantically searching for the time travel watch, and then grandma appears with said watch “I’ve been keeping it safe” ahhhhhhhhhh

And in episode 14 after grandma was lost and found at ML’s dad’s restaurant, thereby creating one more opportunity for ML and FL to cross paths, she says “I did well, didn’t I? You missed him.” omggg goosebumps

Actor analysis #1 Kim Hye Yoon

Really stable performance by FL Kim Hye Yoon. I feel safe watching this drama with her as the main character coz I know she will deliver. She did a great job playing this animated, positive (usually), energetic character, and the crying scenes were good too — she cries, we cry.

But ok, if I really wanna nitpick (I know I knowwww, she’s super good already), I am looking forward to seeing her performance go from stable to something less calculated, more authentic, from the soul. Right now, her acting is more textbook, she plays everything with 100% intensity, which actually fits this role pretty well. But I’m curious to see if she can handle characters that are less intense in her future dramas.

I’ll be rooting for you, Ms Kim Hye Yoon!!

Actor analysis #2 Byeon Woo Seok

I like this casting decision, of Byeon Woo Seok as the ML. Since this is one of his first time as the legit ML, let’s do some deep analysis.

Byeon Woo Seok — tall, cute, idol-level handsome, has this star-like quality, has a gentle resonant low voice, looks youthful enough to pass off as a late teen. These traits all fit the requirements of the role of Ryu Sun Jae — an idol, an actor, the man who loves and deeply cherishes FL. Perfect actor-role physical match.

As for acting, I should first mention that the technical requirement of this role isn’t as high as FL’s role, imo. ML’s role is milder — like a warm fuzzy teddy bear. Plus a tinge of nonchalance coz he was trying to hide his feelings for FL. So while Byeon Woo Seok’s acting is not as refined as FL, it still worked out in this drama.

I especially like his more emotional scenes and also parts where he was just shooting hearts out of his eyes for the FL. There’s this raw authenticity… which makes it easy for the audience to believe that he is in love with FL.

Special mention #1 ML’s dad

This guy!! Mr Kim Won Hae. We’ve seen him in many other kdramas and he never fails to deliver, especially when he plays those more emotional or funny characters. I’m glad he’s still in kdrama land, blessing us with his performance ahhhh. Thank you, Sir, thank you.

Special mention #2 Byeon Woo Seok’s voice

Throughout the show, we hear a few songs by the band Eclipse, where ML is the lead singer. And it always had me thinking… is it really Byeon Woo Seok singing? Can he sing that well? It sounds like his voice but I can’t be sure.

So I did some digging and saw some fancams of him singing live in his fan meets. I can’t tell whether the slightly out of tune nature is due to the bad venue conditions, but I can say that his singing is pretty good for an actor. Plus, coz his speaking voice is already nice, his singing tone turns out like this soul-comforting thick honey.

I’m gonna guess that all the singing scenes were pre-recorded in a studio (and post-production was done), not live singing. That would mean that the behind-the-scene clips of him singing in the scenes are lip-syncing or singing along with the audio track. Because it’s extremely difficult to deliver that vocal stability live, and when you’re very focused on singing, it’s hard to pay attention to your facial expressions on screen. But I think it’s because he can sing, so it looks super realistic on screen, as if you’re hearing him sing live.

Special mention #3 The OST

I think the whole OST list is pretty good, and it ranges from energetic tunes, cute youthful tunes, to very sad ballads. I’ll just mention 2 of them that caught my attention.

Minnie (G)I-DLE - 꿈결같아서 (Like A Dream)

Sung in a dream-like manner, edited in a dream-like manner — fits this fantasy genre very well. Minnie’s tone is also suitable for this youthful drama.

10CM - 봄눈 (Spring Snow)

Even though there are heartbreaking parts in the show, this simple and sweet confession song reminds us that this is still a story about a young man’s first love.

Awkward mention #1 Age gap

If I were to point out one thing that is slightly awkward… it’s when FL is travelling to 15 years ago…. I’d occasionally have thoughts like… eh? She’s actually a 30+ year old, interacting with a 19 year old guy hhahaaha

Conclusion

I hope you’ve enjoyed / will enjoy Lovely Runner as much as I did!!

The crazy thing is…even after finishing this show, listening to Byeon Woo Seok’s voice in 소나기 (Sudden Shower) still brings back memories of the show!

P.S. I recently decided to start reviewing dramas I’ve watched as a way to show appreciation and share my hopefully relatable analysis. I’ll be writing more drama reviews, so stay tuned if you’ve enjoyed this one :)