Lovely Runner is that rare drama that mixes fantasy and romance satisfyingly. It clicks all the right buttons of a rom-com and reminds us of the classic 2000s Korean dramas that made us fall in love with them. The greatest love stories are the ones that make you root for the protagonists to come together, despite their destinies. And Lovely Runner is one of those.

ABOUT

A woman gets paralyzed due to an accident. She finds solace in an idol’s music and gets renewed confidence to come to terms with her condition. She becomes his passionate fan. She is devastated when the idol dies in a tragic incident. She is suddenly sent back in time when they were teens and she decides to save him.

REVIEW

To be honest, I had only mild interest in the beginning when the promos started for this show. It did look cute and breezy. But then everyone started praising it immensely and I had to check it out as soon as possible. And I finally understood what everyone was raving about.

Lovely Runner checks all the boxes for an awesome romantic-comedy  — it’s funny, romantic, emotional, thrilling. It is also full of surprises on the way, happy or scary ones. It follows the rules of a fantasy story properly and never feels all over the place or random — like the case is with many fantasy dramas. These days many Kdramas involve unnecessary thriller angle but in Lovely Runner, it does not look out of place — it’s part of the main story but it never overshadows the rom-com part of the story.

I was initially confused and frustrated with the rule that Im Sol’s high school version would forget everything once the present self goes back to the future. But gradually I appreciated how it added to the angst and excitement. Every trip to the past brings lots of moments of giddiness and butterflies with relationship development of the main leads; but at the same time, it’s filled with anxiety too as the danger is always lurking around the corner.

The show is full of colorful and delightful characters — the main leads, second lead Kim Tae Sung who is funny and full of warmth, Seon Jae’s friend and bandmate Baek In Hyuk, the heroine’s family (her mom, brother — he is so funny, and grandma), Seon Jae’s father, Im Sol’s best friend Hyun Joo — everyone contributes greatly to make Lovely Runner an amazing and heartwarming show.

Im Sol is a female lead who is instantly likeable. She is sassy but also vulnerable. We get to see two sides of her — the immature teenage self and the mature present one. She is adorable and relatable, and she is instinctive and resourceful. Kim Hye Yoon is terrific in the role.

Seon Jae is so swoonworthy! He is so soft and has a good heart. I love how he keeps trying to show indifference but internally he is so giddy whenever Im Sol is close by. I also love the unique romantic track of our leads where she is completely in awe as he has been her idol for many years and is completely unaware that [SPOILER] she is his first love and crush [SPOILER ENDS]. Byeon Woo Seok shines in Lovely Runner — he gives such a charming performance.

The romance is so well written — it made me feel butterflies and giddiness. It made me feel the hurt during the angst/ separation and all the smiles when their love triumphed. The chemistry between Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon is electric — they can be so adorably sweet as well as scorching hot together.

I loved the frenemy relationship between Seon Jae and Tae Sung. Song Geon Hee brings humour and heart to his performance. I also enjoyed the love story between Im Sol’s brother and Hyun Joo. The supporting cast is excellent.

THE MINUS POINTS

I would not call it exactly a minus point but I got tired of the way the OTP could not be happy together for long, every single time, as they would face obstruction soon after. But it all contributed to make the gratification more powerful when they finally get their happily ever after.

IN A NUTSHELL

A lovely combination of swooning romance, laugh-out-loud comedy and a thrilling plot.

MY RATING: 9.5 out of 10