Lovely Runner might well be the most popular K-drama of 2024. Old K-dramas fans and new ones alike have loved the romantic time travel show that has us all in a chokehold. I suppose it’s thanks to the impeccable chemistry and the pacing of the show that never slows down. Those who had the chance to watch it weekly certainly had an experience, because every episode ends with a cliffhanger, but thanks to Netflix, global fans are able to watch it all in one go. Lovely Runner follows the story of Im Sol, a young girl whose life is doomed when she meets with an accident that leads to her being paralyzed from the waist down. Losing her legs at such a young age leaves Soon completely disheartened, but there’s one thing that keeps her going: the K-pop band called Eclipse. Ironically, what she doesn’t realize is that she’s a big fan of this band because she’s got a massive connection with its lead singer, Ryu Sun-Jae. The drama begins in 2023 when Ryu Sun-Jae ends up in the hospital after what looks like a suicide attempt, leaving his fans devastated, but Sol’s the most heartbroken. Sol tries to rush to the hospital, and on the way, she ends up dropping Sun-Jae’s watch she’d bought at an auction for 3 million won. She falls off her wheelchair in an attempt to get the watch from a waterbody when she learns that Sun-Jae’s taken his last breath. Sol ends up pressing down on the watch while crying. When she opens her eyes, she’s in 2009.
Spoiler Alert
Why Does Sun-Jae End Up In Hospital?
To understand the main conflict of the show, we must go back to the first timeline back in 2009. See, Sol ends up losing her legs because a serial killer named Kim Young-Soo hits her with his car. This is basically because he thinks she’s seen him commit a crime. In all the timelines, the story is somewhat similar; however, the other common thing in all of them is that Sun-Jae ends up saving Sol every time, sending Young-Soo to prison for 15 years. So, when he comes out of prison, he must take revenge on Sun-Jae and try to kill him. In the first episode, Sun-Jae doesn’t die from suicide, instead it’s a murder. Because it’s a romantic drama, we’re more focused on Sun-Jae and Sol’s relationship; however, the show takes quite some time to establish why Young-Soo wants to kill both Sol and Sun-Jae.
Sol tries many times to stop Sun-Jae from saving her in all the different timelines, but in vain. See, Sun-Jae always falls deeply in love with Sol, telling her that he doesn’t care if he ends up dead saving her life. So, in the final timeline, Sol decides there’s only one way she can save Sun-Jae’s life, even if that means she won’t end up with him. At least she’ll get to be his fan. Sol decides that if Sun-Jae doesn’t ever meet her, he’ll never end up feeling the need to save her.
What Happens To Young-Soo In The Final Timeline?
In Lovely Runner’s finale, Sun-Jae reads Sol’s movie script and starts to get dreams or visions about her every time he sees her. She tries desperately to keep away from him, but he keeps coming back because he feels some kind of connection with her. Eventually, Sun-Jae suddenly gets flooded by the memories of all the timelines, leaving him running after Sol on the road. At this time, Young-Soo is driving into the distance, and when he sees Sun-Jae, he screams “die” and drives straight at him. We don’t get any reason for Young-Soo’s anger in this timeline. We know that he’s been trying to abduct Sun-Jae, maybe because he’s an affluent superstar. Once evil, always evil, I suppose. In this timeline, Tae-Sung is a cop and Sol’s best friend. He ends up saving Sun-Jae by driving into Young-Soo’s car, but Sun-Jae ends up fainting anyway because he’s got all his memories back. Tae-Sung tries to arrest Young-Soo for an attempted abduction, but he runs away; eventually he gets hit by a white truck. It seems like the first time the doom truck’s managed to do the right thing. Later, Sol introduces Sun-Jae officially to Tae-Sung, and after Sun-Jae gets drunk, he genuinely thanks Tae-Sung for ending it all for good.
How Does Sol Time Travel?
I suppose the main question about Lovely Runner is how Sol ended up time-traveling with this watch that is an apparent time machine. I’d say it’s not really time travel but rather soul travel (pun intended), because it’s Sol waking up in her younger self. Sol’s grandmother has dementia, but there’s one thing in common throughout the many different timelines that Sol ends up in. It is Sol’s grandmother who makes it so that she can travel through time so that she and Sun-Jae can end up happy together for real. I guess her dementia is her superpower, because in the final episode, she tells Sol that memories don’t disappear; they seep into your soul. Even when she’s alone with Sun-Jae, she tells him to live a happy life together with Sol, proving that she’s known them the whole time and supported them.
What Happens to Eclipse?
In the final timeline, there’s one major change: Sun-Jae isn’t a part of Eclipse. I suppose the song “Sonagi” was a part of the other timelines because it was a song that he wrote about Sol, but when he didn’t know about her, he couldn’t write the song, so he ended up an actor, while the rest of his friends still became a successful musical act. However, Sol’s script includes the lyrics of the song, and this helps Sun-Jae remember the song and even the tune of it. I guess he sings it for her so that she would consider him for the leading role, but at the end of the day, it’s their song. It’s quite sad to see Sun-Jae not a part of the band, especially since we know he’s an excellent singer, but I guess it proves that he was only in Eclipse because of Sol, and maybe acting was always his calling.
Do Sun-Jae and Sol End Up Together?
Lovely Runner’s ending is basically fan service, as we get to see Sol and Sun-Jae live out their happy ending. We get to see them hang with their families and Sun-Jae struggling to propose to Sol. By the end of the series, it’s a one-year jump, i.e., 2024, and Sun-Jae proposes to Sol under the cherry blossoms while they make a wish together, just like they did in a different timeline back in 2009. It’s almost like reliving a moment you’ve always wanted to in the best way. When they kiss, they visualize a scene of their marriage; now, I suppose this could be in another timeline, or their connection now allows them to get a glimpse into the future. Sol even becomes a movie director just like she’d always dreamed and submits a short called “Hope” for a competition. I suppose we can imagine it’s successfully selected, which is why Sun-Jae could propose a year later.So, yes, Sol and Sun-Jae do get their happy ending, and in the best way because not only do they get to make new memories together, but they also get to remember the old ones.
Will There Be A Season 2?
It’s likely there will not be a second season of Lovely Runner, as it is a completely 16-episode K-drama with a happy ending. I guess it would also become a bit of a mess if they did attempt another season, but maybe they could keep the concept going with different characters or something.
