# Lovely Runner

Lovely Runner (Korean: 선재 업고 튀어) is a 2024 South Korean television series starring Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon. It is based on a web novel titled Tomorrow's Best, which was also serialized as a webtoon by illustrator Doong Doong. It aired on tvN from April 8 to May 28, 2024, every Monday and Tuesday at 20:50 (KST). It is also available for streaming on TVING in South Korea, U-Next in Japan, Vidio in Indonesia, and Viki and Viu in selected regions.

## Synopsis

In the world of stardom, Ryu Sun-jae shines as a top-tier celebrity whose life, despite its public facade, is marred by exhaustion. Im Sol, an ardent admirer of Sun-jae, finds solace in his music after a childhood accident derailed her dreams.
When news breaks of Sun-jae's tragic death, Sol is devastated. However, fate intervenes, transporting her fifteen years into the past to 2008, when she and Sun-jae are 19-year-old high school students. Seeing this as a chance from heaven, Sol vows to change the course of destiny for the both of them while grappling with the challenges of changing the past.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* Byeon Woo-seok as Ryu Sun-jae
    A top star who has everything, from good looks to talent and charm. He is a former swimmer turned singer and actor, but his life as a celebrity doesn't go well, especially as he battles depression, ultimately leading up to his unfortunate death.
* Kim Hye-yoon as Im Sol
    A cute and lovable young woman who gives up her dream of becoming a film director in 2009 when she injures her legs and becomes paralyzed.
* Song Geon-hee as Kim Tae-seong
    An ulzzang with a flamboyant look. He was the bassist of the band Eclipse in high school, and is a police officer in the present time.
* Lee Seung-hyub as Baek In-hyuk
    A friendly guy who is easy to get along with. He is Sun-jae's best friend, as well as the leader and guitarist of the famous band Eclipse.

### Supporting
#### People around Sol

* Jung Young-ju [ko] as Park Bok-soon
    Sol's resilient single mother. She manages a struggling DVD store while raising her two children and caring for her elderly mother.
* Seong Byeong-suk [ko] as Jung Mal-ja
    Sol's warm-hearted and wise grandmother.
* Song Ji-ho as Im Geum
    Sol's older brother. He is an aspiring actor full of passion for acting, but he repeatedly faces rejection in auditions.
* Seo Hye-won as Lee Hyun-joo
    Sol's best friend. She is bold, sharp, and stubborn.

#### People around Sun-jae

* Kim Won-hae as Ryu Geun-deok
    Sun-jae's father and the owner of the Galbit House.
* Ahn Sang-woo as Representative Kim
    CEO of Sun-jae's agency JNT.
* Lee Il-jun as Park Dong-suk
    Sun-jae's manager.

#### People around Tae-seong

* Park Yoon-hee as Detective Kim
    Tae-sung's father who is a veteran detective with 20 years of experience.
* Kim Hwi-gyu as Cha Yi-seul
    Tae-sung's friend who has a weathered appearance that belies his pretty name.

#### JNT people

* Moon Yong-suk as Hyun-soo
    The drummer of the band Eclipse.
* Yang Hyuk as Jay
    A bassist and the youngest member of the band Eclipse.

#### Jagam High School students

* Lee Chul-woo as Kim Hyung-gu
    A member of the Jagam High School swimming club, and Sun-jae's self-proclaimed rival.
* Kim Hyun-kyu as Choi Hyun-gu
    Sun-jae's friend from Jagam High School swimming team.
* Jung Kang-hee as Coach Ahn
    The coach of the Jagam High School swimming team.
* Oh Se-young as Choi Ga-hyun
    Tae-seong's ex-girlfriend.

#### Others

* Heo Hyeong-Gyu as Kim Young-Soo
    A taxi driver with a grudge against Sol and Sun-jae.
* Ko Tae-jin [ko] as Choi Jeong-hoon
    An employee of the cinema where Im Sol applies for an interview.

### Special appearances

* Park Tae-hwan as himself
    A swimmer who plans to showcase his swimming skills alongside Sun-jae.
* Kwon Yu-ri as herself
    A member of the girl group Girls' Generation.
* Han Seung-yeon as Radio DJ
* Lee Soo-ji [ko] as Heavenly Granny
* Kim Min-gi as Park Do-jun

## Production
### Development

The series was originally published as a web novel on KakaoPage between July and September 2020, written by Kim Bbang. It was later adapted into a webtoon by illustrator Doong Doong, which became available in September 2021.
It is directed by Yoon Jong-ho, who co-directed other popular works such as Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016–2017), My Holo Love (2020), and Flower of Evil (2020). It is also written by Lee Si-eun, who is best known for her work True Beauty (2020–2021).
It was previously titled Time Walking on Memory (기억을 걷는 시간; Gieog-eul geonneun sigan).
Writer Lee Si-eun stated that the character Im Sol was specifically created with actress Kim Hye-yoon in mind. It was also revealed that the series took three years to produce and was offered to several other actors before the role ultimately went to Byeon Woo-seok.

### Casting

On March 28, 2023, reports surfaced stating that Kim Hye-yoon and Byeon Woo-seok were in discussions and actively considering taking the lead roles. Their appearance was subsequently confirmed on July 19 by the production team of tvN. On July 27, Song Geon-hee was also confirmed to co-star alongside Kim and Byeon. On the same day, there were reports highlighting that Lee Seung-hyub was in discussions to appear in the drama, and his agency confirmed his participation on July 31. In the following days, it was reported that Yang Hyuk would be also joining the cast.

### Filming

Filming began in the second half of 2023.

## Original soundtrack
### Album

The drama's soundtrack is compiled in a three-part album released by label Stone Music Entertainment on May 28, 2024. CD 1 contains Eclipse's song, CD 2 contains the drama's theme songs, and CD 3 contains the drama's musical score.

### Singles

The following is the track list of singles from Lovely Runner: Original Soundtrack.

#### Part 10
### Chart performance
## Release

The series was originally scheduled to be broadcast in the second half of 2023, but was moved to the first half of 2024 due to the changes in tvN's Monday and Tuesday lineup.
During the CJ ENM Meet & Grow conference on January 18, 2024, tvN officially confirmed that Lovely Runner was scheduled for April 2024. The series premiered on April 8, 2024. It was also available for streaming on TVING in South Korea, U-Next in Japan, Vidio in Indonesia, and Viki and Viu in selected regions. On July 15, 2024, it was announced that the series would also be available for streaming on Netflix in selected regions, starting from August 1, 2024.

## Reception
### Critical response

Despite its modest viewership ratings, Lovely Runner garnered positive reviews from audiences, contributing significantly to Byeon Woo-seok's rise to stardom and solidifying Kim Hye-yoon's reputation in the industry. Film critic Jung Duk-hyun, one of the prominent judges at the prestigious Baeksang Arts Awards, praised Kim for her exceptional acting prowess in her role as Im Sol.
Singapore's national newspaper The Straits Times gave the series four out of five stars, stating that the love story between the characters portrayed by Byeon and Kim was captivating and the "multi-layered" plot got richer and richer with each episode. Time Magazine praised the drama as one of the best K-dramas released in 2024, commending the series for its use of "familiar genres to craft a thrillingly unexpected, continuously moving story experience".

### Viewership

| Season | Season | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Average |
| Season | Season | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Average |
| | 1 | 0.737 | 0.704 | 0.892 | 0.859 | 0.947 | 0.871 | 1.090 | 1.124 | 1.384 | 1.275 | 1.322 | 1.189 | 1.315 | 1.289 | 1.431 | 1.661 | 1.131 |
Average TV viewership ratings :
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Average audience share (Nielsen Korea) | Average audience share (Nielsen Korea) |
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Nationwide | Seoul |
| 1 | April 8, 2024 | 3.073% (2nd) | 3.176% (2nd) |
| 2 | April 9, 2024 | 2.710% (3rd) | 2.918% (3rd) |
| 3 | April 15, 2024 | 3.444% (1st) | 3.678% (1st) |
| 4 | April 16, 2024 | 3.378% (1st) | 4.069% (1st) |
| 5 | April 22, 2024 | 3.435% (2nd) | 3.834% (2nd) |
| 6 | April 23, 2024 | 3.377% (1st) | 3.946% (1st) |
| 7 | April 29, 2024 | 4.459% (1st) | 5.259% (1st) |
| 8 | April 30, 2024 | 4.095% (1st) | 4.656% (1st) |
| 9 | May 6, 2024 | 4.759% (1st) | 5.638% (1st) |
| 10 | May 7, 2024 | 4.752% (1st) | 5.973% (1st) |
| 11 | May 13, 2024 | 4.735% (1st) | 5.670% (1st) |
| 12 | May 14, 2024 | 4.260% (1st) | 5.002% (1st) |
| 13 | May 20, 2024 | 4.568% (1st) | 5.214% (1st) |
| 14 | May 21, 2024 | 4.827% (1st) | 5.349% (1st) |
| 15 | May 27, 2024 | 5.297% (1st) | 6.197% (1st) |
| 16 | May 28, 2024 | 5.762% (1st) | 7.208% (1st) |
| Average | Average | 4.183% | 4.862% |
| In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. This drama aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC, and EBS). ||||

## Accolades
### Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result | Ref. |
| APAN Star Awards | 2024 | Best Couple | Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon | Won | |
| APAN Star Awards | 2024 | Best OST | Eclipse – "Sudden Shower" | Won | |
| APAN Star Awards | 2024 | Best OST | N.Flying – "Star" | Nominated | |
| APAN Star Awards | 2024 | Best New Actor | Lee Seung-hyub | Nominated | |
| APAN Star Awards | 2024 | Best Director | Yoon Jong-ho | Nominated | |
| APAN Star Awards | 2024 | Best Writer | Lee Si-eun | Nominated | |
| APAN Star Awards | 2024 | Excellence Actress in a Serial Drama | Jung Young-ju | Won | |
| APAN Star Awards | 2024 | Global Star | Byeon Woo-seok | Won | |
| APAN Star Awards | 2024 | Popularity Award, Actor | Byeon Woo-seok | Won | |
| APAN Star Awards | 2024 | Popularity Award, Actress | Kim Hye-yoon | Won | |
| APAN Star Awards | 2024 | Top Excellence Actor in a Miniseries | Byeon Woo-seok | Nominated | |
| APAN Star Awards | 2024 | Top Excellence Actress in a Miniseries | Kim Hye-yoon | Nominated | |
| Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards | 2024 | Best Lead Actress | Kim Hye-yoon | Nominated | |
| Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards | 2024 | Best Newcomer Actor | Byeon Woo-seok | Nominated | |
| Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards | 2024 | Best Original Song | Eclipse – Sudden Shower | Nominated | |
| Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards | 2024 | People's Choice Award | Kim Hye-yoon | Won | |
| Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards | 2024 | People's Choice Award | Byeon Woo-seok | Won | |
| Asian Academy Creative Awards | 2024 | Best Cinematography (Grand Final) | Yoon Dae-young | Nominated | [51] [52] |
| Asian Academy Creative Awards | 2024 | Best Cinematography (Korea) | Yoon Dae-young | Won | [51] [52] |
| Asian Television Awards | 2024 | Best Theme Song (Grand Final) | Byeon Woo-seok | Nominated | [53] [54] |
| Asian Television Awards | 2024 | Best Theme Song (Korea) | Byeon Woo-seok | Won | [53] [54] |
| Brand of the Year Awards | 2024 | Actor – Hot Trend | Byeon Woo-seok | Won | |
| Brand of the Year Awards | 2024 | Actress – Hot Trend | Kim Hye-yoon | Won | |
| Brand of the Year Awards | 2024 | Actor – Rising Star | Song Geon-hee | Won | |
| Brand of the Year Awards | 2024 | Actor – Idol | Lee Seung-hyub | Won | |
| Brand of the Year Awards | 2024 | Actress – Scene Stealer | Jung Young-ju | Won | |
| KAA Awards - Korea Advertisers Association | 2024 | Program of the Year | Lovely Runner | Won | |
| Korea Grand Music Awards | 2024 | Best OST | Yoo Hwe-seung (N.Flying) – I Think I Did" by | Won | |
| MAMA Awards | 2024 | Favorite Global Trending Music | Byeon Woo-seok | Won | |
| MAMA Awards | 2024 | Best OST | Eclipse – Sudden Shower | Nominated | |
| Melon Music Awards | 2024 | Best OST | Eclipse – Sudden Shower | Won | |
| Melon Music Awards | 2024 | Best OST | 10cm – Spring Snow | Nominated | |
| Seoul International Drama Awards | 2024 | Outstanding Asian Star: Korea Popularity Award (Male) | Byeon Woo-seok | Won | |
| Seoul International Drama Awards | 2024 | Outstanding Asian Star: Korea Popularity Award (Female) | Kim Hye-yoon | Won | |

### Honors

Name of country or organization, year given, name of honor/award, and nominee of the award :
| Country or organization | Year | Honor/Award | Nominee | Ref. |
| Newsis K-Expo Cultural Awards | 2024 | National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee Award | Kim Hye-yoon | |
| Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards | 2024 | Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Commendation | Yoon Jong-ho | |

#### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement |
| Cine21 | 2024 | Top 10 Series of 2024 | 10th place |
| NME | 2024 | The 10 best K-dramas of 2024 – so far | Included |
| NME | 2024 | The 10 best Korean dramas of 2024 | 2nd place |
| South China Morning Post | 2024 | The 15 best K-dramas of 2024 | 9th place |
| Teen Vogue | 2024 | 13 Best K-Dramas of 2024 | Included |
| Time Magazine | 2024 | The 10 Best K-Dramas of 2024 | 1st place |