Every once in a while (and it’s been pretty rare these past few months), a K-drama comes along that reminds us why we got so deeply into this world. A drama that makes you eagerly await the weekly episode releases, come up with wild theories on Reddit, collectively scream online at episode previews, and take the fun, unabashed pleasure of falling in love with a mix of characters over the unfortunately short course of sixteen episodes.

Adaptation of the web novel by Kim Byung-hy best of yesterday, Cute Runner — which is a time-travel romance — has emerged as one of this year’s unexpected winners. Time-travel is having its moment again, isn’t it? marry my husbandshimmering watermelonAnd a time is calling you Everyone is experimenting with this style. Cute Runner What’s great, though, is that despite the multiple timelines and all the mayhem, the writing never compromises on the charm or emotional depth of the romance at its core.

The show starts off on a pretty serious note, with Im Sol (an excellent Kim Hye-yoon) recovering from an accident that left her paralyzed. A chance phone call with an up-and-coming singer, Ryu Sun-jae (Byeon Woo-seok), changes her gloomy world and we see her, years later, cheering him on as his ardent fan. The news of his sudden death shocks her, and takes her back to a time when she was in high school, and Sun-jae was her neighbor. She is now a woman on a mission – to use this opportunity to travel to the past to ensure that Sun-jae’s life does not lead her to an untimely death.

Through the show, we see Sol and Sun-jae at different points in their lives

from the get go, Cute Runner Each episode presents a new challenge for Sol and Sun-jae. Sol soon realizes that her mission is not as easy as it seems. Can the past ever be changed, and are Sun-jae and her life more deeply connected than she thought? Amidst all the chaos, romance slowly but steadily blossoms. Cute Runner It may be partly a thriller, but its best twist is in the romance – the reveal at the end of the second episode that Sun-jae is interested in his neighbour and classmate Sol. It adds a great deal of charm to the development of their relationship, and it’s enjoyable to watch a hopelessly infatuated Sun-jae try to keep quiet about his very obvious feelings. There’s also plenty of bromance and a bit of SLS (second lead syndrome), which thankfully never becomes annoying or intrusive thanks to Sun-jae’s classmate and fellow musician Bae In-hyuk (Lee Sung-hyub) and Kim Tae-sung (Song Geon-hee), whom Sol briefly dates. In between time-travelling, escaping a serial killer and delving into a budding romance, Sol’s noisy family and best friends also add to the chaos that surrounds her.

Actors Song Geon-hee and Lee Seung Hyub in a scene from the show

as complex as Furry Runner The narrative is, given how we jump through the timeline with Soul, written by Lee Shi-yoon (who previously worked on Real beauty) focuses on what the show does best – romance over everything else. In Sol and Sun-jae, we get perhaps one of the cutest K-drama couples we can root for and cheer for as they transition from high school to university and then into adulthood. Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-won play their characters of three different ages with remarkable ease. It’s actually amazing that they don’t seem awkward or mismatched even as high school students – their innocence, friendship and warmth are believable and extremely charming.

Kim Hye-yoon in a scene from Lovely Runner

Hye-yoon has always been a capable, high-energy performer, and here Cute RunnerShe equally plays vulnerable and infatuated with Sun-jae. Her character is by no means one-note, and it comes with constant disappointment and fear of losing someone she loves. She oscillates between this feeling of despair and the happiness that comes from going on a K-drama date with her loved one. Byeon Woo-seok, on the other hand, is a revelation, and in a role that has made him a star, he is absolutely perfect as the infatuated, loyal Sun-jae who is always willing to go the extra mile.

In a dreamy role, Woo-seok swims, sings, fights, cries, and doesn’t shy away from completely humiliating himself for the sake of love, across timelines. He’s the quintessential loser in love – charming, devoted, and green in every way. It’s hard to imagine how he couldn’t be Cute Runner The show wouldn’t have worked without the presence of the lead characters played by Hye-yoon and Woo-seok who share a great chemistry on screen that has left viewers enthralled, and trying to keep their fingers crossed since the show ended.

Byeon Woo-seok – as Sun-jae, from Lovely Runner

From the cherry blossom trees to the yellow umbrellas during snowstorms and sudden rain, there’s a lot in the show that makes it great to watch. It helps that it’s all set to a lovely soundtrack. Perhaps the only lost opportunity, something the show could have explored a little more deeply, is Eclipse, the band that Sun-jae eventually becomes a part of. Aside from a few songs, we don’t get to know the band in depth, which is a shame because the few scenes they’re in, especially in the latter half of the show, are screamers. With the romance (and the crazy killer in the doomed car) taking up a large portion of the screen time, there’s not much else to pay attention to.

In the ocean of fictional shows, Seguk dramas and thrillers, Cute Runner This film is a breath of fresh air, not only because of how it brings the elements of time-travel and romance together, but also because it doesn’t fall prey to the 12 episode K-drama curse where the writing falls apart towards the end. Charming, captivating and captivating from start to finish, Cute Runner It is undoubtedly the unexpected gem of 2024 that has rightfully won hearts.

After the show ends, it’s time to listen to 10cm’s ‘Spring Snow’ on repeat, which is everyone’s new favorite cult K-drama anthem.

All episodes of Lovely Runner are streaming on Viki