Lovely Runner

It is based on a web novel titled Tomorrow's Best, which was also serialized as a webtoon by illustrator Doong Doong. It premiered on tvN on April 8, 2024, and airs 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.

Lovely Runner
Promotional poster
Hangul	선재 업고 튀어
Literal meaning	Runaway with Sun-jae on Piggyback
Revised Romanization	Seonjae eopgo twi-eo
McCune–Reischauer	Sŏnjae ŏpko t'wiŏ
Genre	Time slip Fantasy Romance Sci-fi
Based on	Tomorrow's Best by Kim Bbang
Developed by	CJ ENM Studios (planning)
Written by	Lee Shi-eun
Directed by	Yoon Jong-ho Kim Tae-yeop
Starring	Byeon Woo-seok Kim Hye-yoon
Music by	Kim Jung-ha Choi In-young
Opening theme	"Run Run" by Eclipse
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	6 (as of April 23, 2024 (2024-04-23))
Production
Executive producers	Kim Ho-joon CP Kim Rak-hyun Lee Joon-yong
Producers	Moon Suk-hwan Oh Gwang-hee Park Soon-tae Park Yoon-ah
Cinematography	Yoon Dae-young Jeon Hyun-suk Shin Gi-chang Park Min-hyun
Editor	Kim Ok-sun
Running time	70 minutes
Production company	Bon Factory
Original release
Network	tvN
Release	April 8, 2024 (2024-04-08) – present

The series follows the journey of Im Sol (Kim Hye-yoon), an ardent fan of idol Ryu Sun-jae (Byeon Woo-seok). Sol, a once-promising film director whose dreams were shattered by an accident leaving her paralyzed, finds solace in the music of Sun-jae. However, tragedy strikes again when Sun-jae died in a tragic accident, leaving Sol devastated. But fate has other plans as Sol wakes up in a classroom, 15 years in the past, before both her and Sun-jae's accidents. Seeing this as a chance from the heavens, Sol vows to change the course of destiny for both of them.

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 didn't end well, ultimately leading up to his unfortunate death.

• Kim Hye-yoon as Im Sol

A cute and lovable lady who gives up her dream of becoming a film director in 2009 when she injures her leg and is paralyzed.

• Song Geon-hee as Kim Tae-sung

An ulzzang with a flamboyant look. He is the bassist from a different band.

• Lee Seung-hyub as Baek In-hyuk

A friendly guy who is easy to get along with. He is Sun-jae's close 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

A resilient single mother of Sol. She manages a struggling DVD store while raising her two children and caring for her elderly mother.

• Seong Byeong-sook [ko] as Jung Mal-ja

A warm-hearted and wise grandmother of Sol.

• 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 in everything.

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-sung

• Park Yoon-hee as Detective Kim

Tae-sung's father who is a veteran detective with 20 years of experience.

• TBA 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

• Lee Chul-woo as Kim Hyung-gu

A member of the Jagam High School swimming club and self-proclaimed rival of Sun-jae.

• Kim Hyun-kyu as Choi Hyun-gu

Sun-jae's friend from Jagam High School's swimming team.

• Jung Kang-hee as Coach Ahn

Coach of the Jagam High School swimming team.

• Oh Se-young as Choi Ga-hyun

Tae-sung's ex girlfriend.

Others

• Ko Tae-jin [ko] as Choi Jeong-hoon

An employee of the cinema where Im Sol applied 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 legendary girl group Girls' Generation.

• Han Seung-yeon as Radio DJ
• Lee Soo-ji [ko] as Heavenly Granny

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 Shi-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).

Casting

On March 28, 2023, reports surfaced stating that Kim Hye-yoon and Byeon Woo-seok were in discussions and actively considering taking the main 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 also be joining the cast.

Filming

Filming began in the second half of 2023.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

The series was originally scheduled to be broadcast in the second half of 2023; however, it 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 revealed that the premiere of Lovely Runner was scheduled for April 2024. It was later confirmed that the premiere will take place on April 8, 2024, at 20:50 (KST) and would also be available for streaming on TVING in South Korea, U-Next in Japan, Vidio in Indonesia, and Viki and Viu in selected regions.