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Lovely Runner: Episodes 5-6

by Dramaddictally

Summer vibes this week with sunshine, rainbows, and heart eyes as our leads get oh-so-close together. But with our heroine’s “boyfriend” causing a barrier, rivalry and jealousy brew between our two high school boys. Plus, we’re introduced to a crime plotline that I did not see coming — and with so many feel-goods packed around it, I’m mostly choosing to ignore it until next week.

 
EPISODES 5-6

Lovely Runner: Episodes 5-6

The squees are back! And if there’s one thing this drama knows how to do, it’s hit me right in the ribs. The distance that was so evident last week in the way our leads relate to each other is starting to melt away as Sun-jae pushes toward Sol and Sol starts to reconsider why she’s in the past.

We ended with an epic hug on the shore last week, and now, as our leads taxi home together, Sol learns that she and Sun-jae have met before. He tells her about the first time he saw her — that day in the rain — and she realizes that she’s viewed him as unreachable all this time, but he was right there all along. They’ve had a series of missed connections (including the time he saved her life), and she wonders: “Not missing those signals — could that be the reason why I came here and why I met you again?”

Lovely Runner: Episodes 5-6

With that setup, the majority of the next two hours are just bliss as Sun-jae’s heart practically explodes any time he sees Sol smile. But, he’s careful not to come too close since, technically, she’s still dating Tae-sung. Technicalities aside, it’s no secret where Sol’s interests lie. And this dynamic — between “boyfriend” and “object of attention” — leads to a series of mini macho competitions that (sorry) are just beautiful to watch.

For example, when Sol forgets her tie at school, Sun-jae removes his own and slips it over her head (holy smokes this moment). This leads Tae-sung to seek out Sun-jae and ask what’s up with him and his girlfriend, as they try to outrun each other on the high school track. And it’s not just the shots of triceps that have me captivated. I’d say our two flirtatious and good-looking male leads have almost as much onscreen chemistry with each other as they do with our heroine (thank you casting director).

But even though Sol is giving Sun-jae all of her attention, her motivations are still mostly rooted in her fangirl love and mission to save his life. She gives him a time capsule, which they bury together, and instructs him not to open it until midnight January 1, 2023 (the time of his death). She also tries to soothe him by not allowing him to watch the Olympic games when Korea is about to win the gold in swimming, fearing he’ll be too sad.

To distract him, she takes him on a date to the movies, where he tries to act cool and uninterested. She, on the other hand, grabs ahold of his head and turns it toward her face when she worries he’ll see the swim competition on TV. It’s pretty hard for him not to misread that and, try as he might to keep a neutral face, he can’t hold back his dimples. By the time she puts her headphones over his ears to stop him from hearing the news, he looks ready to melt.

But all the antics lead to an important moment. When Sun-jae actually sees the Korean swimmer win the gold, he cheers alongside everyone else. Sol misread him. And he tells her that even if he had known he’d have to quit swimming, he’d have done it anyway. He was happy when he swam, and if he didn’t do it, he would never have known that happiness. He doesn’t regret it, even though it ended (which is just lovely life advice). He assures her that he’s all right — and I think she’s finally getting to know the real Sun-jae.

Things get a little wonky when In-hyuk needs a new vocalist for his band (already called Eclipse) and he asks Sun-jae to fill in. Sol is really upset to see him on stage, imagining the future this might lead to. So later, when she finds out that Sun-jae agreed to sing in order to win a new phone for Sol (she lost hers that night she fell in the reservoir), she’s angry. They start to argue and she tells him not to worry about her — instead he should just be selfish.

Sun-jae chews on that advice during the night, and in the morning, he agrees to only think of himself. In that vein, he asks her to break up with Tae-sung. Can she do that for him? And just at the moment when Sun-jae is saying this to Sol, she’s hearing the recording from the night at the pool when he said he liked her. So, it’s a sweet kind of double confession — to which she responds by thinking, “Why would he like me?” before running away in a panic. (Oh Sol, give yourself some credit!)

We then learn that Sol actually fulfilled Sun-jae’s wish before he even asked. Rumor around the school was that Tae-sung picked a random girl to date (which happened to be Sol) just to blow off another girl who was following him around. And so, Sol being the sparkplug that she is, kicks the crap out of him and dumps him on the spot. But Tae-sung really looks hurt (and not just from the way she headbutted him).

Lovely Runner: Episodes 5-6

When Sun-jae overhears that Tae-sung got dumped, he’s ecstatic. But when he sees Sol crying, he thinks it’s because of “that jerk.” She happens to be out buying rice wine for her grandmother at the time, but Sun-jae assumes she’s trying to drown her sorrows. “Can’t you just lean on me?!” he asks (gah).

Just as they begin to fight over the bottle of makgeolli, Sol’s oppa, IM GEUM (Song Ji-ho), does a flying kick to Sun-jae’s face. This is because he thinks Sun-jae is the one that got Sol drunk that night by the pool — and now this bad influence of a boy is at it again.

After the kick, Sun-jae is flat on the ground and the open makgeolli somehow pours into his mouth (lol of all the ridiculousness). In seconds, he’s drunk and passed out, which is a great way to have him end up at Sol’s house for the night.

And then my favorite scene arrives. First, as Sun-jae is sound asleep in Geum’s room, Sol enters and aims the fan at him (in a reversal of the scene we saw last week at his house). Then, at his bedside, she touches his chest to make sure he’s still alive, and he sleepily slides his hand up to meet hers. (Eeeeeee! Last week I went on and on about the hand scenes and this one is just omo.)

Lovely Runner: Episodes 5-6

When he starts to wake up, Sol pulls away and hides under the bed. He immediately finds her there and they end up uncomfortably close when she covers his mouth with her hand. Right then, Geum opens the door and, not wanting to get caught together, Sun-jae wraps a blanket around Sol and pulls her into a cuddle on the floor. This way, it looks like he fell off the bed and is just sleeping there.

Once Oppa is safely asleep in the bed, Sol lifts her head from Sun-jae’s chest and peeks out of the blanket, bringing her and Sun-jae face to face. (I’m not kidding, I screamed. Apparently it was the only way to let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding). They stare at each other, very close, and Sun-jae blinks in that way that says he’s about to kiss her, when Geum says, “What are you two doing?” LOL. Caught! But luckily, with no repercussions.

After this, both parties seek advice from their besties about how to proceed. On Sun-jae’s side, he’s told not to hit on Sol too soon after her breakup or to make it too obvious he likes her (he still doesn’t know she heard the recording of the confession). On Sol’s side, her friend tells her that it’s no wonder that Sun-jae likes her when she threw herself at him. This is worrying to Sol because she thinks he only likes her due to her fangirl efforts — and she didn’t mean to stir his heart.

But now that Sol knows he has feelings, she’s letting herself feel for real too, rather than the distant idol crush she had before. When she’s suddenly pensive around him, he assumes she’s still thinking of Tae-sung. And these ongoing misinterpretations are one of the things I love most about this drama. Their uncertainties leave them so totally insecure that they assume the worst, which leads to more misinterpretation, and it just feels so authentic.

Tae-sung, for his part, tries to redeem himself by showing up at Sol’s house unannounced and waiting for her to arrive. When they finally talk, he apologizes and says he didn’t use her. He asked her out because she said she liked him. “So do you go out with everyone that likes you?” she wants to know. No — he really liked her. A lot. Sol, however, thinks he’s BSing (and I do too. I have a feeling this bad boy only wants what he can’t have). Tae-sung, though, seems really affected when he leaves, and then gets into a motorcycle accident, which puts him in the hospital.

Finally, Sun-jae gets Sol to agree to a date with him. They go to watch the Olympics on TV and witness the Korean baseball team take home the gold. There’s so much excitement in the air that Sun-jae decides it’s the timing he’s been waiting for. He takes Sol’s hand and leads her to a quiet locale, where he confesses for a second time. He tells her how he always hated the rain until the day he saw her. He liked it that day and has liked it ever since. “I don’t think I’ll ever hate them. The rain… and you. Sol-ah. I like you a lot.”

She looks sad and lowers her eyes. He gets nervous, “Well, you don’t have to answer right away.” Before she says anything, they get a call from Tae-sung in the hospital telling them that Sol’s mom is there too. This is really a shock because up to this point, Sol (and we) thought she was on a trip with a new guy she’s seeing.

Lovely Runner: Episodes 5-6

As it turns out, Mom has cancer and the guy wasn’t her date but her doctor. Luckily, she’ll have surgery quickly and be okay, but the moment brings Sol and Tae-sung together for a heart-to-heart. She thanks him for calling and says, “I don’t know what kind of scars you have, or what kind of pain you have to face, but I want you to spend the time you have now in the best way possible so you have no regrets later — this is all I can say to my first love.” And wow, I love this acknowledgement from her. She wants to change his fate too (before he gets in a fight and drops out of school).

Once Tae-sung is let down softly and Mom is in recovery, it’s back to dealing with that confession of Sun-jae’s. Sol says she can’t reciprocate his feelings. (Ouch.) He protests but she goes on, saying she’s sorry for getting involved in his business and confusing him. “Hearing this from you makes me feel uncomfortable and pressured.” She tells him to stop liking her and then walks away, leaving them both to deal with their hurt alone.

You know, as much as it breaks my heart to hear her say this, I respect her honesty and it feels like the right sentiment — she would feel uncomfortable and pressured given her understanding of things. From the bit we gather from her thoughts, it seems like she’s worried about when she goes forward in time again and Young Sol reappears. Young Sol won’t know what’s happened (and might still be hung up on Tae-sung), and Adult Sol can’t risk hurting Sun-jae like that again.

Okay, let’s talk about the crime plotline. Sol still hasn’t gotten all of her memories back about the night of the accident. But she has a flashback of something to do with a set of jingling keys and a taxi driver. We see that when she lost her phone, some crazy dude picked it up. Later, he calls her house trying to find her — and halmeoni gives him their home address so he can “return the phone” (*smacks forehead*).

At the end of this week’s episodes, we skip to the night of the accident. Sol is at home, trying to run out the clock and keep herself safe until after the time the accident occurred. Sun-jae messages her that he wants to talk. He won’t make her uncomfortable, he just needs a minute. She says no, but he doesn’t see her response and goes out to meet her anyway — and she sees him leave his house.

When it starts to rain, Sol can’t bear the thought that he’s waiting outside for her and rushes out to meet him. Outside, she suddenly remembers the first time they met — that day she put an umbrella over his head. She recalls a radio interview he did when he described meeting his first love, and realizes it was her. It’s now obvious to her that he liked her before she arrived from the future.

She starts running to him, but on her way, she’s cut off by the crazy taxi driver who has her cell phone. She remembers being kidnapped and chased. Then we see Sun-jae going back home and finding her fallen umbrella while the taxi is pulling away.

Lovely Runner: Episodes 5-6

Well, this was a twist I didn’t really see in development. But instead of guessing about what will happen next week, I’d rather just squee about all the magic in these episodes. I really love the dating dynamics at play here with people who are infatuated but don’t want to show all their cards. It’s cute and comical, but also right on the money. Sun-jae especially keeps giving away a little more than he’s comfortable with, only to backtrack and try to play cool. Of course, when he finally thinks it’s safe to have feelings, she pulls the rug out from under him.

There was no surprise that it would be the case, but it didn’t make it sting any less. When you have this much lovey-dovey feeling throughout an entire two episodes it can only end badly. But, then again, it’s like Sun-jae said about swimming: it made him happy at the time and he has no regrets about it being over. And that’s exactly how I feel about the last two hours: totally worth it, even if the cloud-nine feeling can’t last forever.

 
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Tags: Byun Woo-seok, Kim Hye-yoon, Lee Seung-hyeop, Lovely Runner, Seo Hye-won, Song Geon-hee

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Thank you for another lovely recap, which much like the drama is full of sunshine, rainbows, and heart eyes. 😍 😘

Tabong (@enriquequierecagar) FTW who totally called out for a serial killer last week. T, my love, please also ask for a HEA for all four leads while the dramagods are listening to you. 🙏 With loads of fluff and cuteness and Sun Sol overload. OTP couple name thanks to @ladykrueger. 🫰

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I was hoping/asking for the killer, but I think I was the last beanie to notice there really was one in the show. 😂

I'm sure about the happy ending, tho. There's no way this show is having a sad ending. No way.

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While some perceptive Beanies called out the serial killer in ep 1 itself. I confess it took me some more time to glean that ... moreso because I was (still am and will continue to be) totally dazzled by Sun Sol. 😂

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Same. Their light is so bright I can't see anything else. ☀️

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Double suns!! 🌞 🌞
Perhaps this is the first ever drama where I feel the serial killer is totally justified by the plot.

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Sun-jae trying to be 'cool' was hilarious. I like how he is not 'perfect' and is even trying to look cool like the 2ML!! That was so refreshing!!
I do want to see more of the 2ML and hope he continues to exist in the original timeline.
I am not too invested in the back and forth, but I am enjoying the leads because they are so cute together.
One of my fav moments of the show was when Sol saw Sun Jae sing for the 'first time'!! I could see the fan girl feels in her face.. the emotions to being able to witness the start of something that would be so special to her for the rest of her life.

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Now that Tae Seong created a connection with the leads (and even OG Sol), I feel like we will see him in the future. Maybe he'll debut with Eclipse this time?

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I would really like Tae Sung and Sun-Jae to be in touch in 2022. Perfect if they are happily together in the band along with In Hyuk.

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I hope we get to see their bromance/the friendships grow.
The car accident and SJ's death makes it clear that will have some major angst in the future, but I just want to live in my delusion of this show being about youth, friendship, bands, and innocent love. 😂🤣

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I'm happy to be delulu too if that's the drama I get - about youth, friendship, bands, and innocent love.

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Thanks for another great recap @dramaddictally, full of joyous squee. This drama really does deliver on the squee front. Favourite moment for me was when older brother was trying to steal the blanket back resulting in Sun-jae having to squeeze Sol tighter to his chest to prevent it being taken. Sol didn't know what to do with herself and I'm not sure we viewers did either :)

There is one thing that's scratching at the edge of my subconscious and I can't work out whether it's really there or I'm reading too much into it. At some point in one of these two episodes, Sol made a reference to her future accident and her legs, something along the lines of enjoying her legs whilst she has them. Sun-jae's reaction was odd to me: I would expect confusion and a response of, "What?" Instead he just looked at her with what appeared to be sadness. Is that simply his way of expressing confusion or does he know something? If Sol has time travelled, has Sun-jae done it too? But how does that work in the overall scheme of things? Hahaha - maybe my overactive imagination is reading too much into things, but did anyone else clock this?

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I'm with you on that, Sol has let little things slip and Sun-Jae hasn't reacted at all so I'm guessing you are correct. There are now two watches in the same place and time....mmm

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I thought even I too was reading too much into their interactions during the study hall scene after the double confession, Sol went to drink water and Sun Jae followed her and asked if she found out. He then backtracked at her puzzled expression and asked her out on a date to a baseball match. Viewers are to assume that SJ was trying to mention about his love for her, but it definitely looked suspicious for me.

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I thought about it too. There are couple of places where I felt that Sun Jae might have also time traveled. One is when she stands frozen in the middle of the road and he comes rushing in to rescue her. He asks her whether she have ever been in a car accident. Then in episode 5, when Sol is listening to Sun Jae' confession on the night she is drunk, she comes to curb and sees the car. She is startled and moves back. At that point, Sun Jae comes in to block her from the car.
Both these times I felt that Sun Jae had also time traveled.

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You have followed the bread crumbs very well. 😊👏
Perfectly good hints of Sun-Jae knowing more than he let's on.

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That is a really good theory. While I always expected Sun-Jae to also time travel - the hints to seem to indicate that he had already done so earlier.

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What happens to young Sol when older Sol time travels back? There is that suspicious breadcrumb in the first episode when the hotel employee mentions having seen Sun Jae in the lobby just before his body plunges into the water (and possibly while other Sun Jae was standing on the balcony). So there May Be two Sun Jaes sometime in the future. But there have not been two Sols in the past.

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I had wondered about that, but thought maybe it's because I've been reading too many webtoons. It would follow the theme to have each of them be granted time-travelling to save each other.

And the rule how time stops when they say spoiler-y things makes it hard to see Sun-jae slip up like reference Squid Games or something.

I'm not sure if he is time-travelling in this iteration of the timeline since his watch has a normal time and, otherwise, he would be more protective. I think he may have done it before and the feelings are imprinted on his soul. Maybe Sol had died in earlier timelines and the best he was able to get to was her being half-paralyzed. He didn't seem surprised meeting her for the first time in 15 years on that bridge.

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That is such a logical but also heartbreaking explanation. It does seem like Sun-Jae has been time travelling to be able to save her somehow. Also explains his genuine relief at her being alive during the radio phone call.

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I wasn't as into this week's episodes or at least, it didn't leave as much of an impression. One thing was that I just didn't like the brother and the friend. I don't know what exactly the show is going for with them but oh, it is not appealing to me haha

I don't know if I should make a comment about the serial killer this week or next week but I will say I wonder if this was a thing in the webtoon or was it created for the drama.
Poor Sol, no wonder she lost her memory of everything related to her accident; as if ending up paralyzed wasn't traumatizing enough, it happened due to evading a serial killer?!

I liked how Tae Sung realized his feelings for Sol *as* he was talking to her haha. The whole logical, process of elimination way he came to his conclusion made me chuckle

I was surprised the high school band was called Eclipse. I think it's surprising they managed to keep the name as they transformed into an idol group. (Though I'm not sure if the other guys in the band are in the idol group. I don't think they are)

So, Sol's mother never told her about having a cancer scare or surgery prior to the accident? Wow, that must've been so rough on the mom. First she had her own medical issue and then she had a paralyzed daughter to take care of and then her mother starts showing signs of dementia. Sigh, everyone is going through a lot in this supposedly light romcom

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With you on the brother and friend sub plot not working, I can't put my finger on why. I believe the writer of this drama also wrote True Beauty, which had a similarly OTT subplot (with the older sister and teacher with swapped gender roles). That was really charming, but I find this one neither charming nor funny, despite liking the actress in lots of other roles (Business Proposal and Alchemy of Souls).

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The brother is fun, not sold on the friend yet.. and I didnt like the poop scene.. its a bit juvenile.. other than that well done.. I usually fast fwd brother and friend parts.

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My problem with them is that they seem to be from a different drama, and not the kind I happen to enjoy. I’ve already started FFing all their scenes. I like Seo Hye-won - she was so fun in Business Proposal and deliciously wicked in Alchemy of Souls - but here her role is one-note and clownish, at least in the 2008 timeline. She was more interesting in the 2022 scenes. It doesn’t help that the way she’s styled and filtered as a HS student in 2008 is so extreme she looks like computer-generated anime. Both the looks and the acting (hers and the brother’s) remind me of the cartoonishness of Oh! Youngsim. As for the brother, he is pure annoyance so far in 2008 but seems OK in the little we saw of him in the later timeline, so there’s hope for him, too.

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I wish they gave this time to In-Hyuk instead!

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Totally. And maybe Tae Seong's friend too. I think they should've made Sol an only child, and use more the screentime into building the friendships and band rehearsals.

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My problem with them is that they seem to be from a different drama, and not the kind I happen to enjoy.

💯!! You have totally nailed the exact problem with this supposed couple.

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It's been awhile since I read the first season of the webtoon, but the webtoon and the drama have almost nothing in common. Just the names and the conceit of a woman going back in time to save the idol who had committed suicide.

I had been sad that Sol lost her memory of Sun-jae, but knowing that her accident was because of a serial killer kidnapping her, her memory lost was a blessing.

The brother and friend pairing is pretty annoying and feels like someone graffiti over the drama with lime green highlighter. I hope they get better. Hyun-joo seems cool in the present timeline.

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Well if u think about she didn't have much to remember Sun Jae at that age he was never on her radar aka invisible,only he had her in his eyes for her he was a nobody...

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Also uri chings in the show are totally hardworking and have found a permanent place in our hearts!! Sun Sol ♥️

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* chingus

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If I loved all the swoony moments we got in these 2 episodes (and there were a lot of face to face moments), I couldn't help to feel that Sol was playing a dangerous game. When she doesn't forget she's a 34 years old woman with Tae-Sung, she seems to completely forget when she's with Sun-Jae. The poor guy, lost his dream and needs to find a new one, and his first love sends him very confusing signs.

It looked like she didn't really understand the theatre scene, Sun-Jae didn't regret to swim, like he won't regret to be a singer. She shouldn't stop him to be a singer, she should accompagny him in his new dream.

The onion scene reminded me the one in Extraordinary You 😂

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Sol is as much confused by the time travel as Sun Jae is confused by her different signals. It is not like TW drama, where the leads had a supernatural figure who explicitly mentioned they are travelling back in time to fullfil a mission. When it comes to loved ones, being level headed and calm would not work. She is slowly starting to understand SJ and look beyond being his saviour.

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This gradual discovering of the other half of the OTP is what makes it more swoony.

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@Dramaddictally thank you for fab recap and thank you show for the sweet gifts but also for keeping us guessing. Next week looks to be shaping up for the nut-job taxi dude storyline (please do it well show) and more time-slips with a dose of hardships...and we're off and running!

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@dramaddictally I have been waiting so badly for this recap. Thank you so much and your recaps give me the same strong emotions that the drama gives it viewers. Squeeee❤

It is not just the acting, even the writing is incredibly witty and power packed. Sure, the time travel plot can become a nonsense, but for now I am enjoying the character dynamics and their inner struggles so much that I am actually looking forward to monday. Monday and not weekends! AAAAH SCARY!

Ok wait, I feel a bit disappointed with the bro and Sol's bestie character. A waste of Seo Hye Won's talent.

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I like the plot being slowly unraveled from different perspectives.

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I felt so bad for Sun jae when he was getting rejected😭 Poor Sun jae. On another note, Byeon Woo seok just keeps impressing me with his acting skills 😍

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All I can say is that Byeon Woo seok's day in the sun has finally arrived. ☀️ 😎

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I have some issues with Sol, the biggest being she doesn't actually listen to SJ. Since, she always assumes she knows best she never actually listens to him and it is incredibly frustrating. The best example when she was rejecting him, he was trying to explain to her that he liked her when he saw her, but she just railroaded her way over him. It is obvious to anyone with eyes that SJ likes her, but she refuses to see him because she is so focused on saving him. I want her to stop, breathe, and think. There is no rush because you are in the past. Other than that, I enjoyed the episodes.

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I share your frustration about how Sol's initial approach to saving SJ is pretty simplistic: don't let him get injured swimming, and if that fails, don't let him start singing. She hasn't considered how *he* feels about those pursuits and whether they've brought meaning and joy to his life. Finally, she seems to realize the sincerity and validity of his feelings about many things -- including her -- at the end of this week's episodes.

In fairness to her, she didn't really know SJ until experiencing this new version of their shared past, so rescuer Sol was making a lot of assumptions about SJ's character and emotional state. (Not uncommon among superfans, perhaps.)

I'm looking forward to next week -- beyond the killer storyline, I hope we see a Sol who uses the insight she's gained about SJ in her latest attempt to save him (and herself).

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I hope so too and I hope she tries to get to know him for him. Saving is good, but knowing is better.

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Honestly I am unsure if past IM Sol will want to know him because she has trauma with the " ghost" or future version of herself taking over her body. I am sure she will want to disassociate herself with anything the " future Im Sol " did in her body and may be resentful which is actually understandable.

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It's almost a cruel task to be like "hey. Go 15 years into the past and make sure this guy who saved your life doesn't commit suicide 15 years in the future. And we won't tell you how much time you got to do it or what exactly pushed him to make that final decision. "

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Oh definitely! Not to mention it's possible that present-day Sol didn't have a huge number of IRL interactions with people beyond her family and bestie, so she might not have had the best-stocked toolbox for "reading" people and catching on to their meanings between the lines or the things they're saying without actual words.

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this is such a good point that i think a lot of us (including myself) don't take into factor. she has probably lived a sheltered life limited in many ways by her disability. so even though she is 34-year-old, in some ways, she may still be just as naive as teenage sol.

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if she's not able to fulfill her mission of saving him (and herself), it'd just be like fate toying with them. the end result remains the same, but she has to go through the trauma and pain of it all again and again. this is why i'm hoping that there will be a happy ending, otherwise what even would be the point of sending sol back.

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It was a bit of a rush for Sol since she knew she didn't have much time staying in the past, she didn't even know when she would be randomly sending back to the future like the last time. She's on a clock that she herself didn't know when it was going to run out, so she's sort of operating in quite a hurry, trying to do as much as possible. Some of her methods were questionable, but some were pretty good, like the time capsule idea or when she told him to be a little more selfish.

Though I do agree that Sol needs to learn to actually listen to what SJ is saying, cause trying to stop him from doing things he loves is not the way to go to in helping someone who's struggling mentally.

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I completely agree with this, although I love her character. One thing that struck me--her pretty cruel response to Sun-jae's confession. I totally understand why she'd reject him, but her language, making it seem that he was pressuring her and she was uncomfortable around him was really hurtful. If I was going to commit suicide in the future after seeing my first love in a wheelchair, and having her not recognize me, it would be exactly those words that came to mind.
But then, Sun Jae was the one who urged her to come out and get the umbrella, that's going to result in the accident. So it could be that their destinies are linked for good and ill.

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....and the heaping on of misdirected self-imposed guilt (sigh)

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Agreed.

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Also I kinda love that 34Sol behaved maturely around almost everyone, she's always a mess whenever it's about Sunjae. At first it was desperation to save his life, but methinks she had started to develop romantic feelings for him without knowing herself. She's just flailing around, making dumb decisions and saying dumb things. That's love, y'all 🥰

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i think the romantic feelings have begun stirring too, but i also hope it takes a while for her to recognize them, bc it's so fun to see her goodnaturedly invading seonjae's personal space without having a clue about the kind of effect she has on him.

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I agree with your view of Sol railroading over him most of the times but I do feel she was right to reject him - could be done better though.
Firstly coz she may travel back to the future and Sun-Jae may face the same confusion as Tae-sung.
Secondly a 32 year old dating a 19 year old - well *some* viewers (who are not me) may have some words to say of that, while clutching their shiny white pearls. 🤷‍♀️

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Shiny white pearls....😂😂😂😂😂

Her body is all 19 though....😂😂😂😂😂

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Yay!!! It's that time of the week again!!! I love how we're back to Sunjae having his share of 2nd hand embarrassing moments this week... it's not only Sol who's been an idiot... he's been an idiot (in love!) too... :P
Just noticed, our 2nd ML also has adorable tiny dimples. Was that the memo for the casting team... to give us dimples galore? Also, had this niggling feeling since his Strong Girl days...BWS looks like somebody... and 6 eps in, I finally know WHY i wasn't able to identify that person earlier... it's because I was thinking of actors, but lo and behold, it was always Kim Hye Soo (Yes, the badass Female Lead from Hyena). From their face-cut to their lips, their cheekbones, to their emoji-smiley eyes!! Uncanny! I would love them to play a pair of siblings (with tons of age-gap) or perhaps even a young-mom & son duo, someday!! ^^

ONION~ yes, more layers keep getting added to this story! Sunjae stopped at the bridge on the NYE of 2023, *because* Sol had made him promise he would! T___T brb, crying in a corner.

Oh, and is the serial-murderer/kidnapper dude actually... Sol's Dad? I noticed the funeral pc of her father had the same actor's face in the photo-frame! :O and omg... the Sadakooo reference... hahahah! I cannottt! xD

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Sunjae stopped at the bridge on the NYE of 2023, *because* Sol had made him promise he would

Ooo! That would be interesting.

I don't think cab driver is dad. Why would he hurt his own child?

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Gosh that is such a good catch about the bridge. Thanks.
Maybe that is why he did a show after 5 years (hoping she would attend) and also "saw" her home. Omo ... I'm getting shivers!!

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I didn't notice the dad's pic but it would be a good twist

Sorry I didn't catch the Sadakooo reference.

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Both actors are so good at conveying SolSun's giddy youthful feelings. I haven't tired of SunJae's secret smiles and Sol's sunny smiles.

Come to think of it, HyungJun can be blamed for interrupting SolSun's meet-cute at the bridge in the present timeline in eps 1 and 2. If Sol was brought home by SJ then he wouldn't have died. But then, we wouldn't have a story. In the preview for the next ep, is HyungJun about to give birth?

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The secret smiles are Sun-Jae's secret sauce. 😘😊

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The episodes were great. It set up the 2nd half nicely that is Soljae as adults nicely. Both episodes were laugh out loud funny. Sol and Seon Jae's friendship laying groundwork for the confession in episode 6 to events of episode 6 helping Sol realize depths of Seon Jae's feelings once she puts everything together. I for one am glad she turned both guys down. Yes, she is preoccupied with saving Seon Jae but as far as priorities go, shouldn't that exactly how important it should be. She doesn't know everything beyond she has finite shots at saving him and that her 19 year old self is blissfully unaware of her actions. Its tricky situation and she did handle it the best way possible. The way she forgot her fears for Seon Jae to run to him once her own feelings catch up with things was so sweet. I knew the thriller element was upon us. Its a barrier to set up adult angst for them. And I don't mind it. Seeing them do push, pull, the whole dance of rekindling their flames again as adults is a concept I am 100 behind....Also more skinship as adults. I am excited for next week. Can't wait.

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Yes!! WHEN SHE SAID THE PAST ME WAS MY ENEMY

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Truer words have never been spoken. Now this quote is one-size-fits-all!!

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This drama is still the best at playing with perspective and layer of truth.

Sun-jae's confession to Seol is one of the perfect example of that. I love how she was always an important part of his story (before or after 2023 Seol's meddling), while past Seol never put any importance in his presence. It was interesting to see 2013 Seol listened to Sun-jae regaling his fans about his first love story, happily speculating as only fans can, only to then see Sun-jae's confession unfurling in the new past timeline. While Seol was the type of fans who neatly fans-zoned herself and fully realized that idol Sun-jae has a long history she would never know about, witnessing the proof herself as she re-lived her 2008 was still eye opening. Watching Sun-jae bumbling his way along as he navigated his close yet careful relationship with his father, searched for another dream, and fell for the lovely girl next door humanized him in a way that contrasted sharply with the way Seol put him on a pedestal in the original 2023.

Another thing that I love about the way Lovely Runner explored its time slip plot was how it presented reality as if things are going to unfold one way, only for the past to happen in a completely different way. It played with layers of truth very well. We thought we knew what we would face, only for reality to do a 180 and prove that we only knew very little about things in our own life. It was apparent in Mom's story, Sun-jae's unexpected entry into entertainment industry, as well as Seol's big accident and even (I suspect) Tae-sung's big fight and expulsion later on.

I can't help having big expectation for how things continue to unfurl next week.

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The ratings 3.4 is low for this beautiful romcom/thriller drama

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Loving this drama, and studiously ignoring the upcoming serial killer arc as well. I said it in response to another comment as well but the only thing I am unmoved by is the brother and her chingu.

I really think the leads are adding so much to their performance - Kim Hye yoon is fantastic, and Byun Woo seok has great comic delivery (like when he realises Sol has broken up with Tae sung) and nails the romance as well. The only thing I feel he can't do is pretend to be asleep!

I'm curious how the drama will treat her accident & paralysis and if she'll end up able to walk in the final timeline. In Twinkling Watermelon (*spoiler*) the lead can't stop the accident that makes his father deaf no matter how much he tries. They may take a similar approach here -- focusing on disability acceptance -- or have her avoid that fate completely.

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Disability acceptance would be something more interesting and different but I feel like anything could be the outcome here and I will end up liking it simply because of Byun Woo seok and Kim hye yoon's chemsitry.

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The only thing I feel he can't do is pretend to be asleep!

ROFL! So you noticed his swallowing too. XD

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It is lovely when actors are cast well, they bring their A games (mostly) and the story manages to survive and thrive despite many tropes and their subverted versions doing some narrative heavy lifting.
I loved ep 6 and parts of ep 5. Not enough sparkling Taesun though. No where enough.
Sol mentioned in ep 5 that her dream was to be a film director so it appears it might have come through after all in a future version of her life flagged by the preview. I don’t know if anything would be as much fun as watching the sweet, dorky but sincere and electrified interactions of their modified past. This is one reason I’ve been dreading the creepy cabbie subplot as not only I strongly dislike the violence against women as a trope and find it nauseatingly present all too often but I just don’t want to leave this period behind.
And, as much as I love Sol and Sunjae together, I have been writing a BL in my head about Sunjae and Taesung so @dramaddictally, you were not alone in noticing their chemistry.

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This week revealed a key theme of this show is what Sol said: maybe she was given a chance to go back so she would pay attention and appreciate the connections/signals in life that one might take for granted or overlook. When she goes back, she starts to notice people and things that she took for granted: her neighbor, Sun Jae, whom she someone failed to registered before; her mother; her grandmother; the ability to walk; rainbows, etc. And that in turn makes things change--some of it is big, like preventing her mother being badly burned, but so much of it is small, but also meaningful, like appreciating her mother and grandmother.
As her mother's illness shows, she will not be able to change things to avert all hardship. However, her real butterfly effect by going back to the past may be to make people more aware of how much they are appreciated and seen and having that ripple out. For example, even though we don't know what happens to Tae Song in the future, you can already see how she has affected him by changing how he thinks of himself and his future possibilities.
That all said, the true magic of this show is still Sun Jae and Sol. Their interactions are everything--funny, sweet, moving, awkward, tentative and bold. The show even gave us rainbows, which, miraculously didn't make me cringe, but made me smile so hard. In other shows these scenes might have made me cringe if done with even an iota of saccharine or false aegyo, but here Byun Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon infuse so much heart and genuine feeling into the scenes that it just makes me giddy.
As for the breakup as heartbreaking as it was, I get why she did it. She believes she only has 2 chances left--she used one to save her mom from the burn, and she wants to save the two to save Sun Jae and prevent her paralysis. She does care about Sun Jae, but she'd rather save his life than date him.
The secondary loveline isn't well set up or compelling. But I am glad that the best friend no longer has no chingu.
How great to have a show that makes me smile, a lot. I see you and appreciate you, Lovely Runner.

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👌👏 What a beautifully written comment. Indeed Sun Sol are the heart of the show. It is amazing how they just reel you in. ♥️

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100% agree that - "the true magic of this show is still Sun Jae and Sol " and it's because the actors -"Byun Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon infuse so much heart and genuine feeling into the scenes" that they don't come of as embarrassing or cringey.
There wouldnt be many actors able to do this, hats of to them.

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Thank you for the recap! Ayi Ayi ayi this beautiful couple melts my heart every week. Its not just the funny moments although there were plenty of those in the last two episodes. Its just the warm feeling I get whenever I watch this drama.. It just makes me smile. Now I have serious theories and I cannot say but I definitly know what is in the time capsule.. some eagle eyed fans posted it on twitter.. lol

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Now I'm curious! 🧐
Of course the place to discuss spoilers is the Fanwall - preferable hidden within a comment to a header post with spoiler warning.

PS - I will be checking your fanwall. 😍😂

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I have never done fan wall but I will try to post there... its good, I promise

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Yay yay!!  🙌

Let me share a Fanwall post by @claire2009 (Healer's).

https://www.dramabeans.com/members/claire2009/activity/1505918/

With this wonderful tutorial you can do a lot of fun things on your fanwall.

You can also check out the latest posts and comments by Beanies by going to the Beanies tab.

Do feel free to reach out in case you need anything else or have any other queries. ♥️ 🫰

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Thank you, I will still have to figure it out but I did post that spoiler to my fan wall. Its a pretty solid prediction ( not 100% though) but fans on twitter did screenshots of various scenes and pieced it together.

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c/p my comment from reddit:

any time sol does anything, i have this thought cross my mind: ah, of course, seonjae's hopelessly in love with her.

im sol is so pretty, and the kindness in her heart makes her even more beautiful. fifteen years of hardship has not marred her generous spirit. if anything, it has made her stronger in character and sweeter in nature. her devotion to seonjae, and especially this nineteen-year-old clueless version of him, makes my heart ache in the best way. whenever they're in the same frame, it's like watching two pure souls dancing around each other. their love for each other is different like night and day—sol with her affections framed by the fan experience, and seonjae with his innocent, puppy love—yet the same in essence bc all they want is to see the other safe and happy. there is so much kindness in the way they interact with each other with so much care and thoughtfulness, like they're handling the most precious thing in their lives. it's evident in a scene as simple as the one where she wakes him up to show him the rainbow painted across the sky. sol saw something beautiful, and had to share it with seonjae bc he deserves to experience every beautiful thing in this world. similarly, the way seonjae gave up his tie without a moment of hesitation, even knowing he'd get punished for it, reflects that thoughtfulness that sol reserves for him.

this episode was chock full of precious moments like those. my favorite moment was definitely towards the end when sol breaks down in front of seonjae and insists that he only ever think about himself and his own happiness. she was kinda breaking his heart, after he did something really sweet for her no less, but i couldn't even be mad bc her own heartbreak in that moment was so obvious. this is surely the purest form of love, one where your own self-interest is not even a part of the equation. this show is doing a stellar job of representing that that's what a fan's love boils down to. at the barest level, all we want is for our idols to be happy, bc they make us happy. we can't bear the thought of them suffering, bc they have shielded us from so much misery and pain. sol needs to save seonjae like her life depends on it, bc at one point, it quite literally did. fandom and fans (fangirls specifically) are often the butts of jokes in popular culture. it's not only acceptable but openly encouraged to ridicule girls for their fanaticism. what these people don't know or care to learn is that the fanaticism is a lifeline. for many of us, it's sometimes the only thing keeping us going. lovely runner has so far done an exceptional job of portraying this nuanced and stunning entanglement between a fan and their idol. sol and seonjae, at this point at least, perfectly represent the symbiotic and unselfish relationship that exists between a fan and the object of their devotion. even as we move further into the story and watch them evolve into lovers, i know that...

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This is the sweetest comment I read. I love what you said about fangirls. Thats so so sweet. And so true.

But also the way 19 year old Sun Jae is portrayed is so soft and thoughtful in ways that 19 year old boys from my own childhood never were. So it made me weep when I saw Sun Jae do all those things that the 19 year old me wanted my crush to do for me. The scene where he patiently helped her to learn to ride a bicycle especially had me weeping buckets. I wish all 19 year old boys are this soft, this kind so 19 year old girls dont start life being hurt.

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🥺💚 Yes, yes, and YES.
Thank you for this comment. I know it isn't for me, but as one of those fangirls you mentioned, I can't help but feel grateful for your lovely words.

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we've got so far to go in this drama, yet so much has already happened, is happening... love the sweet swoony parts, love the (gentle) persistence of Tae Sung (he's the kind of guy i noticed in high school) -- but i'm rooting for Sun Jae and Sol.

i love this drama - but i know along with all this sweetness will come a lot of angst and trauma... i'm bracing myself with tissues for later episodes....
: (

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I loved loved a majority of these two episodes, with the exception of the brother and friend sub plot, and the weird falling into unconscious state because a wee bit of alcohol slipped in...

But cupcake was super cute, and I love Sunjae is so jealous, not just of the attention, but the fact he is insecure of how cool cupcake it. Both wearing that obscenely orange jacket would be like - who wore it worse....😂😂😂

That blanket hug...squeeeeee....

I agree with beanies. I have a feeling Sunjae is also time travelling. But I don't know how they are going to streamline that because they are actively disrupting their mutual time lines.

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Give me a break! Too much cuteness can kill!

Why is every single character in this show adorable? And charming? And sweet? —And, no, I'm not including that guy, Sol's an only child—.

1. SUN JAE.
This kid keeps surprising me every episode. He has so many different sides of him!

One second he's acting like a regular teenager. He gets all jelly of the boy his crush is dating. And buys THE EXACT SAME JACKET. That was insane. Like OG Sol level of insane. 😂 So embarrassing.

But it was adorable watching them matching clothes. And Tae Seong looked so small beside him. Otoke!! they're so cute. 🥺 This bromance needs to happen!

Anyway, then Sun Jae acts like he's all grown up and he lets people know that they don't have to worry about him.
It was heartbreaking but beautiful to hear him talk about his love for swimming and how he's fine with saying goodbye to that part of his life.

But that isn't the end, later this same kid starts a one man show and shows the comedian he has deep down inside of him. There's nothing more random that Sol and Sun Jae filming a melodrama in the park. Only Sun Jae can imagine those stuff.

And the cherry on top, is that when this kid decides to be bold, HE IS BOLD. Asking someone to break up with their boyfriend? Damn, boy. He's fearless.

😆 Can't we stay in 2008 forever? Like a time loop? Sol just keeps living those same three months in 2008? I kinda hate time loops but I feel like I wouldn't mind if it means I can watch these cute kids be kids.

2. SOL!!
OG Sol isn't your villain, Sol. She rocks!! 😂 Tae Song and Sol 4evah! 😂😂😂 That teddy bear is the cutest thing ever. If I were 2023 Sol, I would try to steal it from Tae Seong too.
She really wanted that bear. LMAO

Episode 6 is the first time we get to see her be herself, and not worry that much about the future. Well, at least about Sun Jae's future.

The scenes those two had this episode had nothing to do with Sol "the fan". She was hanging out with 19Sun Jae and she was focusing on 19Sun Jae.
It's nice to just see them be dumb and cute together.

I also loved the little change in the past with her mom.
It was funny how in her memories she thought she was immature, and because of that she tried to change her approach to the situation, but she still said words that she regretted later.
But even if the words she said hurt her mom in that moment, she somehow got to be there for her mom later and gave her the love and support she needed.

And I think the same thing happened in the OG timeline. Even if OG Sol said some hurtful things because she was immature, when she grew up she reflected on that and now decided to support her mom and love her no matter what. And that's how she became the Sol that we see now.

So I hope 2023 Sol doesn't feel too embarrassed or annoyed by her old self. At the end, she did her best to become a better version of herself. That's the person she's now.

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3. Tae Seong!!
The kid needed that life lesson Sol gave him. So I liked that he apologized to her later.

Also, who realizes they like their girlfriend when their girlfriend is breaking up with them? LMAO I hope beanies don't hate me for this, but Tae Seong gives me Gu Joon Pyo vibes. 🤣
Dude's slow af about his feelings. Dude let's gf get beat up. Dude feel in love after getting hit by the girl and receiving a "don't be trash" advice from her. LMAO

Anyway, I really like Tae Seong as a character. Especially, as a second lead. He gets better every episode. I mean, did you see how well he took that break up? And the reaction to seeing Sun Sol together? Or the reaction to his own best friend dissing him about it?

He knows what he did was wrong, so he apologized. He knows Sol won't take him back, and he respects that. And he knows he doesn't have the right to say anything about what she does now with her romantic life.

Maybe it's because I'm watching QoT right now, but he feels like the anti-Eun-Snake.

I hope we get to see him again in the future and wtv glimpse they give us of the 14years in between.

Oh, and I love his bestie! I just love the besties of the leads in this show. Can't we just have the six of them become friends? They're all so cute!! 🥺 I love the characters in this show so much.

4. The end of the episode 6 scared me, because I thought 2023 Sol was going to have the accident, and OG Sol was going to wake up one day to find out she can't walk again. That would be f up.
But then the preview made me feel relieved for a second. And now I'm scared of the other possibilities. 😂

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#4 With all the practice she's been doing, Sol should just headbutt the creepy taxi driver. I think because she knows what's going to happen, she saves herself. Our girl Sol is walking up the stairs in high heels in the current timeline.
Maybe SunJae remembers the license plate of that taxi that just passed by him and reports it to the police.

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The thing is that preventing the accident also makes me nervous, since whiteout that accident, OG Sol doesn't have a connection with Sung Jae, which means there isn't a reason for her going back in time. Which means all the past would be different, and she would forget him seeing that the timeline where he saved her didn't really happen.

...That preview made my head explode. 🤣

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T, but the OG Sol could go back to save herself from the sorrow and the grief about his death in the OG timeline so this would fit into the dual objectives. You rightly objected two weeks to the saviour narrative so am just reminding you of my interpretation which would still serve the “whatever are the timeslip rules” purpose.

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@dncingemma but what I'm scared of is the OG timeline being rewritten.

If she stops the accident, her accident, then OG Sol doesn't have anything to do with Sung Jae. Which means there isn't a reason for her to go back in time.

OG Sol won't be saved by SJ from the accident, and he won't call her from the radio, because she isn't in a hospital bed. She's fine, and she isn't Sung Jae's fan.

That's why the preview made my head explode. Because preventing her accident doesn't make sense in my head.
Not to mention that any possibility of the show being about her healing the wounds of the past and accepting herself are now of the question, because she didn't lose anything.

But I could be giving up too soon, so I'll wait to see what happens.

Summary: I'm confused af, and can't wait for next week episodes to explain me where is this show going. 😆

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@tabong, I am also confused as I guess many other beanies are, seeing as we're not already coming up with a million theories. Seeing the preview for episode 7 got me really excited for next week. I've decided to just follow the show wherever it leads - hopefully it continues to deliver wonderfully.

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@enriquequierecagar

...That preview made my head explode. 🤣

Mine too! 😂

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Same, @grace28
I'm excited (and scared) about next week. I just want the show to answer all of my questions, hahaha.

@minniegupta1 yes, join the club! 😆 welcome to the "Lovely confusion" show.

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🤔 That seems legit ... not overthinking at all!! *smh*

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But then my theory now is, what if Sol becomes a director (as she wished) and Sun Jae works with her (since he's an actor too!). And that is how they meet??

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@BejeweledRunner that would be pretty cool!

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I WAS ACTUALLY RIGHT> OMG> WHICH ANCESTOR BLESSED ME??

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@BejeweledRunner hahaha. Yeah, you called it!
Nice prediction. 👌

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*Perks up at the mention of THE Gu Jun-pyo and looks around frantically*

Where, what! Tae Sung is fine walking along those footsteps and there's a reason he's a 2ML. 😜

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I wish I could have predicted the story her company wanted him to work on - North Korean General in love with South Korean mermaid and they fight zombies and he is actually an alien? DEBAK!

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Everyone knows KHY is an amazing actress, she’s no doubt going to turn in a great performance. This drama is definitely not an exception. But it is BWS that has really been impressing me with his acting here. He’s been good before, but this role is really him at his best. His melo eyes are enchanting, his comedic timing is impeccable, and I really love how he’s been portraying SJ at different stages of his life. A sad and wistful 34-year-old in one scene, a bright and awkward teenager in the next. It was particularly clear during the prologue of Ep.6, he was attending the same radio show, sitting on the same seat, but in 2009 he was a nervous and excited rookie, and in 2013, he’s a confident and self-assured top star. Can’t wait to see more of his 2023 version.

On the other hand, I read some theories regarding the time travel rules, and some of our genius fellow watchers have been pointing out that Sol might only be able to remain in the past for 49 days per slip. The first time she was transported back to the past was on June 1st, 2008 (SJ borrowed Basic Instinct on May 2nd; Sol’s mom asked for the 1-month-overdue tape around the time 34Sol came => 34Sol came around June 1st/2nd) and she was sent back to the future on July 19th. Why July 19th? Because the second slip landed her on July 29th, and she realized that she’d been gone for 10 days. 49 days after July 29th is September 1st, the exact date of her accident! There’s also a theory saying that her 3 chances were to save 3 people, saving her mom’s hand first, saving her own legs second and finally, saving SJ’s life. It’s aligned with the time line that the second slip will end on accident day. She will be able to save her legs this time, get transported back to the future right after (leaving SJ heart broken for nth time, because 19Sol will be back to not even knowing his name), then possibly tragically, witness SJ dies AGAIN, only then she gets the final chance to save him, aka the 3rd time slip.

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BWS’ comedic timing has been such a delightful surprise. With this drama, I think the actors have also been directed well - with the exception of the actor playing the brother who just never hits the spot for me - and that has also been reflected in the cinematography, sound and the editing. There have been very few choppy edits unlike some other dramas and that has allowed the scenes to flow. The crew have really come through so far and I wanted to acknowledge their efforts.

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oh wow, 49 days has the spiritual significance so the numbers adding up is giving me chills! thanks for sharing bc i hadn't seen this theory before. i think i'm agreement that the 3 attempts are for three different purposes. she's able to walk in the preview, but she'll probably still lose seonjae, and get a last do-over. the masochist in me is saying that sol won't be able to save both herself and seonjae, and will have to choose one, and will obviously choose seonjae.

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That would be interesting or may be she wont be able to save her legs and will continue being handicapped but Sun Jae will still be alive and they'll be together (as should have been in original timeline)

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Waaaa 👏👏👏
That is some great timeline detective skills. Thanks for sharing.

If you don't my asking how many rewatches did it take you to figure that out. Tbh I can't see beyond Sun Sol. 😅 Not that I'm complaining, show. 😍

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That catch about the change of expression in eyes is just spot on. Bravo. 👌👏

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If the math is right - Sol going back for 49 days each time suggests that she is the one who has died.

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I thought about it again and the math is not quite correct if the 2nd slip end on September 1st. But the 49-day theory stemmed from 19Sol belief that her body was possessed by a ghost 😅 cause generally ghosts are believed to lingered around for 49 days after they die before moving on.

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Yeah, I originally thought that she had died in the water- remember it had been snowing that evening, so cold + possible drowning- but I couldn't think of a theory that worked. Let's see if it does!

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This comment had me thinking. It’s plausible. Looking forward to know if you are right.

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If only we can stay at that lovey dovey feeling a little longer!
Let me share my faves:
* Sun Jae's hidden smiles as he try so hard to be nonchalant to Sol's efforts and adorableness.
* Sol and Sun Jae hug while Geun is in the room
☺️ then Sun Jae hugging Geun so Sol can run away. 🥰
* Sun Jae confessing for the second time.
* Sol remembering when she first met Sun Jae
* Sol headbutting Tae Sung and telling him off
* Sol's thoughtful words in the hospital to Tae Sung. I want what is best for that guy. So I hope he doesnt get expelled from school.

🥰

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Thank you for listing out these scenes and making me relive them in my mind's eye. 😊

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Let's relive those scenes together 😁
Sun Jae's hidden smiles then him acting cool infront of Sol loves rent-free in my head

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💯 I've never been so headlong in love with a ML (not even Mr. Darcy) as I am with Sun-Jae.

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Reading your recap enhances my watching experience. Thank you for your insights and squee moments😁

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I have too many questions and too many theories regarding the time travel/what will happen. Many of the theories in opposition to each other so they can't all come true! It's nice having an unpredictable story for a change. Some of the other things I'm watching signal their twists so far ahead you can't really even call them a twist.
And I agree with everyone, the leads are fantastic and squueesome, the second lead characters are tedious

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This drama is the equivalent of that ginormous teddy bear that Sol gave Tae-sung. I just want to hug it and squeeze it. Sol and Sun-jae are too adorable. I love the Sol and Tae-sung interactions - zingers with a drop of sincerity. And now we have Sun-jae and Tae-sung interactions. I think Sun-jae is probably the first ML in recent years to give me terrible 2nd hand embarrassment. I had to pause so many times when he got that orange jacket.

I didn't expect for us to arrive at the accident (which is more like kidnapping/attempted murder) day so quickly. Usually time moves so much slower in kdramaland. Like 1 episode would be like 2 days in the drama.

I wonder if in the OG timeline, Sun-jae asked Sol to meet that night and that was when she was kidnapped. The guilt would have been unbearable.

The way Sun-jae looks like Sol feels like he has been in love with her for multiple lifetimes. Hearts just popping out of the eyes.

I sort of hope there ends up being a revised timeline where Sun-jae isn't an idol. Fans sometimes go crazy when idols date or get married even when they're already in their 30s. Maybe he can be a PE teacher!

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The way Sun-jae looks like Sol feels like he has been in love with her for multiple lifetimes. Hearts just popping out of the eyes.

💯❤👌

So beautifully expressed I squealed out loud while reading this. Yesssss!!! Exactly that.

I like your idea of an alternate timeline with him as the PE teacher.

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- I lot squee moment in these episodes. I can feel Sunjae can litrary burst at any moment everytime he's with Sol.

- I love the bromance rival chemistry between Sunjae and Taesung.

- That misunderstanding about onion and makgeoli just a peak comedy, I can't stop laughing in the middle of the night LoL

- That cuddle on the floor scene just made me scream also. I thought he's going to kiss her right there!
Really, I feels sorry for anyone that sleeps while I'm laughing and screaming at night

- I totally understand why Sol rejects Sunjae. First, she will be gone anytime soon and the 19 Sol would never evern remember of what happend and it will hurts Sunjae even more. Second, she thought Sunjae has first love, little did she know that it is herself. Once she know that Sunjae likes her far before her time travel and she is Sunjae first love, I think she will accept his feeling, but I guess not in the past but in present time.

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Kim HyeYoon bringing her comedic chops to that entire bit about the onion. I was chortling when she rubbed her eyes with her hand and started crying about the onion again, then halmeoni gave her that stalk to bite while crying.

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On a lighter note tho, That shot of byun woo seok running with Kim Tae sung and speeding past him was sort~a~reaally~hot
(never thought I would find someone's running hot)

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💯 They were not the only ones who got hot while running. My heart raced at least as fast as Sun-Jae. 🥰❤

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Some random thoughts, in no particular order:
If Sol goes back just after her accident, it explains why younger Sol does not remember anything about the accident, or her relationship with Sun Jae (ignoring circularity)
Sol was unconscious when she time traveled the first time. Is this a rule?
If the watches get swapped, SJ could time travel. But as far as we know, young Sol vanishes when old Sol travels. Its only the older version that has traveled back, not anyone traveling forward.
How long was SJ unconscious before he died? Could he have traveled during that time? We have not heard about SJ in an accident/unconscious previously, and it would have been fan news.
Sol returned to a time after she time traveled. Is this a rule? Or can she come back earlier? When will she return to this time?
What is in the time capsule? Is it just a way to get him away from the hotel where he dies, or something more?
Does older SJ and Sol remembering the reservoir killer cause the killer to push SJ over the balcony?

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I thought maybe the two other photo booth pics are in the time capsule so that if Sunjae somehow forgets that they knew each other, it would be a memento of their time together.

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The first time she went back, Old Sol had the pictures. And she found out that Old SJ had kept the picture, because the police questioned her about it. So I doubt she is worried about old SJ forgetting.

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I know previews are always misleading but I heard Sunjae say “Do we know each other” so that was what prompted me to think about a memento.

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Thanks @dramaddictally for a recap that had me reliving the joy of this week’s episodes.

When people ask me why I love K dramas this is the drama that I will use as exhibit A. This drama has the feel good factor that only a well written and well acted drama can bring, it’s not overly long, has minimal annoying characters or storylines and keeps us guessing each week.

I love the main leads and want to see great outcomes for them both. I am intrigued to see how the story will turn the sad ending we saw in the current timeline into a happy one.

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It also has that something undefinable about why some KDs are so emotionally resonant. They get me every time without fail..

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That’s so true, thank you for mentioning it. I think it is connected to the way they show relationships as I see it in dramas like Reply 1988 and Hospital Playlist where family or friendships are the backbone of the drama.

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I meant to comment on Taesun’s “visual terrorist” zinger as it has been making me laugh a lot. I even mentally referenced it today when this male jogger, who only had on the tiniest of shorts and was sweating heavily, came into my line of sight. I thought to myself “Attaboy. You’ve given me the perfect descriptor for the visual terror I just encountered”.

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Wouldn't it be fun if it wasn't a serial killer, but actually Sol's father, who came back form the underworld in a taxi to give her a stern talking to? I mean … we have the shaman bells and the Hotel Del Luna reference, plus in "Marry My Husband" the deceased father also drove a taxi.
"Young lady", he would say, "I came back from the underworld and gave you this magnificent chance to change your life and not get paraplegia, and what are you doing? Stopp effing up this boys' life! Don't make it worse! And I love you!"

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I would be scared shitless even in a fictional context if my late father makes an appearance. Yikes but horses for courses I guess.

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I'm sorry if I offended you or anyone else. However … I still think it would make a better story than the classical K-Drama serial killer.

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Oh, no. You didn’t offend me at all. I understand your preference. Was just thinking about how it would terrify me.

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*sigh*
sorry, guys.
I know you are all squeeing...
but I tried this out and I dont get any feels at all.
Sol doesnt really feel present and grounded in herself in either timeline, I honest, im with her, I dont see why he would like her.

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Don’t be. Not every drama clicks for everyone. I hope you find something soon which will give you as much joy as this has been giving me/us in this thread.

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💯 with Em - as the old Beanie saying goes - there's a drama for every Beanie. Hope you like some out of the clutch of May releases.

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Honestly, I think that his feelings were too rushed. I don't find love at first sight very satisfying for a romance narrative. I still enjoy this drama, but that is the major hangup for me and probably why I'm not in love with it, despite it having really sweet tropes and moments that would normally make me squeal a lot louder

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Apart from the brother sister plot I liked everything in the episodes.. soljae is darn cute..His confession was so good. I understood why sol rejected him that was the right move but her words were a little harsh..could have been done better, that's all.

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💯👌🙃 Totally. I mean I would have understood Sol-19 being so thoughtless but one would hope for some empathetic word from Sol-34 especially to a person who she wants to "save". 🙊 Words have power m'girl ... watch your words.

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OMG, this is the cutest drama ever!! I'm so grateful for these awesome main leads. They are just PERFECT!
And oh, how much I laughed!! XD I have such a great time watching this. It's simply a joy! YAY for happy, soft, cute dramas (and good writing!!) <3

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This is such a happy pill for me. It’s totally worth my time and subscription to Viu.

From the preview, it looks like Sol has altered the future.

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