Being neighbors with her beloved idol sounds lucky enough. Interestingly, the idol being smitten with her sure hits differently.
It is time for our heroine to get confused and rethink her emotions. Is she just a devoted fangirl, desperate to save her idol? Or did meeting his teenage version help resurface some buried feelings?
Bunny S. watches Lovely Runner on Viu
Lovely Runner Episodes 5 and 6 Highlights
“The present will only be meaningful if I give it to you that day.”
Having realized their past connection, Sol resolves to not miss out on anything else and do her best to keep Seon-jae alive, aka become a magpie swallow who returns the kindness to her lifesaver. For starters, she gifts Seon-jae a present hidden inside a time capsule that he can only open at midnight on New Year’s Day in 2023.
Even if they get out of touch, Seon-jae has to meet Sol that day on the same bridge they met at on the concert night. That way, Sol can make sure Seon-jae stays alive at least a day longer so that she can save him when she returns to the future.
장독대 아니고 타임캡슐😊
선재의 운명 바꾸기 위한 솔이의 노력![월화] 저녁 8:50 | tvN#선재업고튀어 #LovelyRunner pic.twitter.com/d9MoNNips4
— tvN drama (@CJnDrama) April 22, 2024
“Did you think I’d cry because I envy him?”
Worried Seon-jae might get hurt while watching the Olympic Games since he had to quit being an athlete, Sol asks to meet him on the day a famous Korean swimmer is slated to win a gold medal. But the poor guy initially takes her suggestion to see a movie together for her wanting to go on a date with him. It also doesn’t help that Sol’s attempts to divert Seon-jae’s attention end up making his heart flutter instead.
Still, it doesn’t take long for Seon-jae to catch on to Sol’s real intention for asking to hang out. And she needn’t have worried about that. You see, even if Seon-jae had known he would have to quit at the age of 19, he would still have gotten into swimming. Having enjoyed the happiness that came with swimming, Seon-jae doesn’t regret it even if he can’t compete anymore. (Our sweet guy also proves to be a good sport, feeling thrilled when his fellow swimmer scored a gold medal.)
“You are mad at me. I guess you sold your composure!”
If he can’t be an athlete anymore, what about taking the college entrance exam and becoming a PE teacher? I mean, Seon-jae’s main strength is his composure. So, it will come in handy for sure when teaching others how to practice sports, right? However, given how Seon-jae got mad quickly while teaching Sol how to ride a bicycle, Seon-jae might need to rethink his decision.
If anything, I guess Seon-jae was born to be an idol, seeing how he once again came across the entertainment agency CEO from before. With the main vocalist unavailable, Seon-jae’s best friend, Baek In-hyuk, who is also a guitarist and the future leader of Eclipse, has Seon-jae stand in for him. And did I mention that our boy rocked the stage and captured everyone’s attention?
So, that is how Seon-jae joined Eclipse in the first place. But seeing how Tae-sung is currently a member there, I wonder what might have happened to him in the original timeline that he quit the band by the time of their debut.
Speaking of Tae-sung, it is becoming harder for Seon-jae to hide his jealousy of him being Sol’s “boyfriend.” Imitating Tae-sun’s style and competing over who can run faster might be funny but Seon-jae can’t tolerate seeing Tae-sung get close to Sol anymore.
“Why did you sing in front of many people for something like this?”
As a prize, Seon-jae gets a new phone which he gifts to Sol in place of the one she lost at the reservoir. Yet instead of being happy about it, Sol gets mad. Why does Seon-jae keep worrying about others and putting them before himself? At this rate, Sol is worried Seon-jae will keep everything pent up inside until he reaches a stage where it will be hard to continue living. Can’t he be selfish and only think of himself?
While we can see where Sol comes from with this, her reaction was jarring to Seon-jae, who didn’t know what exactly he did wrong. But if Sol really wants Seon-jae to be selfish, then he wants her to break up with Tae-sung. So, can she do that for him?
As for Tae-sung, Sol has already broken up with him after learning he was only dating her to get a girl with a crush on him off his back. Hearing that Sol was dragged away by that girl, Seon-jae gets worried to death. What if Sol gets beaten up? But he needn’t have worried, as the one who got beaten up was Tae-sung. But I have to say that although Tae-sung might have started this as a ruse, he genuinely fell for Sol in the process.
“No matter how hard it is, you shouldn’t do this.”
Sol might feel nothing about the breakup but Seon-jae’s request gets her bewildered. It also doesn’t help that Sol happened to stumble across a recording of Seon-jae’s confession that she totally forgot about after blacking out. Her reaction is to run away, leaving Seon-jae baffled.
Still, hearing that Tae-sung was dumped, Seon-jae gets thrilled to bits. He is grinning from ear to ear. But I don’t know if we can say the same thing about Sol who is crying her eyes out not because of Tae-sung as Seon-jae wrongly assumes but because of onions. Adding to the hilarity, Seon-jae mistakes the rice wine bottle Sol bought as an errand for her wanting to drink the pain away. Can’t she lean on him instead of drinking? I am dying of second-hand embarrassment here.
왜 울었는데..
양파 때문에....김태성이 양파냐?
[월화] 저녁 8:50 | tvN#선재업고튀어 #LovelyRunner pic.twitter.com/fC2hVsValU
— tvN drama (@CJnDrama) April 23, 2024
“After spending my entire day in the pool, I would hate it and become irritated by the dampened air of the rain outside.”
It finally dawns on Sol that her actions of taking care of Seon-jae as “his fan,” made him fall for her. Though Sol can’t tell for sure if she is the one shaking Seon-jae up or getting shaken by him. Instead of denying it or having the how-can-someone-so-amazing-like-me thoughts, I wish Sol could give it some serious thought as to what exactly she feels toward Seon-jae. Is she only a devoted fan? Or does she like Seon-jae as a man?
Luckily, Seon-jae is quick-witted enough to figure Sol remembers the confession he made that night by the swimming pool. He has tried hard to hide his feelings since he didn’t want to burden her and act clingy after the breakup. But Seon-jae can’t do it anymore.
Seon-jae has always despised the rain. But after running into Sol for the first time on a rainy day, Seon-jae started liking it since he liked Sol. Unfortunately, before Sol can give Seon-jae an answer to his confession, their conversation gets cut off by a sudden call. Sol’s mother is hospitalized and needs surgery.
티벤이 좋아하는 거
= 문짝아기고딩이 고백하는 거[월화] 저녁 8:50 | tvN#선재업고튀어 #LovelyRunner pic.twitter.com/QRfXBWgHsd
— tvN drama (@CJnDrama) April 23, 2024
“Hearing this from you makes me feel uncomfortable and pressured.”
With the accident approaching, her mother’s illness, and the time travel issue, Sol resolves to walk down the noble idiocy path and turns Seon-jae down coldly. After parting ways with him, though, Sol chokes on her tears. It is clear she likes him too, but is afraid of what the future might have in store for them.
Since it is better safe than sorry, Sol settles at home all day on the accident day, not stepping a foot outside. But realizing that she was the first love Seon-jae kept mentioning in his interviews, Sol rushes over to see him. But unluckily this fateful meeting was interrupted by Sol bumping into a suspicious taxi driver.
Some blurry flashbacks suggest that Sol was kidnapped in the past and then got hit by a car. And seeing how the taxi driver holds on to Sol’s old phone and lurks around her, he is up to no good. Anyway, we have to wait until next week to see what happens while hoping that Seon-jae finds Sol before the taxi driver can harm her.
Lovely Runner Episodes 5 and 6 Musings
Since their call on the radio show, Sol has always been a devoted fan of Seon-jae. And his sudden death crushed her. So, when she got the chance to return to the past and save him, our girl didn’t hesitate a second and spared no effort to take care of him. But a part of me kept sensing that Sol had always liked Seon-jae as a man but compromised to fangirl over him as Seon-jae felt like a star far away in the sky. But now that she got to be in close proximity to that star, those feelings got clearer.
I don’t know how things went in the original timeline or the reason why Seon-jae went after Sol on the accident night and ended up saving her. But seeing how Seon-jae kept Sol in his heart despite all the years passing, it seems to me that they had a relationship beyond being just neighbors.
That being said, I hope the drama wraps up the accident arc quickly. We aren’t getting another annoying serial killer/psychopath on the run, right? So far, the mystery element has been intriguing since it was related to our leads’ past connection and I desperately wish it remains the same.
On a lighter note, I am all for the brewing romance between Hyun-joo and Geum. The female lead’s best friend falling for her elder brother is a trope that never dies. And it feels really good since it isn’t forced or rushed but develops slowly and beautifully. For now, only Hyun-joo crushes on Geum while he is completely clueless about it. But seeing how cute Hyun-joo is, it won’t take long for Geum to fall for her, too.
Bask into an amusing romantic ride with Seon-jae and Seol in Lovely Runner! International fans can watch the series on Viu!
Photos and Videos: tvN Drama
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