Sun-jae (played by Byeon Woo-seok) offers his left arm to the sleeping Sol (played by Kim Hye-yoon) in the drama "Lovely Runner." Sol is the daughter of a video store owner, and both characters are high school students. The drama is set in 2008. Courtesy of tvN

Lee Ga-young, a 35-year-old office worker who recently celebrated her second year of marriage, updated her husband's contact name on her phone to "Sun-jae."

Sun-jae is the male protagonist of the drama, "Lovely Runner," which first aired on tvN last month, and is portrayed by actor Byeon Woo-seok, 32. Having fallen head over heels for Sun-jae, Lee says, laughing, "Since I changed my husband's name to Sun-jae, I don't get mad when he calls me."

Despite not featuring a top star or being penned by a famous writer, "Lovely Runner," a show that strays from the conventional K-content success formula, is gaining popularity.

While its ratings are only in the 4 percent range, it has amassed a strong fanbase known as "Sun-chinja" (people obsessed with Sun-jae), making waves online.

Mentions of the show as of the 8th episode on social media and online communities surged seven times compared to the average for Monday-Tuesday dramas aired in the second half of 2023, which aired on April 30, a tvN official said, Sunday.

"Lovely Runner" follows Sol (played by Kim Hye-yoon), who travels back in time to save her favorite singer, Sun-jae, after his untimely death.

The drama, set in a high school in the 2000s, has gradually spread by word of mouth, attracting not only its primary teenage audience but also those in their 30s and 40s. The number of female viewers in their 30s and 40s more than doubled from the first to the eighth episode.

A scene from the drama "Lovely Runner" / Courtesy of tvN

Hidden Gang Dong-won

The show's appeal, even to viewers in their 30s and 40s, is rooted in the nostalgia sweeping across society.

The drama resembles the "Reply" series set in the 2000s. Sol, a high school student, gossips with her friends while eating shaved ice at the fresh fruit cafe Canmore, which offers free bread refills and was popular back then.

She also visits the Cyworld page of a boy she likes to send him a friend request. The drama recreates various aspects of 2000s youth culture. Sol listens to music on an MP3 player, and her playlist includes popular songs from that era, such as "Graduation" by Brown Eyes and "I Guess That's What Happened" by Kim Hyung-jung.

The storyline and the characters of "Lovely Runner," which resemble the novels by internet novelist Gwiyeoni that were immensely popular in the 2000s, serve as kindling for nostalgia among viewers in their 30s and 40s.

In the drama, Sun-jae and Sol take turns jumping into each other's umbrellas on a rainy day. This famous scene mirrors the iconic moment from the 2004 movie "Romance of Their Own," based on Gwiyeoni's novel, where Tae-seong (played by Gang Dong-won) forms a connection with Han-kyeong (played by Lee Chung-ah) after jumping into her umbrella.

Additionally, the name Tae-seong, who likes Sol in the drama, is the same as Gang Dong-won's character from "Romance of Their Own."

In the drama "Lovely Runner," there are several scenes where Sol, left, and Sun-jae unexpectedly pop into each other's umbrellas on rainy days. This famous scene is reminiscent of the moment in the popular 2004 movie "Romance of Their Own," where Tae-seong (played by Gang Dong-won) accidentally jumps into Han-kyung's (Lee Chung-ah) umbrella. Courtesy of tvN

Heartfelt homage to the 2000s

Bok Gil, a popular culture critic, noted that "'Lovely Runner' is a historical drama set in a relatively recent past, which the generation that attended school in the 2000s can collectively reminisce about."

Bok added that popular hangouts like Canmore feature the protagonist confessing their love in a parody song and quoting lines from Gwiyeoni's novels, offering a humorous and heartfelt homage to the "2000s sensibility."

This, he said, has contributed to the drama's appeal.

An official from the production team of the drama said, "'Lovely Runner' was planned to evoke nostalgia for the 2000s. We actively incorporated the cultural elements of that era to appeal to viewers in their 30s and 40s."

Unlike the original web novel "Tomorrow's Best" by Kim Bbang, the drama goes back to 2008. With the addition of Sun-jae's backstory as a former swimmer, the timeline is set in 2008 when Park Tae-hwan became the first South Korean swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal (Beijing Olympics). Park even makes a cameo appearance in the drama.

In the drama "Lovely Runner," Sun-jae, right, was a high school swimmer before injuring his shoulder. He then pursued a new life as a singer but ended his life due to depression. The backstory of Sun-jae being a former swimmer is not in the original work. Courtesy of tvN

Byeon Woo-seok, the new star

The series was not initially considered a highly anticipated work in the K-content market. It took three full years to produce. Several actors declined the role, thinking it was just about a K-pop fan's one-sided love story.

It wasn't until Byeon Woo-seok decided to join that the production picked up speed. He even sang himself to accurately portray the role of Sun-jae, the singer.

The song "Sudden Shower," performed by his character as the vocalist of the fictional band Eclipse, made it into Melon's Top 100, a feat even famous singers struggle to achieve (as of the 2nd). In the drama, Sun-jae says, "I wrote the song thinking of my first love, Sol, wanting to protect her."

In the original work, Sol is unilaterally devoted to saving the singer Sun-jae. In the drama, however, this relationship is reinterpreted as a mutual story of salvation where both protagonists save each other from life's crises.

Sol (played by Kim Hye-yoon, right) eats shaved ice with a friend at a Canmore branch that was popular in the 2000s for its vibrant decor. Captured from tvN

Ethics of depicting disabilities and idols' suicide issues

Jung Duk-hyun, a culture critic, notes that the drama, "by expanding into a story of mutual protection between the protagonists, resonates more broadly with viewers than the original work."

He also points out that the drama incorporates elements of crime thrillers and a romance that unfolds across past and present, reminiscent of the Taiwanese drama "Someday or One Day."

Sol, who is paralyzed from the waist down due to a car accident, attempts to travel back in time to save Sun-jae with her uninjured legs from the past.

This twist, absent in the original, adds dramatic weight to the storyline, but has also faced criticism for presenting disability as something to be "overcome."

Critics view "Lovely Runner" as offering both reflection and consideration on contemporary issues such as the ethics of portraying disabilities in dramas and the suicides of K-pop idols suffering from depression.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.