“Lovely Runner”, the K-drama starred by Kim Hye-yoon and Byeon Woo-seok, attracts the attention of viewers with its captivating plot and the chemistry between its two lead actors. The K-drama aired its final episode on Tuesday, May 28 on tvN. “Lovely Runner” is based on the web novel and webtoon “Tomorrow’s Best,” illustrated by Doong Doong.
The screenplay is written by Lee Si-eun, known for her work on “True Beauty,” and directed by Kim Tae-yeop and Yoon Jong-ho. Although the K-drama draws inspiration from “Tomorrow’s Best”, there are significant differences between the webtoon and the K-drama, especially regarding the characters’ backgrounds, settings, plot twists, and Moreover.
1- The character Kim Tae-sung
In the webtoon “Tomorrow’s Best”, there was no supporting role. Kim Tae-sung, played by Song Geon-hee, was introduced in “Lovely Runner”. Kim Tae-sung was a popular boy in high school, who Im Sol was in love with in the first timeline. In the second timeline, they dated for two weeks. In the final timeline, Kim Tae-sung was a close friend of Im Sol. Kim Tae-sung played a crucial role in the K-drama, as he captured the antagonist Kim Young-soo, who dies in the final episode. Song Geon-hee was also praised by fans and viewers online for her portrayal of Kim Tae-sung’s cool and endearing personality.
2- Ryu Sun-jae’s group
In the webtoon “Tomorrow’s Best”, the group is named after a Korean dish, gamjajeon, which means “Potato pancake”. Originally, “Gamjajeon” consisted of four members and had a different musical genre, without Ryu Sun-jae. The latter joined the group two years after the start of the webtoon. Furthermore, in the K-drama “Lovely Runner”, the group is called “Eclipse”. The initial lineup including Ryu Sun-jae, Baek In-hyuk (Lee Seung-hyub), Hyun-soo (Moon Xion), and Jay (Yang Hyuk) debuted with the song “Sudden Shower.”
3- The context of the characters and places
In the webtoon, Ryu Sun-jae underwent rigorous training to become a singer, but he failed. This is why he joined the group “Gamjajeon” two years after his official debut. On the other hand, in “Lovely Runner”, Ryu Sun-jae was a swimmer for ten years, devoting himself with passion to the sport. He suffered an accident that injured his shoulder, forcing him to give up swimming despite his love for the discipline. Afterwards, he joined his friend Baek In-hyuk to begin a musical career with the group “Eclipse”. It should be noted that “Jagam” High School, where Ryu Sun-jae studied, was quite far from Im Sol’s school, as she had to take the bus to get there.
The character Im Sol, played by Kim Hye-yoon, becomes a fan of Ryu Sun-jae after her debut in the webtoon. She has no mobility problems and can walk normally. However, in the K-drama, Im Sol suffers a tragic accident that paralyzes both her legs. Devoid of any will to live, she finds a new reason to live when she hears Ryu Sun-jae’s comforting words on a radio show. Additionally, in the K-drama, “Jagam” High School is right across from Im Sol’s school.
4- The cause of Ryu Sun-Jae’s death
According to the plot of “Tomorrow’s Best”, Ryu Sun-jae went through a difficult time mentally, as he was the target of the original “Gamjajeon” fans who did not want him to join the group, taking Baek In’s place -hyuk as lead singer. In the webtoon, Ryu Sun-jae died from an overdose of prescribed medications, including sleeping pills. Im Sol, traveling in time, decides to reveal to him the exact date of his death and the reasons for it, so that he can avoid it.
In “Lovely Runner”, the reason for Ryu Sun-jae’s death during the first time travel is not revealed. However, just like in the webtoon, Ryu Sun-jae experiences hatred from Baek In-hyuk’s fans.
5- The time travel period
What sets the webtoon “Tomorrow’s Best” and the K-drama “Lovely Runner” apart is the story arc involving time travel, which has one major difference. In the webtoon, Ryu Sun-jae died at the age of 23, meaning Im Sol traveled 6 years into the past to save him, when they were both sophomores in high school. On the other hand, in the K-drama, Im Sol goes back 15 years in the past, because Ryu Sun-jae died at 34 years old. She had been an ardent admirer of Ryu Sun-jae for 13 years.