“Lovely Runner” is reaching the end of its first half on an almost epic note, surprising and impressing everyone with what has happened in the story of lovely Im Sol (Kim Hye Yoon) and charming Ryu Sun Jae (Byeon Woo Seok) so far. In this week’s episodes, we are back once again with this couple in the present timeline, and there are more obvious changes going on after all of Im Sol’s efforts. We get to see a much longer period of this timeline, but there are still some things that not even she could change. So let’s dive in and see what exactly happened with this pair!
Warning: spoilers from episodes 7-8 ahead!
Changed: Im Sol being bedridden after her accident
One of the most important and also tragic situations in Sol’s life is probably the accident that left her disabled in the first timeline. Though this is also the reason that led her to being a fan of Ryu Sun Jae and why she was able to travel back in time, it did have a significant impact on her life. However, when she goes back to the past this second time, she is determined to prevent that tragedy, or at least avoid the worst consequences. And though she does her best, she ultimately ends up in the hands of the man who almost killed her when she was young.
Right when she thought there was no way to escape her destiny, she is saved once again by Ryu Sun Jae, who is desperately looking for her after hearing about how she was afraid of an accident happening. It’s very similar to the time she warned him about his own swimming competition. Thankfully, Kim Tae Sung’s (Song Geon Hee) father arrives right at the moment before the man hits Sol with his car. With her out of danger, Sol from the future is sent back to the present time, where she realizes that she can walk and have a completely different life.
Changed: Im Sol being a fan of Ryu Sun Jae
Once Im Sol is aware that she is back in the present, she quite literally runs to make sure that Sun Jae is still alive. After finding out that she prevented his death as she was hoping to, the one realization that strikes her the most, apart from the fact that she can walk again, is that she isn’t a fan of Ryu Sun Jae anymore. Every piece of her posters and decorations about him are gone, including the watch that sent her back in time. Though this does sadden her, she tries to reconcile with this idea thinking that maybe she won’t need to go back to the past ever again.
With that mindset, she goes into her new life, enjoying her job in a filming company, getting to drive for the first time in her life, and also witnessing the birth of her best friend’s baby, who surprisingly is married to her older brother. However, the longing for Sun Jae increases to the point where she is conflicted about her own feelings, torn between the happiness of seeing him alive and the sadness of being apart from him. But this soon changes when she notices that some things from the past are happening and that there might be a chance of him dying again. This makes her run towards the place where they first met, and she is surprised by Sun Jae’s sudden appearance.
Changed: Im Sol and Ryu Sun Jae’s present relationship
As he’s meeting his first love again after almost 15 years, it is barely impossible for Sun Jae to hide the emotion of seeing Im Sol in front of him. She, on the other hand, bulldozes her way into Sun Jae’s life once again, exactly as he describes it, giving us some of the funniest and most heart-fluttering scenes between these two. Though he can’t really understand it, he gives her a way to enter his world again, but not without asking her the reasons behind it. And it ends up with her confessing to him about her fear of seeing him dead. If there’s something we can count on Sun Jae by now is that he will embrace everything about Sol, even if he doesn’t really understand it.
Which is why he accepts her reasons, but still questions her about her uncommon interest in him. It finally makes her confess that she actually had the same feelings for him in the past, though she couldn’t accept it due to her circumstances. With this confession, Sun Jae forgets about all the pain and longing he felt for her during that time, and both of them confirm their feelings for each other with a sweet, romantic, and passionate kiss. It marks the beginning of their dating era as adults, something that they couldn’t really enjoy until then.
Didn’t change: Ryu Sun Jae being an artist and singer
Despite being proven that some things can change both in the past and in the future, it looks like some things that are bound to happen no matter what. Just like Sol’s accident happened again, though with far less serious consequences, another thing that remained the same is Ryu Sun Jae being a successful artist. Though he really laments about his frustrated career as a professional swimmer, he actually finds his way to stardom at the end, and it looks like he was born to become a singer.
This is evident the moment Sol stands outside the venue where his band, Eclipse, is holding a concert. She suddenly realizes that the song that deeply touched her heart is actually talking about how Sun Jae met her. This also appears to be a way for the two of them to meet once again, as Sol is working for a company that wishes to cast Sun Jae, which would show that they were meant to meet once again in one way or another.
Didn’t change: Ryu Sun Jae still being in love and thinking about Im Sol
Another thing that seems to remain the same, no matter how much time passes, is Ryu Sun Jae’s unyielding feelings for Im Sol. In these episodes we get glimpses of his struggles to get over her, funnily exposed by Baek In Hyuk (Lee Seung Hyub). Especially after she heartbreakingly asks him to never meet her again as her memories of their time together are gone and being around him scares her. Though you can’t really blame young Im Sol for being confused and terrified about her situation, it is definitely painful to watch Sun Jae holding back his feelings.
Nonetheless, he patiently waits for the right time to approach her again, and even goes back to their school to retrieve the time capsule they buried, never forgetting the promise they made when Sol was in the past. Though he is disappointed when she doesn’t show up that day, the moment he realizes she is looking for him again, he runs without a second thought to meet her, proving that his feelings are stronger than anything else, even time and space.
Didn’t change: Ryu Sun Jae’s sudden and tragic death
Sadly, just when it seems like there will be only happiness and love for our main couple, tragedy strikes once again. This time around, it’s by the hand of the man who tried to kill Sol in the past. And he seeks his revenge by killing Sun Jae. Though it isn’t exactly confirmed that he dies, the foreshadowing of this happening once again is too real for Sol, who just some hours before was excited about meeting him again and enjoying the beginning of their relationship.
Though the ending of this episode is indeed cruel and frightening for Im Sol, Ryu Sun Jae, and all of us viewers, there’s still hope that something might change. Given the fact that Sol will use her last chance to travel to the past to change their fate, this time hopefully it will be for good so that we can expect to see a positive outcome for everybody. Let’s wait for the best because there’s still much more to discover and see in the upcoming episodes of “Lovely Runner”!
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Andy zar is an avid drama watcher, from K-dramas to C-dramas, she believes any weekend is a good weekend to enjoy 12 hours of binge-watching dramas. She loves romance, web comics, and K-pop. Her favorite groups are EXO, TWICE, and BOL4.
Currently watching: “Lovely Runner”
Plans to watch: “Best Choice Ever“