Reasons Why K-Drama ‘Lovely Runner’ is a Hit Even at 4% Viewer Rating

Despite initial assumptions that it would be a cliché love story between an idol and a fan, ‘Lovely Runner’ has managed to capture the hearts of female viewers by incorporating time-slip elements.

The phrase “Sun-chin-ja”has become a popular term in Korea, referring to those who are infatuated with the show ‘Lovely Runner’ and its main character, Carry Sun Jae. This buzzword has sparked discussions and even advice on the importance of watching the show in order to have conversations with women.

Despite having a limited target audience, ‘Lovely Runner’ has managed to gain a loyal fan base and attract viewers who are deeply invested in the drama, unlike ‘Queen of Tears’ which appeals to a wider range of age groups.

‘Lovely Runner’ centers on the love story of Ryu Sun Jae (Byeon Woo Seok), a popular idol who met a tragic fate, and Im Sol (Kim Hye Yoon), a time-traveler determined to change his destiny and save him.

Despite only airing 10 out of its total of 16 episodes, ‘Lovely Runner’ continues to generate high buzz and interest among viewers, despite its fluctuating ratings of 3% to 4%.

According to the recent rankings by Good Data Corporation, ‘Lovely Runner’ dominated the TVÂ·OTT drama popularity chart for the first week of May. The two lead actors, Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon, also earned top spots in the actor popularity rankings. Furthermore, the show’s 10th episode achieved a nationwide viewer rating of 2.9%, securing the No.1 spot for its time slot across all channels, including public ones.

Despite being a drama with a similar theme to previously aired tvN dramas, ‘Lovely Runner’ was not initially highly anticipated. Other series such as ‘Flower Band’, ‘Shooting Stars’, ‘The Heavenly Idol’, and ‘Twinkling Watermelon’ had only attracted niche audiences and did not achieve much success. Even after the craze of ‘Reply 1997’, dramas depicting 1990s idol fandom still received mostly mediocre reviews.

During the making of ‘True Beauty’ (2020-2021), writer Lee Si Eun utilized the methods she had previously developed. However, in contrast to the original web novel ‘The Best of Tomorrow’, she decided to set the story in 2008 and include elements such as Cyworld, Canmore, and MP3 players, evoking a sense of nostalgia among women in their 30s and 40s.

By incorporating elements such as dialogue and scenes from popular novels like ‘Temptation of Wolves’ (2002) and ‘Outsider’ (2005), as well as using background music such as Younha’s ‘Umbrella’ and Kim Hyung Jung’s ‘I Think I Did’, the show was able to fully immerse viewers in its story.

Despite the common belief that adapting a drama from a webtoon is challenging, ‘Lovely Runner’ managed to seamlessly combine a well-written script, effective direction, and exceptional acting.

The chemistry between the lead actors was also a major factor. The noticeable height difference of 29cm between Byeon Woo Seok (189 cm) and Kim Hye Yoon (160 cm) added an extra level of excitement to scenes where they stood together.

After debuting as a model in 2014, Byeon Woo Seok has reached his prime after ten years. In a similar fashion to Suzy, who became known as the embodiment of men’s first love in the movie ‘Architecture 101’ (2012), Byeon Woo Seok has also solidified his status as the icon of women’s first love through his performance in ‘Lovely Runner’. Additionally, the exceptional acting of Kim Hye Yoon only added to Byeon Woo Seok’s shining presence.

‘Lovely Runner’ does not star any A-list actors or have renowned writers or directors. The film is not available on popular global OTT platforms like Netflix, but can be streamed on Asian content platforms such as Rakuten Viki, U-NEXT in Japan, and iQIYI in Taiwan.

Despite already gaining recognition through her role in ‘Extraordinary You’ (2019), Kim Hye Yoon faced doubts from overseas stakeholders about the relatively unknown Byeon Woo Seok before the release of ‘Lovely Runner’. It has been speculated that the production team prioritized finding the right actors for the roles rather than casting popular stars.

The popularity of Sun Jae is not limited to Korea and has spread throughout Asia. In the first week of May (April 29th to May 5th), ‘Lovely Runner’ dominated the Viu weekly chart in Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. It also achieved second place in Hong Kong and the Philippines, and third place in Thailand. Additionally, the Melon chart saw a rise for the song ‘Sudden Shower’ by the drama’s band Eclipse, which includes Byeon Woo Seok. The group has even received requests for fan meetings.

Next month, Byeon Woo Seok will kick off his first Asian fan meeting tour in Taipei, Taiwan. This will be followed by stops in Bangkok, Seoul, and Hong Kong. Recently, fans of Kim Hye Yoon voiced their concerns to her agency, pointing out that her activities were comparatively less frequent than Byeon Woo Seok’s.

Fans have taken it upon themselves to promote the drama, urging others not to miss out on ‘Lovely Runner’ and expressing confusion over the low ratings.

CJ ENM is delighted to embrace unexpected success. ‘Lovely Runner’ marks the debut drama for Kim Ho Jun CP, who recently joined Studio S after working at MBC.

Kim CP expressed that the popularity of “Lovely Runner”has reached a point where it is becoming challenging to manage. The show has very few anti-fans and has been receiving widespread praise, which is a great source of motivation. The overwhelming positive reception has even turned the marketing team and internal staff into fans, caught up in the “Sun Jae craze.”

The source of the article can be found at naver.