Lovely Runner, the South Korean TV sensation, continues to impress audiences across the globe. A K-drama, the series is genre-bending as it is primarily a romance drama but boasts of a science fiction twist in the form of a time travel plot. Featuring Byeon Woo Seok, known for 20th Century Girl (2022) and Kim Hye Yoon, known for Extraordinary You (2019) in lead roles, the series has managed to strike a chord with millions with its simple premise, tragic undertones and an awesome soundtrack. Find out all the Lovely Runner episode release schedule details here, including episodes 9 and 10 and beyond.
Ever since it released, Lovely Runner has been neck and neck with Queen of Tears, starring Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-Won, when it comes to the most popular South Korean K-dramas of 2024. In the topicality results revealed by Good Data Corporation, Lovely Runner even beat Queen of Tears during the first week of its release with 42,393 points in topicality. If you don’t know, topicality is the amount of buzz a TV show (or a movie, as the case may be) is generating at a given moment. Clearly, Lovely Runner has many, many fans around the world.
Soompi quoted Neilsen Korea as saying that the latest episodes of Lovely Runner have also garnered strong ratings. The 30 April episode of the show, its eighth episode, had an impressive rating of 4.1 per cent. It was a decline from the Monday episode (seventh), however, which had garnered a rating of 4.5 per cent.
Minor spoilers ahead!
In the eighth and latest episode of Lovely Runner, we go back in time to 1 January 2023. Sun Jae is impatient and opens a time capsule earlier. He finds a letter from Im Sol in which she expresses gratitude. Once Sun Jae realises that his stalker is none other than Im Sol, he is eager to find her. They come across each other on a bridge and Im Sol invites Sun Jae to spend the night with her. Sun Jae, although shocked, agrees and foregoes an after-party. He goes with Im Sol to a hotel. On the way, they talk frankly about each other.
It turns out Im Sol believes they are going to make love, but is embarrassed when she learns that Sun Jae just wishes to chat in private. Both act as if they did not try to find the time capsule. Speculations are rife about Sun Jae’s whereabouts. Im Sol is resolved to save Sun Jae from prying eyes. They end up sharing a passionate kiss, despite interruptions. In the end, Sun Jae falls victim to an assault by a recently release man. Im Sol is shocked, wondering how it all happened. Could it be that Sun Jae’s “suicide” was not suicide at all but a murder? And is that why Im Sol is unable to change his fate even if she keeps ensuring he is happy?
All about Lovely Runner: Plot, cast, crew and episode release schedule
What is the plot of Lovely Runner?
Lovely Runner is a K-drama series that has sci-fi and comedic elements but they are largely in service to a deeply felt romantic story. A young woman called Im Sol is a huge fan of musician Ryu Sun Jae (Woo Seok). One day, her world ends when she learns that Sun Jae has died by suicide. As she mourns his death, she finds herself going back in time to 2008 when Sun Jae was a teenager.
At first, she is delighted since she believes her new time-travelling abilities might allow her to undo the tragic fate of Sun Jae, but as she learns it is easier said than done. Will her feeble attempts to alter the past bear fruit? Is it even possible? If she does succeed, will there be unforeseen effects in the form of changes to her and Sun Jae’s story she did not intend?
Check out our list of highest-rated K-dramas of 2024 so far
Who is behind Lovely Runner?
This K-drama series is based on a web novel called The Best of Tomorrow by Kim Bbang. Kim Tae Yeop and Yoon Jong Ho have directed the episodes. Lee Shi Eun has penned the scripts of the episodes.
Lovely Runner complete episode release schedule
Lovely Runner originally comes from South Korea’s tvN network. In India, it can be watched on the streaming service Rakuten Viki. The first two episodes can be watched for free, but the rest need a paid subscription. Two episodes are released every week, which is not too different from Queen of Tears, also a tvN show.
The first episode premiered on 8 April and the second on 9 April. The seventh and eighth episodes were released on 29 and 30 April, respectively. Each episode is over an hour long and there will be a total of 16 episodes. Expect the finale on 28 May. The timing of the episodes is 8:50 pm KST (7:50 pm ICT). Here is the full release schedule:
- Episode 1 – Monday, 8 April (out now)
- Episode 2 – Tuesday, 9 April (out now)
- Episode 3 – Monday, 15 April (out now)
- Episode 4 – Tuesday, 16 April (out now)
- Episode 5 – Monday, 22 April (out now)
- Episode 6 – Tuesday, 23 April (out now)
- Episode 7 – Monday, 29 April (out now)
- Episode 8 – Tuesday, 30 April (out now)
- Episode 9 – Monday, 6 May
- Episode 10 – Tuesday, 7 May
- Episode 11 – Monday, 13 May
- Episode 12 – Tuesday, 14 May
- Episode 13 – Monday, 21 May
- Episode 14 – Tuesday, 22 May
- Episode 15 – Monday, 27 May
- Episode 16 – Tuesday, 28 May
Is there a trailer for Lovely Runner?
Indeed, watch the trailer for this romance sci-fi drama below:
Where to watch Lovely Runner in India?
The show is available to stream on the streaming service Rakuten Viki.
(Hero and featured image: Courtesy of tvN/IMDb)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
-How many episodes of Lovely Runner are out?
Until now, eight episodes of Lovely Runner have been released by tvN. The seventh episode began airing on 29 April and the eighth and latest episode was released on 30 April.
-Where can I watch Lovely Runner K-drama?
Lovely Runner is available to watch on Rakuten Viki.
Kshitij is a journalism graduate who did not initially intend to become a film critic, but such are the vagaries of destiny. Now, Kshitij is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and a member of the Film Critics Guild, bringing expertise and experience in evaluating entertainment content with him. Additionally, he serves as a jury member on the Critics' Choice Awards in India. When he's not busy wielding words, catch him nose-deep in books or joyfully lost in the realms of gaming and photography.
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