*This article contains spoilers.
“My (Im Sol) favorite idol, my ‘bias (Ryu Sun-jae)’ loves snow. He passes away on the first snow day of the year.” Anyone who’s ever passionately followed a celebrity may be triggered by the tvN drama series entitled Lovely Runner. But it’s hard to stop watching because of how desperately Im Sol tries to save Sun-jae’s life.
“Thank you for staying alive. The people around you will be so glad and thankful just because you’re alive. So please live, at least for today. The weather’s so nice. It’ll rain tomorrow; live while you wait for the rain to go away. And before you know it, the day might come when living will feel okay.” These words of consolation that Sun-jae says on the radio changes Sol’s life. She had lost the will to live after a fatal traffic accident took away her ability to walk. To Sol, Sun-jae is “the person who helped me live.” He was the sunshine that helped her through the dark days. A favorite idol that lights up their day can be their reason for living. But that doesn’t mean you can meet your favorite star or tell them how much they mean to you in person. You have so much love for them, but you need to stay at an arm’s length. Lovely Runner depicts how sincere the love of a fan is for their favorite star.
Sol experiences her first time-slip on the day of Sun-jae’s death. She breaks down in tears in the snow after trying to roll herself in her wheelchair to the hospital that Sun-jae was being rushed to. Sol opens her eyes, and she finds herself in a high school classroom. It’s a sunny day, and she can even move her legs. Sol runs straight to Sun-jae who went to the next school over. She still couldn’t tell if she was dreaming or not, or understand how she could possibly be running, but the only thing important right now was that Sun-jae was alive. This is what a fan feels. Sol’s whole world revolves around Sun-jae. She doesn’t care about going to a nice restaurant for their first date. She would rather have samgyetang with Sun-jae to get him well nourished. Even when Sun-jae confronts her in anger, she’s more concerned with catching the mosquito that’s been bothering him. “In case it bites you...” she says. Sol believed that Sun-jae took his own life due to depression that he developed after debuting as a singer, and does her best to stop him from debuting. She hovers around him, who is on the swim team, convincing him that she is a big swimming fan. When Sol remembers reading Sun-jae’s interview where he revealed that he became a singer after giving up on swimming because of an injury, she tries to stop Sun-jae from competing by dressing up as an elderly shaman to convince him not to compete. It’s a comedic scene, but perfectly describes how far Sol is willing to go to keep Sun-jae alive. It tells the people who say ever so nonchalantly to the fans “But, they don’t know you,” just how far a fan can go for their idols. Lovely Runner describes the fans’ love that has been portrayed in the media as blind and unconditional, but here, there’s something more.
10:30~
The scene where Sol hesitates before ripping up the business card that Sun-jae got from the owner of the entertainment company poses an important question. Does Sol love Sun-jae of Eclipse or Ryu Sun-jae for who he is as a person? Sol may never get to see Sun-jae sing on stage because of the series of choices that she made. Sun-jae’s voice singing “Shower” will grow more faint in her memories, and she will no longer be able to listen to his music when she needs consoling. She needs to do away with her biggest source of energy in exchange for saving Sun-jae. But Sol decides to save Sun-jae without hesitation. “Don’t worry about anybody else, don’t even care about them. I hope that you would only care about yourself. I want you to only think about how you could be happier and have a better life if you’ve got the time for this.” Sol ends up weeping by herself after getting news that Sun-jae would no longer be able to compete as a swimmer, and now she busies herself with stopping Sun-jae from watching the Olympics lest his feelings get hurt. But fate can be so cruel; it turns out that Sun-jae has had feelings for Sol for quite some time, and he hurt himself from trying to save Sol. The story of a favorite idol coming to save you whenever you’re in danger like prince charming might sound like a dedicated fan’s fantasy-come-true. But the relationship between Sol and Sun-jae in Lovely Runner showcases the process of proving a fan’s sincere love. The danger of her favorite star dying because of her, the fan, is a source of constant pain and anxiety for her. Eventually, Sol goes through a few more time slips, and they grow apart from one another. When Sol spots Sun-jae with another girl, she prays for his happiness and well-being. She talks to herself, “I’ve no right to be jealous. You look happy and that’s all that matters.” Would a fan be perfectly happy when their favorite artist approaches them? Lovely Runner is a thoughtful portrayal of a fan’s dedication for their idol who is physically out of reach. The fact that Lovely Runner depicts how the love for an artist can be a source of happiness and despair, and not just the process of a fan and an artist entering a romantic relationship, it proposes a dazzling new perspective among the many works on the relationship between a fan and an artist. The scene that depicts Eclipse’ concert is the gaze employed by Lovely Runner. While the many other works that deal with idol, depict fans as a “herd” that blindly rushes toward their idols, Lovely Runner focuses more on the excitement and happiness of the fans who feel joy from seeing the life-size cut-out of Sun-jae before the concert. It doesn’t assume that a fan’s love is unremarkable and depicts it in a way that doesn’t take it for granted. If you have experience loving someone deeply as a fan, Lovely Runner is a fantasy and reality. It can be an ode to your past fan activities.
13:00~
No matter how hard you try, fate is fate, and Sol realizes once again as she sees Sun-jae sing on stage amid the cheer of a large crowd of people. Eclipse was not only her joy but Sun-jae’s as well. Sol tells Sun-jae who missed his audition in favor of dating Sol: “I loved your singing. You looked so happy. I’m worried that I may have taken your happiness away from you. I’m worried that you might never be able to sing on stage because of me.” What if your favorite idol who you never would have believed that you’d get close to reciprocate your love? The story can have a happy ending, but Sol jumps through time once again for Sun-jae’s happiness, and his happiness alone. “Keep smiling like that for me. I’ll stay by your side. I’ll stay by your side forever so that you won’t be lonely, or scared when things get tough, so please stay alive for a long, long time.” This is a fan’s hope—to repay the consolation and the strength to continue with their lives from the artists’ performance by giving them joy. Sol believes that she can use her time slip ability to save Sun-jae, just like he saved her years ago. She is willing to be in pain and cry instead of him. She hopes that there is nothing but happiness in his life. If the fans everywhere had just one wish for their idols, it would be for them to be happy for a long time, just like Sol wished Sun-jae to be. This is how a fan’s love becomes complete.