Lovely Runner: Episodes 13-14

288 May 23, 2024May 23, 2024

by Dramaddictally

Love, loss, and a whole new life befall our time-traveling heroine as she makes a final attempt at getting the future right. But as she sidelines our hero in order to save him, she’s learning that some fates just can’t be evaded — especially when your counterpart is hellbent on making them happen.

EPISODES 13-14

We start a little further back in the story than where we left off last week — meaning we’re forced to have our hearts ripped out again by seeing Sun-jae cry. To make up for it, we skip back a few days into the past and see Sol’s birthday, when she and Sun-jae went to an amusement park to celebrate. If cuteness could be sold on a stick, this is what it would like. There’s handholding, corndog sharing, and Ferris wheel riding — complete with a candled cake.

Sun-jae gives Sol a necklace as a gift, clasps it around her neck, and thanks her for being born. She tells him that the person who saved her and made her want to live again was him, and she’s nothing but grateful for it. It’s the sweetest, happy-tears-filled moment I can imagine, which is why it hurts so much when we cut to Sun-jae crying on that train again. But now, he’s decided to hop off and take action, going in search of his Sol-mate.

Meanwhile, our heroine is so desperate to save everyone, she clicks out lies like a Pez dispenser. Not only has she misled Sun-jae into believing she slipped back through time, she fibs to her mom about how safe she is in that small town. Mom wants her back in Seoul stat, but Sol wants to wait it out for the killer. Through a series of newly gained memories, she knows when and where she’ll be abducted — and decides to follow the path that will lead her to that moment.

Luckily, Tae-sung’s detective dad is forever on her side, and he and another officer trail Sol as she makes her way into the danger zone. Just at the second she’s supposed to be nabbed, she stands still and waits, but it’s a security guard that approaches (and we see the killer watch from a distance). The guard is there because Sun-jae called saying she needed protection.

Sol realizes that Sun-jae figured out her plan and is back in town to save her. She leaps off to locate him just as we see Sun-jae stumble onto the killer and start to chase him. Sol runs to the woods — the same spot where she had a vision of Sun-jae coming to rescue her — and as soon as she arrives, Sun-jae is stabbed in the stomach. The police are right behind her to apprehend the crazy cabbie with the shiv, but it’s too late.

Beside the woods, Sun-jae is standing at a cliff’s edge and his ominous line from last week repeats in voiceover: “There are choices you make even though you know the consequences, because you like it.” Then he falls off the cliff and into the water (in a new version of falling off the balcony and into the hotel pool). Sol screams and sobs over the deadly brink — and then we’re in 2023 again.

Before we find out the aftermath, we see Sol going about her life in the present “as if nothing has happened.” She tells us that “several seasons have passed” and we see her working as a PD at her film production company. To lighten the mood after what we just witnessed, the drama turns comic, as Sol negotiates with a drunk and persnickety male lead who refuses to do kiss scenes (Kim Min-ki, in a True Beauty cast cameo).

Their argument turns hostile and lands Sol at the police station (yet again), but this time she bumps into Tae-sung! (There’s no cure for Chronic Sun-jae Loss, but Tae-sung is a decent balm in my book.) He’s behind bars, but it’s just a goofy setup — he’s actually a cop. And once Sol is allowed to leave the station, he takes her for dinner and drinks (where he serves her tofu like she just got out of prison, lol).

The flirty vibe between these two is ever present (well, at least on his side), and when Sol gets too trashed to walk, Tae-sung piggybacks her in the direction of home. But when it starts snowing, Sol thinks about Sun-jae — and all their pretty moments together — and begins sobbing on a bench, saying that she misses Sun-jae. Tae-sung doesn’t know what to do, so he just tries to shield her head from the falling snowflakes. (I love him.)

The next day, Sol finds herself at a movie awards ceremony (for work, sort of), and when she trips on some stairs and begins to fall, Sun-jae is the one who catches her. What?! As we might have guessed, he’s alive and well, thanks to Sol changing the past yet again. This time, he has no idea who she is.

We learn that after he died at the cliff, his watch became a time machine, as it always does when he dies. He’s still wearing the watch when they pull him from the water and Sol sees it activate. She decides that the best solution is to make it so they never meet at all. And when she hits the watch’s button (though it’s not midnight), she travels back in time to high school again.

It’s the day when she and Sun-jae first met in the rain in front of her house. This time, instead of running up to him with an umbrella, she turns around and walks away. They never meet that day, and her family moves to a new house, so they never meet as neighbors either. Sun-jae lives but doesn’t know Sol exists, and now she’s the one with the broken heart.

And now that they’ve finally met, our leads get off on the wrong foot. Sun-jae mistakes Sol for a thief since she’s just sneakily snatched a letter from her boss’s purse (she drunkenly wrote a resignation letter that now she wants to rescind). He’s suspicious and dismissive and it’s the first time we’ve seen these expressions on Byun Woo-seok’s face since this drama began. It’s a total turnaround (and pretty impressive to watch).

Sol runs away but it’s not long before they’re thrown together again when Sun-jae receives a copy of Sol’s script. She’s written a romance movie based on their love story, about a man who meets a tragic end and a woman who goes back in time to save him. The script, as it turns out, is exactly the drama we’ve all been watching. And the ending Sol has written is the point we’ve arrived at now — she severs the link with him and thinks everything is in cosmic order because she gets to see him shine (no matter how much she suffers).

Sun-jae devours the script and, by the end, is crying so much that it’s like his subconscious is remembering that all this really happened to him. In fact, afterward, he starts having dreams and visions of the past timelines when they were together. All this makes him super keen to be in the movie — except, Sol says, no way.

Sun-jae, superstar that he is, is not used to being rejected. And Sol lays it on thick when she turns him down for the role. His pride is so hurt that he goes a little batty in trying to convince her to change her mind (like, he’ll work for free), but she’s relentless in her refusals. Still, the more he follows her around trying to be accepted, the more he starts to like her, and the more familiar she seems to him.

Finally, he goes behind her back and tells her boss that he wants to do the movie. The boss is ecstatic to have him attached to the project, and so, Sol quits the company. Cutting him out of her life was too hard, she can’t be around him now. “I know I shouldn’t feel this way,” she says. “But I want to keep seeing him now that I’ve met him a few times.”

But fate has other plans for these two. When Sol goes to the amusement park where she and Sun-jae rode the Ferris wheel on her birthday, Sun-jae happens to be there shooting a commercial. She gets into a Ferris wheel car, and he hops in right behind her. He remembers this scene from her script, he tells her, and it’s clear he’s trying to understand why he feels this pull to her. “Given how many times we’re running into each other, isn’t the universe basically pushing us toward each other?”

Sun-jae mentions that her script has a sad ending: the man loses his memories of the woman he loved, and then, life just goes on. Sol counters that it’s a happy ending for the woman because she saved the man. But Sun-jae doesn’t buy it. The woman lost love. Can she still be happy after that?

He tells her that he really wants to be in the movie and Sol opens up, “You might die. What if I tell you that getting mixed up with me might kill you?” The Ferris wheel starts to jerk and malfunction and Sun-jae catches Sol in an embrace in the corner. “At this rate, you and I might end up dead here together,” he tells her. Sol thinks to herself, “Our fate was just going around in circles like this Ferris wheel.” And I think: we have two episodes left to change that damn ending.

Everything about this is beautiful. The story is just so well woven. Yes, there are time travel issues. And yes, it would help a lot to have a proper motive for the killer. But the love story is epic. The initial episodes set up the potential for how grand a romance this could be and it has lived up to every bit of its promise. Deeply felt emotion. Heavy, universal themes. And a storytelling penchant for switching between sad and sweet at the exact right second. For a show about time, it’s got its timing down pat.

I will save the analysis and accolades for the finale, but one thing I really loved from these episodes is the question of what makes a sad ending. The quintessential happy ending is that the leads end up together. But, faced with her options, Sol doesn’t see a way for that to happen, and so, she’s choosing the happier of two alternatives. If they live out their love and Sun-jae dies, Sol will end up heartbroken and alone. And if she keeps the timeline as it is now, where they’re not together at all, she’s also heartbroken and alone — but at least he’s alive. Which is the greater tragedy?

As much as I understand Sol’s logic (and I feel for her), I find myself on Sun-jae’s side. Maybe they can find a way to undo their fate and maybe they can’t. But if you know for certain that you’re headed to a painful place, what’s the point of suffering so much on the road to getting there? I’ll root for a classic happy ending until the cows come home. But in lieu of that, I vote for all the happiness that these two can conjure along the way.

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1 Saner

May 23, 2024 at 11:17 AM

Right.

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Saner

May 23, 2024 at 11:22 AM

I feel like there is a conversation to be had about grief and trauma on Sol's side. Our girl literally cannot catch a break. Like, yes, enjoying the journey, having Sun-jae's love etc etc (and I have enjoyed watching every single drop of it) but I can imagine she is beginning to feel like a (super cute!) poisoned chalice to Sun-Jae right now and rational decisions cannot be made in that state of mind. She has grieved Sun-Jae...what, three times now? So her wanting to avoid that, even if she's heart-broken (and maybe she feels like she's had her fair share of Sun-Jae love [Never! It can NEVAH be enough Sol!] having been loved by him in...three? four timelines?) so she should just let him live and maybe find a love that won't kill him.
Which we know our resident loser-in-love will not do and watching him fall cracks me up every time, but his continued success and life up to this point seems only to serve her point.

Of course, this doesn't take into consideration Sun-Jae's point of view at all but then is Sol has to carry the weight of his sacrifice, maybe, ultimately, that's why she feels she's right?

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RenOIshi

May 23, 2024 at 5:52 PM

Totally agree with you. The trauma of watching your one true love die over and over again is less than the trauma of not having his love but having him alive. I don’t understand all the hate she received in ep13. All she was trying to do was end it once and for all. She had the police with her, she wasn’t alone. She tried to handle it the best way she could instead of dragging it out . Poor Sol.

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RenOIshi

May 23, 2024 at 5:53 PM

Trauma is more* ugh

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 24, 2024 at 7:49 AM

I don't think Sol received any hate in episode 13, it is just that we viewers were displeased to see Sun-Jae fall off the cliff that is all. Of course the watch with three new chances opened up another timeline.

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2 hacja

May 23, 2024 at 11:17 AM

I didn’t care for these episodes very much. The show seems to be limping toward the finish. There was the changing of the fantasy rules, adding a second watch on Sun-jae’s wrist. These fantasy rule changes always seems inevitable when more episodes are needed in a show.

But this latest trip back created problems with the time travel logic: how did Sol escape the serial killer this time? Or did she not fall asleep on the bus, thereby not even encountering the serial killer? In which case, why did she have to avoid Sun-jae? Also, where did she get the necklace this time, since Sun-jae gave it to her in a previous time line?

Speaking of the necklace, while I did like the image of the ferris wheel as the wheel of fortune, given that it seemed to be the place where fate brought them together, isn’t that counter to the traditional interpretation of the wheel representing the arbitrariness and fickle nature of fortune? I didn’t quite get where the ending of episode 14 was going with fate and destiny.

Then there was the common 2ML trope, which I also generally don’t like, of Tae-sung as a good looking sympathetic charmer, remaining by her side in love for 20 years. Why? Because he sacrificed all other romantic feelings for his entire life to moon over his first love, just as all men in Korea do, resulting in the negative birth rate we see today? Although I’m sure some would love to see Tae sung in a 16 episode spinoff show“Tae Sung’s Monastery Life” showing him living as a celibate ascetic, kneeling for hours before an image of Sol, I am less enamored of his lack of post-Sol character activity, would like a little more alternative timeline progress away from the failed love triangle.

But of course, the biggest issue was the noble idiocy of Sol, continuously trying to separate from Sundae to save him. I had always hoped that the show would make her realize that after the first encounter with the serial killer, it was the times that both of them faced him alone that he was successful in killing. In fact I would have loved it if the show made the point that every time she sacrificed herself to “save” Sun-jae , supposedly acting in the way that was best for him (but never consulting him) Sun-jae was killed.

In other words, I would have loved it if the serial killer was a metaphor not for some sort of implacable destiny, as he is now, but noble idiocy itself—the stupid arrogance that one partner knows best for the other and that individual sacrifice is better than working together.

In fact that would be my ideal ending: Sol actually saying to Sun-jae: “I understand now that my noble idiocy WAS the serial killer!”

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hacja

May 23, 2024 at 11:21 AM

Funny, in my hasty and sloppy typing, Sun-jae went to "sundae" perhaps suggesting that I also feel his character was a little too meltingly sweet!

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indyfan

May 23, 2024 at 12:24 PM

I never imagined Tae-sung pining for Sol in some celibate manner. More likely our charming rake dated a fair bit, broke a few hearts, perhaps was even bit of a douche. And that’s why he’s still single after all this years. But maybe in his 30s, he’s in a different place and no surprise he has a bit of a soft spot for his “noona” who’d been a bit more of challenge for a charmer like him. Yup, I’m totally making stuff up—and setting a stage for a spin-off. LOL.

Now if it’s the devotion of “Sun-dae” we’re talking about…

In some Eastern traditions, the wheel represents the cyclical nature of time and ties in with repetition of events in the show. Tho this is a gross simplification, but hey, it’s dramaland.

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hacja

May 23, 2024 at 12:47 PM

Re Tae-sung: Are you suggesting that you would instead watch a spinoff entitled "Tae-sung Becomes a Monk?"
As far as the wheel, I did appreciate that it was representing something about the cyclical nature of time, but the end voiceover about fate is what made me think it was representing the nature of fortune, where fate could change in an instant, which is why I'm not sure where destiny comes in, except in the form of a serial killer.

But you know, this gets back to my curmudgeonly gripe about this show--beneath the heart-fluttering moments and the time-travel inconsistencies, it is touching on some interesting themes--fan crushes vs. real love, how romantic "destiny" occurs via coincidental encounters, what kind of sacrifices does love require, etc. etc. I just don't feel its quite brought them out enough, so I don't know whether to emphasize the squees or the squandering! (of themes, that is)

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indyfan

May 23, 2024 at 1:26 PM

Oh my, how’d you get to that? I would like a racier spinoff thank you very much. Gotta get that birth rate up. 😉

It’s definitely a win for squees and a squandering of many things at this stage. But my expectations are much more modest, and you have to admit, it does the squee so damn well. In fact, it’s done it four times! 🥳

Vladdles

May 23, 2024 at 7:17 PM

Sundae in Korean cuisine is a type of blood sausage....

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hacja

May 23, 2024 at 8:38 PM

I actually love sundae, and have contemplated trying to make it.

Unfortunately, my typing is U.S. Not that I don't like butterscotch ice cream sundaes, but they are awfully sweet!

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Vladdles

May 24, 2024 at 12:42 AM

Not sure if I can imagine you rocking up to the local butchers and ordering a metre of intestines and two cups of pigs blood 🩸 good luck with that!

hacja

May 24, 2024 at 7:50 AM

@vladdles The pigs blood is a bit of a problem--in this age of the Internet, the problem is price, that is way out of line for what the blood actually adds in flavor. But it I've made a lot of sausage, through the years. As it happens, I actually have sausage casings right now in my freezer, left over from Christmas--right next to the Melona bars, which of course were featured in a PPL in the beach scene of this show! (Sun jae grabbed the same flavor as Sol, but I couldn't see what that was. One of the gang--Tae sung?--was eating a watermelon flavor, which I haven't had. )

I don't know that I've ever seen a sausage casing PPL though. Too bad, it could provide a big boost in sales to blood sausages around the world!

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Miky

May 23, 2024 at 11:25 AM

I think Sun Jae's watch became a time machine because he basically had it on his hand when he died for her so his will made it possible...From what i've read they are in some manners keeping it to the novel even if most likely stuff were changed...

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Rinovi

May 23, 2024 at 11:54 AM

lol. And you just had to bring up Korea’s plummeting birth rate. Didn’t you see all the hot kisses in previous episodes? That’s how babies are made… in theory.
Tae-sang didn’t date because he is still secretly in mourning for his real girlfriend -Sunny.

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emsel

May 23, 2024 at 11:55 AM

But is this noble idiocy when the other person knows the presumed "noble idiot" is taking action for their sake?

Sun Jae's alternate career should have been a martial arts expert. So he can save sol and be done with the story in 2 eps 😅😅

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 12:21 PM

Sudden Shower is not going to drown the killer cabbie as it has apparently 8.1 M viewers. 😂

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emsel

May 23, 2024 at 10:41 PM

Its funny how a tall and athletic guy like Sun Jae can get stabbed multiple times and die. Tallness=/=atheleticism=/=good self defense

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 24, 2024 at 7:23 AM

Well he did fall off the balcony in the first timeline.

LaurenSophie

May 23, 2024 at 1:46 PM

Also, is it noble idiocy if the alternative (*not* attempting to change fate and just going with whatever she and he wants) doesn't change the outcome either? That is, isn't it better to keep trying to change events--especially when, for example, Sol saw that she did have the power to change some things, like her own paralysis--than to just let Sun-Jae sacrifice himself over and over again? To me, the latter is the more idiotic option.

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indyfan

May 23, 2024 at 2:15 PM

I’ve been comparing this with Run Lola Run rather than other Asian time traveling dramas. Sol has some of the same manic energy as Lola, who simply tries different strategies to save her boyfriend. She is the agent of change. Thus I’m less inclined to categorize it as noble idiocy. I hope Sol succeeds as did Lola.

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bunnylita

May 23, 2024 at 2:28 PM

Run Lola Run is a great comparison. And I think both stories share that desperation that drives both female leads to try anything and everything to keep everyone alive.

Rinovi

May 23, 2024 at 9:39 PM

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indyfan

May 23, 2024 at 10:16 PM

@rinovi Ah, you're probably right in that we're overthinking it. But isn't that right enshrined in the Beanie Charter? 😂

The comparison to EY has been made frequently; I certainly see the overlap. But while in EY you have a clear god-like Comic Creator pulling the strings, no such claim has been made here. So that opens it up to all kinds of philosophical debates over destiny/fate. If we care to, we could examine karma vs nitya to understand fate in the Buddhist tradition (an atheistic religion after all) or the compatibilist perspective as we see free will and determinism intersect.

OK, yeah, we just might be overthinking what's likely pop philosophy in the show. But go on, let us have a bit of fun. How else will the comment section grow? 😉

hacja

May 23, 2024 at 2:50 PM

The issue is HOW she changes fate, not whether she should. Of course she should, but having failed twice, to resort to the same methods--that is by not going to him, or by denying her love for him--she should try a different method. In these episodes it was falsely noble because of the continued feeling, despite Sun-jae's plea to let him help her, that she alone had to sacrifice to change fate--either by risking her life to catch the killer, or by quitting her job to prevent Sun-jae from ever getting to know her, and it was idiocy because the outcome is extreme emotional pain for Sun Jae while it does nothing prevent his death. If Sun-jae was somehow made aware by Sol that she had a feeling that the serial killer was around, she wasn't going to leave him, but he had to be extra careful, and then Sol had called police to help, so he didn't just sprint after the serial killer, he might not have been sacrificed.

I'm just thinking about what my behavior would have been, had I been a good looking actor causing women to squee all over the world, and my wife dreamed predictive dreams (okay, I know that's from another show, so maybe atypical, but..). She dreamed that she would in some way cause my death, and so either she pretended to forget me and ran away, or she told me that she hated me because she now thought I was a terrible person and then walked out saying she never wanted to see me again.

Either way, I'd either be frantic or be in despair, wouldn't care if I lived or died, and so if a serial killer came along, I might just recklessly tackle him rather than run away like the yellow bellied coward I am. So my wife, in trying to avoid causing my death, would have caused my death, whereas if she told me what was going on, I might have been more wary, and would, at the very least, have had moments of happiness.

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indyfan

May 23, 2024 at 3:33 PM

Well, all of Sol’s early attempts had to fail because we’d have no show otherwise. The multiple strategies she attempted on her own seemed somewhat (if not entirely) reasonable (she doesn’t exactly have a guide book on this) but for the writer cooking up some outlandish scenarios for them to fail (borrowing from @elinor ). Look at the chain of unlikely coincidences that led Sun-jae to show up precisely at the cliff of doom in time to be stabbed.

So the structure dictates only Sol’s final strategy must succeed if we’re to have a happy ending (please, please). And perhaps in this last attempt she will account for his/their happiness as well as his life and they will team together—and we have the communication and character growth Beanies are clamoring for. We have hints of this so 🤞🏽

As an aside, if your wife knew you’d lose your memory and so not despair when she left, maybe she’d be right in betting you’d run away from the serial killer without the intervention of some pesky screenwriter. 😜

LaurenSophie

May 23, 2024 at 5:05 PM

Yes, but isn't the issue here not that her methods don't work but that those methods are interrupted at some key stage?

As you said, she has two basic approaches: try to avoid ever crossing paths with Sun-Jae and push him away if she does, OR if that doesn't work, then try to figure out a way to make sure he's not with her when things get the most dangerous, and that often involves keeping something from him. In the end, the reason these plans fail is not, according to Sol's perspective (which I think is logical), that the methods themselves are inherently flawed, but that she just hasn't pulled them off correctly yet. So she keeps tweaking them and trying again. She did previously try being honest with Sun-Jae, and stuck with him, but I think she ultimately saw that that wouldn't be enough to stop fate. In the end, I guess I don't see what else she really could do here other than keep editing and revising her execution of the two methods that make the most sense to her.

tabong

May 23, 2024 at 4:42 PM

"Why? Because he sacrificed all other romantic feelings for his entire life to moon over his first love, just as all men in Korea do, resulting in the negative birth rate we see today?"

😂😂 This had me rolling on my bed.

" I would have loved it if the serial killer was a metaphor not for some sort of implacable destiny, as he is now, but noble idiocy itself—the stupid arrogance that one partner knows best for the other and that individual sacrifice is the better than working together."

Same, hacja, same.

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Rinovi

May 23, 2024 at 10:42 PM

@indyfan
Is there such a thing as Beanie Charter? For real? You scared me. “runs away then comes back” Something as serious as Magna Carta? Or Bill of Beanie Rights?
I hope no one takes my comments too seriously, sometimes I like poking fun at adults who, accidentally, make younger drama fans think too much. What kind of fun of escapism that would be?

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indyfan

May 23, 2024 at 11:36 PM

LOL. Not at all. A failed joke. But compared to the commentariat on many sites, a good number of Beanies (of all ages) make the effort to present thoughtful takes. Still, it's a rom-com. We probably do deserve a gentle poke at our seriousness. Alternatively, scrolling by is also always an option.

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froyo

May 24, 2024 at 7:22 AM

the stupid arrogance that one partner knows best for the other and that individual sacrifice is better than working together.

Is actually spot on, because when she did all of this i feel like she dont understand how much she hurts Sunjae by keep lying and hiding about everything. Maybe after its her turns yearning for 15+ years she understand how was Sunjae's feelings (eventho the first timeline sunjae died alone suffering from guilt and first unrequited love so yeah)

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smurfett820

May 24, 2024 at 6:44 PM

One of the thing I love about this drama is how consistent the rules are. There are inklings sprinkled way in the beginning. Sunjae gave away his watch in the first episode, so there was only 1 watch to go back in time with. And now, there is "2", one on him and one on her. Makes sense to me.

Similarly, this "remembering" of Sunjae has been hinted at as being possible with the grandma kind of knowing what's going on....supposedly, as well.

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dogemama

May 24, 2024 at 9:33 PM

how did Sol escape the serial killer this time? Or did she not fall asleep on the bus, thereby not even encountering the serial killer? In which case, why did she have to avoid Sun-jae? Also, where did she get the necklace this time, since Sun-jae gave it to her in a previous time line?

sol moved away a few months after she avoided running into seonjae on that rainy day. that means she was never on the bus route that passes through the juryoung reservoir, hence she never became a target for the serial killer.

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hacja

May 24, 2024 at 10:13 PM

Therefore, the serial killer never saw her, therefore the serial killer would not have pursued her or Sun Jae, therefore, she had no reason to avoid Sun Jae in the most recent time line!

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FiyaShady

May 24, 2024 at 11:20 PM

Na na naaaa...
Remember Sol did recognised the White Padding girl.
And that girl gave the serial killer's sketch.... plus the girl is stalking SunJae (it is actually In Hyuk but he pratically "live" in SJ's house)
The woven thread is still there. By right, it does stand even a slightest chance for all of them trapped in the same time loop again.
And hell, it will be a complicated series like W then 😅😅😅 (should the writernim became creative 🙈)!

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dogemama

May 25, 2024 at 1:01 PM

don't forget that in the og timeline, she was noticed by the serial killer in the first place bc seonjae failed to wake her up at their bus stop. so she did have reason to avoid him. their fates are tangled in an unfortunate way, and i'm sure there is a better way to unentangle it all (which, hopefully we'll see in the finale), but sol has watched seonjae die too many times at this point. she is traumatized and at her wit's end. playing it safe by avoiding him altogether makes sense.

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3 Blue (@mayhemf)

May 23, 2024 at 11:22 AM

There is only so much cute that can save a plot. Are they going to introduce the serial killer now? Is it like the serial killer can exist only if Sun Jae develops feelings for her?
How did she not go through the incident?? If Sun Jae didn’t save her she probably should be dead or in a wheel chair.
Why write her to be physically challenged in the first place if they are going to pretend it will never happen again? This is my big issue with time travel dramas. And in this case it’s not even a time skip, it’s like time travel and body take over. What happened to original Sol??

I mostly won’t be watching the last two episodes. This is it for me.

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Miky

May 23, 2024 at 11:28 AM

Well she returned the last time to the beginning of course she would avoid all together the killer and she would be safe and she moved on May 9 ,she never met him in this last timeline...

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Sweetiepie

May 28, 2024 at 11:50 PM

Exactly that ...I wondered why didn't she avoid that bus or remember to get off on her bus stop ...and stop all this tragic and angsty mess! The leads could have been together all through.

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Miky

June 1, 2024 at 10:52 AM

I don't think she had much info about what happened to her in that timeline back then because of all the trauma she suffered in the OG timeline and from what i saw fate is a cruel thing,even if she avoided it somehow she would still end up there,like what happened on the cliffs,she tried to outsmart fate(sounds like final destination LOL) and actually ended up doing most of what she saw in those visions...If she went with Jun Jae on that train and tell him everything some stuff would have changed or they would end up together in the abandoned place...

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emsel

May 23, 2024 at 11:47 AM

Your questions are valid but I don't think the drama is cloying. As the recapper says there are "Deeply felt emotions". There couldn't have been a better scene to explain the core of the drama than the ferris wheel scene which shows both the leads emotions.

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tabong

May 23, 2024 at 4:51 PM

"Is it like the serial killer can exist only if Sun Jae develops feelings for her?"
Pretty much... Maybe the killer's beef with Sol is just that he's secretly in love with Sun Jae. And if Sun Jae's not his... you know. 🤷

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Britney

May 24, 2024 at 2:35 AM

"Why write her to be physically challenged in the first place" <- THIS!

I've been thinking about this (and Sun Jae's depression) for awhile now and after these episodes, I'm wondering why we even had to have that in the first place. It didn't say anything about how folks in SK with disabilities face workplace discrimination or limitations (even though we already know/assume this), it didn't say anything about how idol life affects one's mental health.

The ONLY reason Sol was initially paralyzed was to give her a reason to be a dedicated fangirl and Sun Jae to apparently just live with guilt which may or may not have led to his weariness and wanting to retire.

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wapz

May 24, 2024 at 5:25 AM

This is my biggest gripe with the show. And both these aspects had more potential than the serial killer or murder element. I would've liked a story about his suicide and her challenge.

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4 🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 11:38 AM

Thank you for a lovely recap. How amazing is your new definition of Sol-mate. 👌👏

It is amazing to see uri Sun-Jae ya fall first for Sol each an every time he sees her in any and every timeline. 😍

The amusement park flashback makes more sense this time round. It is also which triggers present day Sun-Jae's memories (!?) of the past timelines. I wonder how he ended up with the "S" locket. Did Sol leave it with him after she switched "on" his watch after the fell off that cliff of doom.

Looking at that camera angle from the side when Sol is sitting on the bench and sobbing at the falling snow, while Tae Sung tries to shield her, why do I feel the camera is actually showing Sun-Jae's perspective who's standing at the sidewalk watching them.

The "new" amnesiac Sun-Jae was fun to watch. Poor Sun was left humiliated in front of the whole country thanks to the inadvertent exchange of envelopes with Sol. 😢 But I would say he took it rather sportingly.

Those Sun "chasing" Sol and trying to convince her scenes were such fun. Shout out to Halemoni who's always on Sun-Jae's side. 😊

Can we have the killer cabbie hit by a ToD off-screen. Don't want to see him anymore.

Please let uri Sun Sol have their horoscopes matched in this timeline for a HEA. 😊 💖

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emsel

May 23, 2024 at 11:42 AM

The taxi driver actor is actually hilarious off-screen. He comments on TvN posts supporting Sol and TvN replies with a police car emoji🤣🤣🤣

He also kept the "culprit sketch" of his face from the drama as his display pic in IG. He also visited the 'Lovely Runner' pop-up store.

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Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain

May 23, 2024 at 11:48 AM

Awww, I'm so glad he's having fun with it! It seems like a pretty unrewarding role otherwise.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 24, 2024 at 8:18 AM

His bts and outtakes are fun. It was weird to see him be all pally and taking care of BWS after hitting him onscreen.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 11:49 AM

Oh! Thanks for this info. I hope they invite him to the last episode watch party. Hopefully no one whacks him like Park Sung Hoon was for his character in QoT.

He was very cute in the bts for the fight scene with Sun-Jae.

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FiyaShady

May 23, 2024 at 1:04 PM

Did you hear his voice? And his soft expression is impressive, like super innocent man 😅. And very careful/attentive with hoobae actors. Love his wittiness on posting the sketch in his IG 🤭

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 24, 2024 at 8:20 AM

Posting the sketch was a good idea. 😂

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pliplipli

May 23, 2024 at 1:35 PM

the latest behind the scenes where they kept showing how nice he is off screen and him saying he's a good person was really nice. and KHY posting the pics he took too lol

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 24, 2024 at 8:22 AM

A good working atmosphere and relaxed co-stars really help a performance

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Britney

May 24, 2024 at 2:39 AM

I've always wondered what happens with sketches used dramas and whether the actors kept them. It's nice to know this actor did and how engaged he is with the show's activities. He's the type that can make you feel excited by their excitement haha

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 24, 2024 at 8:23 AM

He's quite good at keeping up the hype!! 😂

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emsel

May 23, 2024 at 11:43 AM

Granma is cute. She reminds me of the FL's mom in "Familiar Wife". In that drama too, the FL's mom had alzheimer and she remembered the ML (Ji Sung) as her son-in-law.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 11:50 AM

Grandmas are the best. 😍 ❤ They always remember the super important things.

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vienibenmio

May 23, 2024 at 11:56 AM

Same with the grandma in Hello Me - she had dementia but knew what was going on. seems like a common trope!

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 12:19 PM

I would vote for this trope 100 out of 100 times over noble idiocy and amnesia.

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LaurenSophie

May 23, 2024 at 1:47 PM

It occurred to me that the "S" could also stand for "Sun-Jae." So maybe he just really liked that necklace and bought it for himself, lol.

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Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain

May 23, 2024 at 2:38 PM

I had the same thought! It's deliberately ambiguous. Like the clock in the brown case, it's a persistent object but its origin seems to change - it must be significant that it doesn't vanish in this timeline the way the photobooth photo, candy jar, etc. disappear. I'm gonna be mad if it's a gift from some old girlfriend, though. 😂

As for noble idiocy: I have very little patience with it in general, but Sol does seem to be stuck in a difficult predicament. Leaving aside the idiotic (and presumptuous) business of trying to change someone else's fate without their knowledge or consent, she's already seen in previous timelines that she hasn't been able to prevent SJ's death whether she reveals it to him or not. Telling SJ she fears for his life and spending the presumed night of his death with him only defers it. Not telling him on the train and trying to catch the killer with the police makes him also act unilaterally without communicating with her, and he not only prevents the killer's capture in time but also dies again. I share the frustration of beanies who point out that Sol doesn't seem to grow and change with experience, but what was she supposed to learn from those experiences? The problem is that her assumptions seem to be wrong. She believes that (1) preserving SJ's life long-term is the most important goal, disregarding his opinion, which is both kind of noble and kind of idiotic, and (2) the killer will leave SJ alone if he's not associated with Sol. That's noble enough as a motivation and it isn't idiotic to act on that if it's true, but there's STILL not enough evidence for that - and that's the fault of the writer, not Sol.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 9:51 PM

👏👏👏 for your spirited defense of Sol. The best I've read till now.

That watch, necklace and presumably watch with Sun-Jae in the present timeline are surely significant objects which would come into play in the present.

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UrsulaX

May 24, 2024 at 10:44 AM

I would think the lesson would be that she needs to focus exclusively on the cabbie, because her relationship with SJ has no bearing on the cabbie's predatory behavior. He'll kill with or without them involved. At first, she thought that Sun-jae's death was a suicide, so it made some sense to get involved with him (though she probably should have learned more about his life and thought through her approach a bit more). Now, she knows that the cabbie caused her accident, the death of someone else (the buried body), and SJ's attack in the future. Her decision to distance herself from SJ makes little difference if she does not proactively address the cabbie issue, too. At this point, we can't really tell if she did anything in this timeline, which is an odd omission on the drama's part. Seeing the killer running around in the current timeline while she's wasting time arguing with SJ seems a bit dumb. It just seems as if she's too emotionally attached to SJ to address the underlying cause of their problems.

You're right about both SJ and Sol acting unilaterally. I get more frustrated with the writers for making this seem romantic and giving mixed messages about what may or may not be inevitable. Realistically, a human being committing crimes is quite capable of being caught and permanently imprisoned or killed. In Sol's shoes, I would investigate the watch and try to learn more about its capabilities. Perhaps she's misunderstanding her role, and other people are capable of time travel, too.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 24, 2024 at 10:58 AM

I would say she is trying to address the cabbie issue (though not exclusively) but the future keeps changing perhaps due to her proactive approach.
Agreed - Sun Sol willing to due to protect each other and not discussing their plan to counteract the cabbie is frustrating and not romantic at all.

dogemama

May 24, 2024 at 9:44 PM

how is there not enough evidence that the killer only goes after seonjae bc of sol? seonjae is only ever targeted by the serial killer bc in every timeline, he comes to sol's rescue and ends up being the direct cause of the killer's conviction and imprisonment. if sol was not in the picture, the serial killer would not cross paths with seonjae.

and ironically, since seonjae is not in the picture, sol doesn't miss her bus stop, and also manages to avoid the serial killer. they inadvertently put each other in the serial killer's direct line of assault, so it makes complete sense for sol to try eliminating her relationship with him to protect both of them.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 24, 2024 at 10:00 PM

I just hope Sun Sol can end the loop by being together and defeating the cabbie as apparently they can't do it alone.

RenOIshi

May 23, 2024 at 8:09 PM

I definitely think he bought it for himself.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 9:54 PM

Ah! What if it was gifted to him by his mother originally.

I do think we are putting more thought into it than the writers did ... but it is just soo much fun. And all this speculation makes the week seem to pass faster. I'm waiting eagerly for but also dreading the arrival of Monday. Ottoke.

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RenOIshi

May 24, 2024 at 4:53 AM

Hmm. They never mentioned his mother. I don’t think they should introduce another character this late in the game.

🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 24, 2024 at 8:29 AM

I don't think they will introduce her now - just a passing mention. It seems more like a mother's gift than from a father to the son, that is all. Pure speculation of course. The drama may decide not to give any explanation at all. 🤷‍♀️

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Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain

May 24, 2024 at 11:10 AM

In episode 4, his swimming rival (where did that guy go?) taunts SJ that his mom’s wish was for him to be on the national team, and that SJ should go to his mom’s grave and beg for her forgiveness for quitting. SJ responds by swearing and throwing fists. That’s the only mention of his mother I can recall. I kept waiting for there to be some mom follow-up, but there hasn’t been. There is a family photo in his house - SJ looks to be middle-school age, and Mom is much taller than Dad. 😂 Nice attention to detail from the production team.

🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 24, 2024 at 11:28 AM

And amazing detective skills Beanie-nim. 🧐👏👏👏

🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 24, 2024 at 11:30 AM

^^ @Elinor

🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 9:46 PM

To his credit Sun-Jae doesn't seem that narcissistic. 😂 So I'll go with he "subconsciously" thought of Sol. 😉 Although I do admit your explanation is more logical. 😄

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5 emsel

May 23, 2024 at 11:39 AM

@dramaddictally That was a beautiful recap. I expect no less than a tribute to this wonderful show and its talented actors in the finale. Bring it on!

As far as me, I am so not ready for this drama to end next week! From having my heart wrapped around the smiles of Im Sol and Sun Jae to the beautiful aches I felt everytime the OTP entered a new timeslip and kept falling for each other, it has been one heck of a watch experience ❤

I get that majority felt Sol was stupid in Ep 13, but even if she did not try to trap the murderer, the timeloop would have ensured that Sun Jae met his tragic end in a different place at a different time. Their decision to protect each other isn't going to change anytime, so I am waiting for the writer to surprise me with a choice that will help them break free from the loop. Even if it isn't logical, I am glad for these actors and directors give me the feels of a new Kdrama fan. It is hard to be excited when you have been a Kdrama viewer for a decade.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 11:57 AM

Yay for HEA. 🙌 Logic, timeloop, plot, killer cabbie can take a flying leap out the window and I won't care.

Sun Sol have indeed been magical. Hopefully uri Ryu-omeo and Sol-iet will have a long and happy life together. I can't wait to see their wedding photo shoot which (hopefully) they would have shot. What with all these marriage references in the drama. We would be robbed if they didn't get a marriage photo shoot. Heck, even the Gold brother and Screechy friend cum sister-in-law got one.

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emsel

May 23, 2024 at 12:02 PM

I liked the offspring of the idiotic bro and screechy friend. The kid was cute.

Cera, check out the salon drip 2 preview of KHY and BWS. They really have a Sol and Sun Jae vibe off screen.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 12:30 PM

While I usually watch some bts, especially if a Beanie posts it. This is the first dram where I make sure to see lots of bts, all random Sun Sol snippets and interviews. They indeed have that Sun Sol vibe IRL.

Thanks for the recommendation. I will be sure to check out Salon Drip 2 for Sun Sol. ❤

I'm already excited about the new drama they have been offered together.

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RenOIshi

May 23, 2024 at 8:13 PM

Me too haha! I have never been this obsessed with BTS before!

FiyaShady

May 23, 2024 at 1:31 PM

Love your PoV as well @emsel ❤️. Perhaps we are in the same wavelength while watching LR. The excitement is real, even though time travel drama isn't really a novel concept. But yes, it hits every great button for me!

Thank you @dramaddictally for a wonderful recap and will wait for your finale tribute with this show 🥰.

P/S: let's not hope I don't fall in drama withdrawal syndrome next 2 week then 🥹. Ottokeee

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pliplipli

May 23, 2024 at 1:37 PM

I'm there with you. this has always been a romance story at the core so I really dont care about logic if the charming is being delivered lol I think the drama will make sungjae remember everything AFTER he fell in love with her once again so they can keep the memories, but the show stil makes a point that their love was always meant to happen in any timeline.

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thursdaynexxt

May 23, 2024 at 8:41 PM

Same here! I'm watching for the feels and squees, not the logic, kekeke

Whether it's offering him her umbrella and candies in the rain, or hugging him at the swimming pool in front of everyone, or pushing him *into* the pool, or embarrassing him in front of the whole country on live tv, she will ALWAYS leave an unforgettable impression on Sunjae, lol

There's no point following the logic, when Sol keeps "remembering" new memories! (like "foreseeing" her future self being trapped on the clifftop before she even experienced it - did the watch give her new powers?!). It's definitely not a show about figuring out the mechanics of the time loop, for sure.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 24, 2024 at 8:56 AM

The drama has sure dished out the "feels and squees" in spades!! ♥️🙌

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 24, 2024 at 8:33 AM

Sun-Jae has already started remembering since he met Sol in the present timeline. I do think you're right. He will remember it all but the bottom line is that they are Sol-mates as described wonderfully in the recap.

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6 Rinovi

May 23, 2024 at 11:42 AM

Sun-Jae in a black suit had those villainous Ryu Si-O vibes for a moment. Made me happy. I was hoping maybe, just maybe, the writer will show Sol’s taming the bad boy in the next few episodes. But no, he was back to his normal sweet loser for Sol persona in no time.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 12:34 PM

😄 So glad I wasn't the only one who went - oh Ryu Si-oh!!

Sun-Jae falling in love each time and "begging" her to like him is hilarious each time.

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RenOIshi

May 23, 2024 at 8:14 PM

That is the most endearing part about the writing. I don’t think I have ever witness a ML written this day!

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 9:12 PM

I totally get the chatter about Sun-Jae being the "loser" in love. But IMO he's the ultimate winner- uri Ryu-omeo!! 😍❤

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Rinovi

May 23, 2024 at 9:55 PM

Comment was deleted

7 sal

May 23, 2024 at 11:51 AM

This two ep cemented Sol love for SJ as she steered clear of Sj all those 15 years so they both stayed safe. As SJ had a one sided love for Sol in the first timeline, now it is Sol that had a 15 year long on sided love for SJ. And clearly her sacrifice bear fruit as they both is healthy and living stable life. I find it interesting that the killer is showing up now as they crossed paths, so I guess they are in a loop with him and they have to work together to get rid of him in the present timeline.

I think the conversation they had in the fairy wheel is a true commentary on their situation and also an answer to how to it ends. I also have to say beside the time traveling I also like Sol and SJ relationship as they both are honest to each other and can now read each other well. It is really an epic romance story as they gonna find each other no matter the times they are in.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 12:03 PM

I guess they are in a loop with him and they have to work together to get rid of him

This is just spot on. I hope they also drop a (meta) comment on the inefficiency of "noble idiocy" and how "unity is strength". Also a PSA for couples to communicate well with each other.

Hwaiting Sun Sol!! You can do it.

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pliplipli

May 23, 2024 at 1:41 PM

I guess the scene in the convenience store was to show that he will fall for her any timeline they are in. their paths will cross, fate, blablabla. this has always been the main point of the whole story as you said.. their epic romance.

I think they will get the bad guy with the help of taesong, which they didnt have in the previous timelines. and I believe the drama will, somehow, make sungjae 3.0 remember the previous timelines so they can both have the same memories by the end. I think him getting glimpses of them pointed to that

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 24, 2024 at 9:00 AM

Tbh, we fall for Sun Sol in every timeline too!! 😂

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UrsulaX

May 24, 2024 at 11:10 AM

I assumed the time travel situation was the same in this timeline, so she did not spend 15 years pining for him. She returned to the future shortly after she made adjustments in the past, so for her time-traveling self, it has been about a year or less since she saw SJ fall off the cliff. Hopefully, she tried to stop the serial killer in the past, too, and we just haven't seen that, yet, since none of the actions we've been shown had any effect on his criminal impulses. The cabbie had at least one other victim, and moving away is not enough to stop him from killing others or ultimately crossing paths with him in a different way.

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dlrgy

May 24, 2024 at 12:00 PM

I kept thinking if the anguish of living 15 years of your life over again, never able to confide in anyone. It makes sense they skipped showing us that, because it's honestly a horror movie

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pliplipli

May 24, 2024 at 3:48 PM

I think that version of Sol didn't live 15 years all over again. she went to the past for the last time, avoided meeting him and then went back to the future, for her new 2023 self. she didn't live the years in between. to me, it's like that version took over the body of 3rd timeline Sol from 2023 and only really lived that one year they showed in the drama.

(I don't know if I explained my point properly, this time travel + basic english skill make it harder, sorry)

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8 Gum Shoe

May 23, 2024 at 12:00 PM

I think that Sol keeps thinking the fate that she is trying to change is Sun Jae dying. Here, we have the relentless (motive yet unknown, but I don't care) killer, but truth is that death comes to all, and we just don't know when. However, as heart wrenching as these couple of episodes have been, I think their true fate is actually that they are destined to meet and love each other. No matter how she tries to change that, fate still draws them together. She just needs to see that and accept that if she finds a good true love that living that life with love as long or short as it may be, this is the life worth living for both.
These episodes also showed that no matter their worldly success, they each were unfulfilled and missing something without each other. The present Sun Jae having not met Sol hasn't blossomed in some ways, similar to the reserved Sun Jae before Sol came charging into his life with a hug at the pool. He's a little like a dish without salt--the ingredients might be good and good looking, but it takes that dash of sel/sol to round it out and make it full. Similarly, Sol without Sun Jae is going through the motions of life, intellectually telling herself that this is the right way to live, but essentially unhappy.
Yes, these past couple of episodes were not as fun, but I think the writers have a plan. Sol may need to have this saving Sun Jae at the cost of missing out on love for both of them to realize that this loss of love is not only her sacrifice but that she is taking something essential away from Sun Jae. As much as Sun Jae is a sweet heart to Sol, Sol should realize how much joy and support she gives to Sun Jae in a relationship. When this happens, which I think it will, it will be a beautiful thing to behold.
I am still on board. Please piggyback us to the happy end.

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emsel

May 23, 2024 at 12:09 PM

However, as heart wrenching as these couple of episodes have been, I think their true fate is actually that they are destined to meet and love each other. No matter how she tries to change that, fate still draws them together. She just needs to see that and accept that if she finds a good true love that living that life with love as long or short as it may be, this is the life worth living for both.

Nailed it, but in reality even if there is 0.1% probability in saving a loved one, everyone would try it than give up/accept the truth and that is exactly what both the leads are doing.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 12:36 PM

That is why even this noble idiocy seems more noble than idiotic. Can't even get mad at them - uri cuties Sun Sol. 😭

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hacja

May 23, 2024 at 12:12 PM

I completely agree with you--as I said, that would be the lesson that I would like to her learn--but I would have really liked some inkling of this development in these episodes. Right now, I have a sense of the show spinning its wheels, like the ferris wheel of fortune, so I'm not totally confident that we'll get that much desired resolution, or if it happens, it will come so late in the last episode that it will be abrupt and unsatisfying. However, I'll probably take everything back if the wheel begins to turn in a favorable direction next episode!

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 12:13 PM

Thank you for your absolutely lovely comment.

What a wonderful way to see uri Sun Sol's relationship - "their true fate is actually that they are destined to meet and love each other". 😍 ❤

Your sentence "She just needs to see that and accept that if she finds a good true love that living that life with love as long or short as it may be, this is the life worth living for both." literally made me cry.

The happy vs. sad ending debate is really nuanced.

"I am still on board. Please piggyback us to the happy end."

Me too!! 🙌 💖

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9 Kurama

May 23, 2024 at 12:01 PM

The rules of time travelling didn't make sense. How she could decide when in the past she went? How long she stayed because the real Sol should have died because Sun Jae didn't save her... Tae-Sung wouldn't have dated her if 34 years old Sol didn't intrigue him, so why they have this relationship now? The mother doesn't seem to have scar on her hand? So the events she changed before rested unchanged but only Sun Jae forgot about everything? It's kinda weird.

I'm happy to see them as adults and Sun Jae will always fall for Sol, so each time is always super swoony to watch.

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indyfan

May 23, 2024 at 12:35 PM

A lot was left unanswered with the latest time travel. I wish they could have spent a bit more time on the new timeline instead of much of the filler in #13. Yet it’s a testament to the power of these lead characters that I just switched off my brain and went along with the fun and feels of the new timeline. When it’s good, the show is just cracking.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 12:52 PM

💯 "When it’s good, the show is just cracking."

Sun Sol dazzle us with the power of double suns and we forget minor details like plot, logic or is it illogical plot or some such odds and ends.

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Miky

May 23, 2024 at 1:50 PM

I don't think she left that fast,like she went back then by her coments and stayed there enough to change those key points about her accident and returned only after ,like she said several seasons passed since she came back...Still,i'm curious how did she met Tae Sung in this new timeline and how she developed their relationship...

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FiyaShady

May 24, 2024 at 4:49 AM

My opinion about Sol and TaeSung: she still have the same experience like before. Meet Tasung again by beating up those smoker in the alley. Keep him stay and graduate HS (rather than him being dropoff). Told him that he might have detective's knack
like his father. It could be a plausible theory here, right? 😉😉

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 24, 2024 at 9:07 AM

But then by her own logic she should have steered clear of the boy's school to avoid inadvertently meeting up with Sun-Jae because *obviously* he would fall her her before she could say RUN!

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10 shinayame

May 23, 2024 at 12:16 PM

I finished these episodes so angry, because there is a lot I love about this show, but it's all tainted by the fact that Sol HASN'T CHANGED. AT ALL.
A main point of any protagonist is evolution. Not evolving, whether for better or worse, makes a main character boring and static. The best dramas are the ones where characters you love have a satisfying character arc that makes sense.
Sol's arc does not make sense. She doesn't have one. She is exactly where she was in episode 1, except now she's in love with Sun Jae instead of just his fan.
Yeah, she says they keep going around in circles, but the show seems to forget or seem to keep Sol forgetting that she can change that at any time. Development for her would have been realising that going back in time was never about saving Sun Jae, it was about loving him and fixing what went wrong in her own life. Also, development would have been staying on the damn train in the last cycle, but I'm not beating that dead horse again.
What makes me upset about this is there is no time for the show to give us any believable reason for her to change her mind, because she's had four chances already, and she did nothing with any of them. Any reason they give us for Sol changing her mind is just going to seem hollow and implausible. I expected so much better. I don't even care about the serial killer. For a catalyst, he's superbly irrelevant.

Do you know what would have been awesome? If pressing the button had catapulted Sun Jae into the past instead, so he could have a go at changing the past. Bet he'd've done a better job.

This got rant-y, sorry. But the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment, I suppose.

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GySgt213

May 23, 2024 at 1:16 PM

"Sol HASN'T CHANGED. AT ALL."

You nailed it. This one of the main problems with the writing. She never learns and as I wrote before she constantly makes matters worse for herself and Sua Jae.

I hate to say this but it seems to be a common weakest when it comes to female characters among k-drama writers. Most just do not know how to write strong female characters that evolve, grow and learn.

In Death's Game the male character relived life 12 times and each time he went back he learned and was able to put into practice something new to win the game and change his fate.

So far we have seen none of this with Sol and by now we should have.

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indyfan

May 23, 2024 at 1:48 PM

I realize character growth arcs are satisfying, but I wanted to note that they aren’t required for a good story. Many stories have flat characters, from ancient epics to many contemporary literary endeavors. As in real life, people rarely change and grow in neat arcs.

It is, however, a depressing preposition so I admit I’m with many of you in hoping to see it with Sol. After all, this is a fantasy rom-com. If Sol can’t change herself and her fate even with the help of a magical time traveling watch, what hope do we have in our mundane lives.

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GySgt213

May 23, 2024 at 3:16 PM

Well, Sol has had no arc whatsoever. So flat it is.

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indyfan

May 23, 2024 at 3:56 PM

Sounds awful when phrased like that. LOL. But really, think of the Greek gods, every Chekovian character, heck, even Poirot—and we still have some pretty great stories.

While I would be fine (and in the minority) if Sol alone manages to change their fate (similar to Lola in a comparison made above), it’d also be pretty cool if we see the growth Beanies want. I did see hints of that during the Ferris wheel conversation. But as Shinayame says, it might be too rushed and feel implausible. But 🤞🏽

FiyaShady

May 23, 2024 at 9:23 PM

I for one in totally minority group here then...where I do believe that women character does not have to be as par with male one. There are writers who can write strong female character, but it will not bode well with youth/ rom-com fluffy drama.

For me, Sol did grow by accepting the fate that how many she tries in the past, Sun Jae's death still inevitable in her life. So, she shut herself out, learnt a super hard life lesson that she rather lose her love than Sunjae for dozen times again. It might be percieved as a negative growth but sometimes life is bitter. She did change her life at one point: from being a depressed,wheel-chair, suicidal lady to one that be able to pursue her dream as PD/ people who involving film making.

For all reasons in the recap comment, I do value each and everyone's opinion here. As per @indyfan comment above, LR does not required meganormous arc like Death Game to make a good story in rom-com genre.

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dogemama

May 25, 2024 at 1:24 PM

she has changed though. she has had many moments of retrospection where she takes time to reflect on how she missed the little moments and let her own life pass her by in her first life. she values her family so much more this time. she values seonjae, and she values herself. she appreciates how precious life is. bc she keeps failing doesn't mean she's weak or that she hasn't changed. she has changed her strategy on each time loop, but the problem is that each time she hasn't had a lot of information to go off of. she goes by whatever information she has, and she does take what she learns into account. there are definitely some weak points in the writing, but sol's characterization i think has been one of the strongest.

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Bunny Sonaki

May 23, 2024 at 8:14 PM

👏👏👏👏👏
Can't agree more. Being consistent is one thing and being boring and static is another. Sol tried this noble idiocy before in college days and it didn't work but she still got off the train. Even after the guy got killed, she went like it would be better not to meet. Seriously!
Seon-jae going to tbe past would have been more satisfying and interesting than the mess that is ep 14.

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11 tabong

May 23, 2024 at 12:22 PM

I HATE it when writers treat me like I'm stupid, so... rant incoming:

1. We have seen Sol travel in time multiple times, and a few things those trips have in common is that (1) her memories DO NOT change/disappear. All the information she has is from the original timeline, or things she learns when she goes back in the future.
The show has given her VERY convenient glimpses of her memories from the new timeline, but those are OG Sol's memories. Remembering her nephew it's okay, because OG Sol lived that experience.

But it makes no sense for Sol to have memories of a future OG Sol doesn't live. NO DAMN SENSE. This isn't that's so raven. Sol CAN'T see the future just because. 😂😂 Visions of things OG Sol would never experience, like that random Eclipse concert without Sun Jae, have nothing to do here. Or even worse, seeing the killer in Busan? The one living this present is Sol from the future, how can OG Sol have memories of wtv happens here? Being in the past SHOULD prevent Sol from knowing the changes made in the future regarding Sun Jae, the killer, and pretty much everything connected to this period of time.

This is something basic Yeon Woo, FL of W, says to Kang Cheol: "while I'm here, I know nothing". A webtoon or the past, is the same stuff. You can't be in two places at the same time.

(2) Sol only goes back to specific times connected to her accident.

I mean, since when that watch gets to take her to whenever time she wants??? Since when she can control it?
Why would the watch decide to take her to the first time he saw her?
And I guess the watch becomes magical after something happens to Sun Jae, but why would the watch transport Sol when it's literally on Sun Jae's wrist? It can detect her fingerprints or what? Also, it has another two opportunities now?

Anyway, no matter how much this show is trying to bend time travel rules (even the particular rules of the show), those two facts shouldn't change.

2. If Sol made a complete reset by moving from that place.
(1) How did her friend fell in love with her oppa?
the bestie should have her single life of the OG timeline.
(2) Didn't Sol give her oppa the lotto numbers BEFORE resetting time?
(3) Tae Seong should be doing wtv he did in the OG timeline too. It makes zero for him to call Sol "gangster noona" because he NEVER met her in the original timeline. He only knew OG Sol. And we know he never cared about/had a relationship with OG Sol.

And this is only assuming Sol not only moved from that house, but also changed schools/neighborhood/town.
Because of she didn't disappear from the map:

(4) How is she still alive and healthy? The same way Sun Jae chooses to save her, and Sol chooses to save him, the killer chooses to kidnap her in every single timeline.

(5) Sun Jae had a crush on the umbrella or Sol?? why would he not fall for her only because the first time they met changed? Unless she completely disappeared from...

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tabong

May 23, 2024 at 12:27 PM

I can't understand this.
The guy that was completely in love with her, no matter how much she ignored his existence, suddenly won't fall for her because the first time he saw her wasn't in that particular day?
You can't sell me that after literally making his entire personality "being in love with Sol no matter what".

3. Talking about SunSol... *sigh*

I can't stand I-will-push-my-way-into-your-life Sun Jae, and I completely hate watching Sol throw her life away for no damn reason. AGAIN.
I wanted to call the police on him, and slap the nonsense out of her.

I don't like how 34yo Sun Jae still acts like a 19 kid.

When he was 20, I tried to understand since people don't grow up just because they add a number to their age. And his obsession with Sol annoyed me a little, but I can try to make sense of a barely-legal kid clinging to the girl he likes.

But what's with this 34 yo man trying to force himself into a project? 😒 he uses the weirdest methods to try to convince the PD. He would've scared the hell out her if it wasn't because it's Sol, and she's incapable of seeing flaws in him.
Even when he hears that she quit her job because of him, he's like, "nah, I don't want you to do that. Just film this movie with me". Why on earth is this about HIM and what HE wants?
I don't care if in reality he is the ML of the story, Sol's impossible love, or whatever. He has no right to force her to do anything.

And Sol...
In this new timeline, she has no past relationship with the killer in this timeline, so why does she think that something will suddenly happen in 2023? Why would you quit your job and scream at your friend, girl?

Is it because deep down she knows the writer of this show hates to see her happy and peaceful? Is it because she knows the killer's obsession with her is just a lazy plot device that appears everytime she's near Sun Jae? Does she know this show doesn't make one bit of sense?

If she knows all that, then wouldn't it make more sense for her to NOT work in the same industry as him? What did she expect when he's such a famous actor?

Oh, wait, but the one choosing this career path was technically OG Sol, the one that has nothing to do with Sun Jae.
Oh, wait, but if OG Sol has nothing to do with him, how is this entire show/time travel possible? Why didn't the reset work on her too? F if I know.

4. Sol's memories and her perception of time and life never made sense, but we said OKAY.
However, now even Sun Jae gets random dreams/memories of all the previous timelines that technically never happened and he never lived? He doesn't even has the "time traveler experience" excuse Sol has. Unless this is secretly a reincarnation show, tell me wtf is going on.

*Sigh*
Give me a break.

I don't know if the writer thinks I'm brainless or what, but this show is lazy AF. Zero respect for the viewer and their time.

This show has never been perfect, but while...

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GySgt213

May 23, 2024 at 12:54 PM

@tabong. I am not quite sure about your feelings for this show. Snicker.

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tabong

May 23, 2024 at 4:10 PM

🤣

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vienibenmio

May 23, 2024 at 1:49 PM

I just dropped this drama (just reading the recaps to find out what happens) and I think you're doing a good job of summarizing why I had so much trouble with it

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Peridot

May 24, 2024 at 9:32 AM

I agree with so many of your points and have similar questions.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 1:06 PM

Your Lovely rants are just 👌.
Omona "Sun Jae had a crush on the umbrella or Sol??". I have a tummy ache after laughing too much.

The only reason I'm still enjoying (and am wholly immersed in) this drama because I'm not applying any logic, plot analysis, expectations of character growth or even consistency. I am actually going in with a leave-your-brain-at-the-door mindset 🙃 and just along for the ride with Sun Sol.

PS - Also did you get cut off on both your comments!?

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FiyaShady

May 23, 2024 at 1:38 PM

That is the correct midset when watching any time travel drama @seeker. Need to throw away your logic brain out of window and enjoy the platter 😅🤣🤭. Works for me very well since decades of watching Kdrama. Overthinking will only makes my hair greying even faster 😂😂😂 !

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 8:06 PM

I'm in for the ride. ✅
But the rational part of my brain in that little corner, not currently squee-ing over Sun Sol agrees with with Tabong. 🙃

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tabong

May 23, 2024 at 4:26 PM

You know how some people seem to take bad acting personally?
I'm the type to take bad writing personally. 😂

Especially with this writer that made jokes about QoT writer's previous projects, but they literally took someone's webtoon and made... this.

I don't expect all dramas to be masterpieces, I just expect writers to do their job? Like the minimum? Like AT LEAST some common sense inside the room. I don't think they even read what they wrote because they keep destroying the their own time-travel-logic.
I don't think I'm asking a lot.

And if I have to forget about "logic, plot analysis, expectations of character growth or even consistency" what's left to watch? 😭 The visuals? I can just drop the show and watch the actors being cute in a two-minutes-interview. But I actually wanted a tv show? You get me, chingu?

PS - it's okay, that was practically the ending of the comment.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 8:01 PM

I'm with you on ALL your comments Tabong. Your views are so accurate that when we come out of this brain addled haze of pink smoke of Sun Sol perhaps we will find this drama unwatchable for rewatch and may start questioning our drama watching taste.

I didn't know this writer made fun of the QoT writer. That was a low blow. Agreed, with this context the Lovely writing is even more questionable. From comments it seems the "original" creative additions in the drama are even more wtf!? Apart from Tae Sung 💜 but then his character inconsistencies and ever changing professions are not doing him any favors. Kudos to Song Geon-hee for still making Tae Sung shine. To be fair the drama is in love with the OTP and Sun Sol have many moments to shine which Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon are utilizing to the maximum.

It does seem that no one at tvN expected anything out of this drama and put in minimum effort. The actors obviously had a lot of prove and worked really hard. So happy with this "overnight" success of the OTP after a decade of very hard work spent honing their skill. It is just a matter of timing and fate 😊 that this drama has gained worldwide popularity. While I'm deliriously happy for the success of Byeon Woo-seok, Kim Hye-yoon, Song Geon-hee and Lee Seung-hyub. I just hope the writers don't take to heart a lesson that they don't need to work on their script and just getting an amazing support cast and a sizzling OTP is enough.

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tabong

May 23, 2024 at 9:28 PM

I feel you, chingu. That's pretty much what happened to me with QoT. I was enjoying the show without many thoughts about it and then, when it ended, I had a reality check. 😂

Ah, the reference to the writer is that movie Sun Jae keeps dissing. He talks about the "old style" script of a mermaid/north Korean soldier/zombie or something like that. He rejected that movie for Sol's project.

I completely agree. The actors deserve all the love they got. They're pretty much the only thing this show got right, imo.

🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 10:20 PM

@enriquequierecagar Ah! yes, I had forgotten the "original" script. Although the zombie bit seems added-on.

I guess during a live watch we are just swept away by the OTP. But all these issues do affect the rewatch value and "legacy" of the drama.

vienibenmio

May 24, 2024 at 11:19 AM

It honestly seems like dramas based on webcomics often have this happen and I REALLY don't get it. Like, you have the source material right there. I'm starting to think that drama adaptations are just people liking the premise and that's it, they want to use the premise and use that only as a jumping off point rather than actually adapt the story.

🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 24, 2024 at 11:35 AM

@vienibenmio To be fair not all webcomics are adaptable as is but deviating so much from the original source that the story its becomes unrecognizable is also not a good idea. I have not tried to search for the original webcomic or for any spoilers. Am just enjoying the drama. 😂

pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

May 24, 2024 at 1:15 AM

so many things in this new timeline make 0 sense - I freely admit, as I did earlier, that I'm not watching for the plot anyway but even some of the character stuff does NOT add up. Personally, I'm fine with this timeline's 34 year old Sun-jae not reacting in exactly the same 'love at first sight' way to Sol as his OG timeline younger self when they finally meet, since the real thing happening is that he's immediately and strongly drawn to her just as he was the first time. Also 'pretty girl next door being nice to him' vs 'possible thief gatecrasher' makes for different first impressions, the part that's consistent is that she's on his mind pretty much instantly and constantly from that moment onwards.

I also assume she never met the killer in this version/never ended up in his cab? OG Timeline Sol fell asleep on a bus, missed her stop because she was asleep (and Sunjae didn't wake her), got off at the next to last stop and was kidnapped/nearly killed, with Sunjae being the one to save her life. I assume in this version, since Sunjae is absent, she just never got on the bus or missed that stop? If she never got in the killer's cab as a teenager in this timeline, then that means he wouldn't have her 2009 phone to fixate on her from. idk, there are just a lot of "if" here!

But as for the rest, there are a lot of holes, you're right about Sol and Tae-sung (even assuming she didn't move schools or stayed close enough to go to the same high school....how are these two friends or exes in the current timeline again? They weren't friends in the OG timeline. Was Altered Timeline Young Sol chasing her OG timeline crush this time around?). Same with Geum and the lottery numbers like you pointed out - if Sol reset everything back to erasing her first encounter with Sun-jae then how are those lottery numbers still in Geum's possession when Sol gave them to him in a changed timeline?

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tabong

May 24, 2024 at 1:53 AM

I would say this new timeline is just a big question mark.

Like you said, everything is pretty ambiguous and we have to think of the "if". The funny thing is that one way or another it doesn't add up.

A. Reset + moving away = fixes everything. No killer.

B. Sol disappears from Sun Jae + somehow still has some kind of connection with the killer in the past = a Sun Jae-free version of the OG timeline. But that means Sol would probably be dead.

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

May 24, 2024 at 2:10 AM

my guess is that details from other timelines and not just the OG, might be bleeding into this one? (eg Halmeoni remembering that Sol missed Sun-jae, that's not OG timeline material). What is even going on here?

if she moved houses (but stayed close enough to go to the same school, I assume that's how Tae-sung is still in her life - I assume she avoided Sun-jae at all costs but allowed herself to befriend TS at least and keep him on the straight and narrow? I think he has a crush for sure but they never dated this time, since Time-Travelling Sol stays around for the whole 15 years). And never got in that taxi/lost her phone either so no killer.

So this time the killer isn't after Sol, but apparently he's out there attacking other people connected to SJ in the present timeline? (young sasaeng, and I guess other people too). So maybe the fixations on murdering Sol then and Sun-jae now, are separate things? Since Sun-jae is the one who's the killer's target in all previous 2023 timelines so far? idek.

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tabong

May 24, 2024 at 2:49 AM

I don't want to think she stayed the whole 15 years, (that would scared me, tbh), it's always just a few months. OG Sol has to live her life.
If she not only erases the timelines, but also herself... This would turn into a horror show.

I think halmoni came from Atypical Family. Her dementia is a consequence of the power of seeing all timelines. Or maybe she's a shaman, and this is some kind of reincarnation story.

The killer... I can't even.
My brain needs a break. Hahaha.

pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

May 24, 2024 at 3:15 AM

the thing that really makes no sense to me is another thing you pointed out - Sol's episode 13 'flashbacks'. They aren't part of the OG timeline, they're things that haven't happened yet.

re: current Sol, I'd say OG timeline (and her OG self) lives on in her head and informs her every decision, but I assume that as a reality, it was gone for good once Sol went back in time the first time and then kept changing after that, with some things remaining the same i.e. . timeline always seems to throw them into each other's orbit at around this time whether it's in the OG timeline, 2023 mk. II or now. And loath as I am to think of living the same fifteen years twice, that's what I think actually happened, because it's the only way some stuff in the current timeline makes sense and also parallels the OG timeline where Sol spent 15 years not knowing Sun-jae was the boy next door and crushing on her, this time the shoe is on the other foot.

redfox

May 24, 2024 at 3:36 AM

@enriquequierecagar I read this & vision: a knock on the door of Gwi Ju manor: "Um did your house lose a granny into another drama? "

tabong

May 24, 2024 at 10:35 AM

You're right, that would be a better excuse for a few things. Tae Seong for ex.
Scary possibility tho.

tabong

May 24, 2024 at 1:58 AM

And yes, it seems like the show likes Geum a lot.
They gave him a family and the lottery in this new timeline, even when both things are impossible given the OG reset.

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

May 24, 2024 at 2:14 AM

I can roll with Reset Sol allowing herself to do certain things again, like befriend Tae-sung (but not date him) or give her brother the lottery numbers....but the Hyun-joo part seems a bit woolly and inconsistent (so are they fated or not?)

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12 FiyaShady

May 23, 2024 at 12:48 PM

Episode 13 gave me the Goblin's charm that I felt long time ago. Especially when Sol reset Sunjae's watch and now she is the one who waiting 15 years for Sun Jae. It reminds me her dialogue before: was it my memory that lost? Or was it you? 🥹
Gosh, how to stop my tears pipe while Sol is crying like that? I still remembered vividly when Eun Tak crying so much when Kim Shin's gone in slowburn ashes at the rooftop and the same feels through again with Sol when she sat down crying with her umbrella dropped 😭.

I am not in the categories who looking for each details as well as solving every scene logically. For me, any kdrama have its own loophole (this drama got plenty on the list too). But, to say that this drama reminds me of all good dramalist in couple years back (esp in 2016), Lovely Runner surely done well until ep 14. One thing that I noticed, there is no such big PPL advertised this time...even the necklace does not have any brand at the box. Just like it is never appear in my watchlist, LR surely a grand slam homerun for half this year 🥳.

P/S: how come the dogtag necklace can be so classy like a luxury brand one? And bursting our tears instantly 😭? Damn one great script-detailed here!

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 24, 2024 at 9:27 AM

The *S* locket is indeed very meaningful and it's reappearance in Sun-Jae's neck was rather impactful.

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dogemama

May 25, 2024 at 1:33 PM

it's bc literally no one thought the drama would take off the way it did. i'm sure advertisers are cursing themselves for the missed opportunity. i know netflix is at least a little displeased, bc they keep posting about the bws dramas that they do have in their catalog.

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13 GySgt213

May 23, 2024 at 12:51 PM

Poor Sol. She keeps trying to throw Sun-jae away for what she perceives as for his own good and keeps coming back like a boomerang. LOL. She might as well stick to him because he is like fly paper.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 1:09 PM

High time "someone" kidnaps Sun-Jae and goes for that home run. 😂

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thursdaynexxt

May 23, 2024 at 8:26 PM

Indeed!

I'm still trying to figure out what relation the twisty time travel loop has to the show's title "선재 업고 튀어 Piggyback/Carry Sun Jae and Run"!

Is it a hint? or am I just overthinking?!

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Vladdles

May 23, 2024 at 8:34 PM

If I remember correctly it was Sol's fan club name...I think

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thursdaynexxt

May 23, 2024 at 8:59 PM

yep, and we've come such a long way from that fan-idol timeline that I'm wondering whether the title was meant to apply to the whole show, or was just a hook to kick things off at the beginning, back when she was still wheelchair-bound?

Desperately hoping our couple will find a way to break the loop, and hoping that the writers provide an explanation for the watch/time loop & title 😆

🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 9:00 PM

Yes I think that was it. She wore that headband when she went to his concert in episode 1.

🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 9:07 PM

@thursdaynexxt The "run" part may also refer to the fact they keep on running towards each other in every timeline.

Hoping for an explanation from the writers ... ha, you wish! 😜

thursdaynexxt

May 23, 2024 at 9:54 PM

@Seeker actually, I think the OST's doing a lot of the heavy lifting in this show! 😂 Every time I hear the themes, I just get swept up helplessly in the moment and go along for the ride ...

Vladdles

May 23, 2024 at 9:59 PM

@thursdaynexxt The Best of Tomorrow is the title of the original webtoon which I kind of think fits better than the current Korean and English titles.

thursdaynexxt

May 23, 2024 at 10:05 PM

@Vladdles - yes, "Lovely Runner" is sooo generic it drives me up the wall!

🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 11:50 PM

That's true @thursdaynexxt 😂
Apparently Eclipse is doing better than some RL bands and Spring Snow made us fall in love instantly and also slowly all at once. ❤

thursdaynexxt

May 24, 2024 at 1:12 AM

🌸 Cera (@Seeker) 🌸
🎵Cause I'm falling slowly (in) love with yooou~🎶✨
"Spring Snow made us fall in love instantly and also slowly all at once" 😆 - I think most of us fell under its spell, it captures their mood so well!

If Eclipse had a CD, I'd buy it in a jiffy! I'm also enjoying Jae Yeon's Monologue 독백.

Plus I've got a soft spot for N.Flying, so Hwe Seung's cover of I Think I Did 그랬나봐 is on my daily playlist 💕 and Seung Hyub is just perfect as the funny bandmate buddy!

healer99101

May 23, 2024 at 1:26 PM

HAHAH "keeps coming back like a boomerang". He also keeps coming back to life a video game character.
Reminds me of all the tweets about annoyed grim reaper on his way to collect Sunjae's soul for the nth time and Jang Man wol tired of seeing him in her hotel lobby. LOL

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GySgt213

May 23, 2024 at 1:29 PM

Yeah, I guess he does respawn.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 9:09 PM

I only saw that Goblin meme. Made me wish for a LDW cameo. 😂

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14 yayabean

May 23, 2024 at 1:04 PM

Yes! Please, please to a classic ending😫

Sun-Jae's death on the cliff was heartbreaking. I just can't anymore 😭

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 1:11 PM

Please no more cliffs, ToDs, timeloops, etc. Just a sweet love story and a HEA tied up in a pretty pink bow with bells and whistles.

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Peridot

May 24, 2024 at 9:38 AM

For once the Cliff of Doom lived up to its name. ;)

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15 healer99101

May 23, 2024 at 1:07 PM

I skipped the part with the killer and Sunjae dying (I just couldnt watch it), but it made me mad, if Sunjae had done just what Im Sol wanted him to or not chase after him all by himself, he could have been saved and killer would have been caught.
But then I realised if Im sol had confided in him about her plan then this senseless tragedy could have been subverted.
A classic case of mis/non-communication led Sunjae to his death. If only they were more honest with each other.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 1:14 PM

I would be very happy if they acknowledged that (1) they need to be together, and (2) communicate effectively and not decide random stuff for the "betterment" of the other on their own.

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

May 23, 2024 at 8:59 PM

yeah at this point it's starting to feel like at least 50 percent of the real issue is Sol refusing to even try communicating the whole murder issue to Sunjae so they can try avoiding that fate together (she manages to say enough to Taesung and Sunjae puts it together from there)

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Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain

May 23, 2024 at 9:50 PM

I would have liked to see Sol apply her doggedness to testing the limits of the ban on saying what happens in the future - trying to tell SJ or others the same thing over and over, with slight variations or broad hints or acting it out instead of saying it out loud. That could have been a fun and funny time loop.

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

May 23, 2024 at 10:45 PM

Comment was deleted

pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

May 23, 2024 at 10:48 PM

even a 'this is my premonition' or "I THINK this will happen" or something would be more engaging than her just accepting yet again that she's got to do it alone, yes her sole mission is to make sure he lives but this is the FOURTH time he's died or almost died (OG timeline, altered 2023 timeline 1, altered 2023 timeline 2 where he got stabbed, now altered 2009 timeline), time to do something differently!
We're now in a timeline Sol arrived at by actually living through the 15 years in between so hopefully the 'no discussing events from the future' doesn't apply anymore? Especially since other people in it (Halmeoni via dementia, SJ via dreams) are turning out to have some knowledge of the other timelines too.

🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 11:15 PM

Sol and time loop dumb charades. Kol! 👏😂

Bunny Sonaki

May 23, 2024 at 8:06 PM

My thoughts exactly. The variable to defeat this fate is Sol and Seon-jae putting their heads together and asking for help from those around them as well. If using herself as bait would get the killer caught, we wouldn't have needed the time travel. And who on earth calls the killer with his name aloud? 🤔🤔🤔

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 10:01 PM

"If using herself as bait would get the killer caught, we wouldn't have needed the time travel."

👏👏👏 And that right there is why I love the Beanies so much. What a good catch. The time travel obviously had to have some trigger.

I think right now most of us agree the only way out of this fated loop is to have Sun Sol work together.

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

May 23, 2024 at 11:26 PM

They're now in a 2023 timeline that they arrived at without Sol time-jumping to it i.e. she actually lived those 15 years.

I would REALLY hope that finally releases her from the can't-talk-about-it/stops-time aspects of the time loop. But she's got to try first!

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yayabean

May 26, 2024 at 4:59 PM

Miscommunication - and the lack of it - is the key ingredient in every drama😫

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16 healer99101

May 23, 2024 at 1:14 PM

One of my worries about the show is that like @Dramaddictally said Sol and Sunjae will comes to terms with the fact that it's not in his fate to live a long life (taxi driver or not) and will choose to stay together waiting for the inevitable goodbye.
But after having been through this journey for the past 7 weeks I need a cookie cutter happy ending and not some bittersweet ending

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 23, 2024 at 1:16 PM

💒 Yes please - happy ending with a "lovely" wedding cake.

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healer99101

May 23, 2024 at 1:22 PM

And some "lovely children". Did u see the pic of Hyeyoon with the baby ? it gave so many feels about Ryu Sun jae, his wife & their child

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Midnight

May 23, 2024 at 1:20 PM

I'm not watching this show but I've been following it through the recaps and comments, and this is exactly what I was thinking yesterday! That in realistic dramas about terminal illness this is usually the conclusion. They accept that life is short, and try to enjoy whatever time they have left together.
But in this drama, after so many repeats and failures, that would be a criminally unjust ending!

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17 healer99101

May 23, 2024 at 1:19 PM

One of the another aspect of this show that I like is the lack of PPL & mukbang scenes, They would have just distracted us from the main story and this show needs every second of its air time to focus on the plot.
I know they didn't receive much offers as the show was not expected to be a hit but how well this turned out for them. They managed to give a nostalgic feel to all those early kdrama watchers and brought them back into kdrama world

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FiyaShady

May 23, 2024 at 1:43 PM

Says that the scriptwriter penned the same drama for True Beauty. Is it worth to watch? Heard that it was good but if yes, how come the same scriptwriter did not get much attention for LR?

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healer99101

May 23, 2024 at 1:54 PM

I thinks its becoz True beauty as a webtoon was already massively popular, there were plenty of PPL opportunities + Cha Eun Woo+ massive hype.

I guess Lovely runner's source material was not as popular, plus its all over media how it took the show 3 years to be produced becoz no male actor wanted the role (they felt it was about an obsessive idol fan).

The scriptwriter might be the same but it's the source material that creates the hype when a drama is adapted.

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FiyaShady

May 23, 2024 at 1:57 PM

3 years? Omonaaaaa...
What a great catapult then for Woo Seok. A late blooming ML in his 30s and shining even brighter! The fact that he did a HS for film and drama is unbeli"bubble" 😄

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healer99101

May 23, 2024 at 2:08 PM

yess he talks about it on Yoo quiz on the block

Neolttwigi

May 23, 2024 at 11:24 PM

I just binged TB and loved it! The TL;DR is that the Leads are not as good, but the story is better. But to be honest, there is not a huge amount of story. There are a lot more 'fun' scenes that have very little to do with the story. (If you liked SJ's overwrought imagination scene about what Sol and TS were saying to each other, there is a lot of that sort of stuff) Also, the toilet humour in TB is spread around the whole cast, so it's almost like normal life.

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DancingEmma

May 24, 2024 at 12:04 AM

I enjoyed TB but couldn’t stand Moon Gayoung’s character’s baby voice. This is such an unfortunate superimposition onto characters. I know some women have childish voices but to require a senior high school student to speak with a baby voice was unnecessary and it detracted from my enjoyment. Unfortunately, this seems to be an aspect of the sexist aegyo which many female actors either are forced to take on or choose to do it.
Cha Eunwoo’s popularity is mind boggling to me. Don’t get me wrong. He seems to be an intelligent, sensitive, thoughtful and hard working person but the fact that he is venerated for his ideal looks is bizarre to me. Yes, he is gorgeous but he is almost regarded as a visual god and I just don’t understand why all these opportunities and endorsements are coming to him on that basis. He was adequate in the role ad the tsundere character but no great shakes. The real scene stealer was Hwang Inyeop who was incredibly charming and quite funny. Such a shame that his career seems to have stalled after TB. I hope he manages to do better in future.

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yayabean

May 26, 2024 at 5:05 PM

I share your perspective about Cha Eunwoo. He is undeniably gorgeous, but his acting falls a bit flat for me.

Britney

May 24, 2024 at 1:57 PM

I've never seen True Beauty (and I have no interest in it) but I thought it was cool how both actors seemed to look *just* like their webtoon counterparts. I'm not sure I've seen such close casting.

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18 LaurenSophie

May 23, 2024 at 1:41 PM

I was going to write a big reply--until I read this part of the recap:

"Everything about this is beautiful. The story is just so well woven. Yes, there are time travel issues. And yes, it would help a lot to have a proper motive for the killer. But the love story is epic."

I don't have anything to add, except to reinforce this opinion by stating that a) the time travel stuff is consistent enough and b) as I've said before, I continue to wish that the bad guy was not a random psycho, but a deliberate one out to change his own future. That would have been way more interesting.

But in the end, this show has an epic romance at its center that just works, and not only because the leads are fire together. Sol's point of view makes sense and remains consistent throughout, as does Sun-Jae's. That's what makes it a good story!

Random Raves & Questions:

--I love how in every timeline, even in those in which he's super famous, Sun-Jae remains a complete dork. That scene of him assuming those teen girls were giggling because they recognized him was priceless.

--Part of why the time travel loop never feels stale for me is that we get to see new aspects of both the story and the characters. This time, I loved the banter between the leads and the love/hate quality of their burgeoning romance. Sol was legit obnoxious to Sun-Jae, and yet he kept coming back for more as if they were simply engaged in a battle of wits. And he looked dreamy in that tux.

--Tae-sung as a cop is perfect. And he's a really good friend to Sol.

--Was it ever explained why Sol would have been at the cafe at 5am originally? Her sitting there alone so late/early made no sense.

--How did Sol keep her job that second time she was openly rude to Sun-Jae and told him she refused to let him star in her project? Her boss had barely forgiven her for the first time and was watching the whole thing like she was about to explode.

--If Sun Jae comes very close to death or actually dies in every timeline, why was Sol able to escape paralysis in all but one?

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FiyaShady

May 23, 2024 at 1:49 PM

Can we get Tae Sung/ Goen Hee be cast in full detective drama series? Who could be the best lead partner for her then? 🤔🤔🤔.

My other wish is to have Woo Seok partnering with a tall actress (Nana/ Sung Kyung for example) and go for a storyline like Bonnie and Clyde or Dhoom... like an anti-hero/ villain crime but not the annoying/jerk version... and they both are the OTP, protagonist is a sideline character 😬🤭

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Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain

May 23, 2024 at 3:29 PM

I'm with you - I haven't had any trouble following the time-travel twists. It doesn't bother me that SJ's watch would allow another three chances to go back in time, because there were always two watches - or one watch existing in two timelines - and that had to come into play eventually. SJ and Sol pretty consistently wore both watches at the same time and even compared them in an early episode. So I'm still okay, for the moment, with the time travel mechanics, but I admit that at this point I'm mentally filling a lot of holes with rules and devices I learned from other shows and it could all blow up at any second.

I think the comments here lowered my expectations for episode 13 enough that I could focus on the plot developments and the ongoing magic of the leads' scenes together. Sure, I had to ignore the tired amusement park trope, but it justified its existence in spades when it set up that gorgeously framed and acted emotional scene on the Ferris wheel at the end of episode 14.

SJ being a dork is a huge part of the magic - if he weren't, he'd be too good to be true. Also, 34-year-old Tae-sung is more interesting, more appealing, and more of a green flag than three-quarters of the male leads so far this year. If he'd had his adult looks and persona at the start of the show, this would be a second-lead battle for the ages, and even now, when it started to snow while he was kneeling in front of Sol, I thought she would not be wrong to grab what's in front of her and never look back.

I think Sol had arranged with the police that she would wait at the cafe until the wee hours because her flashbacks/new memories told her that's when the killer would show up. It was part of their plan to trap him.

Two possible answers to the last question:
- Because her paralysis is not the central fated event to be avoided, despite the set-up of the early episodes. Like the fire, it's just a variable. Death is the only real adversary.
- Because he's the swoony ML so it hurts us more. 😂

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LaurenSophie

May 23, 2024 at 4:53 PM

Thank you for those answers. I was under the impression that Sol teamed up with the police only in the new timeline, which is why I couldn't understand her choice to be at that cafe before dawn. But your explanation makes sense.

Same with your point about the paralysis being a variable and Sun-Jae's death the only real constant. I guess it seemed too significant to me to not be equal to his demise, but I think you're right nonetheless about the writer's intentions.

I do admit that when people start complaining about how a plot's sci fi or mystery elements don't line up I usually just assume I've missed something because that's the aspect of most stories I tend to gloss over in my mind. So like you, I'm open to the possibility that the time travel mechanics might ultimately emerge as nonsensical, but for now, I feel that they've followed a clear internal logic with clear-ish explanations for everything. I'm not really seeing the writing treating us viewers like we're idiots; I just don't think these elements are that complex so maybe that simplicity appears to some as inconsistency or mistakes.

I agree that Tae-sung is great in all ways. But as I posted elsewhere, his fatal flaw is that he's just not, and will never be, Sun-Jae.

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Minnie🫘👩🏻‍🚀Pioneer and Teacher 👩🏻‍🏫🌱🏹

May 23, 2024 at 7:57 PM

I just don't think these elements are that complex so maybe that simplicity appears to some as inconsistency or mistakes.

You put it really well. Honestly if I am choosing to watch a fantasy anyway, I am open to forgive the logic, or rather the lack of it. However, I do think they have followed some clearly laid down logic for time travel.

For example, the days/dates have changed in every timeline. The events also have changed. Sunjae's death is the only constant, though the time and days have changed every time. Given it's the constant that she wants to change, we have been given the variables so we can accept the change of that constant event if and when it comes.

Elinor already explained the cafe thing. And I always assumed Sunjae' watch would be a time machine as well. I just didn't realise only Sol would have the power.

I also think she unconsciously regulates her time travel. For example, the first time she wanted to change his career, so she landed at his swim practice. Second time she wanted to change his perspective about her so she landed after her accident in the college. But third time she simply wanted to change the fact that he ever met her so she landed before they met, and she simply avoided meeting him.

Curiously, the killer comes into picture only after Sunjae meets Sl, so he does not make an appearance this time too until Sunjae meets Sol. So it's their meeting that always activates the serial killer making an entry into their lives.

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dogemama

May 25, 2024 at 7:19 PM

sol unconsciously regulating her time travel is such a good observation. fate's given her the choice, and it's letting her make all the decisions. the catch is that she doesn't have all the information she needs in any of the timelines. fate sure likes to play. with soljae, and our feelings.

FormAnOrderlyQueue

May 24, 2024 at 12:45 AM

So glad you mentioned it - the scene with the teen girls was sooooo good! It was such a good put down and underlined SJ's dorkiness so well. One of my favourite scenes of the whole drama.

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yayabean

May 26, 2024 at 5:09 PM

Your post is gold! 💯!

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19 autumndream

May 23, 2024 at 4:27 PM

I like the implied parallels between Sunjae liking Sol for 15 years vs Sol avoiding and loving Sunjae for 15 years. Since they didn’t meet and Sol had the knowledge, she avoided all the triggers this time (and she no longer could go back to the future). It was heartbreakingly sad that she endured those years alone.

I don’t know how they will wrap the questions in two episodes. I hope it will be an acceptable one, though for this drama, I really fell for Wooseok/Hyeyoon chemistry on drama/behind making that I didn’t question other things (plot) 😂

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

May 23, 2024 at 11:04 PM

I really like that parallel too, but this timeline is at least not as sad as the original one (Sol's family is happier, Sun-jae and In-hyuk are still close and he's not alone and burnt out like he was in the first 2023 timeline)

also young SunSol are adorable but it's good to be back in the 30something SolSun timeline - maybe it's just that they're finally closer to the actors' real ages, but it does give them and the relationship more of a chance to go beyond cute teenage fluff.... as we saw in episodes 7-8.

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20 bunnylita

May 23, 2024 at 4:29 PM

I know why Sol was able to time travel when it wasn't midnight. The watch becomes a time travel device when Sunjae dies. He died at midnight in the original timeline, so that's the time when Sol can time travel. In 2009 he died in the middle of the day, so Sol was able to time travel then. I do wonder what happened to that watch. There are two times left to time travel with it, and Sol didn't take it off poor dead Sunjae's arm before she went back in time. For all I know, grandma has it somehow.

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Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain

May 23, 2024 at 4:42 PM

The police in one of the previous timelines told Sol that evidence - including the watch Sol had when she was attacked - is returned to the owner after the police are done with it. That's how she got it back after the second time travel, so that she was able to use it a third time. A dead person's personal possessions, whether they're evidence or not, would also go back to their family, so Dad might have it this time. I wouldn't be surprised if Grandma got hold of it somehow, though. Sticky fingers, that one.

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21 jillian

May 23, 2024 at 4:48 PM

Who is this deity that Sol pissed off in her past life? What did she do to deserve the punishment of seeing the love-of-her-life die for her over and over again?

The changes in the couple dynamics in this version of their life made me scratch my head. If Sun Jae did not meet her in the rain and fell in love with her, then this is not the same Sun Jae that Sol fell in love with. A person is shaped by the experiences and environment around them. They have the same face and name but not necessarily the same person. I liked the Sun Jae that had a secret crush on his next door neighbor. The one that saved her from the reservoir, the one that cheered her on in her greatest despair, the one that wrote the love song for her. The one that carried a torch for her for years. Sorry writernim, I do not buy that this is the same Sun Jae that I liked.

The time travel si complicating their love story. Its at this latest turn of events that I wished this drama was only 12 episodes. Sol erasing Sun Jae from her life, make it seem she only dreamt their love story. Since it did not technically happen. In this version, Sol live out her love only in her memories. While Sun Jae is sold on the story is not really the same Sun Jae as ep1.

I hope writernim fixes this convoluted story in the last episodes. Or at least do not kill either of them and just let them find their happiness.

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Bunny Sonaki

May 23, 2024 at 7:53 PM

"The timetravel is complicating the story" Well said. The new trial thing is dragging things out. If you had to throw a twist, just get rid of this psycho killer and give us character growth that barely exists.

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jillian

May 23, 2024 at 8:46 PM

I agree. They should just get rid of the psycho killer. And the best thing to do is bring character growth.
The main culprit is there is too many episodes to fill that the writer is just adding twists when this should be resolved on the third time travel.

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

May 23, 2024 at 11:11 PM

I'm hoping the time travel isn't a factor anymore, since Sol arrived in her third 2023 timeline the natural way i.e. actually living those 15 years in between, just as she did in the OG timeline when she didn't know Sunjae was the boy next door. This time he's the one who doesn't know her, but is drawn to her anyway, just as she was to him in the OG timeline once she knew he existed (becoming a fan).

So now we're at the stage where Sol literally had to live two lifetimes without Sunjae before the universe decided enough was enough and gave us a reunion. But the killer part is still repetitive, sure I'm not really watching for the plot anyway and he provides a common adversary for SunSol but it's getting really annoying.

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Neolttwigi

May 26, 2024 at 3:54 AM

I don't think that is correct though. Sol still had one return trip left on her watch. So SJ died, and three trips appeared on SJ's watch, and Sol used SJs watch to go even further back in time, But she still had the return trip left on her watch, that would have activated sometime after she missed meeting SJ, convinced her mum to sell the house, and gave her brother the lottery numbers- and sent her back to her own time.

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jillian

May 26, 2024 at 4:52 PM

The time travel stuff is confusing me. Isnt giving the lottery numbers not allowed? Othereise she couldve invested on all those tech startups

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

May 26, 2024 at 6:49 PM

it looks like trying to tell anyone else about a future event as a certainty is what triggers the time-stop but cloaking it behind 'I had a dream' 'I had a premonition' 'I think this is going to happen' etc are allowed by the timeline.

So if she tells her brother 'these are the winning lottery numbers' time would stop again but 'write these down and use them in 15 years' is ok (I assume this timeline's Sol actually lived her 15 years between avoiding her first meeting with Sun-jae and now, but repeated some actions from her timelines outside of the OG one, otherwise stuff like the lottery numbers and her still being friends with Tae-sung doesn't make sense)

🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 28, 2024 at 6:22 AM

@pogo1 Initially Sol tried to write down and tell Sun-Jae everything but it magically erased itself from her notebook. So Jillian is right the drama kind of forgot that future events cannot be written down.

pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

May 28, 2024 at 9:07 AM

@seeker lol it's a good thing I'm not exactly watching for the plot lol

I can forgive a few little mistakes like that as long as the drama gives us lots of SunSol swoony scenes to compensate for them .....

🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 28, 2024 at 11:56 AM

@pogo1 Under all those thimeslips, loops, past, present at least the drama has not disappointed us in the swoon department. Uri Sun Sol have give us many memorable moments.

🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 28, 2024 at 6:28 AM

Ah! yes I forgot there were three trips. It does seem likely Sol would have traveled back to 2023 sometime after shifting houses.

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jillian

May 28, 2024 at 10:29 AM

@seeker about writing things down.. I can't reply to your comment above anymore. Its these inconsistencies about time travel and its repercussions are things I do not care for in this drama. I can't turn off my brain to think about it either.
I have yet to see the final episode so I have yet to see how the show resolves things.

🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 28, 2024 at 12:02 PM

@Jillian I agree that there are multiple issues in the drama for which we can't just turn off our brains and even while swooning those things keep bugging us. My only suggestion is not to hold your breath for the drama to "resolve" any inconsistencies as if anything all these years of drama watching has taught us, it's that plot holes can become more gaping but are rarely (if ever) filled by the OG writer / drama. Our creative Beanies resort to fan-fic or speculations and *always* come up with a better plot. 😊

22 spazmo

May 23, 2024 at 4:50 PM

Halmeoni told Sun Jae everything in the car ride back home. i love her, she pops in and out of present consciousness at just the right times!
<3

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 28, 2024 at 6:17 AM

Excellent plot device. 😂❤

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jillian

May 28, 2024 at 10:25 AM

I love grandma. I enjoy her moments of consciousness. She is adorable!

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23 DancingEmma

May 23, 2024 at 5:12 PM

I have already said what I wanted to on my FW but wanted to ask about something I read this morning and watched.
Normally, I don’t engage in shipping in any shape or form but I was intrigued/bewildered as to what is going on when I read this article and saw the clip. My rudimentary Korean was also useful as this is what was said by a DJ at a radio station:
“Are you dating? Followed by a lot of excited outbursts by the station staff.
Actor 1: I’ll leave oppa to answer this.
Actor 2: No comment.

Now, I’m still a baby viewer when it comes to KD viewing in comparison to many of you but I haven’t read/seen/heard this in regard to any other KD. It surprised me as thought to myself “I’ve been conditioned to think of this as a scandal waiting to happen” even if that is ridiculous and unhealthy.
What do you think?

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RenOIshi

May 23, 2024 at 8:40 PM

I think it’s just promotion for the drama and they are selling the amazing chemistry they have on screen. Milking the hype to the best way they can.

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hacja

May 23, 2024 at 9:08 PM

@dncingemma Please forgive me, I'm not up on gossip, but does this suggest that the two leads are dating in real life? If so, I would love that, just because of a fan's desire for the actors and actresses who are under such pressure to be happy in their relationships,( if only briefly, and I know most are brief) I have to admit, I love the real life stories of actors and actresses who are happily married and have been for years, and I mourn when the relationships end. But that's just the sentiments of an elderly romantic!

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DancingEmma

May 23, 2024 at 9:26 PM

Neither am I normally! I came across the clip which was playful but unusual to me so wanted to ask Beanies without being too crass by mentioning them by name! Probably they were just playing aling with the DJ and could manage the situation but I found it unusual.

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Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain

May 23, 2024 at 10:02 PM

I haven't seen the clip and won't go looking for it, but it's already great that they didn't frantically deny it as if they owed their fans eternal celibacy and the absurd pretense that their fans' love is "enough" for them. And it would be fantastic if it set a precedent for that question always being answered with some variant on "that's no one's business but our own," so that eventually interviewers stopped asking out of sheer boredom. Somewhere in the far distance beyond all that is the possibility that they could just say yes or no to the question and it wouldn't be a big deal either way, but that's in the next galaxy or the next life.

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DancingEmma

May 23, 2024 at 10:07 PM

@Elinor, Exactly. It was refreshing but confused me.
I don’t think it is problematic in this instance to look for it as even the actors have publicised the clip. They looked so happy and didn’t appear uncomfortable, awkward or wanting to be anywhere but there. @coffeprince4eva is likely on the money that it is fan service but I just hadn’t seen something similar with KD actors before.

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RenOIshi

May 24, 2024 at 4:58 AM

It makes me think about the ‘are you guys dating’ bonanza around the Twilight leads! Poor kids were hounded non stop!

DancingEmma

May 24, 2024 at 5:09 AM

But then again didn’t KS and RP actually date or was that cooked up by the publicity machines and was all fake?

dogemama

May 25, 2024 at 7:27 PM

@dncingemma ks and rp really dated, until she cheated on him with the director on her next project...

hacja

May 23, 2024 at 9:31 PM

Sorry-I should have looked it up--I saw that this interview is pretty universally proclaimed as "fan service." I'm a fan of fan service, when it means the leads in kdramas kiss repeatedly, but I'm not so much of a fan that I need real life "service." Of course, I KNOW that Jun-ho and Yoona are getting married THIS YEAR!

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DancingEmma

May 23, 2024 at 9:56 PM

Huh! Just shows you’re way savvier than I am as while I’m not naive enough to interpret it as evidence of their dating/undying love, I hadn’t come across such a thing in actuality previously.

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DancingEmma

May 24, 2024 at 5:12 AM

I forgot to tell you that your last sentence was gold. I can’t stop laughing at it. Thanks heaps for that.

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emsel

May 24, 2024 at 6:40 AM

Jun Ho and Yoona are old news! Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won are secretly dating.

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24 candilane

May 23, 2024 at 5:28 PM

I am so sad to have our drama coming to an end but it has been really good. Kudos to the writers because they keep us on edge every episode. We have alot of loose ends to wrap up in the final 2 episodes but I dont think we will be able to get an explanation of everything. Personally, I dont care, I just want our Sol/Sun couple to be together. They have earned it at this point. I definitly cried on episode 14 as I could feel Sol's pain... I dont know how it will end but if we get a 25/21 ending.. I will literally protest

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 28, 2024 at 5:45 AM

IKR? It's like we literally don't want this to end. I would happily watch another 16 episodes of Sun Sol being Sun Sol - minus cabbie of course.
I do hope writer-nim's idea of a HEA matches uri Sun-Jae's rather than Sol as they talked about on the ferris wheel.

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25 Minnie🫘👩🏻‍🚀Pioneer and Teacher 👩🏻‍🏫🌱🏹

May 23, 2024 at 6:05 PM

First - I wish they had retained the last timeline because the killer anyway comes back to kill Sunjae after being released from jail, spent the time waiting for Sol to come back to her OG timeline, and then Sol could have pretended not to know Sunjae. That would have been fun. Even though I am a bit disagreeable to it, I had no trouble following the time slip rules though.

Anyway, I guess they wanted to create more pain (as if we didn't already have too much) but if I was in Sol's place, I would do the same. Even though I would be lonely and miserable, not having Sunjae alive and well would not even be a consideration. If it were reversed, I have no doubt Sunjae would do the same. In fact, he is adamant to do so, to die and leave Sol sad and heartbroken. But would he let Sol die for him? If he were to time travel to save her life, would he do it differently?

Anyway, now that we have this new timeline, I did love their interaction. Sunjae is, again, falling hard, and doing the exact same thing he did previously - one step lesser than become her stalker, hehe!

Episode 14 was a beautifully constructed. It was funny and sweet and had a lot of depth. I love the wordplay between them. That coffee shop second hand embarrassment? I laughed along with Sol hehe! I love when dramas make fun of their actors (airbrush 50 year old, LOL! This was gold).

But romance wise this was absolutely beautiful. I have been thinking so much about why he has that necklace.....

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indyfan

May 23, 2024 at 9:07 PM

I did love the new timeline as well. It went a long ways in compensating for the wobbliness of the preceding episodes. Where the writer might fail in some areas, they excel in creating the main relationship dynamics, the funny and swoony scenes, the banter. It's a little show and excels in the little moments.

I didn't think how Sun-jae would have handled the situation in reverse. But I think you're right. He would bear the burden as well.

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DancingEmma

May 23, 2024 at 11:33 PM

Indy! Where have you been? I haven’t seen you around. Hope you have been well.

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indyfan

May 23, 2024 at 11:47 PM

Hey, hey. It's been a mad travel month. But I'm back (as attested by my dozen comments here 😅 ). I've only been able to catch up on Lovely Runner. So many live shows waiting in the wings. Eeks.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 28, 2024 at 5:35 AM

Minnie, I love this idea of retaining the timeline. Although who and why is the killer cabbie after is still a question. Also I don't care just get him out of the way. 🙈

Wow!! I'm super impressed you have no problem following the time slip rules. 😂

You have a valid point about Sun-Jae doing the exact same "not noble idiocy" if the tables were turned. *Sigh*

This new Sun is just as much instantly and headlong in love with Sol as every other time!! Nothing "slowly" about this Spring Snow. We are all equally in love with uri Sun Sol.

My speculation about the necklace is that it belonged to or was a gift from his mother. Elinor has kindly screenshot her photograph from episode 4 on her Fanwall.

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26 sakuradaydream

May 23, 2024 at 6:52 PM

Comment was deleted

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27 sakuradaydream

May 23, 2024 at 6:56 PM

This story & characters have my entire heart. Its just so goddamn gorgeous.

The issue with Sol & her altering her encounter with Sunjae makes sense to me because right from the start, Sol's mission has always been to save Sunjae no matter what.
If her efforts during the past times she tried to save him was in vain, the last resort would've been to not meet him at all to avoid everything in general. Hence I didn't really find an issue with her decision. She's known to be selfless so I found it to suit her character.

Then again, I could be being bias because I love this show so damn much.
I do admit that the time travel element is really janky and confusing at times. The rules started to blur midway through the series as well.

God these past few eps were so painful and bittersweet but whats worse is it ending next week. I wont be able to cope with this

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MamaWantsDrama

May 24, 2024 at 5:57 AM

1.) I NEED to watch the next episodes to see what happens.
2.) .. but once I DO watch the next episodes ... it's all over. :-(

Wish I could pull a Sol and go back in time so I could rewatch this wonderful series for the first time again. <3

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 28, 2024 at 5:18 AM

In another drama wonky time travel / noble idiocy etc. could be a no-no. Here all is forgiven because as you so beautifully put it we "love this show so damn much". 😊 🫰

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28 JH LOVES KDRAMA

May 23, 2024 at 7:00 PM

Thank you for this recap and all of your insightful comments.

I am loving this drama and the chemistry between the leads. Time travel dramas always give me the "break my brain" feeling. I like the comments about just leaving your brain at the door and not trying to analyze it too much. I think each show has it own "rules" for time travel!

But I really don't understand why the young Sol doesn't change when the 34 Sol goes back in time. It seems if 34 Sol did something then the memories of young Sol would show that, like realizing that she likes Sun Jae now. Oh well, I'm trying to remember to just enjoy the ride!

I ALWAYS read the DramaBeans review as I watch a drama as I love to get the thoughts and recaps of all the beanies. :) I have been watching KDramas for several years (my first was CLOY), but Lovely Runner is the very FIRST one that I have watched in "real time"! I always want to wait to see if the end is sad before I watch. Waiting to watch Queen of Tears and My Dearest almost killed me and the spoilers were so hard to avoid. SO, I gave in this time so that I could feel the excitement first hand, and I hope I don't regret this decision next week. I am painfully waiting for episodes 15 and 16, but at the same time not wanting it to end!

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Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain

May 23, 2024 at 10:08 PM

Welcome to the wonderful, painful, terrible, delightful, addictive world of live-watching! The best part, in my experience, is doing it with the beanies. Even a show that has a horrible ending (not naming names, but you know who you are 😡) can provide a heck of a fun ride along the way.

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JH LOVES KDRAMA

May 23, 2024 at 10:40 PM

Thank you!
I am enjoying this ride so far!
Actually rewatching it all to try to make it until Monday!

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 28, 2024 at 3:41 AM

Welcome to live watching chingu.

You have such an astute point about Sol-19's memories. The first time Sol-34 left Sol-19 had a memory gap and didn't remember anything. But I guess just like Sol-34's memories keep on getting updated so should S-19's. Guess it is unlikely to get addressed.

The time travel / loops are all bent as per plot convenience so I doubt any "rules" will hold up to any logical scrutiny. Nevertheless we are all in for the ride!

Do comment on DB (recaps or fanwall) as and when you watch dramas. We would love to hear your thoughts and chat. 🫰

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29 SooHa

May 23, 2024 at 7:37 PM

Really, the plot twist that Sol erased their memories from Sunjae is not new (cue to W two world) but somehow this drama is successfully deliver it, I'm not complaint. These 2 episodes just turn me upside down with rollercoaster emotions. I cry at one time and laughing in split second. Especially eps 4, I can help but clutching my heart for the entire episode, the pain is there and I love it LoL

I just want to see them happy together and forget about all theories.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 28, 2024 at 2:24 AM

"I just want to see them happy together and forget about all theories."

😘 😊 yes, yes and a thousand times yes, exactly that!! 💯

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30 empressblue

May 23, 2024 at 9:25 PM

When you're deeply invested in the drama, you start to care more about what will happen to you after it ends 🙃🙃🙃

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 28, 2024 at 2:21 AM

🙌 Spot on ... I'm having separation anxiety already. I'm considering binging it immediately but am equally conflicted that it would wear off the magic. Otthokhaji!! ❤ 😍

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31 pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

May 23, 2024 at 9:37 PM

Late to the party here and tore through all 14 episodes in the last two weeks, I love it and it's adorable, I do think I have favourite bits from episode 14 though and I'd like to note them before this comment gets so long it's cut off
- the resignation letter 😂😂😂😂 both the scene of Sol writing it and the fact that Sunjae ends up reading it out at his awards ceremony after mixing up their envelopes, is comedy gold
- Sunjae pouting about it afterwards with In-hyuk and his manager ...... feat. In-hyuk admitting he actually read the letter and sympathised with Sol, and Sunjae giving him the "you betrayer!" eyes for it (these two really are my favourite relationship in this drama that isn't SunSol, despite how little we see of him I feel like In-hyuk in every timeline would make a really charming leading man of a different drama)
- the way Sunjae, in every timeline, is irresistibly drawn to Sol even when she's gone scorched earth and blitzed their first meeting from the OG timeline. Like @autumndream said, that 15 year gap is a lovely parallel for the OG timeline when Sunjae was the one pining over a girl who didn't even know of his existence ...... except she became his fan, and all the consolation either of them has in either timeline is knowing the other one is still alive.
- More SunSol scenes!
- Sol34 going full 'scolding noona' on the spoilt brat who won't do his kiss scenes feat. ear-pulling 😂 don't drink and drive, kids!
- Halmeoni's dementia turning out to not just be a stray detail because apparently her having naturally lost a chunk of memory protects her to some degree against timeline-induced amnesia

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

May 23, 2024 at 9:44 PM

P.S. I am DYING @ the meta reference of Sol's unmade "it isn't romance, who's going to watch it/star in it?" script being the entire plot of Lovely Runner itself, especially with the background knowledge that the irl drama took three years to get made because they couldn't find a male lead willing to take it on.

this is as much fun as the storyline of the movie that Sol34 in episodes 7-8 was ordered to convince Sun-jae to do, being a cross between You From Another Star and Crash Landing on You (the North Korean officer who turns out to be an alien 😂)

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 28, 2024 at 2:18 AM

In Hyuk is the best-est of best friend Sun-Jae could ever hope for. He has the best zingers (are you a salmon laying egg), showers petals on Sun Sol to encourage him to confess, comes to take bath in Sun-Jae's tub so that uri Sun will not be lonely.

Indeed the casting struggle and near cancelation of the drama now seems like a dream. Well done team! You've outshone yourselves.

You forgot the zombies in Sol's original script. 😂

All in all, I will Carry this drama and Sun Sol (obviously) in my heart for a long long time. ❤

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

May 28, 2024 at 5:53 AM

I love how In-hyuk is always the one to expose Sun-jae's feelings for Sol in some way. My favourite non-Sol-related change in the future grownup timelines is the fact that In-hyuk remains tight with Sun-jae, in the OG timeline you could see how their strained relationship hurt both of them but in the revised ones he's truly the best of bros and 10/10 as a Cupid, whether he's personally showering our couple with flower petals, leaving the lovebirds alone at home and dragging the boat out with everyone else, or unknowingly spilling all of Sun-jae's embarrassing Sol-obsession secrets in front of Sol herself, I was DYING when that prompted Sun-jae to princess-carry him and then pitch him head-first into the tub 😂 .

and yeah, count me in as another one who's been thoroughly charmed by this little dark horse of a drama. Crazy to think it took three years to get made because they couldn't find a lead, but I can see why if the initial scripts pushed it as 'time travelling high school idol drama' which sounds nearly as nuts as zombie alien North Korean officer falls for a mermaid 😂. Thank goodness for Byun Woo-seok seeing something else in it and signing on!

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 28, 2024 at 6:08 AM

The first timeline was tragic for everyone. As a Beanie mentioned Sun Sol need to be together for things to work out.

Great job by all the four leads. 🙌💪🏻❤

32 Skiee

May 23, 2024 at 9:50 PM

I may be the minority but I do understand sol and ok with whatever she's doing. Her ultimate and one and only aim is to save sunjae which no matter what she did couldn't save him. So a reset makes sense to me. Although sol seeing the changed future now not before, I'm finding it as a easy way for writer and change of rules?? I also found the scene where sunjae falls poorly directed, like they shouldn't have left him to fall, they could've easily grabbed him, to make him fall they should've come a little bit a late imo. But still I love their romance..at the core the show is about their romance and that they're doing well. So I'm enjoying it with minor problems which I can ignore as I said I don't think a 16 episodes kdrama will be all perfect, there'll be some mistakes but the good outweighs them.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 28, 2024 at 1:48 AM

💯 While it does our fangirl hearts no good to see Sun-Jae die over and over and over again 😭 the collective magic of the double powered suns - Sun Sol - is powerful enough to enchant us into ignoring things like plot, consistency, logic, idiocy, etc, etc. I'm her for uri OTP making a fool of themselves over each other and vying for the loser in love title. Hwaiting cuties!! 😍❤👏

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Skiee

May 28, 2024 at 3:53 AM

Hwaiting 🧡🧡🧡

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33 Nothingmuch

May 23, 2024 at 10:03 PM

There’s a spot at the top of my head, which if scratched gently, makes me lose my train of thought. (Which my ex was delighted about when he realised.) Many an argument was derailed this way. I think I have the same reaction to seeing Sol and SunJae together. Logical thought flies out the window and I just turn into happy mush.

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Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain

May 23, 2024 at 10:13 PM

🤣🤣🤣 Literally laughing out loud at this. I would pay good money to have such a spot surgically installed.

Sol *is* that spot for SJ.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 28, 2024 at 1:37 AM

NGL Sun Sol hit that spot just right!! ✅ 👌
Only way to Carry on with the drama is - Don't think, FEEL!!
And boy oh boy, the feelz of Sun Sol are just another level.

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34 panshel

May 24, 2024 at 12:00 AM

When Sun-jae's watch activated, I got so excited that he would time-slip, but not only did the future change again, he doesn't even make it till 2023 this time. Is Sun-jae 2.0 our endgame? Even if he regains his memories, he's not the same. Is Sun-jae without an unrequited love for 15 years really Sun-jae at all? I don't like any timeline where he doesn't become an idol. I'm an Eclipse fangirl.

I'm dying to know more about Sol's current timeline. Did she date Tae-sung in high school? Clearly, he's still hung up on her. When he asked, "Aren't you my girlfriend?", it felt like a knife stabbing me in my heart. I squealed as soon as she revealed that Tae-sung's a police officer. I'm so proud of him but wonder how he became one in this timeline when Sol was supposed to be the reason after her kidnapping and his promise to her to protect Sun-jae. How do both of them know In-hyuk, but they don't know Sun-jae?

It physically hurts me to watch Sol hurt Sun-jae, yet she hurts him again and again in every timeline. She was so rude to a stranger for no reason. I know that she's suffering and has depression like OG Sun-jae, but she and her noble idiocy brought this upon herself. If she didn't want him to read the script, then she should've never written the story in the first place.

I was relieved that Sol didn't drink at the restaurant as I was side-eyeing her soju when she needs to outrun a serial killer. What kind of restaurant stays open until five in the morning? Why was Sol in her premonition even out by herself at five in the morning? Sol is over-reliant on Detective Kim. I still love this show, but personally, it
has lost the plot, so I'm only watching for Tae-sung at this point.

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DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱

May 28, 2024 at 5:43 AM

I think that this time, she is waiting to be killed so that Sun-jae won't have to.
But you know, Koreans prefer to encounter any crisis by having a deep think in the middle of a heavily trafficked road, so her chances of beating Sun-jae to martyredom when she is indoors is not great.

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35 Britney

May 24, 2024 at 12:10 AM

The timey wimey issues always trip me up and I can't get past it. Like why did Sol's family end up moving while Sun Jae was still in a sling? Why did Sol (apparently) still take away students' cigarettes if that situation shouldn't have happened (19 year old Sol was just a fangirl of Tae Sung, she wasn't chatising other students for their actions).
The puffer coat stalker teen... I don't even know what to say.

I'm an airhead cause I didn't even realize Sun Jae falling off the cliff was a variation of him falling off the balcony and into the pool. Now, I'm really confused. Did the killer cabbie REALLY kill in the original timeline? Then what was even the point of setting up his depression and withdrawal from things?

Again, Sun Jae didn't die when the cabbie attacked him before Sol's 3rd trip to the past, he was just seriously injured (was he in a coma? I remember him in a hospital bed)

I did like how Sun Jae can't help but be drawn to and fall for Sol once he spends time with her. I even like that being around her or certain things are triggering his memories. I like how it's shown but it also made me wonder if Sun Jae wouldn't be at least the tinest bit upset her fiddling with his life like that. Now he, somewhat, has 3 or 4 timelines of memories to contend with and how confusing must that be? Plus no matter what, he feels the draw to her. Even without her in his life, he still didn't date other girls and still ends up making similar choices like buying the necklace.

Regarding the jerky actor and his refusal to do the kiss scene, was that supposed to reflect the guy from Mr Queen's scandal? Even a little? Whether it was or not, it certainly came to my mind.

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spazmo

May 24, 2024 at 12:34 AM

: D
you're making my head spin, please stop! LOL........

and yes, the Mr Queen thang, right...

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Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain

May 24, 2024 at 12:40 AM

Re Sol's family moving - waaaaay back in episode 2, Sol's mother asks her friend/real estate agent why it's taking so long to find another tenant to replace the video store, and the friend advises her to sell instead and buy a new place near a planned subway station because property prices would go up when the station opened and she'd make a big profit. Mom scoffs at the time, but I'd bet in the new, alternative 2009 that's exactly what she does.

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Britney

May 24, 2024 at 4:12 AM

You certainly have a better memory than me cause I don't remember that at all. Thank you cause that definitely explains some things.

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DancingEmma

May 24, 2024 at 5:56 AM

I remember Sol’s mum saying who would want to live in that part of Seoul or words to that effect!

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DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱

May 24, 2024 at 5:08 AM

What was that with "the guy from the Mr. Queen Scandal"?

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Britney

May 24, 2024 at 3:27 PM

I don't wanna taint your image of the actor so I hesitate to say anything but I hate being unanswered so I wouldn't want to do that to someone else.

What I was referring to is the guy from Mr Queen was filming some romance filled show but then started demanding little to no skinship because his girlfriend was jealous. His demands affected the production of the drama and I think (but I'm not sure) he ended up leaving the drama.

I don't know if kissing was involved with that actor but the situation in Lovely Runner reminded me of it.

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36 Miss_elly

May 24, 2024 at 1:25 AM

I believe that free going back that final time Sol got stuck in the past and had to re-live her life over again repeating the same actions. That’s why Tae sung remembers their first meeting over the cigarettes and her brother still winning the lottery and marrying her best friend
As the ration after reading her pitch, I take it as sun Jae remembering a bit of a “past life”, he died 4 times so every time Sol goes back he is essentially ‘reborn’ so him getting the memories back is not strange especially when it’s jarred by those events

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Miss_elly

May 24, 2024 at 1:26 AM

* when * reaction.
Sorry for mistakes in mobile

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Minnie🫘👩🏻‍🚀Pioneer and Teacher 👩🏻‍🏫🌱🏹

May 24, 2024 at 1:25 PM

She does mention she came back to her og timeline on Dec 7th.

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37 FlourPower

May 24, 2024 at 5:22 AM

"And yes, it would help a lot to have a proper motive for the killer." ...or, you know, a new hobby?

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 25, 2024 at 1:52 PM

I've heard they keep you quite busy in jail - cabbie can learn a new trade - please put him there.

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38 froyo

May 24, 2024 at 7:13 AM

This drama will be much more exciting if the fans stop harassing me for giving my opinion about this drama.

The thing that bothers me so much about this drama is the leads never really communicate properly about everything. Specially on the episodes when finally sol can talk about future to sunjae i dont understand why she didnt try to talk about the murderer. Sunjae sometimes really tried to start the convo but she didnt really want him to be involved in this situation. I mean rather than talk to people who dont understand about the future, why dont she use him to catch the murderer idk.
I love my kdrama when the characters choose to communicate than noble idiocy so this frustate me a lot.

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yayabean

May 26, 2024 at 5:16 PM

Noble idiocy is lowkey giving me gray hair😫

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39 CPee

May 24, 2024 at 9:06 AM

Episode 13's twist was a foresight that a coworker discussed with me. I wasn't so surprised that they took this route and I was impressed with the way they delivered it. It was heart wrenching to see the erasure of the plot twist in Episode 2 and KHY performance sealed it. The angst continued in Episode 14 with the erasure of memorabilias from Sun Jae's room and the lost of a song dedicated for his first love that no longer exists in the new timeline. I no longer see the Taxi Driver as an annoyance, he is an anomaly in their fate. Sol is not a noble idiot, her life revolves around Sun Jae. Sun Jae's existence is only for Sol as well, he always chose to die in whatever timeline for Sol.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 25, 2024 at 1:50 PM

While the addition of new things was hopeful you're right the erasure of their shared memories was pretty tough to watch. I do think we'll get Sonaki back and hopefully other items will return too.

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40 dlrgy

May 24, 2024 at 12:15 PM

I really liked episode 14 and the new dynamic it set up. I don't think it'll be our final timeline but it was nice to spend some time in this version of things (ignoring the horror of Sol's life which I left another comment about).

None of the time travel logic slips bother me, but I was thinking all through ep 14 that Sol would 100% be fired for how she treated Sunjae in front of her boss?! Like, the audience knew why she was doing that, but if a writer/producer in a production company was treating what seems to be a relatively big star like that, they'd be booted immediately (not saying that's right)

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 25, 2024 at 1:31 PM

*Plot armor*. That is the only way any character in a drama get to keep their job!! 😂

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41 smurfett820

May 24, 2024 at 6:56 PM

I knew it! At the end of episode 12, I was wondering how the writer was going to resolve this repetitive timeline issue, thought about how she has been basically using the main outline of Someday One day and predicted the only way is to wipe out their memories, have a reboot. And that's basically what she did.

Sol went back in time like the character in SDOD 3 times, and she realized by the end in order to save the ML, their beautiful relationship has to just not exist. That is exactly what happened here. So I had no problem w/ the repetitiveness or the reboot. (Of course, the writer "fixed" the SDOD problem of the viewer being a little disappointed by the fact that they lost their memories by changing the set up a bit and Sol keeping her memory.)

The boss commented that Sol's script has to just up the romance part more and I feel like that's what this writer did when she used the same idea from SDOD. It is definitely less convoluted and she lays out the logic in early episodes...plus she took away the stuff people didn't care about as much, namely the killer subplot. In SDOD it made it way too dark.

And if we follow the same logic, there has to be a child Sol and Sunjae meet cute in the last 2 episodes somewhere. To show how they've always been fated to be together.

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CPee

May 24, 2024 at 11:14 PM

I read a post on Twitter(X) about SDOD's lead being interviewed about Lovely Runner and coincidentally both leads also share the same birthday. Now I have to watch SDOD for reference.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 25, 2024 at 1:47 PM

Thank you for your perspective.

@IsaGC what is your Someday prediction for Sun Sol!?

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42 AmnesiaYawns

May 25, 2024 at 2:23 AM

So I've spent some time obsessing over why Sol annoys me so much. It's the catholic mindset (bear with me, I'll be quick): Everything is her fault, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
Except … it's really not.
She is not cause of Sun-jaes death, it's the killer.
The killer is the problem.
She needs to have an epiphany, stat.
She makes zero effort to find the killer or to find out what his motive is, she tries the same thing over and over again to prevent Sun-jaes death and the result is always the same.
She needs to change. She needs to get out of the wheel.
Isn't the only constant in life change?
She does change some things - she can walk now, her mom doesn't get burned, because she puts out the fire first, her brother and best friend fall in love and are married and so on. But she doesn't learn anything from this, she could approach a solution in Sun-jaes death from another side than pushing him away.
She's always in bunny panic mode.
She could talk. Find the killer.
The way she changed things now, both are unhappy. Sun-jae is a bit diminished in every new version of himself, because she is his inspiration and he needs her. She is unhappy because she misses him so much.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 25, 2024 at 3:15 AM

Thank you! Perfect explanation and analysis.
In the first timeline both Sun Sol were at their lowest as they had never "officially" met. After she went back and they actually interacted it was better for both. So while I don't think "Sun-jae is a bit diminished in every new version of himself", I 💯 agree that they *both* need each other.
Hopefully, they will finally work together to cut off this loop.

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43 nonni

May 25, 2024 at 12:53 PM

My first time making a comment. I appreciate everyone's thoughtful observations. One note about the kidnapper: a plot device to add threat/conflict? Or may be an allegory.
There is no backstory on this character. We know nothing about him, so he seems like he might be a symbol of adversity? impermanence? chaos? fate?
Sol is trying to control fate and finding out that it's not possible. It will be interesting to see how the writer "solves" this problem at the end.

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mom2kidsdog

May 26, 2024 at 7:35 PM

I thought he was after Sol originally because he thought she had seen him at the scene of the night of a murder where the body (the drunk guy Sol first encountered at the reservoir) was found at the reservoir. He's the murderer and was trying to tie up a loose end by eliminating Sol. I assumed that much like other situations, that murder / witness scenario presents itself with different details at another time in Sol's life without her even realizing it.

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44 mom2kidsdog

May 26, 2024 at 7:18 PM

I'm really enjoying this show, particularly Byun Woo Seok. I kind of adored him in Record of Youth as well.

Anyhoo, I have to take umbrage with the idea of 'noble idiocy'. Is it noble idiocy or self-centered thinking? For Sol to imagine that she is THE ONLY ONE who can save Sun Jae between the two of them is completely self-centered. I know she tries to get help from her detective friends, but damn girl, you're in a great relationship, but you lie, deceive, make unilateral decisions, and take on the burdens of changing fate / destiny (or, perhaps the 'responsibility' of making your own fate / destiny) all on your own!!! That's not a relationship ... that's kind of insular, egocentric and self-important, donchathink?!!?

Nonetheless, I'm rooting for you, Sol ... I just think you're a little misguided in your decision-making.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

May 28, 2024 at 1:13 AM

Rooting for Sun Sol to overcome all lack of transparency in communication. 🫰

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45 Sweetiepie

May 28, 2024 at 11:06 PM

I has been a really gripping drama all through and I look forward to a happy ending over the last two epis.

While I can understand Sol's objective behind her actions, I do not agree with them as a relationship or lack of should be based on an agreement between the two parties. She is deciding on behalf of Sun Jae which is not correct. I do understand her huge sacrifice over the four lifetimes, feel really bad and sad for her multiple losses. But fate is a wheel, as it has been shown, things DO happen despite all those many chances to change events. I wonder would things have been different had Sol confided the changed future to Sun Jae, set up a modified trap with the cops and baited the killer in her 3rd lifetime? Working towards an objective as a team for a couple would be better than solely running by herself.

Sun Jae has been heartbroken with her refusals all through the three lifetimes when she avoided him to beat fate.....yet was unsuccessful. Why not live the life and protect yourself best instead!