For those wondering where Sun-jae gets his height, since it sure isn’t from Dad: the production team has you covered. Lovely Runner, episode 4.

Context: I’ve seen some commentary online about the casting of very not-tall Kim Won-hae as Byun Woo-seok’s father. Height is a complex outcome of genetics and environment (nutrition but also other factors), so it’s not that unlikely in real life, and to me the two actors’ ability to convey the relationship convincingly is more important than a physical resemblance.

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    Being a first generation American from a Vietnamese immigrant family, I can vouch for how much nutrition can make a difference in height.

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    Oh my, what eyes you have! 👏🏾 My husband is significantly taller than his below average parents. It’s plausible to me. Like you said, it’s from a complex mix of factors.

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      That photo is hilarious, tho.

      It also works the other way, at least in my family. Folks can be surprisingly short in a family of tall people, nutrition not playing any known role…unless it’s like Holly Golightly said and I didn’t feed my kids enough peanut butter…🤔

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        I’m shorter than both of mine. I blame it on the lack of peanut butter in my country.

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          I’m shorter than both of mine, too, and was raised to expect to become a giant. I got gypped! A throwback to maternal grandpa’s shorty family.

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            That would be me, too. I’m not short, but I’m shorter than my mother, shorter than my grandmother, and SIX INCHES shorter than my great-grandmother. 😡 And there was plenty of peanut butter to go around.

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            LOL @elinor, your grandmother must have been so tall for her time😲! They warned me that I’d be 6 ft tall (avg between 2 parents), so don’t start slouching now!!! Also, should have turned brunette like the rest of the family but I stayed blonde 🤷‍♀️ Genetics are a funny thing!

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            I guess we shouldn’t look to Truman Capote for medical advice, huh? Darn. He was my go-to reference source on parenting…😱

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            @bbstl My great-grandmother was very tall for her generation – almost 5’11” (180 cm). I’ve seen a photo of her parents (my great-great-grandparents). He was about 6’10” (208 cm, that is not a typo) and she was 4’10” (147 cm). They had multiple children, so obviously they worked out the giraffe/gazelle logistics somehow.

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            @attiton 😂 I sincerely hope that’s the only parenting advice you took from Capote.

            @elinor and @bbstl Happy to join the conclave of short people who prove the wonders of genetics! Also, tho you already have some evidence, I can assure you gazelles and giraffes can be very comfortable together. 😉

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            @indyfan Um? Yes? Right? Were the Black and White kids’ birthday parties with chocolate fountains and all-you-can-hold sparkling grape juice not the standard I should have set for my children’s future expectations of real life??

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          @attiton Can you adopt me?

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    Not sure if I can recall all the years and how old Dad looked at any given time but am guessing he would have been born and raised close to the post-Korean War aftermath when SK was a third world country. The generations following made amazing gains in height as well as material wealth and education.

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    I came back here to say omg, @elinor, 6’10” and 4’10”!!! And once again, 6’10”!!! When was that?

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      Yes, he was remarkably tall for any era. The photo is from 1890, when he would have been in his 40s.

      The funny thing to me is that the first time I saw it, I thought it was my aunt (mom’s younger sister) in old-timey costume standing next to some random super-tall dude. She’s a dead ringer for her great-grandma, and only a couple of inches taller. Genetics is weird.

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        Genetics is weird

        It sure is. My parents and I are of the same height, but my younger brother is way taller than us. My parents were worried during his growth spout and consulted doctors. Apparently he inherited the genes of my great grandpa.

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        Wow, it is weird!

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    @23new2kdrama Hi! Ever-so-slight spoiler about the brother and bestie in Lovely Runner – and please keep commenting on the earlier threads! It’s fun to read your takes.

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    You really can fast-forward through all of their scenes together and you will not miss anything of substance or anything that matters at all to understanding the plot, but you will save yourself a great deal of annoyance. They only get *worse.* Their scenes with other characters are not quite so unbearable.

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