Review : Running Through Time; Lovely Runner Redefines Fate

By Nysa Warlekar

Rating : 4 Stars

Well the honest reason as to why I started this drama might be because of the male lead, Byeon Woo-seok because I’ve see him in 20th century girl which was a rollercoaster in itself but after this drama I feel like he’s able to perform variety of roles as an actor as for the female lead Kim Hye-yoon since this was my first time watching her but I can say the same for her too. Before watching , I had been told that its a Idol & Fan drama so I wasn’t sure what I could expect from this drama? but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t just Idol x Fan trope but more of a First Love trope. So, Let’s rewind. 

Their story opens up, with Im Sol who lives a handicap life, dealing with depression after loosing her ability to walk while Ryu sun-jae is in a Kpop group called ECLIPSE with his band friends from High-school. And while they’re doing a talk show on radio, Im Sol is a receiver of a call from Sun-jae but she doesn’t want to do anything with it , as they try to keep her on the call she gets agitated and that’s when Sun-jae thanks her for being alive and to look forward to another day while waiting for the storm to go away thus making Im Sol a fan of his. 

After which , the group gains a lot more fame and becomes popular while Im Sol is able to cope with her life and live it to the best while stanning her favourite person. Besides the given trope, this show captures the mental health of a pop star even if we later get to know that it might be due to guilt that Sun-jae looses his life but the fact remains how much they go through everyday by trying to fulfill their roles as celebrities to meet everyone’s expectations. So suddenly at the second episode Ryu Sun-jae has been pronounced dead while dealing with depression and anxiety. 

You wouldn’t imagine to be thrown into this after Im Sol and Ryu Sun-jae meet for the first time as he helps her when she’s left deserted on a snowy night with her wheelchair not working. So the all the news channels broadcasts his death at midnight which shocks everyone especially Im Sol there’s a watch which she’s wearing as she rushes to the hospital but the watch is dropped in a shallow waters of a river and she gets down crawling trying to get it back but starts bawling in that cold water once reality sets in and as she clutches the watch we travel back in time to 2008 before Im Sol’s accident where Sun-jae who is a few meters away , an athlete, alive and he’s in love with Im Sol. 

So the watch plays a significant role because its Sun-jae’s which Im Sol has in the future but it helps her time travel from past to present with a total of four jumps in order to save Sun-jae from any harm. In the process she also learns about her accident which was due to her getting kidnapped so she tries to change her Fate and in her new future she has a job and is able to walk, we also learn that Sun-jae is the one who saves her in the past as well as in her first jump so Im Sol is shocked but also grateful towards Sun-jae because he has practically saved her twice, so her love for him keeps adding on but since she’s from the future and once she goes back the original Im Sol will treat Sun-jae as a stranger therefore she isn’t able to reciprocate to his feelings as well. And it all comes down to her saving him from the kidnapper because with every jump the kidnapper comes back so that’s one loophole which made it feel seem like an endless goose chase while both of our main characters are ready to risk their lives just to save each other. So there’s a lot of scarifies which is another reason why I liked this drama because its selfless and in the face of unknown future they’ll continue to make the same choices because they love that person, this is something that Sun-jae tells Im Sol that whatever decisions he takes will make his fate and his decisions will keep her safe even if it coats him his life. 

And it’s so heartbreaking! When its the last jump and Im Sol couldn’t save Sun-jae again she realises that the watch becomes a time machine every time Sun-jae is injured. Upon realising she has one jump left, she doesn’t hesitate bringing them back again but now she avoids coming face to face. So now the infamous scene of her running up to him in rain holding her yellow umbrella disappears from their past. Its such a Man Vs Fate conflict when you cant help but feel frustrated at her decision but also knowing she’s suffered enough and doesn’t want to risk his life because of her. Since, they’ve never met Sun-jae doesn’t remember any of their past interactions but Fate once again plays a hand and brings them forth in the future where Im Sol works as a Film Producer and Sun-jae as an actor.  Sol actually writes a their story for production and her company is trying to heir him as a character for another film but accidentally her script is sent to him and Sunjae is brought to tears. That’s how his pestering begins to make her accept him in the movie and we actually have a cop friend of Im Sol , Tae-sung who’s on the tail of the kidnapper

He is the key in ending the vicious cycle of sacrifice where when he’s on the run chasing the kidnapper, the kidnapper meets with his end the same way Im Sol mets with her accident. 

With interacting and meeting Im Sol , Sun-jae starts getting visions and dreams. And what I really like is Im Sol’s grandmother who has dementia explains that her mind might forget, but the soul never forgets which implies to Sun-jae when he finally gains his memories he rushes to Im Sol where now they can finally look forward to a happy future together as a audience it feels really rewarding seeing them happy. There are so many different aspects in the drama which make it so much more enjoyable for instance, the comedic elements as well which were a trademark in Sun-jae’s expressions as he tries to hide his crush from Im Sol but fails terribly because his actions speak louder than words, even for Im Sol we understand the fear she holds of loosing him for life than his heart so even if she tries to tackle the problem head on we have Sun-jae always there to save her. Though , I enjoyed this drama I felt the loophole and number of jumps was an issue which left like a drag to me but maybe that’s what the writers were aiming for to finally make the last jump see absolute in shaping their future together. 

The grandma wishes both of them a happy future for a long time now that they can be together therefore I assume that the grandma remembers every past, present and future of Sunjae and Im Sol. 

There’s a play of seasons too since it deals with time travel, Sunjae comes to Im Sol as snow while Im Sol comes to him as rain, and they both are happy in spring so its significant that the last scene ends with Sunjae proposing to her in spring and them witnessing their wedding as they kiss which was surprising as they might have a happy ending in another dimension too. Who knows? Because its finally a happy future they can look forward to. 

000