Lovely Runner: Ending explained and season 2 renewal possibilities explained

On Tuesday, May 28, Lovely Runner aired its final episode on tvN at 8:50 pm KST. The drama is an adaptation of the web novel and webtoon Tomorrow's Best illustrated by illustrator Doong Doong.

Lovely Runner follows the story of a K-pop star Ryu Sun-jae and his fan Im Sol. Ryu Sun-jae portrayed by actor Byeon Woo-seok is a former swimmer turned top star singer. One day, Ryu Sun-jae tragically ends up losing his life which turns Im Sol's life upside down.

Im Sol, played by actress Kim Hye-yoon, is a passionate fan of Ryu Sun-jae who found solace in his music after a dreadful accident that crippled her dreams of becoming a movie director. Im Sol is given a life-changing opportunity to turn back time to 15 years to save her bias from his tragic demise in the present.

The two main characters finally overcame the obstacles and triumphed over their fate as Ryu Sun-jae was saved and Im Sol followed her dream.

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Lovely Runner ending explained: Byeon Woo-seok and Im Sol's happy ending with grandmother's twist

Previously, episode 15 of Lovely Runner showcased the aftermath of Im Sol’s last journey to the past. Im Sol saved Ryu Sun-jae and has lived 15 years without her love. She decided to continue living without crossing paths with Ryu Sun-jae however, fate has different plans for them.

After Im Sol accepted Ryu Sun-jae as the lead actor in her melo-romance film, she quit her job to stay away from him. On the other hand, Ryu Sun-jae regained his memories with Im Sol from different timelines with the help of the watch Im Sol had gifted him in another timeline.

At the same time, Kim Young-soo (Heo Hyung-kyu) was being chased by Kim Tae-sung (Song Geon-hee) as he was on the list of kidnap suspects. While Kim Tae-sung ran behind him, Kim Young-soo got hit by a truck and died that instant.

Meanwhile, the mystery behind Jung Mal-ja (Sung Byung-sook), Im Sol's grandmother's connection with the time slip arc in Lovely Runner was also solved. Jung Mal-ja seemingly had been aware of Im Sol’s worries about Ryu Sun-jae’s tragic death. She was seen getting rid of the watch by throwing it in the river where Im Sol first used it to go back in time.

Following Im Geum (Song Ji-ho) and Lee Hyun-joo's (Seo Hye-won) son's birthday party, Jung Mal-ja met Ryu Sun-jae and wished him a long and happy life which brought tears to his eyes.

As Lovely Runner viewers had been curious regarding Im Sol and Ryu Sun-jae’s happy ending, the drama showcased some wholesome moments between the two as they tried secret dating since Ryu Sun-jae was a celebrity. While they spent time together Im Sol once stated that the two looked like newlyweds which encouraged Ryu Sun-jae to officially propose to her for marriage.

Ryu Sun-jae planned a grand proposal event on a cruise with the help of his manager Park Dong-seok (Lee Il-joon) and his fellow Eclipse member Baek In-hyuk (Lee Seung-hyub). His proposal idea fell through as Im Sol shared her plans of pursuing film direction and preparing a short film for a Spring Competition.

Im Sol followed her dream and took up the challenge of directing her film. Ryu Sun-jae waited for the perfect time and under the cherry blossom tree, he proposed to her. During their college era in Lovely Runner, the two shared a moment where they caught a cherry blossom petal which according to Im Sol was a sign of the completion of one's first love.

Just like they caught a petal back then, this time with a twist, Ryu Sun-jae hid a ring among the petals and asked her to live with him for a long time. A bonus scene that gained attention from fans and viewers was the vision of a wedding ceremony in the future, Ryu Sun-jae and Im Sol had as they kissed each other under the cherry blossom tree. This heart-fluttering scene illustrated Im Sol walking down the aisle wearing a wedding gown, meanwhile, Ryu Sun-jae donned a black suit.

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Lovely Runner season 2 possibilities

On June 1, in an interview with TV Daily, writer Lee Si-eun shared her thoughts on a second season of the tvN drama. The screenwriter stated that she had worked on the project for a long time. She expressed her affection for the characters Ryu Sun-jae and Im Sol.

However, writer Lee Si-eun revealed that she does not plan on a second season. According to TV Daily, she said,

"I'm not thinking about season 2. Since I'm a writer who creates characters, Seon-jae and Sol-i are still alive in my heart, as are my previous works."

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Lovely Runner featuring Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon is available on TVING, Viki, and more.