Drama name : Lovely Runner (English title) / Run Away With Sun-Jae On Piggyback (literal title)
Revised romanization: Sunjae Eobgo Tweeeo
Hangul: 선재 업고 튀어
Director: Kim Tae-Yeob, Yoon Jong-Ho
Writer: Kim Bbang (novel), Lee Si-Eun
Network: tvN
Episodes: 16
Release Date: April 8 - May 28, 2024
Genre: Time Travel / Romance
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea
Lovely Runner is filled with hidden details and Easter eggs that tie the story together and also hinting at a happy ending and marriage between the main characters.
🚌 Symbolism of Number 34
The number 34 symbolyzes the intertwined fates of Im Sol and SunJae. It appears numerous times indeed throughout the drama, starting in the first episode when SunJay passes away exactly at midnight on January 1, 2023, at age 34. In episode 2, Im Sol and SunJae board bus number 34 together, and SunJae help Im Sol by making it stop so she doesn’t get late. In episode 4, Im Sol takes the same bus 34 again, leading to her meeting her aggressor, but SunJay appears again to save her.
Besides that, during her teenage years, Im Sol happens to live at number 34-1, while her phone number digits add up to 34 as well (4-2-7-5-6-2-8), and even the villain’s taxi plate number sums to 34 (3-8-4-4-3-8-4). That’s where destiny leads as SunJae and Im Sol end up meeting again at age 34.
🔮 Intricate Time travel theme
The solar eclipse, the magic watch, and Grandma Jong Mal ja’s involvement all contribute to the complex time travel narrative, adding depth to the story. The entire story centers on the concept of an eclipse: it is not only the name of SunJae’s music band, but it also initiates the drama’s storyline. In episode 1, while Sol is hospitalized, we hear people discussing the solar eclipse of July 22, 2009.
In addition, the watch that enables Im Sol to travel back in time is a solar watch, surrounded by interesting details. She activates its magic powers three times, with the watch counting down from 3 to 1 and finally showing zero after the last travel, representing her three chances to change the future.
In the first episode, Im Sol’s grandmother, Jong Mal Ja, takes the watch before its powers activate and later reclaims it when the protagonist is desperate. Mal Ja also appears to be the only one who understands that Imol is time traveling and remembers that she was paralyzed in another timeline. Despite being portrayed with dementia, the final episode reveals that Mal Ja is the mastermind behind all the time travels. We realize indeed that she hides a lot of secrets, she asks SunJae to stay “alive and happy”, and we also see her throwing the watch at the end of the drama at the same spot where Im Sol travelled to the past for the first time. We could interpret her supposed dementia as a poetic symbol for time travel, where dementia represents a form of mental time travel.
Umbrellas ☔& Symbolism of colors 🌈
Have you noticed that umbrellas in Lovely Runner had different colors ? Discover the hidden meanings behind them !
When Sol and Sun Jae meet for the first time at adulthood, they share a black umbrella : black symbolizing sadness and depression. It foreshadows the upcoming death of Sunjae and adds depth and drama to the narrative.
When Sol travels back in time for the first time, SunJae uses a blue umbrella which is a the symbol for miracle : SunJae is still alive.
During their first encounter, Sol uses a yellow umbrella, which she later shares with SunJae. This umbrella symbolizes happiness, new beginnings, and unconditional love. In K-dramas, it represents a legend: those who stand under a yellow umbrella will fall in love and share a deep, unbreakable bond.
More generally, Im Sol’s clothes, matched with the color scheme of her surroundings and her connection to sunflowers, prominently feature shades of yellow. This purposeful use of color emphasizes Im Sol’s role and importance in the narrative : being someone’s yellow means they are your savior, soulmate and the source of your boundless happiness. Im Sol is Ryu Sun Jae’s yellow.
On the other hand, Ryu Sun Jae is embodied by the color blue (his umbrella and the color theme of the drama). His character radiates peace and comfort, being the essence of the color blue. A ‘blue person’ is someone who evokes feelings so deep that they are beyond words. They are treasured beyond measure, and their presence is irreplaceable. Ryu Sun Jae is Im Sol’s blue : —the one she loves more than words could express.
💏Happy ending
Various other Easter eggs scattered throughout the drama hint at a happy ending and a wedding between the protagonists.
One example is the presence of traditional Chonga Chrong lanterns, used in ancient Korean wedding ceremonies. In episode 5, these lanterns appear while SunJay teaches Im Sol to ride a bicycle. They also reappear in episode 10 during an emotional conversation.
Additionally, Mal Ja draws three dots on Im Sol’s face, referencing a historic Korean wedding tradition where red dots are painted to protect the bride from evil spirits.
Mal Ja prepares samang soup in episode 3, which is traditionally served by mothers-in-law to welcome their daughter’s husband, hinting at SunJae becoming part of Im Sol’s family.
Im Sol and Sun Jae accidentally kiss in episode 10 during a field trip, aligning with a university legend that predicts marriage for those who kiss during their first field trip. The same thing happens with Im Sol’s brother and her best friend, who later get married.
Besides this, Mal Ja calls Sunjay “son-in-law, in episode 14, hinting at his future marriage to Im Sol.
These and other clues suggest the protagonists’ future marriage, culminating in a wedding glimpse in the final episode.
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