On the day we first met, I earnestly wished it wouldn’t be just a passing rain.
Hello, I’m back to review a new hits drama of 2024. I’m really excited to review this drama. Somehow it give me back my desire to watch drama again. What do you think about a fans who tried to save her idol’s life? You may think this drama is all about idol-fan trope, but it’s not. This drama is turned into a hit these days. Their OST ranked on top in music platform. My first impression about this drama is I really love it. This drama can really touch my heart right from the first sight. They started it with a girl who gained her hope to life because this idol gave her comfort words. It feels like I can related to it. Somewhere around 2018 when I’m in my lowest, I found BTS who always encourage me until today. This drama showing that kind of love between a fans and idol, and turned out it’s not just about that. The story will turned 180 degree after that.
When you think it’s story about love story between an idol and his fans, it’s not. It is a story about first love. For her, he is an idol that never unreachable. But for him, she is an unrequited first love. Im Sol is a girl who lost her hope for being alive after encounter an accident. She being paralyzed and gave up on her dream. It is because Ryu Sun Jae, a member of new idol grup who had just debut and gave comfort for Im Sol through the phone in radio show. Sunjae’s comfort words to Sol that become one my favorite is:
“Thank you for staying alive. Your loved ones around you would be relieved and be grateful that you’re still with them. So, you should live your life today. Because it’s a great day. It will rain tomorrow. As you wait until the rain stops, live another day. If you keep this up, there might come a day when life doesn’t seem so miserable.”
In this cruel world, you just need that one comfort words to get you through the problems. When you think you had no one and your world have collapse, just remember that there are still someone beside you and someone must want you to live your life. That’s why Sol was being saved. Little did she knows, when she finally got another hope, someone out there is feeling guilty all his life to save her but can’t see she live her life just like she wants. Somehow, they are given chances to make difference about their life. But remember there are things you can’t change how hard you tried it.
Some people might see this series is about a die hard fans who trying to save her idol’s life. It’s not too interesting right just by reading that. It’s just like a typical drama with idol-fan trope. But please try watching it. For me after I watch it, it’s more than that. It’s about 운명 (unmyeong). It’s about fate. Idol and fans are just title. Idol is just a job and being a fans is only a hobby. Before they become a part of that, they already destined by their fate. This fate that makes this story become more beautiful and special. It is makes us thinking that somehow there are fate that cannot be change even if we tried. It would happened eventually even though we tried to change it. Just like Ryu Sun Jae said:
“Is there such a thing as a predetermined fate? Like an inevitable fate, that we can neither change nor defy.If there is, Sol, my fate is no matter in which time we meet, past present, or any other I’ll fall in love with you.”
At first what we see is ‘She fell for him first and keep fallin’. The reality is ‘He fell first and always fallin’. But the time travel make it into ‘He fell first, She realized later, and They fell harder and harder’. It looks like Sunjae is a cool boy type but turned out he’s just a bubbly silly boy. Mad in love with Sol. It’s really cute to see Sunjae’s silly character especially in high school life. Yet he still really charming and silly at the same time. I thought he change after turning into adult and actor. Turned out, in his usual life he still the same Sunjae we saw in school. It just make us realize what we seen in idol on screen maybe not what they truly are.
Kim Hye Yoon as Im Sol. She really suited this kind of role. A bubbly high school girl. I don’t know who will suited this character more if it’s not her. Even though I know her first as a mean and villain high school girl in Sky Castle, but turned out on her next project Extraordinary You she showed that she really suited played a happy and high spirited high school girl. I can see her range of character in another movie but for me this kind of character is the most suited for her. Maybe she needs a little work hard to slowly let go her image as a cheerful high school girl to keep moving forward with her new drama/film in the future.
For Byeon Woo Seok. I’m very happy for him. Finally he deserves all for his work. I’ve known and recognize him since he played as Park Bogum’s friend in Record of Youth. After that, he starred in movie called 20th Century Girl. He always ending up not good. In the drama, he’s just 2nd lead and miserable life. In the movie he ended up dead. Finally I can see him as a first lead here. He’s really suited playing romance-comedy-sad drama. All the emotions are delivered really well. The prove is this drama really can touch my heart with all the scenes and messages. Turned out he can play a silly character too. I really like to see that another side of Wooseok’s acting being silly in this drama. Sometimes it’s me who embarassed seeing Sunjae’s action while watching the drama. And who knows that he can sing really well? 소나기 (Sudden Shower) really deserves it. It’s my favorite song in this drama. His deep voice is really soothing and addicted.
When I see for the first time who played role as Sunjae’s dad, I was wondering why he become his dad. It looks like no matched with Sunjae. After I watch the drama, all I can say is I know now why he’s the dad. I know where’s crazy and silly Sunjae was form. Of course it’s from his dad. Actor Kim Won Hae played it. He’s already recognized almost always playing as a funny character. No wonder he played in this series as Sunjae’s dad. He’s just perfect being his father. He nailed it. Who will always create a bickering scenes with his front-door neighbor a.k.a Sol’s mom perfectly if it’s not him. They didn’t imagine in the future it turned out they’ll become in-laws. Sadly, their parents didn’t have the memories in the parallel time. It’s a refreshing to this drama to see his acting here. It just make this drama more and more fun.
Aside from the cast, this drama itself is very funny. I love how they added so many jokes in this drama. And after that, they will make the audiences crying. How can they make funny scenes and sad scenes that really touch my heart at the same episode? Seeing that this series also categorized as a comedy, it’s really entertaining to see the characters being silly and funny while the other time they were being so seroious. First, let me talk about the funny scenes first.
The humor🤣🤣 It is a light romance and a bit of mystery drama but it’s so funny. This drama will give you a lot of laugh. Sunjae overthinking thoughts are never fails to make me laugh. He always think emotional scenes happen between Im Sol and Tae Sung while the reality is not. Too many comical scenes in this series, but still it’s captivating audiences heart when it’s getting serious and intense. I really like how this series keep giving us a little detail on it. It’s a detail that doesn’t really giving an impact to its whole story, but the details give more value to the story. Sometimes it really show us that Sol get back in time by the details they gave us. They really showed us the detail that happening in South Korea at that time when Sol get back in time. Like Olympic, SNSD who still become a best girl group at that time, and the style.
I really like how they set every ending episode of this drama. The ending often become turning point to the story that always give us a new perspective about this drama. Start from the Episode 2 when they give us scene that actually from the start it was Sunjae who falling first into Sol, from that I just know that this drama will give us a good ending in every next episodes. And they always did that. It always become a revelation of something big or something important. They really know how to make a good ending that really left an impression to the audiences. For me personally, I always love when they put the scene when Sunjae finally realized what’s it all about when Sol couldn’t say anything about it and he just blurted it out everything in front of Sol that she did avoided him maybe because in the future he did died because of her and tell her to let it go, and if he must died because of her then he relieved. They put this beautiful scene to the ending just make me really moved.
“Sol, stop running away for me. Just pursue your feelings for me. If I end up dying to save you, I’ll be fine with that.”
I always think that Sunjae’s love is bigger than Sol, but after see how hard Sol tried to save him and decided to cut their first meet so she remember all memories alone it was too much hurt. How can she handle it alone for these years? She had nobody to tell about it because nobody had memories about it. But it was hurt for Sunjae too, it’s hurt that you can’t remember a thing about her when all this time his life is all about her. From that I just know that I can’t compare their love. Like Sol’s grandma said that we can lose our memory but our heart will not forget the memory, it’s still remained in our heart forever.
Another thing that I really love in this drama is the soundtrack. The OST is A top notch. It’s also get into top chart in the music platform. The first time I hear Sunjae singing his song 소나기 (Sudden Shower), instantly I love it. The deep voice and the meaning of the song always makes me crying. Not just that, but every soundtrack song can really defined every scenes in this drama. That’s why I really love it. It’s been a while that I listen deeply on every each Lovely Runner OST. The teams did a really great job arranging this OST. My favorite beside Sudden Shower are I Think I Did, A Day, and Spring Snow. Everytime it plays I just like it.
So until the end, we will not given the specific reason why the taxi driver always chasing after Sol and Sunjae. But for me it’s pure because he’s a psychopath and Sol always cross with the taxi driver that makes her as a prey. And if it’s about Sol, of course Sunjae always involved in it. It’s simple as that. At the beginning, I thinking that I must know the motive of the taxi driver. But after I watch the whole drama, I just enjoyed it and didn’t see it as a lackness of this drama.
I can see that this drama really focus on their relationship development. They want to bring the power of fate in life. Somehow I can say maybe it’s good and it’s not. Maybe there are people who wondering so the others didn’t have memories about the time parallel. But at least, their life change to a good one. Aside that Sol failed to save her relationship, she really change her life. She achieve her dream, Taesung didn’t drop out from school and become police, and Sol’s family fate also got better. So for this drama, even though it’s focus to Sol and Sunjae relationship, it’s enough to see how their relationship up and down in parallel time. It’s really refreshing for time travel drama.
To end this review, I just can say that this is a really beautiful drama. The words on every scene are too beautiful and meaningful. I’m so happy that this drama exist and become a pride to the casts. I want to give this drama a perfect 5 star out of 5 star ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I’ll rewatch this drama, and I think this is kind of drama that I will watch over and over again.
Please keep smiling like this. I will stay by your side. So that you don’t feel lonely or think about scary things when you’re having a hard time. I’ll stay by your side for the rest of my life, so please live long.
