tvN "Lovely Runner" Reminiscent of the Late Jonghyun?

Published on 2024/04/11 | Source

tvN drama "Lovely Runner" responded to the criticism that the drama brings up the image of the late singer Jonghyun.

tvN's new Monday-Tuesday drama, "Lovely Runner" is about a big fan who time-sleeps to 2008 to prevent the death of a famous artist.

The first episode aired on the 8th depicted Im Sol (Kim Hye-yoon) becoming a big fan of Ryoo Seon-jae (Byeon Woo-seok), Ryoo Seon-jae's sudden death, and the fateful reunion of the two as 19-year-old high school students in 2008 going back 15 years.

Some argued that the artist who dies is reminiscent of the late Jonghyun, regarding the setting of "Lovely Runner". The year 2008, when the heroine returns, is the debut year of the group SHINee, and April 8th, the first broadcast date, is the birthday of the deceased.

In response to protests from some fans even before the broadcast, tvN explained, "Seon-jae's debut year in the drama is 2009, and it is based on the web novel "The Best of Tomorrow", and it is not a drama made with a specific person in mind".

Regarding setting the return year to 2008, the drama explained, "We decided that the setting of six years before the original was not suitable for showing the difference in the times, so we set it to 2008 when the contrast between 2023 and the times is revealed".

Despite the broadcaster's explanation, some fans continue to protest. Critics point out that the company lacked consideration for its fans to create a work without considering situations that could remind them of a specific person even if it was not intended.