tvN’s new Monday-Tuesday drama ‘Lovely Runner’ responded to some viewers’ criticism that the drama’s setting reminds them of the late idol Jonghyun.
‘Lovely Runner’ is a story about a famous artist who dies, and a passionate fan travels back in time to 2008 to prevent his death. In the first episode aired on the 8th, the process of Im Sol (Kim Hye Yoon) becoming a passionate fan of Ryu Seon-jae (Byun Woo Seok), Ryu Seon-jae’s sudden death, and their fateful reunion as 19-year-old high school students in 2008 after 15 years were depicted.
However, some overseas viewers raised concerns about the drama’s setting. They claimed that the artist facing death is reminiscent of the late Jonghyun. They pointed out that the year the female lead returns to, 2008, is the year of SHINee’s debut, and that the first broadcast date coincides with Jonghyun’s birthday, expressing their protest to the production team.
In response, CJ ENM clarified its position through viewer counseling. CJ ENM emphasized that “The debut year of the character Sun Jae is 2009, and the drama is based on the web novel ‘Tomorrow’s Star,’ not created with a specific individual in mind.”
Regarding the decision to set the flashback year as 2008 instead of following the original work’s setting of six years prior, they explained, “The setting of six years prior from the original work did not accurately reflect the temporal differences, so we decided to set it in 2008 to clearly demonstrate the contrast with 2023.”
Furthermore, they dismissed any intentional arrangement regarding the first broadcast date, stating, “The decision was made sequentially according to the scheduling order, and intentional arrangements are not feasible in reality.”
Source: (A)
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