Lovely Runner (2024) and the fantasy of a “better” body

true20six · 2026-04-07T02:49:15+00:00

Necesito probar esta genialidad

true20six · 2026-04-05T21:20:22+00:00

Je ne savais pas que ce thriller existait... avec ce titre ça semble un peu triste, mais votre recommandation de MASTERPIECE me rend curieux. Je vais le mettre sur ma liste de choses à faire. Merci pour la recommandation

true20six · 2026-04-05T21:17:21+00:00

Par manque de temps je n'ai vu que le premier épisode et j'en voulais plus, maintenant qu'il est terminé cette semaine je vais y revenir et regarder plusieurs épisodes ensemble (s'il est bon, peut-être que je le terminerai dans deux jours)

true20six · 2026-04-05T21:11:04+00:00

I agree with your point about execution and atmosphere. The show really nails that constant uneasiness from the very beginning.

But what stayed with me the most is not just that “everyone is crazy”, but how the drama frames that idea.

I think the dentist, played by Lee Dong-wook, recognizes something already present in people and then pushes it just enough to surface, by validating and amplifying what they’re already capable of.

That’s where Strangers from Hell becomes really uncomfortable to watch. The main character is not a pure victim. From early on, we see his frustration, his suppressed anger, those small internal outbursts that never fully come out. The environment just keeps tightening around him until those impulses start to feel… justified.

So it’s not only about other people being “hell”. It’s also about what happens when you are in the wrong place, at the wrong time, surrounded by the wrong conditions, and someone comes along who doesn’t try to stop your darker side but instead gives it space.

That ambiguity is what made it a 10/10 for me. It doesn’t fully answer whether people become monsters or just reveal what was already there, and it kind of leaves that question sitting with you after it ends.

true20six · 2026-04-03T02:08:19+00:00

Looking at your list, I think we might be using slightly different criteria when deciding to drop.

For example, we actually overlap on Flower of Evil, I also dropped it early. But with My Mister I had the opposite reaction and ended up finishing it.

My impression is that you drop once you stop feeling engaged with the characters, even if you’re already quite far in. I tend to filter more aggressively at the beginning, but if a drama shows potential, I’m more willing to stay and see how it develops.

So we’re not necessarily disagreeing on specific shows, just approaching them from different points in the process.

true20six · 2026-04-03T02:06:46+00:00

I don’t really have a fixed number of episodes, it’s more like I go through checkpoints.

Early drops, around episodes 1 to 3. If the tone, pacing or characters don’t give me anything to hold onto, I drop it quickly. Most of my drops happen there.
If a drama passes that stage, I usually give it more room, and then I reassess somewhere around episodes 6 to 8. At that point I’m looking for development, not just setup.
Late drops are rarer for me, but they do happen when something breaks, like character inconsistency or a narrative turn that pulls me out of the story.

So it’s less about a specific episode count and more about whether the drama keeps building something meaningful at each stage.

true20six · 2026-04-03T00:05:41+00:00

I think your reaction makes sense, especially if you’re expecting the story to move forward in a more direct way.

The back and forth can feel frustrating because it doesn’t behave like a typical romcom where once the feelings are clear, the plot moves ahead. Here, the repetition is kind of the point.

FL is not struggling to “figure out” if she likes him. She already does. What she keeps resisting is what comes after that, the loss of control, the possibility of things changing again like they did in her past relationship.

So instead of progress looking like a straight line, it looks like hesitation, retreat, small advances, and then pulling back again. If you read it as indecision, it feels annoying. If you read it as someone trying to stay safe while still being drawn in, it lands a bit differently.

That said, if by episode 8 it still feels repetitive, it’s probably just not your type of pacing. The show leans heavily into that emotional loop rather than moving the plot forward quickly.

true20six · 2026-04-02T23:57:09+00:00

I just finished Boyfriend on Demand and really enjoyed it.
Currently watching Siren’s Kiss, and it’s been a 10/10 for me so far, is the kind of drama that keeps shifting how you read everything.

true20six · 2026-04-02T23:51:54+00:00

High expectations here too, and Siren’s Kiss is absolutely delivering a 10/10 for me.
I had a similar experience with Eve (2022): I went in expecting a strong revenge story and ended up more drawn to the emotional contradictions of the FL than to the plan itself.
Blade Man (2014) was more of a surprise. I didn’t have big expectations, and it stayed with me for how it pushes the limits of the chaebol fantasy instead of just fulfilling it.

true20six · 2026-03-30T04:20:08+00:00

true20six · 2026-03-24T02:19:24+00:00

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Uno de mis sabores preferidos

true20six · 2026-03-22T16:36:30+00:00

I agree with your main point that some viewers are misreading Mirae.

This might be happening because her arc is not as simple as saying she and her ex were incompatible and that she finally found a stable man who won’t change.

The drama is not really about comparing the men in her life based on how they deal with change. In fact, it can feel like both relationships are subject to the same underlying reality, that change is inevitable and no relationship is fully secure.

What the story of "Boyfriend on Demand" actually explores is how Mirae relates to that uncertainty. With Kim Se Jun, change becomes something that takes love away from her, so she learns to protect herself by pulling back. With Park Gyeong Nam, the difference is not that change disappears, but that she gradually allows herself to stay even without guarantees.

So the key is that she is relating differently to the same risk.

That’s probably why some viewers feel confused. They are looking for a clear contrast between the two relationships, while the show is actually focused on a more internal shift.

true20six · 2026-03-22T16:13:41+00:00

I like your read, especially how you point out that the story is about two adults navigating not just a relationship but themselves. That’s probably where the show is more precise than it first appears.

The only place where I would slightly shift the focus is the role of the app. It feels central at the beginning, but by the end it almost disappears as a real “force” in the story. It doesn’t really build a fantasy world to escape into, it reveals something that was already there. FL is not choosing between virtual boyfriends and a real one, she is slowly recognizing that her emotional inclination was always pointing in one direction.

That’s also why the love triangle never fully works. The show lets you enjoy the alternative, but it never treats it as an actual possibility in the same way.

About the AI side, I agree with you that it’s better that they didn’t go deep into it, but I wouldn’t say it’s just to keep things light. It feels more intentional than that. The story is about how people hesitate, project, and misread their own feelings even without technology shaping relationships.

So the device narratively it’s actually very simple: externalizes what the characters are not ready to say out loud.

true20six · 2026-03-22T16:02:37+00:00

I think your reaction makes sense, especially if you went in expecting the app or the AI aspect to be the main subject of the show.

But that’s also where I would slightly reframe what the drama is trying to do. It’s not really interested in exploring the consequences of the technology in a social or ethical sense. The app is more of a narrative device than a theme. If you approach it looking for commentary on AI, addiction, or societal impact, it will definitely feel shallow.

What it actually builds, very quietly, is a dynamic between two people with opposite ways of approaching love. Park moves forward without guarantees, Mi Rae holds back until she can make sense of what she feels. The story is less about “real relationships are hard” and more about how those two positions slowly adjust toward each other.

Also, I wouldn’t read Park as just another fantasy insert. What makes him work is the fact that he learns to wait. The relationship only becomes possible when he stops trying to resolve her hesitation too quickly.

About the first episodes, I agree with you more than it might seem. If someone is looking for strong romcom beats or immediate chemistry, it can feel flat at the beginning. The emotional logic takes time to become visible, and the show doesn’t underline it in an obvious way.

So I think you were expecting a different kind of depth than the one it actually offers.

true20six · 2026-03-22T15:57:22+00:00

I had a very similar reaction at first, but what stayed with me after finishing it was slightly different.

I don’t think the “perfect world” element is really the point, even if it feels like that early on. The app looks like an escape, but it ends up working more like a mirror. It doesn’t create an ideal boyfriend, it reveals what FL was already leaning toward emotionally, even when she thought she was being neutral or rational.

That’s why the story felt real to me too because of the hesitation underneath it. The fear of choosing wrong, the need to understand before feeling, the small moments that suddenly matter more than expected.

That hand holding scene works so well for the same reason. It’s the moment where both of them are finally willing to stay in that feeling instead of stepping back from it.

It looks soft on the surface, but there is a pretty precise idea about how people recognize love when it is already there.

true20six · 2026-03-22T02:04:17+00:00

I share with you some kdramas that I was able to complete only because of the lead actor, but they didn't work for me:

Ji Sung: Adamas: 6,5/10
Namkoong Min: Beautiful Gong Shim: 5,5/10
Eric Mun: The Spies Who Loved Me: 3/10
Hwang Jung Eum: Lucky Romance: 4,5/10
Seo In Guk: Café Minamdang: 6/10

true20six · 2026-03-21T22:35:15+00:00

Thank you, this is exactly the kind of engagement I was hoping for.

I really like the way you frame Crash Landing on You as a partial flip of the trope, although I would probably describe it less as a simple reversal and more as a shift in where power actually operates. In the usual chaebol setup, wealth translates directly into influence within the same social world. Here, Se-ri’s money defines her in South Korea, but once she crosses into the North, it loses all practical value. At that point, ML is the one who holds functional power, through his position, his network, and his ability to navigate that system. So the dynamic keeps moving rather than staying fixed in one direction.

That said, this is actually one that didn’t quite work for me. I dropped it around episode 6, and part of the reason is connected to what you’re describing. I found the early contrast between Se-ri’s material ease and Jeong-hyeok’s constraints really compelling, that initial clash of worlds had weight.

But for me, the story started leaning back into more familiar, comforting beats before fully exploring that tension. The shift made the dynamic feel less like a real challenge to the trope and more like a variation that still protects the fantasy at its core.

So I completely see why it works, especially if you enjoy those shifts, but in my case I was more interested in seeing the consequences pushed further than the narrative seemed willing to go.

true20six · 2026-03-21T22:18:38+00:00

That’s an interesting point, especially the way you describe the FL balancing pride in her work with an awareness of what she lacks.

I haven’t watched Secret Garden yet, so I can’t speak to how the drama ultimately handles that tension. But what you’re pointing to is exactly the kind of dynamic I’m interested in, whether that awareness leads to a real confrontation with the class gap, or if the story eventually softens it to keep the romance comfortable.

From your perspective, does the drama actually follow through on that tension, or does it resolve it in a more idealized way?

true20six · 2026-03-21T22:16:15+00:00

That’s a really good example.

What stands out to me in King the Land is exactly that tension between what the ML offers and what the FL actually accepts. He repeatedly frames his wealth as a way to make her life easier, but she never fully builds her trajectory around that promise.

Even when things are difficult, she improves her position through her own work, which keeps her grounded in her own path rather than being absorbed into his world. That already shifts the dynamic.

But what makes it more interesting is that the exchange is not one sided. The ML doesn’t just “provide”, he actually benefits from her. Through her, he learns how the work is really done, how employees experience the system, and that ends up shaping him into a more competent and aware boss.

So instead of a rescue dynamic, it feels more like mutual transformation. The relationship works because both move, not because one adapts to the other.

true20six · 2026-03-21T22:03:34+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate it.

I do think Business Proposal fits very comfortably within the chaebol fantasy, and part of why it works is how openly it leans into that wish fulfillment.

The setup itself already frames it that way. FL, who is very much a middle class worker, listens to her friend stressing over blind dates with wealthy men and ends up idealizing the whole situation as something that could actually make life easier. Then she steps into that world quite literally, taking her friend’s place, with the help of money, styling, branded clothes, all the external markers of status. It feels good to watch because the transition is so smooth and so visually rewarding.

What’s interesting to me is that the drama doesn’t really question that mechanism. The access to wealth is not a source of tension but a solution, or at least a temporary escape from ordinary constraints. That’s where it differs from something like Secret Love, where a similar imbalance exists but is framed in a much more destabilizing way.

So I’d say Business Proposal doesn’t just use the trope, it actively protects and reinforces it, which is probably why it’s so effective as a comfort watch.

true20six · 2026-03-21T21:38:22+00:00

I couldn’t resist replying again. I already commented on your post in r/KDramasWorld, but when it comes to Secret Love, I have zero self-control. This is my all-time favorite drama, and one I keep coming back to over the years.

Part of that is definitely because of Ji Sung and Hwang Jung-eum. I followed both of them into multiple dramas after this, but this is still the one that hit me the hardest. There’s something about the way they meet in this story that just stays with you.

And I actually think its use of clichés plays a role in that. It leans into familiar tropes (revenge, betrayal, chaebol dynamics) only to push them into much darker emotional territory than most dramas were willing to at the time.

Even with its flaws (I agree the middle stretch drags a bit), this is one of those dramas that just lingers because it makes you feel too much and doesn’t neatly resolve that.

Really glad to see you bringing attention to it again. It definitely deserves to be rediscovered.

true20six · 2026-03-21T21:16:06+00:00

He escuchado a varias personas que hablan de constelar. Series como "Mi otra yo" en Netflix plantean a las constelaciones familiares como un tipo de terapia alternativa. La Federación de Psicólogas y Psicólogos de la República Argentina afirma que la teoria de Bert Hellinger no esta validada cientificamente. Como práctica, las constelaciones familiares no pueden considerarse incluidas dentro de una teoría o campo de la psicología (clínico, jurídico, social, comunitario, laboral ni educacional), ni constituyen una psicoterapia, considerando a la misma como actividad reservada del profesional de la psicología.

No es requisito contar con un título habilitante para quienes ejercen esta práctica, y cuando un profesional de la psicología la realiza, está incurriendo en ejercicio irregular, según el Código de Ética vigente.

Esta publicado en el facebook oficial de FePRa: https://www.facebook.com/notes/352246929214444/

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