Lovely Runner Episode 13: The Heartbreaking Reset That Shocked Fans

The Devastating Choice: Sol's Ultimate Sacrifice

Episode 13 of 'Lovely Runner' delivered one of the most heartbreaking turns in the series, completely reshaping the narrative with only a few episodes remaining. After witnessing Sun-jae's death yet again, Sol makes the devastating decision to erase their entire history together by traveling back to their first meeting and choosing not to interact with him at all. This reset effectively wipes out 15 years of their love story, allowing Sun-jae to live safely without ever knowing Sol or being entangled in her dangerous fate with serial killer Kim Young-soo.

The episode begins with Sun-jae and Sol enjoying what seems like a perfect date at an amusement park. They ride attractions, take photos, eat hotdogs and bead ice cream, creating beautiful memories together. On the Ferris wheel, Sun-jae surprises Sol with a birthday cake, song, and a necklace he secretly placed in her pocket. Their sweet exchange of gratitude shows how deeply they've come to care for each other, with Sol acknowledging that Sun-jae saved her life and gave her a reason to live again, though the current Sun-jae doesn't remember these past events.

The Failed Plan to Protect Sun-jae

After their date, Sol executes her plan to protect Sun-jae by pretending to return to the future. She deliberately stays behind in Danpo-ri alone, lying to her mother that she's still with Sun-jae, while letting Sun-jae believe she's returned to 2023. Her true intention is to face serial killer Kim Young-soo alone and prevent Sun-jae from being involved in her dangerous fate.

Sol contacts Detective Kim for help, planning to lure Kim Young-soo into a trap where the police can arrest him. She positions herself exactly where she saw herself in her vision of the changed future, waiting by the store before heading to the dolphin wall at the precise time. However, her plan goes awry when police officers appear instead-Sun-jae had reported her missing, asking them to look for a girl in pink clothing.

This unexpected development causes Kim Young-soo to change course and flee, but he unfortunately encounters Sun-jae who recognizes and pursues him. The chase leads them to the cliff that appeared in Sol's vision, where Sun-jae is stabbed by Kim Young-soo and falls into the sea, dying once again before Sol's eyes.

The 2023 Reset Timeline

The scene then shifts dramatically to 2023, where Sol wakes up in her bed to a completely different reality. In this timeline, her brother is married to Hyun-ju with children, and Sol works as a producer at a film company alongside Hyun-ju. This reality shows what Sol's life would have been without ever meeting Sun-jae-normal but missing the love that changed her.

Sol's work life is shown in detail: she gets criticized for her proposal by the company director, then is tasked with convincing actor Park Do-joon to keep a kiss scene in a movie. When the actor causes trouble by attempting to drive drunk, Sol has to clean up the mess, even writing an apology letter. At the police station, she meets Tae-sung, who has become a police officer in this timeline.

After a difficult day, Tae-sung treats Sol to drinks to cheer her up. While being carried on his back, Sol sees falling snow and is suddenly overwhelmed with memories of Sun-jae, breaking down in tears as she realizes how much she misses him despite erasing their connection.

The Fateful Reunion

Frustrated with her job dealing with difficult actors, Sol writes a lengthy resignation letter beginning with 'I know how to read the room perfectly.' Through a mix-up, her resignation letter gets placed in a red envelope meant for the director. When she realizes this mistake, Sol rushes to retrieve it at a film industry event the director is attending.

In a moment that feels orchestrated by fate itself, Sol successfully retrieves her letter and, while running up the stairs, collides with none other than Sun-jae! In this timeline, he has become an actor living in 2023 with no memory of Sol or their shared past.

This collision reveals the truth about Sol's final time travel: when Sun-jae died at the cliff, Sol remembered his watch that had previously opened the path to the past. She ran to him and pressed the button on his glowing watch, sending herself back to their very first meeting. There, she deliberately avoided meeting him, choosing to erase their entire relationship to save his life. Yet despite this sacrifice, fate has brought them together again in 2023.

Viewer Reactions and Ratings

Episode 13 of 'Lovely Runner' aired on May 20, 2024, achieving a nationwide average household rating of 4.6% and a metropolitan area household rating of 5.2%. Despite these modest numbers, online reactions were explosive, with viewers expressing shock, heartbreak, and even anger at the dramatic reset of the main couple's relationship.

Many fans took to YouTube and community forums to share their reactions, with comments like 'How can they end it like this?? Curse words! Curse words!!' becoming common. The episode was particularly jarring for viewers who had become deeply invested in Sun-jae and Sol's 15-year love story, only to see it completely erased with just three episodes remaining in the series.

Some viewers expressed concern that the show had 'thrown away 15 years of storytelling,' while others trusted the writers to bring the couple back together in a meaningful way before the finale. The dramatic shift generated significant online discussion, with various theories about how Sun-jae might regain his memories in the remaining episodes.

Theories and Expectations for the Final Episodes

With only three episodes remaining after this shocking reset, viewers began developing theories about how the story might conclude. One popular theory suggests that Sun-jae will regain his memories of Sol, possibly triggered by reading the screenplay she wrote (as hinted in episode 14 previews).

Another theory focuses on the watch that enables time travel, suggesting that Sun-jae might attempt his own time jump to restore Sol's legs, which were possibly injured in an unseen incident with Kim Young-soo. Some viewers noted that director Yoon Jong-ho's Instagram showed a photo of 34-year-old Sun-jae with Tae-sung and Kim Young-soo monitoring filming together, suggesting that Kim Young-soo survives until 2023 in some timeline.

The dramatic shift in episode 13 has heightened anticipation for the final episodes, with viewers eager to see how the writers will resolve the story. Will Sun-jae and Sol find their way back to each other despite the reset? Will they create new memories together, or will Sun-jae somehow recover his lost memories? These questions have made 'Lovely Runner' one of the most discussed dramas of 2024, even if its broadcast ratings don't fully reflect its cultural impact.

The Brilliance of the Time Travel Narrative

Episode 13 showcases the sophisticated use of time travel as a narrative device in 'Lovely Runner.' Unlike many time travel stories that focus on changing specific events while maintaining the same timeline, this drama explores the more radical concept of completely resetting a relationship to save a loved one.

Sol's decision to erase her entire history with Sun-jae represents the ultimate sacrifice-giving up her own happiness and memories they shared together to ensure his survival. This raises profound questions about fate, free will, and whether some connections are so fundamental that they transcend even deliberate attempts to sever them.

The visual storytelling in this episode was particularly notable, with the snow falling as Sol remembers Sun-jae symbolizing the purity and beauty of their love, and the stark contrast between their joyful amusement park date and the tragic cliff scene highlighting the cruel twists of fate they've been battling throughout the series. The final scene of them literally colliding in 2023 despite Sol's attempts to keep them apart suggests that some connections might truly be destined, regardless of time manipulation.