Gamsahabnida!!! Safe travels!!!

I am excited for the coming episodes of LR. 🙂

@Arihsi, I am enjoying this drama a lot. Between this one and Queen of Tears, I haven’t started any cdrama. That’s usually not like me. hahaha

Hi @Cleo! See you when you can write. I notice that many people have fallen off Queen of Tears threads as well. It is the busy period, start of a new financial year!

I too am excited about today’s episode of lovely runner.

@cleopatra I never started queen of tears but I see how well it has been doing. Your comment about it being stressful reinforced My decision to watch it at another time. I imagine it is well worth the watch. I do have fear of missing Out but so far I have avoided most of the marital breakup k dramas.

I DO LOVE kIm soo hyun.

The original title for this drama was “Time walking on memory.”

I’m right alongside @cleo in feeling heartbroken for Sun Jae.

Bonus ! We were right about the watch showing the number of times she can time travel! But there is something that governs her travel forward to present.

After this whole time travel debacle, Im Sol is going to be affected EVEN more by the realisation that he’s dead in the present. Earlier, she was just his fan. A fan and a romantic love are different as the drama reiterates. She doesn’t keep him in dark either. She’s upfront. She keeps saying she’s his FAN, never anything else. And a fan of Sun Jae the swimmer and later Sun Jae the idol. No confusion there. He’s the only one romantically involved.

But slowly and surely, she’s going to fall for Sun Jae the PERSON. She’s his friend and his lover, not his fan anymore.

And then to realise that she made promises to him that she didn’t keep. He died alone, the possibility that he ODed / killed himself, that whole graphic resuscitation that he went through also alone (although technically he doesn’t know, but Im Sol does) and now to imagine he’s somewhere on a cold autopsy table still with no one around who loves him. That’s a lot of guilt to carry.

This makes me heartbroken for Im Sol too. She didn’t mean any of this.

Did IS original show up there at the end and she was the one who ageed to date TS.

There is a repeat of the idea that he failed before he even tried, to tell her his feelings. There was a similar phrase in the radio show when he is phoning her.

If the previews are to be believed, Sun Jae won’t be in the dark for long. Unlike the webtoon, the Im Sol of the drama tells SJ that she’s a time traveller and from the future. Although SJ thinks she’s crazy at first, she can eventually build on this truth.

The drama is rather fast paced till now. Let’s see !

@Arihsi,

I haven’t seen such previews. If she will tell him, then he will be able to distinguish them, when the 2023 Bom traveler goes back to her Timeline.

Still, it will be upsetting to have someone come and go…

Anyway, we have two more time travels. If one is completed in the first 3 episodes how they will keep up until Episode 16?

@arihsi when she realizes he had the photo she will be even more heartbroken.

I do Not remember if online hate comments were very much.Presented in the first two episodes. There were explicit comments along those lines either in this episode or in the preview. Perhaps this will be explored more.

@Arihsi, so Im Sol can tell Sun Jae that she’s from the future, but she can’t revel anything that will take place in the future. Awkward, right? The time swap seemed to happen just as she heard his recorded voice saying ‘I like you.’ I wonder if the recording instrument is another device, like the watch.

So she may have been able to change the outcome of the fire, but not of the shoulder injury? Or maybe everything just got a bit delayed? Rather than the injury happening at the first day of the competition, it happened several days later. Maybe there will be another fire?

We see that it’s about 2 months until her accident, but she can’t note it on the calendar.

It’s a relief that his father isn’t a dreadful person after all. I kept yelling, tell him why you want to quit, Sun Jae. He can’t read your mind.

I was surprised that Im Sol was still in the stream. Why doesn’t she seem cold? I wonder how much time elapsed since the watch took her away the first time?

@Cleo, yes, it’s tragic for both of them. He will think that she has a multiple personality disorder or something like that. She must be being driven mad by her inability to change things for him. – How she was crying so hard in the hospital waiting room. It must have been so strange for him to watch, but he will remember it.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s episode.

I love BWS acting here as a lovestruck guy but keeping a stoic persona – his secret smiles on the side when IS talks about him, his hidden fist pump, his dreamy state as he hugged the pillow. So cute but not aegyo at all. It’s good to see this ML POV. He’s close to becoming a favorite actor of mine.

Kalimera @Arihsi,

Okay! I will be waiting…

Here are the Opening Credits of the Show. Check the clock when Im Bom is being introduced. It gives us info about :

Im Bom’s First Time Travel in 2008 and also her first return to the 2023 Timeline.
As it seems, she will return to 2008 again and that it will be her second attempt to go back.

As I have said last night, if they are adding the first time travel back and forth so early on the show, how they will keep up with 8 more episodes?

https://twitter.com/wooseokfiles/status/1777303838787326374?t=NGcyAZgHZYgJL4THZXpxnQ&s=19

With the fire, I thought it was also strange that the brother brought the BFF to the roof-top rather than down to the street. If the roof was above the fire, I think that would be a very dangerous place. It must have been the first place he thought of with fresh air.

I think that Tae Sung will be easier to convince that IS is from the future. She has already said some things to him which make him call her Halmeoni. He is bright/quick minded. We know that from his reactions in the initial fight and during the house fire. He is an interesting character.

Tae Sung will also have a hard time accepting the return of T1 Im Sol. He’ll feel so short-changed because he liked T1.1 Im Sol and didn’t give care at all about the original! I wonder if the girl-friend time swaps will ultimately bring him and Sun Jae closer. Certainly a confrontation will happen.

Pre-release ep 4 is absolutely hilarious. Through the laughs, she continues to stand up for him. Whenever it’s cheering from the stands, sending food to the hospital or headbutting annoying rivals.

With translation –

https://youtu.be/NM6RCeL6bO0?si=ETBfL0tUuuc3WnTt

Enjoy !

PS The teacher must think Im Sol is a master troublemaker 🤭 “smoking”, running away from “punishments”, sneaking into all boys school so often, barging into secret competitions and fighting boys 30 cm taller than her. It’s a lot of trouble for a tiny midget.

So I have more speculations conjectures hypotheses!

Someone earlier mentioned that perhaps TS Will be the detective on The murder/suicide case. Or maybe his father will be. I also agree with someone else who was wondering about TS Deducing/ Believing she is from the future Because he is perhaps more aware of how different she is.

I am also thinking that going back into the present may cause all sorts of problems for IM. The photo could become public and then there would be a lot of questioning about the nature of her relationship with TJ And she could become the subject of bullying online Even if she does not become a suspect. Her fellow fans will feel betrayed. This would echo the bullying.She is being subjected to by the girl Who likes TS.

I don’t think much time has passed from the point of Sun Jae’s death to now in present time

Sun Jae drowns around 11.15 PM. Im Sol receives the first messages regarding his condition at 11.33 PM. The reason his drowning can’t be much earlier than 11.15 is, the CPR has a time limit till which can bring the patient back. It’s not like patient’s heart stopped at X time and one would expect CPR to work half an hour post that.

From about 11.35 to 11.55 midnight Im Sol is on her way to the hospital. 11.55 she enters the canal.

Sun Jae’s death is announced exactly at 12 midnight on 31st December. We know this because the doctor mentions it explicitly.

Given it would take at least 5 minutes for the news to get broadcast, Im Sol watches the screen of News 24 announcing the death around maybe 12.05 ? We aren’t shown this time. And it is around the same time as SJ’s death that number 3 appears on the watch.

Now we look at Ep 3 end. When Im Sol comes back to present, clock is 1 minute BEFORE 12 midnight and Sun Jae’s autopsy is being announced on the screen. Im Sol’s present is frozen when she’s in the past.

I don’t think Sun jae can remain dead for long in the present. The longer he’s dead, the harder it is for Im Sol to bring him back.

Thanks for the timings, @Arihsi. So the time has in fact moved a bit backwards upon IS’s return to 2022 (things happening earlier) if his autopsy is being announced in T2.1 at a time before his death in T2? If that makes sense. I wonder why? My head hurts.

I wonder if his father was still alive when he died.

@fern arihsi

I did not catch that about the timing regarding his death. This may be an important detail in understanding future developments.

I am wondering what you mean when you say.”The longer he is dead the harder to bring him back.”

I wish I could have watched it with some or better, all of you guys. It was a bit too much to watch alone 😢 @fern, @agdr03, @gb, @cleo and @monmor and everyone else…pass me the tissue please, or rather the whole box.

PS Another forkful of food still held mid air.

@Arihsi,

I just finished watching, but I am on the run at the moment.

Told you that this is pure nightmare for Sun Jae… 🙄

Thank you @janey for your consideration… Can’t wait to know your thoughts (or cry with you, whichever)

@cleo, please continue running.
A 15 year long nightmare is a blooming hell, not merely a bad dream.

Annyeong,

Wow so many comments here already.

My Ep 3 highlights.

1. It’s not that easy to confess. SJ tried so many times. Even with his friend’s help with the petals haha the timing wasn’t right. I love their Photo Booth pics though. SJ wasn’t into posing except the 3rd shot. Priceless.

2. Tae Sung helped IS extinguish the fire. What a hero!!! In a motor bike at that. Very Cool.

3. SJ’s dad after the heartbreaking news was so sweet. I’m glad they have their moment. So funny about the rated R video. Hahah

4. Drunk IS. The pool moment that led to SJ’s confession and kiss. Omg. But she doesn’t remember. What?? Did she even hear it? Their convo confession was recorded but she got interrupted by TS. Ugh!!! 😩 and then she said yes to TS?? What’s going on?? Even EP 4 looks confusing. She’s confusing me. 😤

Someone or was it pm3 ?? was right about the 3 chances of changing their fate. 1 down. 2 to go? Waaaaah

@GB the @Arihsi et al. Made me LoL ! There are some real life published works that are referred to that way 😂

I know someone who sleeps on buses without a care for the world so it didn’t strike me as very strange. The person I know are very normal and lead a responsible life. They just trust the world (and the driver /pilot / train man ) enough to fall asleep. 😛

I’m also not surprised that Im Sol’s mom doesn’t know about her road crossing fear. SJ’s father didn’t know he was suffering even in T1 or T2. That’s why SJ tells IS that she makes him uncomfortable because she can see his despair.

I’m surrounded by adults whose parents have zero clue of their sufferings back in University or even now. I stood outside the ICU for one of them so I know for sure, first hand. The parents have zero idea. And these are responsible children who have grown well. We have families of our own now and take care of our parents too. But nope, the parents still don’t know. So I don’t find this difficult to believe at all.

Kalimera,

I need to recheck the scene but the incident that happened in Timeline 2 in the bridge slightly changed. I think the culprit of the accident was not the drunk man but the taxi driver. They gave us a close up to his red ribbon key chain. I find this significant.

Anyway, Sun Jae saved her again and Sol’s 19 y.o. memories came back again. In the original Timeline #1, Sun Jae saved Sol but she was so out of it and she was cussing him so badly in the hospital that most likely SJ asked her mother not to mention him again to her.

Sol lived in a bubble where she was adoring her favorite singer Sun Jae from the group Eclipse, but at the same time, she had caused so much pain to the guy who have saved her and loved her from afar.

Tell me again, who is cruel? 😛

@Ysmac yes ! I noticed! Not just his neck, his lip is busted and his hands are also covered in red welts. He is holding his watch in his hand, probably because the belt broke ? It’s pretty obvious he’s physically injured but not paying attention to it.

This makes me wonder that @GB is right. This falling in water is not the same as Sol’s accident that paralysed her. And that connects back to @cleo’s observation reg the taxi driver. I also think he’s the culprit but why ? Why would he wants to hurt a random young girl ?

@HK_lady… So the timeline changed for Sun Jae the moment Im Sol time travelled. So even though the picture appeared AFTER the time travel for us the viewers, Sun jae has had the picture for FIFTEEN years. That’s the reason In Hyuk also recognises Im Sol immediately in the picture and when she’s at the hospital in a wheelchair. He has her phone number in the present 2.0 (present 2.0 is the present Im Sol comes back to post her first time travel). This we know from the webtoon as well. As @cleo says, this is cruel because Sun Jae has lived with crushing guilt and love for Im Sol for that long.

In present 2.0, Sun Jae is still dead but In Hyuk recognises Im Sol and Sun Jae had had that picture for 15 years. BUT the day before Im Sol’s return to present, she was still Im Sol 1.0 who didn’t remember Sun Jae. Sun Jae dies on this day. Sol returns back to present a day after and can’t save him.

@Arihsi,

I think we have a serial killer on the loose. If Sun Jae was hurt physically after he saved Sol in Timeline #1, that means he got involved with the man. Was Sol almost abused? Did Sol suffer an injury in her back and pushed to the river, in order to die?

I think she was. Sun Jae came for her and was hit by the culprit. He dived in to save her.

This time around because the taxi driver didn’t manage to find Sol alone and left, Sol was not hurt and hence didn’t broke her spine or whatever exactly the problem was in the original Timeline.

Still this time around, Sol realized that her actions caused Sun Jae to be extremely stressed from on and forward. Mostly because it must have sinked to her, that she was also partly responsible for SJ’s depression. Sun Jae suffered deeply all these years and the most heartbreaking part was that Sol didn’t remember him at all.

You’re right @Cleo about that taxi driver. The car was going straight for ImSol except the drunk man was there. The drama made sure to focus on that red ribbon key chain.

I thought it was a good episode but I felt so embarrassed for IS with her happy birthday video for TS. Like I’d die. 😂

You can feel how hurt SJ already after IS agrees to be with TS. But how awesome was she to defend SJ to that rival from swimming.

@Cleo !

There is something actually called as “Dissociative Amnesia” ! These are SELECTIVE gaps in memory of a person who suffered a traumatic event. This type of amnesia is not from brain injury or tumors or diseases such as Alzheimer’s but rather because the brain wants to protect itself from the trauma. This is a known phenomenon.

Why didn’t I think of this ? I kept thinking why she SELECTIVELY doesn’t remember Sun Jae when she remembered her family, her school and her friends. Sol could and probably does have Dissociative Amnesia especially if she was abused. And since Sun Jae was a part of that memory, although in the capacity of the saviour, Sol’s brain wouldn’t care. He would be erased with the rest of it.

What’s more, in my preview, which is fast becoming like a reference text, Sol is being FOLLOWED by a taxi. It wasn’t like she accidentally came into the path of an oncoming vehicle. It looked deliberate! I was thinking what nutcase would follow someone with a vehicle but maybe a serial killer!

It shows you’re the writer of the group @cleo !!

@Arihsi,

Thank you so much for your kind words! I really appreciate it. <3

Yes, she suffers from PTSD, hence her Dissociative Amnesia.

The thing is her anger is redirected to Sun Jae and not to her abuser aka the Taxi Driver. I truly believe this was because she was in shock and she truly felt helpless and although she didn't want to die, the fact that she lost her ability to walk made her miserable.

At the same time, as it seems Sol wasn't able to differentiate where her anger was targeted to. Sol's brain erased the abuser and was only remembering her saviour.

Sun Jae truly must have been heartbroken. Not only, he had to fight with the abuser and save Sol, but also had to be scolded and called names by the person he saved and truly loved.

Still, Sol's mother should have talked with her about it, when Sol was in a better psychological state, after that Eclipse radio show and Sun Jae's phonecall.

BUT,

Sol's mother most likely was told by Sun Jae not to reveal who saved her. For me this was a mistake. Sol should have thanked Sun Jae about what he did. Such a burden to Sun Jae's shoulders.

@Fern I think when it comes to Sun Jae, Im Sol 2.0 is going on pure shameless adrenaline. Much like the FL of MMH, she wants to go all out because she wants to avoid the future outcome at any cost. It doesn’t matter if she can fight or not. She gets a giant red bruise on her forehead. But fight she will. And she has zero shame in sticking by Sun Jae’s side all the time.

@monmor for Dissociative Amnesia, one doesn’t need to be a DIFFERENT version of oneself. Im Sol 1.0 AND 2.0 don’t remember Sun Jae. And that’s because of Dissociative Amnesia. Im Sol 1.0 AND 2.0 remember everyone else in her life including long lost classmates without a problem.

Time travel has nothing to do with it.

Now then one may ask…. Why is Im Sol recollecting Sun Jae’s memories now ?

Well the simple answer which is both narratively and neurologically beautiful is, he brain is obsessed with Sun Jae’s survival. It’s not an immaturish teen “love” obsession. I’m pretty sure if 19 year old Sun Jae had a love interest, Im Sol would have tried her hardest to get them together.

Im Sol’s brain has one goal night and day at this point and that is how to keep Sun Jae alive.

And so fervent is her endeavour that her brain is coming up with memories it erased to protect her sanity. Memories of being abused, possibly sexually assault and memories of being murdered. If this ain’t love, I don’t know what is.

Not sure what’s it with two Kdramas currently airing showing neurological basis of love. Hae-in will forget everything but Hyun woo. Her only love. The only one that matters when everything is lost. And Im Sol remembering with everything she forgot in order to survive.

Sun Jae considers himself responsible for her situation. I doubt he’s guilty or “sorry to Im Sol” because he saved her with a disability. He would have been ready to support her for life, the kind of love he held for her through out 15 years.

Nah. The man had something to do WITH the incident and the reason it happened in the first place. Not rescuing her. The type of devastation on his face in the opening scene of Ep 4 and In Hyuk’s words confirm it for me.

Here’s the website for the character description in case anyone wants it 😅

https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/Lovely-Runner/character/?17190=pgmPrsnGropSeq%3D3254

I just rewatched episode four. I had missed the preview for 5, I remembered, because I got called to dinner.

The taxi key chain scenario is certainly suggestive of violent crime. I recently rewatched, come and hug me and the psychopath.There would pick up young innocent girls at bus stops. She is also at a reservoir.Where bad things do happen in kdramas. An identifying key ring Is often a clue in serial murders. I am also watching hide and nothing uncovered. In at least one of them and maybe both[ They are way too similar] A key chain decoration features In the criminal investigation.

So I am beginning to think it was attempted Murder and not as we all have been thinking, an accident.

@arihsi. Yes I can see how it is amnesia for the accident/crime. This is an interesting question. I think it is both time travel and amnesia. I don’t think this is a question We will ever be able to Fully answer. Helpful though to keep it in mind as the plot develops.

Another thought. The reason she does not remember him in the 2 scenes that are replayed are because they are each in different timelines,I believe. That is how I have been seeing it up until now.

It is evident though within The first time line that she does not recall the circumstances around the accident/crime.

.

@Monmor, you just reminded me that there was a close-up on the CEO/Manager’s car’s license plate in episode 1 when he brought the boys to the radio station. So we will see that as well as the red key chain in a future episode.

@MM, it was @Cleo who found the manager suspicious. Well her discouraging his cash cow, SJ, would certainly annoy the manager.

Accidents and Near Accidents to Im Sol
I’m not sure if I left out any …
T3 – she steps backwards and falls down some steps, fortunately not seriously hurt. Hearing it is enough to panic SJ who runs off to find her.

T3 – stalked by a taxi driver, chased by a drunkard, fell off a bridge into water. Saved by SJ. IS seems to retrieve a memory of SJ in another time, who ran towards her, and of being saved by him when she fell into water.

T2 – in an argument with SJ, they both fell into the swimming pool. Might this have been a foreshadowing of the T3 accident?

T2 – while crossing the street she stands like a deer in headlights about to be knocked down. Saved by SJ. She has a memory of standing in the middle of another street in another time (likely T1) and of someone who also ran towards her. SJ in the hospital overhears her frustration at being alive and her cursing her saviour.

This means that in 2 timelines, she had 2 similar accidents. It feels like no matter when, IS is destined to be in 2 kinds of accidents. One on the road and one where she falls into water.

At each occasion, SJ was there to save her. The accidents seem to be destined even if delayed, just like SJ’s shoulder injury was delayed. So when IS returns to 2008 a 3rd time, will she be able to avoid these accidents? SJ’is mild reproach: “What am I going to do with you?” is too apt and too mild!

If she’s never going to learn how to cross the street, or keep herself awake and safe, it seems like IM is just a victim waiting for another similar set of accidents to happen. And if we add to that, a possible stalker, not only does IS have a herculean task keeping SJ alive, but SJ too will also be stretched to his limits to be able to save IS.

@Fern, it might indeed be a case of the two kinds of accidents becoming merged together as one. 🙂

Unnie,

I also think that we might have a merge to the accidents into becoming one.

As it seems, some things have to happen, until you manage to escape it.
So far, Sol was saved twice by Sun Jae, but I think that evil is following her.

Red as a color means passion, anger and something that will happen quickly. We shall see!

This video also says the same thing you said in your last comment @cleo. That evil is following IS. No matter in which timeline, Sun Jae is in a race against time to save her.

Run Sun Jae Run !

My oh My. Maybe the ceo guy is evil. Maybe he did other manipulative things regarding the band’s career. Even if he did not murder Sun Jae directly he certainly had an indirect role in his death. Maybe he even came into the hotel room and Sunjae fell backing away from him. I can see this becoming a plotline.

Was anyone else able to see if it was TS and his father who were holding on to SJ’s father in the mourning scene at the funeral parlour?

Also I wonder what the books were that she gave him–mental health themed I would think.

@arihsi the original timeline (without the Sol time slip) which is also in the other two timelines she travels back to. I’ve read the manager and the CEO’s character description and it says that the CEO “he has a special affection for Seonjae. But the manager description is this:

“Park Dong-seok
Seonjae Manager
Unlike his cool appearance, he has a twisted personality. He may seem polite,
but he’s bold, and he seems like he’s watching, but he says everything he wants
to say. It looks like it’s lying flat in front of Seonjae, but it may actually be on top of
its head.” Per Google trans.

He may be related to the original timeline killer?!? Maybe he’s a son?!? But it may be far fetched.

Oooo @cleo… An interesting guess reg Sol!

I’m having so much fun discussing with you guys ! ❤️

@ysmac I don’t trust Google translate. I can speak 4 languages to native level and let me tell you, Google needs a lot of work on their LLM (Language Learning Model). That’s why not only Netflix, but sites like Viki or even less privileged HiTV use humans for translation and proudly announce it as well.

@arihsi Woops I forgot the CEO’s description.

New trans:

“A person who successfully debuted the rookie group Eclipse and rose to the top of the list. After the establishment of jnt, I went to various schools every day with the intention of discovering jewelry, but I couldn’t find the talent that I liked. Then, I found a child that I fell in love with. Sunjae made his debut with Eclipse after joining the company, and since then, he has raised many singers and actors. It is especially affectionate to Sunjae who shared the beginning of the company.”

Something else I read when I Googled suicide in South Korea was how many idols have died of mysterious causes some of which are sometimes more obviously foul play.

@MM That is really grim!

To add to the manager theory…
The manager was watching IS at school when she was fighting back the girls that were bullying her.

What was the song IS and SJ were listening to by the pool?

oh no is the manager also a time traveller? So many possibilities!

@monmor I’m 99% sure no one apart from Im Sol can time travel. Not even Sun jae. That destroys the premise of the story which is based in her undying love for him and vice versa. But since he’s dead, she’s the only one who can make a difference.

If the creepy manager can time travel, it would kill the romance in the story.

The manager/CEO went around schools “hunting for jewels” per @ysmac’s character description. Meaning he went to high schools to hunt for his next successful idol group. That’s when he sees IS. It’s his normal timeline only. No time travel.

@Arihsi I was not seriously thinking he can time travel in this show. I was remembering his role in Destined with you.

@Arihsi @Fern I was unaware Of the significance of The manager “hunting for jewels “and its reference to real life. That certainly adds a dimension to my understanding of this part of the show.

https://youtu.be/o3xXhzAWzGM?si=oCIM-6O7VTHg46CF

This is one of the nostalgia pieces that has played already. I think I was getting it mixed up with the other piece.I shared earlier Which also features.

What I hope to see is that the writer will give us a story where IS alone is NOT the sole reason for SJ to choose life. It is a choice after all. And that’s why I think it can change. Or at least I hope so. Otherwise the writer is painting a world with no agency. I am hoping to see that those around him would be supportive and willing to listen to him. Really listen and not just be bystanders or make things worse by keeping silent about the signs of depression. I am hoping that it’s not the case of them (SJ and IS) just becoming a couple and that alone is enough to help SJ through the dark times. It shouldn’t be that simple. You need supportive family AND friends. It’s too much to ask any one person to shoulder the burden of being the only reason for living for another person. She needs to get his manager and his band mates (specifically Baek In Hyuk because he’s SJ’s bestie from high school) to be hearing SJ out when he asks to retire. SJ never spoke to any of his band mates about retiring. Did they not ask him how he was feeling all this time? His manager was in denial and didn’t want to hear it. So in effect, SJ felt like nobody was in his corner. Yes IS was in his corner (as his fan) but to be honest she’s not with him day and night. His band mates are. And his manager certainly should be around him more than she would ever be. SJ needed to hear what his dad said to him when his swimming career ended (from his band manager and his bandmates). IS should make it her mission to influence these people around him so that when the time comes for him to step away, he can make it with their blessing instead of being pressured to stay on. They literally need to be there to ask SJ right through the whole idol career, “Are you okay?” regularly and be ready to follow up with support and direct him to get the help he needs professionally (eg psychiatric help) to work through issues. To build that resilience so that he, like IS would choose life over and over again even when life throws curveballs at you.

Hmm…I am not entirely comfortable with the whole evil manager idea. The taxi was definitely suspicious. IS’s paralysis happened on 1Sept 2008. She tried to pen it into her calendar multiple times but it kept scrubbing out.

Beginning of Ep4 when we see the extended version of events I believe this is prior to T1. There’s no photo on the table at the hotel. We’re just given a view into SJ’s mind and thoughts. His version of prior T1. We saw IS’s version of prior T1 in part in Ep1. It was the original version of events, where
1. IS ignored SJ and never even knew he lived next door. I would hazard a guess that she never even got his name.
2. He was secretly infatuated with her after the yellow umbrella incident.
3. IS was totally infatuated with TS and SJ didn’t register on her radar.
4. She goes out with TS. They have the date and she makes a video for him at the restaurant.
5. She gets hit in the face by a soccer ball and has a nosebleed on the same day of the fire. Her mother was burned on her hand in the fire accidentally set alight by her brother.
6. SJ saved her from the paralysis accident although she never did find out who he was.
7. She got the phone call from him as she languished in the hospital contemplating slashing her wrist and she didn’t know who he was because as far as she was concerned, she didn’t know who he was.
8. Eclipse as a group became well known. IS became SJ’s biggest fan because of his intervention in 7.
9. Concert day. Meeting at the bridge.
10. SJ at hotel. Pills on table. His suicide.

After time travel 1
– if nothing at all, it actually makes things worse for SJ because she waxes hot and cold and he now has many more “what ifs” to work with before she time traveled? 🙄. She now knows SJ’s name and has made many additional encounters with him in June2008. Including the photos. Which makes event 7. worse for poor SJ in the timeline now post T1? In his mind, she has completely forgotten who he was even though she and he had those intimate moments together from T1. 😞

What’s changed
1. They shared many more memories together. Evidence – photos. Hence when she went forward again Baek knew who she was and rang her.
2. Her mother was not injured in the fire. TS was at the fire to help her put it out.
3. TS has a lot more interactions with IS as well. Her interactions with him seem to be giving him food for thought. Likely that it will change the path he will take in the future? Somehow I feel like he will be the key to helping SJ (and IS) through the tough times later. He seems more streetwise than SJ and notices how IS seems to have a duality about her. Prior to time travel, we know he never graduated (he wasn’t in the year book), he was told to leave quietly because of some incident at school.

She falls into the water and she remembers her accident which also involves falling into water afterwards? That’s what I think anyway. We see her fall in the water and she’s in her school uniform https://i.ibb.co/tsY27x5/IMG-8537.jpg. If you look closely here https://i.ibb.co/JyhprrM/IMG-8538.jpg she has the same scar on her right cheek as when she first wakes up and discovers that she can’t feel her legs. SJ when he dives in seems to be wearing white so I assume it’s his school uniform. He was the one who rescued her from the car(?) accident (and potentially subsequent fall into the water). She never met him in person before. She was unconscious when she was brought into the hospital. When she came to and wakes up, she sees her mom and grandma and tells them she feels strange because she can’t feel her legs. Then we have another scene subsequently where she knows about her paralysis and she screams that she would rather have died that day than survive without the use of her legs. SJ was outside to hear it so he never spoke to her afterwards. I am not sure why he looks so beat up there. Did he sustain those injuries as a result of the rescue? Or afterwards? Presumably she took a while to wake up after the accident? So he could’ve sustained them elsewhere? 🤔

We know that post T1 he’s still opted to take his own life. As witnessed by a returning IS. The photos and her brief interaction and the events that flowed on from that wasn’t enough to change the tide.

@nrlee My head is spinning again. If the present day Sj is the original there would have been many other factors that affected him other than his unrequited infatuation with her. I find it difficult to believe that unrequited infatuation would have rendered him so depressed and suicidal. I can Only understand its connection to her if he had had somewhat more of a relationship which she did in T1.1.

My head is spinning so much I am not sure whether I am agreeing with you or not or whether I understood what you said correctly.

Thank you for so much to think about.

https://x.com/CJnDrama/status/1780853774783009078?t=Lepx2hK9RMupoLCK2uuR8Q&s=09

A cut scene that is all in Korean But the key part is understandable from my knowledge of korean from watching dramas. Very cute scene of the time when he was trying to tell her he likes her.

Hi @MM, I can see 2 comments of yours with links to the OSTs.

@GB Are you still thinking that the sJ we see In the scenes in episode one is SJ 1.1? If you are then I think I have a grasp on it. If not I will need to revise my understanding.

Thank you so much @MM, that’s exactly it! True nostalgia 🎶 I think it’s also the song that was played when IM came bursting into SJ’s life with her yellow umbrella.

Did the pills disappear from the table during T2? It was too blurry a shot to be sure.

I’m hoping that T2 IS’ words to SJ – the same words he said to her in T1 – about living another day and waiting for the rain to pass, would bring him comfort and build his resilience, as it did for her in T1. Would hopefully make him treasure the loving friends and family he has. I think a key is for him to not isolate his best friend and bandmates.

@Hana I re-watched and screenshot the moment to zoom in post your comment just now. It’d have been so interesting if the pills disappeared ! However in the scene ep 2 epilogue/end,the pill bottles are very much there at the time of appearance of the couple pic from what I can see.

Not that I think there is a serial murderer IRL. 🙂 More likely what really happens is obscured somehow.

@nrllee I agree 😢 the show is dealing with difficult topics. Suicide, depression, disability…

@arihsi thank you for clarifying! I do like your theory about three chances to change three events. Perhaps one of the events has to do with TS – IS is selfless like that.

I’m enjoying the OST, especially the throwback “I know I did it”, thanks to @MM. They don’t write songs like they used to!

@MM
To re-visit my timeline references with an edit. For ease in referring to the same characters in different times, I’ve named the timelines like this:
Timeline 2008 before time jump = T1
Timeline 2008-2009 and onwards after SJ meets T2 IS = T1.1

Timeline 2023 after time jump = T2
Timeline 2023 before time jump = Before-T2

Timeline 2008 after Im Sol’s 2nd time jump = T3
I expect there’ll be Timeline 2008 after IS’s 3rd jump = T4

@MM You said:

@GB Are you still thinking that the sJ we see In the scenes in episode one is SJ 1.1? If you are then I think I have a grasp on it. If not I will need to revise my understanding.

My short answer based on how I’ve reworded what T1.1 means, is ‘Yes’. 🙂

Let me elucidate … I believe that SJ (so far, and probably always) never time-jumps. In Ep 4 we get his point of view and see that he remembers both T1 and T2 Im Sol since 2008.

Hence Sun Jae is continuing his life into adulthood as T1.1 and regardless of whether he meets Im Sol of T1, T2, T3, etc.

So far, it seems like SJ’s watch that got sold to his fans, and which IS bought, is the physical link between them, and the ‘time machine’. Show has not (yet) explained the particular significance of that watch in terms of SJ’s attachment to it, or whether it was gifted to him by someone important to him. I hope future episodes give clues as to why that watch should work as a time machine upon SJ’s death and bring its new owner into the past.

This begs the question though, should the watch have remained in SJ’s possession all the time, would he have been the one to time jump back into his own past to change his own fate? More food for thought!

As it is now, we assume some ‘god of fate’ is giving IS 3 chances to change SJ’s fate. In the process, she will change many other people’s experiences, but at the same time, some things may not be changeable, only delayed.

I agree with @Arihsi’s comment that if this Show is about giving 3 chances to change the fate for 3 persons (her mum, herself, and SJ), then the last chance will give IS the task of deciding whom to save. She sort of wasted the first chance since she was only fixated on how to stop SJ from swimming, but she got to meet Tae Sung as halmeoni … so although she didn’t save anyone’s life, she affected TS’s future, which might lead to him becoming the unexpected future saviour! More food for thought and possibilities!

In the 2nd chance, T3 IS saves her mother, and continues to affect TS.

In the 3rd chance, I suppose there will be a T4 IS who will choose whom she will save. There may be a plot twist where SJ saves her instead. Or TS intervenes and changes everyone’s fate!

Wouldn’t we all love the most fairytale-like ending of all where everyone survives, IS can walk, IS’s brother dates her BFF, and everyone is happy together?
😍😆🥹😂

As I am chewing on this thought…. The Time Machine watch is like a genie in a bottle – “grants” 3 wishes to change the course of the future but every time jump, a memory is lost. This is far fetch but maybe IS’s grandma will be involved here. She has dementia during before-T2 and she was wearing the watch in ep1 on Dec 31, 2022. Crazy thought, I know.

I wonder if TS and IS became an item during before-T2. My hunch is no – It seemed like he was a forgotten crush (yearbook discussion with bff). IS has major fangirling tendencies, even when she was young. That happy birthday video was embarrassingly hilarious.IS really goes all out when she likes someone. I was laughing as well when TS opened her eyes and asked IS T1.1 “where did the hearts (in your eyes) go?”. TS was actually very intuitive.

It’s not Sep 1 yet, right? So the crippling accident is yet to happen. I wonder if that will also change the future. @GB, SJ was holding the watch during that scene at hospital when he saved IS and she was spewing hate to her savior. That seemed fresh after the accident as SJ was wet and bruised. If that was Sep 1, 2008, what happened in before-T2 that brought her back to hospital during the eclipse day July 22, 2009? Seemed like a long time gap, no indication of coma unless there was a follow-on surgery?

Apologies if I have more questions than answers.
Thank you everyone for all the posts. I’ll rewatch again this weekend.

I noticed this difference too @nrllee !

It’s more visible in these official screenshots shared by TvN

https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/Lovely-Runner/photo/#localePhotoPopup/27291-17188/3922/4-%ED%99%94-%EB%B9%84%ED%95%98%EC%9D%B8%EB%93%9C-%EC%8A%A4%ED%8B%B8

He visits her again after a while. Meaning he knew her. If one takes someone one doesn’t know to a hospital merely as a good Samaritan, one wouldn’t go again to visit them.

At the Radio station,

He had her phone number by heart. They very clearly show this end of ep 4. He dials her number from memory. Do we by heart random phone numbers ? Nope.

He calls her sol-ah in the original timeline. At the radio show, when he was running towards Im Sol to save her in T1 and 15 years later. We know too well that in kdramas -ah and -ya is only used when the person is really dear to the character. Else at times they keep using full name till the end even if -ssi or -nim is dropped.

And what’s even more surprising is, he EXPECTS her to remember him. It’s almost like a silent plea.

Do I expect my random neighbour to remember me ? Not even tomorrow, forget few months or few years later. Why do I not expect? Because they DON’T KNOW me. They don’t know I exist. It would be crazy of me to expect them to remember me.

Now to the expectation that she should remember him merely because he saved her.

Once upon a time, I fell from my bike on the road. It wasn’t serious but I was helped. Two fellows helped me put my bike on the side, sat me down and asked if I was ok. I don’t remember them ! Would they remember me ? 100% not ! Does that mean I’m not grateful? No ! I just didn’t know them, we never interacted later on and it was blooming long ago !

Similarly, I helped a lady who had fainted once. Do I remember her ? No ! I’m sure she’s glad it wasn’t a creep who found her but I haven’t received words of gratefulness from her. Because she DOES NOT know me.

Whereas here, Sun Jae gives all those sighs and little gasps of pain and defeat. He whispers to himself… “Sol-ah..” *15 years* again “Sol-ah”… *Defeated sigh* “she doesn’t remember”.

Now even if you saved someone and even if you had some minor crush towards them, you would not expect them to respond to you in a way Sun Jae does for Sol unless they KNEW you and we’re close to you.

There is definitely something more to it and for me, her time travel is making things infinitely HARDER for future Sun Jae not easier.

Ladies,

Regarding what you are talking to, Sun Jae fell in love with Im Sol in the original Timeline. Sol didn’t even know his existence back then. The accident happened. He saved her. She lost her ability to walk. The Radio Host called her and Sol thought it was a joke, she was furious because she thought they were doing a prank. Until Sun Jae persuaded her to start living her life and that she did. Then the original timeline proceeded with Sun Jae being in love with Im Sol but watching her from afar, while she was his Number One Fan.

After Sun Jae died Im Sol managed to go back in 2008. Just because she managed to intervene with him more, she changed the Timeline making it even harder for him in the Present Time, i.e. the photograph they took together after his gold medal and the candies.

We know those things. When something is changed in the past it might change for good or for worse.

Sol changed some aspects of the present / future as well.. She is influencing both TS and she changed the outcome of the fire in their house, that had as a result her mother’s burn scar and losing the building they owned.

As I have written from the beginning, the Creator of the Universe is Cruel.

In Episodes 3-4 we also got to see that Sol’s accident was foul play, whether the culprit is a random bad guy or the Manager, it is remained to be seen. I said that I believe is the latter. The Manager might have an obsession with Sun Jae.

In the original timeline we don’t know WHY Sol was targeted. I even wrote that the innocent 18 y.o. Sol had witnessed something, that didn’t know it was of importance and I still believe so.

Still, we do know that someone is targeting her and this will continue to be a threat in her second Time Travel.

@Arihsi I read about Sol’s three options – three Time Travel and I agree with you. The ultimate sacrifice for her is to lose her ability to walk and Sun Jae to be alive. She is alive as well.

I don’t want to overthink things. Less is more. I prefer to convey simple, yet effective plot devices. That’s for me is something successful. 🙂

Unnie,

You are right about the slight differencies that are occuring between The Original Timeline, the First Time Travel Im Sol had and the Second Time Travel.

For me, Sun Jae’s POV in the beginning of Episode 4 showed that he hadn’t met YET the first Time Travel Im Sol. After his death, the photograph appeared because in meantime, his 18 y.o. self in the past, had already met Sol who first time traveled (Sol T1 as you say) back to 2008.

So, when we see the second door bell and Sun Jae turning and looking at the door, that means what some scientists are saying and you also wrote:

Time might not be Linear.

Instead, when things are currently happening in the Past, it takes some time to alter the present aka 2023 Timeline and specifically the night Sun Jae passed away.

I believe that Time is happening simultaneously (in past + present + future), and hence the minutes we see that are changing, when Sol returned to 2023 after her first time travel. Sun Jae still died but it happened some minutes earlier than before.

Regarding the ending of Episode 4, the Sun Jae who is calling the bedridden Sol and calls her Sol-ah, most likely has met the Original Sol, Sol in her first Time Travel and most likely Sol in her Second Time Travel. I am not that sure about her third attempt because we don’t know if she went back to 2008 or somewhere (a year or years) after that.

@nrllee
I meant to post this a couple of hours ago…

I agree with your take on the state of SJ at different times when he went to the hospital. IS might have been in and out of the hospital, or had stayed on in the hospital for rehabilitation. In any case some 8 months? later she’s there on the day of the eclipse.

In both times when we see SJ underwater to save IS, he had been wearing his watch. The time when he saved T2 IS, and the time when in flashback she remembers him after she’d also fallen into water as T1 IS. It’s interesting that both of them were wearing the SAME watch in Episode 4, when he saved her.

= = =

Now I’m wondering about the logic for the return of IS to 2023.

The morning after SJ confesses that he likes IS and kisses her, Tae Sung is provoked into ‘dating’ IS. He goes to intercept her on the path outside her school at the same time that SJ sees her and runs after her.

TS gets there first while IS is listening to SJ’s voice that was recorded in the MP3 recorder. TS interrupts her, so she fails to hear the part in the recording where SJ says that he likes her.
TS: “We met at the perfect timing, Granny.”
IS removes the ear buds from her ears to hear TS better. SJ watches from a few steps away.
TS: “Would you like to go out with me?”
IS: “What?” The recording has SJ’s voice saying that he likes Sol.

The watch suddenly comes on at number 03:00 then flickers and the numbers jump until 02:00. (I can’t tell what triggered this. Just as IS can never tell 2008 about the future, SJ’s confession never seems to reach IS’s ears.)

T2 Im Sol is suddenly back in the cold water of the canal at 12 midnight on the night of the concert. The clock’s minute hand moves forward to 1 minute after 12. In that one minute, she’d spent something like 2 months in 2008!!

Back in 2008, TS is telling T1 IS that she had said she liked him: “Why? Do you not want to go out with me?” SJ clenches his fist and steps forward, only to be bowled over by T1 IS’s agreeing, with a smile, to go out with TS.

So what triggered the watch? Was it merely that 2 months had passed and that constituted 1 minute in 2023? Does that mean that IS can only travel at 12 midnight for 1 minute in her time, but for 2 months in 2008?

If so, then T3 IS will come to the date of her accident (1 September 2008) in her 2nd time jump.

Even if she is able to prevent her accident at that time, will that guarantee that she won’t meet with a similar accident later?

In my attempts to list the number of accidents that IS had, I left out one more… quite an important one. She got hit in the forehead by a ball by So Bang Gwan in 2008. At the same time she remembers that she had also been hit by a ball also by So Bang Gwan in T1 and that had been the day of the fire. The circumstances had been a little different, but she had met with a similar accident in both timelines.

While she prevented her mum from getting burned, she may not be able to prevent her own accident. And if she had to choose between herself and SJ, T3/T4 IS would probably choose to save SJ.

Okay, I posted at the same time as @GB. Yes, the episode 1 bridge scene is what is stumping me because it takes place before the time slip, before any relationships with T1.1 or T3 IS.

Kalimera @Fern,

I don’t want to fry my brain 😛 Enough is enough! 😛

Still, I am glad you liked Ella’s video! @Arihsi I am also talking to you too. 😁

I will write some more whenever I can!

A quick thought before breakfast.

If time is not linear, then the first scene on the bridge in the present day Could be with SJ Who has already met IS T2 and/ or T3. Even though she has not yet gone back herself so she is still the original.

I have rewatched all episodes and This time had a much more emotional reaction to the beginning of episode 4 scene on the bridge And the balcony /pool Which included the new scene of him watching her in her apartment. Yes so sad, tugging on the heart strings.

Also there are two other scenes that seem to differ one from the other. It seems to me.There are two scenes where she is shouting her anger at him for rescuing her. In one he is standing outside the door and in the other he is sitting In a waiting room area.

The other scene which was not explicit shows her bringing food to him in hospital after his shoulder surgery, Saying she is his fan. I did not notice her giving him a candy jar but I think she must have because we see it later in his room when she knocks herself out. I had thought she had only given him the single candies in the past. I am beginning to think that extra scene in the Van of him with the candies before she gives them to him On the bridge is representing that. It seems to me.It is only inserted as a clue and does not seem to relate to the scene itself or even to his memories? Maybe it is a memory but the sequence of scenes still seems out of whack.

@MM
About the bridge scene:
Yes. We have no clear indications if SJ had met T2 and T3 IS yet, however all we see him remembering was her anguish after the accident. I felt that if he’d met T2 and T3 IS, his memories would have been more positive.
= = =
About IS shouting at SJ scenes, here is a paragraph from my notes as I watched/re-watched:

There were at least 2 times when T1 IS is shown to have shouted at her saviour. The first immediately after she’d been saved, and the 2nd time perhaps later when she’d known he was outside her room. She had smashed a glass in his direction, and shouted at him. But she’d never seen his face.

I take these occasions as being a few days apart in time, as the injury on her cheek is evident in both. However, if these are flashback memories by Im Sol, then the situation might be very different! We might have been shown 2 timelines in which SJ rescued her and in which she was angry with him for saving her. But this adds a further complication since we do not know of yet another timeline where she lost the use of her legs.

She remembers this after he saves her from drowning and upon recalling how she’d behaved towards her saviour, she asks herself: “Was it my memory that I lost? Or was it you?”

The answer, of course, is both. Or at that time, she did not care to know her saviour, and hence had lost the chance to know SJ better in T1. We do not know why or how SJ died, but the pity is that if only she’d been grateful to be alive then, SJ might have been that much less depressed. If only she’d gotten round to thanking him then and gotten to know him, he might have been less lonely. She does say to herself when she finds the photo in her old diary, that if only she’d remembered SJ the night he died, he might have still been alive. However, she had been T1 Im Sol that night, hence she’d never have had those memories.

So I agree with @nrllee that one message of this Show is to not delay in being thankful or caring, in showing it, in making that call or sending that letter. We never know what a difference it would have made if we’d reached out first.

Similarly, the whole concept of confessing one’s love at the right time… it brings in unnecessary delay when knowing this earlier would have changed things for IS and SJ.

Now that T3 IS remembers that SJ had been the one to save her before, she’s beside herself with chagrin that she’d been so ungrateful.
= = =
About the candy:
Hospital scene – SJ was in hospital because of his shoulder injury but IS did not visit him. Instead IS left loads of food for him to share, like a true fan. Among the food were the candies. He kept waiting around to meet her, but she managed to slip in with food without encountering him. (I wonder why she was so embarrassed to meet him!)

Bridge scene – here time was linear ie SJ met IS, received the candy in a jar, was holding it in his hands in his own car as he followed her home. He watched that she got home safely and then left.

@GB I don’t understand why you are saying that we do not have clear evidence in the scene on the bridge That He has not met T2. I thought the candy jar was telling us that he had met her.

I am making an assumption that the original SJ Has only been In the show when he was falling in love with her as in the yellow burst scene. Because of that assumption, I don’t understand why others are saying that her traveling back in time has had negative effects. To me, We have no idea what would have happened otherwise.

@MM,
I was just saying to @nrllee that there’s no full time loop as in a complete do-over and over again of the same events, however there are partial loops.

The candy is one of those things. Chicken or egg – which came first? Does 2023 IS give SJ candy because he likes it, not knowing that she had been the very one as T2 IS, to give it to him in 2008, thus getting him to like it? My guess is that he only liked the candy because the girl he liked gave it to him, on the day she was bursting with yellow. That was T1 IS, not yet T2 IS. She did not recognise that the ‘delivery man’ she’d passed 2 candies to was SJ.

The candy jar in 2023 is also given by T1 IS. It does not give us evidence that he has met T2 IS yet.

The negative effects that IM brings when she time jumps is that she inadvertently, emotionally attached SJ to herself more and more deeply. Hence each time she is replaced by T1 IS who reject him, he is that much more deeply hurt as well.

Also, her care for SJ has been as a fan, … not as a love interest, hence when he was trying to tell her that he did not want her to be his fan, she interrupted him to say she’d be his friend. That was more hurtful for him, because when he’s friend-zoned, it’s clear that she does not have romantic feelings for him. He got over that, however when In Hyuk pointed out that she had not rejected him (yet).

But we all know what happened after the confession to a drunken IS. She forgot all about the confession and the kiss. Poor SJ.

Talking about looking for more evidence.Is there a way to identify a preview?Which is not someone else’ Narrating a version of what is happening.

@MM, at the risk of confusing ourselves even more,… my thought as to why 2023 SJ had not as yet met T2 IS is based more on the fact that the photo had not yet appeared on the coffee table.

Because time might not be linear… it does not matter that in 2008 T2 IS had already been a fan and he’d met her. Somehow when we meet SJ in 2023, the photo was not yet on the coffee table, until after 12 midnight, when IS time jumped. The reality of his past with T2 IS seems to only have caught up 1 or 2 minutes later, after he died.

Now that brings on another thought … was it only because he died at 12 midnight that the time travel could begin? Henceforth, IS or the owner of the watch would be able to time jump but only at 12 midnight.

This means (sadly) that no matter what, in 2023, IS will not meet SJ alive again unless she brings about the right series of changes from the past, that can help SJ stay alive.

Hello, @Growing Beautifully et al. Just a few random theories here:

I had initially assumed that IS gave SJ the jar of candies on the bridge as a fan gift only and that perhaps, as idols do, he had said in some interview that they are something he likes (but doesn’t give a reason.) If you look up idol specs online, you can find out all sorts of things – history, blood type, MBTI as well as likes and dislikes. This is just a simple theory of how she knew he liked that sort of sweet, so I’ll have to wait to see if it’s something like that.

SO, if Im Sol will be in the 2008 accident whilst she is not completely 18, but in her 34 YO spiritual state (her halmeoni state as TS calls it), I think history might change so she would remember Sun Jae when she wakes in the hospital, *unless* she has the dissociative traumatic amnesia that @Arihsi mentioned before. So even if she can’t avoid her life-changing accident and may not remember him for years, she might recover from the amnesia by the point where he meets her at the bridge. Or she may be able to remember him at any point from waking in the hospital to ask after him and change things early on.

This reminds me of the recovery from amnesia of the FL in the Jdorama First Love Hatsukoi – which occurred when she listened to a song on an old MP3 player. Such a great touch.

I’m still wondering why SJ said he wanted to apologise to her. Was he feeling guilty for saving her when she didn’t want saving in the first place? And if she didn’t want to be saved, why not?

Another possibility is that someone will tell her In the present timeline. what happened In the past. Or the criminal Investigation will reveal something. Perhaps that will be when she goes back to a third trip to the past

More conjecture

About the watch(or watches) Perhaps his mother gave it to him or IS herself at a yet undisclosed time. Also I thought it odd that he just accepted the watch from her when they were on the bridge without much of a reaction but he may have just been too distracted by talk of death, ghosts and living together. When he goes home he is surprised that his watch is on his desk(as are we).

I am still wondering if SJ died in the original timeline(or is in some cold dark place) after he rescued her. That is why I was wondering why others were thinking he is worse off from her time travel. Maybe her time travel allows him to rescue her without his dying. That makes me wonder how the scenes of her being angry at him fit in the timelines. I recognize that this is very speculative.

About her anger at being saved After reviewing others’ comments I am also thinking that one of the themes of this show is to show you love or care for someone and to not wait. There is no perfect time as SJs friend scares him into thinking. On the other hand expressing anger could result in a situation where there is no opportunity to reconcile with the other and it could have long-term consequences. This is where I am thinking that if she does not express her anger when the Sept 1 accident occurs in one of the new timelines she may remain paralyzed but hold back her anger or at least modulate it( I can certainly understand why she is angry and expresses it inappropriately) and change the future this way.

So I thank everyone for helping me untangle myself from the weeds,( as interesting as the time mechanics are) the themes are the broader picture.

Only 1 day to go!

I forgot to tag @GB in above response. @GB I feel instead of deriving the misunderstanding that she isn’t thankful that he saved her and she’s “forced to live as a paraplegic”, he should have given her more time to recover.

But he’s 19. I don’t blame him either.

Thank @Arihsi, yes I agree about giving both more time. Pity there was no counsellor or someone to help both parties. What I was putting into words might have been what torments Im Sol now that she remembers the past and knows the future. The way she embraced SJ and cried at the end of Ep 4, embodied her deep regret. It’s often the case of ‘if only I knew’. But all we have is what decision we can make and now.

I like the analogy of IS being outside the stadium and still participating as fully as she could as a member of the audience. It’s the analogy of how even when they are together they cannot bridge that gap of not being able to share what they know and feel, because of the crack in time and memory. No matter if they were in the same space, they would remain somewhat separated by what they could not share.

I noted that I was impressed by how much the production put into bringing in enough extras for the crowd outside the stadium, and into the Eclipse merchandise and marketing. It really looked like a full-blown concert of a thousand people.

The debut song that SJ sang solo got me tearing up, now that I believe he’s speaking of IS in those lyrics (I posted it before). He met her as a summer shower and wanted it to last. He didn’t want their meeting to be just a drizzle. At the end of the song, it started to snow. IS said that SJ likes snow. It was at least a sufficiently lasting snow, since there was enough time for SJ to meet IS, speak with her and give her his umbrella. However we know that rain and snow can’t go on forever. They need to forge a relationship outside time and based less on things that come and go!

Dear @Hana, thank you for that timeline. Colour coded and all! Brilliant.

The link doesn’t work in the UK -, so I’ll look for it later on YouTube if that changes and thanks again. Darned Uploader.
“Video unavailable
The uploader has not made this video available in your country”

@Fern I got the same message. However, I can help you out 😁

Please find below an image that refers to them 20 and in University.

https://twitter.com/wooseokfiles/status/1764493407861527010

It is a fan clicked photo. He looks SO SO happy that his eyes have disappeared. It’s going to hurt so bad if she forgets him after THIS.

We are not out of the woods with respect to the accident as yet. Please refer to the link below

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5-SzParYYa/?igsh=cTE5dDZxdjNxZG9q

We can differentiate between IS time travel based on her hairstyle.

Original 18/19 YO IS – very weird short cut bang type style as in video for TS and where she’s shouting at SJ post accident.

T2 and T3 IS – soul of 34 YO in 19 YO – Halmoni IS – smooth, nice bangs and flowy open hair

The IS in University photo has same style in both the photo and the reel which are different from original style and T2/T3 style. The bangs are cut differently, longer and hair has waves.

Thus, either it’s a T3 IS who has grown a bit or T4 IS with her last chance to go back. Her last chance will be climax so I don’t think this is the last chance.

People of the internet are speculating that in THE accident, here in the reel

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5-SzParYYa/?igsh=cTE5dDZxdjNxZG9q

Either SJ saves her in time or gets hit himself thus altering their entire life trajectory.

Shall we have tea together over this @Fern ? 😜

Hee hee hee hee… But that has changed and in a BIG way for IS, isn’t it @nrllee… 😛

Also, just like I think SJ’s guilt is not about saving IS with a disability, IS and SJ have a connection greater than a saviour and saviee (does such a word exist? Probably not)… Because of how SJ keeps expecting her to remember him.

@Arihsi, thank you very much for the links. If it’s he who gets the brunt of the car’s impact, I will have to swap tea for something stronger because it will seem that there is a horrible punishment for the time travel if all the result is to switch who gets the injury.

@monmor, I didn’t intend at all to imply that Sun Jae wasn’t courageous enough to contact her after hearing her rants against him. Indeed, it may have been insensitive if he had, or asking for more hurt. I thought it was smart to use the radio show as a cover because he was instantly able to gauge her frame of mind. Also, we might find out that he tried to apologise, but was kept from contacting her directly by someone else. It could even have been her mother ‘protecting’ her, thinking that it would make things worse.

sorry that was for @Fern

I agree with you that the radio show phone call was a good way to test the waters. He allowed it though to Keep him from Following up with saying what he wanted to say, As We find out in the present time line.

@arihsi fern He was wearing white clothing when he was running towards her in her memory on the bridge in the scene where she falls in the water. I was not sure if it was the same clothing as in the preview scene presented above.

All this in addition to BWS getting the opportunity to have his character die TWICE in the same drama.

@Fern we can share whatever “stronger” beverage of your choice 😉

@Arihsi Fern

This time it is the yellow umbrella that is lying open on the ground rather than the blue one in the first crossing scene where he rescues the time traveller Sol. I wonder if there is significance to this.

The college age previews have me suspending my conjecture until there is more data. Tomorrow will come soon now.

According to an alternative title Tomorrow’s Best I think we can look foward to a happy ending. With the posibility of infinte number of timelines anything can happen and we can still end up with a HEA just how are we going to get there??