5 Time Travel K-Dramas to Enjoy If You Like ‘Lovely Runner’

What would it be like to turn on a switch and be miraculously transported in time? You could be your old self and even have the ability to rearrange your destiny. Sounds scary, but it could be the ultimate adventure.

“Lovely Runner” is the evocative and beautiful story of Im Sol (Kim Hye Yoon), who slips in time to save her ultimate bias and pop star, Ryu Sun Jae (Byeon Woo Seok) from Eclipse. The drama has left many weak at the knees. It goes beyond just a time-slip romance, but it also tackles issues such as overcoming your deepest fears. It gives hope and a wonderful love story.

If you love “Lovely Runner,” here are five more time-travel K-dramas to rewatch and binge!

“Glistening watermelon”

Eun Gyeol (Ryeoun) is a high school student who is wise beyond 18 years old. He grew up quickly and has been responsible for his family since childhood, including his parents and older brother. Eun Gyeol is the only person in his family who can speak and hear and is their connection to the outside world as he interprets their signs into words. Although his parents want Eun Gyeol to study medicine, his world revolves around music. He can strum magic on the guitar and has what it takes to make it, but his family wouldn’t have it. One day he finds himself back in time to the year 1995, but ends up meeting the younger version of his father, Lee Chan (Choi Hyun Wook), an aspiring musician. But his father can hear and speak. He also meets Se Kyung (Seol In Ah) and the aloof Chung Ah (Shin Eun Soo), an artist who has been deaf since birth. But could this time shift help him rearrange and change his future?

‘Twinkling Watermelon’ struck a chord with its evocatively moving storyline. The drama is all heart and packed with life lessons, music and excellent performances.

Start watching “Twinkling Watermelon”:

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‘For a while you shouted’

Han Jun Hee (Jeon Yeo Been) has been going through a hard time since the tragic death of her boyfriend Ko Yeon Jun (Ahn Hyo Seop). She is devastated with guilt, as he was on his way to see her before he died, and he can’t get closure. Exactly one year after his death, she receives a cassette player as a gift. While playing the moving songs of Seo Ji Won’s ‘Gather My Tears’, she travels back in time to 1998. Jun Hee not only wakes up in the body of her doppelgänger, a high school student named Kwon Min Joo, but eventually meets she her boyfriend’s similar Si Heon. Si Heon is the poster boy of the school: he is an outgoing and playful character. Si Heon’s best friend is the introverted In Kyu (Kang Hoon). But it seems the three are involved in a strange fate.

A remake of the popular Taiwanese drama ‘Someday or One Day’, ‘A Time Called You’ is a cleverly written show that switches between past and present. The stars of the show are the performances and chemistry between Jeon Yeo Been and Ahn Hyo Seop.

“Mr. Queen”

Imagine going back in time, only to find yourself in a different century and a different gender than your own. Is this some kind of retaliation? When the chauvinistic and arrogant chef of the Blue House (the South Korean presidential house) Jang Bong Hwan (Choi Jin Hyuk) suffers a freak accident, he ends up in the Joseon period. Not only is he taken to a time hundreds of years in the past, but he is also trapped in the body of the queen, Kim So Yong (Shin Hye Sun).

As Bong Hwan’s spirit takes control of So Yong’s body, she begins to behave quite strangely, but also discovers the deep dark secrets of the palace. This gender-bending time-travel drama goes beyond typical tales of palace intrigue, exploring a romance on the queer spectrum and highlighting the gender inequality and sexism inherent in patriarchal societies. Shin Hye Sun stars as So Young, and her impeccable comedic timing with Choi Jin Hyuk is a riot.

Start by watching “Mr. Queen”:

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“18 Again”

It is often said that your present can be a reflection of the choices you have made in the past. Hong Dae Young (Yoon Sang Hyun) is 37 and frustrated in life due to deep anger issues. He has lost his job, his wife Da Jung (Kim Ha Neul) wants him gone, and he is also not an admirable father figure in the eyes of his two children. But it seems the universe heard his prayer and Dae Young goes back in time. He finds himself in the body of his 18-year-old self (Lee Do Hyun), a star basketball player being scouted by colleges. He realizes he has a chance to start all over again. Because he ends up going to the same school as his children, he forms a deep bond with them, which he couldn’t do as a father.

A heartwarming drama, ’18 Again’ provides insight into society and its stereotypes. The constant stress of work-life balance and its impact are well highlighted. Lee Do Hyun does a great job as Dae Young and portrays both aspects impressively as a student and father of two children.

Start watching “18 Again”:

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“Go back couple”

Another drama that finds its solution to a problematic present in the past is ‘Go Back Couple’. College sweethearts Choi Ban Do (Son Ho Jun) and Ma Jin Joo (Jang Nara) couldn’t wait to get married, but after 18 years together, they can’t bear the sight of each other. Ban Do is struggling as a pharmaceutical salesman and barely has time for Jin Joo and their son as he is constantly networking to increase sales. Jin Joo, on the other hand, is tired of dealing with their house and being a housewife without help. As the couple reaches a breaking point, they travel back in time and are freshmen again. The two are well aware of the situation that awaits them and decide whether it would be best if they had not dated or married.

“Go Back Couple” is a light-hearted watch, and while it has several tropes and clichés, they are well done. Jang Nara and Son Ho Jun are hilariously cute together, and their playful banter is never boring.

Watch “Go Back Couple” below:

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Hey Soompiers, which of these is your favorite time travel drama? Let us know in the comments below!

Puja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Yang Yang and Lee Junho bias. She is a long-time fan of K-drama and loves creating alternative scenarios for the stories. She has interviewed Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Woo, and Ji Chang Wook, to name a few. You can follow her at @puja_talwar7 on Instagram.

Currently watching: “Will love in the spring”