Upcoming K-Drama “Lovely Runner” Accused Of “Disrespecting” SHINee’s Jonghyun

“This is disgusting and disrespectful…”

Content Warning

This article includes descriptions of suicide or self harm that may disturb some readers.

Upcoming K-Drama Lovely Runner faces a boycott after allegedly referencing the life of SHINee‘s Jonghyun.

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The poster for “Lovely Runner” | tvN

The show has been gaining attention for the plotline, which sees Im Sol, played by Kim Hye Yoon, take solace in Ryu Sun Jae, played by Byeon Woo Seok, a top-tier K-Pop idol. When she travels back 15 years, she finds herself in the high school days of Ryu Sun Jae and faces the overwhelming task of preventing his future suicide. The show is based on the webtoon The Best Of Tomorrow.

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| Naver

The videos showing the two leads’ height difference also gained attention, raising anticipation ahead of the premiere.

However, following the release of the latest tweet with information on the show, netizens have called for a boycott of the K-Drama because of SHINee’s Jonghyun.

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SHINee’s Jonghyun | @pdnote/SBS

With the announcement of the plot and the date of release…

Netizens voiced their anger that it was seemingly trying to use Jonghyun’s story for entertainment. In particular, along with the plot referencing the death of an idol, netizens noticed that the first episode would air on April 8, which is Jonghyun’s birthday.

After a tweet was shared on March 6 (KST), it received a lot of backlash from SHINee fans both in Korea and globally, who called for a boycott of the K-Drama.

While the show is based on a webtoon, the small details of the release date, the plot, and some mentioned that the color of Hye Soo’s shirt seem disrespectful to Jonghyun, and netizens feel it’s tvN using the idol for entertainment.

Source: @CjnDrama

Lovely Runner

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