"I was pleasantly defeated by the director." The secrets behind the OST of 'Lovely Runner'

*This content was translated by AI.

The hit drama 'Lovely Runner' music director Park Sung-il has revealed the secrets behind the work's OST.

SBS's Friday-Saturday drama 'Lovely Runner' (directed by Han Tae-seop and Kim Hyun-woo, written by Kang Hyun-ju) is a romantic comedy about a tense, explosive war-like romance between Shin Seo-ri (played by Im Ji-yeon), a nameless actress possessed by the soul of the legendary Joseon villain Yeong-ho, and Cha Se-gye (played by Heo Nam-jun), a vicious chaebol called a monster born of capitalism.

The series continues to generate buzz every episode thanks to the birth of Im Ji-yeon and Heo Nam-jun-ui (EVP)'s robust romantic comedy characters, detailed and solid directing, and a script with vivid dialogue. As a result, it has maintained the number one spot in the TV-OTT integrated topic ranking for five weeks since its broadcast (based on Fundex data from June 1 to June 7), while also soaring to second place in Netflix's 'Global Top 10 Non-English Shows' weekly viewership rankings (based on TMDb data from June 1 to June 9), continuing its unparalleled global success.

Moreover, reactions to the music of 'Lovely Runner' are no ordinary. Every time the OST is released, related keywords climb to the number one spot in real-time search charts for music streaming services, proving its immense topicality.

In response, music director Park Sung-il has drawn attention by expressing gratitude to 'Lovely Runner' viewers and revealing the behind-the-scenes details of the OST production. On the 11th, expressing thanks for the global buzz, Park stated, "I recently received many congratulatory messages. It feels real that I am receiving such great love, and I am happy."

He further emphasized, "For every episode and every scene, I thought hard and worked intensely to avoid treating anything lightly."

Soon after, Music Director Park shared the story, saying, "Usually, dramas compose music first after reading the script and then use it to match the edited version, but this time, we appropriately mixed cinematic techniques where we composed music while watching the screen at key moments, such as the opening of Part 1, the scene where Seo-ri is possessed, and the scene where Seo-ri first encounters the Gwanghwamun building forest and experiences a panic attack. The OST was also created after pre-determining the location and role of each track."

He then added, "Fortunately, viewers accurately captured the timing and emotional lines I intended. I felt a sense of creative satisfaction in that regard."

In particular, as 'Lovely Runner' is a time-transcending romance that moves between past and present lives, it received high praise for its music that differentiated the atmosphere of each era. Regarding this, Music Director Park Sung-il explained, "'Lovely Runner' is a unique form that is based on a modern drama but tells the narrative of the past life as a historical drama. It was different from typical historical dramas or fusion historical dramas. Therefore, for the music of Dae-sim's emotions, we based it on Western classical music rather than playing Korean traditional instruments on Western instruments, mixing in a minimum number of Korean traditional instruments. For Seo-ri's comedic scenes, we added gong and taepyeongso to add wit."

Regarding Cha Se-gye's theme, he explained, "We borrowed the harpsichord, a classic Baroque instrument, to not limit the narrative of the past life to only Korean traditional instruments. By incorporating Western classical instruments, we aimed to musically connect the past life of Lee Hyun (the character of Se-gye) and his present life."

Furthermore, 'Lovely Runner' conveyed a deep lingering impression through OST lyrics that run through the narratives of Seo-ri and Se-gye within the drama. After the broadcast, viewers searched for the lyrics themselves and interpreted them by connecting them to the emotional lines in the drama, further increasing their over-immersion in the work. Regarding the lyric-writing process, Music Director Park said, "Lyric writing is a process of looking into the inner hearts of the characters in the script. Therefore, our team of lyricists read the script together before the music is composed. Because we analyzed the characters in advance, once I complete the music, we can all understand better than anyone else how the music will be used."

He continued, "Lyric writing requires a process of starting with a draft, revising, and refining, during which we consult frequently with the director. Especially, Director Han Tae-seop must have been busy during the final stages of filming, yet he called directly and said, 'The nuance of the words used in the draft was good, so please bring them back to life,' paying close attention to details and providing passionate feedback."

Music Director Park remarked, "I also don't fall short in terms of detail when working, but this time, I was pleasantly defeated by Director Han Tae-seop," showcasing the synergy of the 'detail masters.'

Finally, Music Director Park Sung-il gave a hint about the music points of 'Lovely Runner,' which has four episodes remaining until its conclusion. He said, "All staff worked intensely, thinking hard and filling in every last word and syllable. If you pay attention to the musical details we planted, including the latter half of the drama and up to the final episode, I believe you will be able to enjoy the work even more deeply."

'Lovely Runner' airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 p.m.

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*This content was translated by AI.