Why Do K-Drama Heroes Keep Going Back to High School?
In Lovely Runner (선재 업고 튀어), Im Sol is devastated by the death of Ryu Sun-jae, the artist who once gave her the will to keep living. To save him, she travels back in time to 2008.
Korean dramas are full of stories like this, where an adult returns to their school days. Why is that?
High school is Koreans’ most vivid memory
For many Koreans, high school is where regret, first love, and friendship all collide. That’s why the question “What if I could go back to those days?” connects with almost every viewer.
One Korean media outlet noted that if Reply 1997 (2012) tapped into nostalgia for the late 1990s, then Lovely Runner’s 2008 now reaches the viewers who spent their youth in that era. The years change, but going back to “the me of that time” remains one of Korean drama’s favorite stories.
7 Korean school culture elements you’ll spot in time-slip dramas
| Element | Why it’s interesting for international viewers |
|---|---|
| School uniforms (gyobok, 교복) | Each school has its own design, and students often style them their own way |
| School lunch (geupsik, 급식) | The school serves lunch, and students line up with metal trays |
| School store (maejeom, 매점) | A small shop students visit between classes. A frequent drama location |
| Night self-study (yaja, 야자) | Students stay at school into the evening to study |
| Sports day and school festival | The biggest school events, with classes competing against each other |
| Crushes and confessions | Letters and notes are classic ingredients of school romance |
| Homeroom class and teacher | Students spend the whole year with the same classmates |
Night self-study (yaja) varies by school, but one report describes it as usually starting around 6 p.m. and running until 9 or 10 p.m. It differs by region and school today, so think of it as a typical scene rather than a rule.
Why these settings work so well
A Korean school is a small society where classmates spend most of the day together. Sharing the same classroom, the same lunch, and the same events makes it a perfect stage for romance, friendship, and growing up. So when a grown-up character returns to this place, viewers feel like they’re reliving their own school days together.
Quick glossary
- 교복 (gyobok): school uniform
- 급식 (geupsik): school lunch
- 매점 (maejeom): school store
- 야간자율학습, 야자 (yagan jayul hakseup, yaja): night self-study
- 체육대회 (cheyuk daehoe): sports day
- 짝사랑 (jjaksarang): one-sided love, a secret crush
Coming up in Part 2
In Part 2, we’ll look at everyday life for Korean high schoolers in 2008, the era Lovely Runner goes back to: uniform styling, fan culture, and school life from that time.
Does your country have a story where an adult goes back to their school days?
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