The hit tvN drama 'Lovely Runner' has been gaining much love from viewers as it broke its personal record for the highest viewership.

Not only that, the band Eclipse from the drama has been soaring in popularity as the song "Sudden Shower" even entered the Melon Top 100, which is a feat that is difficult for even popular singers to achieve.

But to many people's surprise, 'Lovely Runner' was not initially anticipated to be a major hit in the Korean content market. It took a solid three years to produce. Many male actors turned down offers to appear in the drama, thinking it was a story about unrequited love for a K-pop fan.

Casting for the lead role faced difficulties until Byun Woo Seok finally decided to join the cast for production.

One netizen explained, "The writer always had Kim Hye Yoon in mind when writing the script. She said it had to be Kim Hye Yoon no matter what. The male actors all turned down the role but then Byun Woo Seok accepted the role. He was cast after the director saw '20th Century Girl'."

Korean netizens commented: 
"The casting is so crazy."
"This drama is so fun."

"This was really meant to be."

"The casting was perfect."

"I'm so happy that Byun Woo Seok is Sun Jae and Kim Hye Yoon is Sol."

"I love their acting."

"Thank you Byun Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon for agreeing to do this drama."

"Wow, it took so long to get it into production."

"The male character is so good, I don't know why they turned down the role."

"I love them both."

SEE ALSO: Hit drama 'Lovely Runner' soars to new heights with viewership ratings