Can love truly stop the clock when your time is running out?
In short: In the 2018 South Korean fantasy romance About Time, an aspiring musical actress discovers she possesses a haunting supernatural gift: the ability to see the remaining lifespans of everyone she meets. Her world shifts when she encounters a wealthy executive whose presence mysteriously halts her own ticking countdown.
The series centers on Choi Michaela, a young woman burdened by the sight of people's impending deaths. Her life takes a dramatic turn following a minor traffic accident, where she crosses paths with Lee Do-ha, the president of the cultural foundation MK Entertainment. Michaela soon realizes that her personal life clock freezes whenever she is in his proximity, prompting her to pursue him relentlessly to survive. What begins as a desperate bid for longevity evolves into a complex, painful romance that challenges both characters.
Lee Do-ha is introduced as a seemingly abrasive and belligerent figure, yet he hides a vulnerable interior. He manages severe anxiety and frequent panic attacks, regularly seeking support from his psychiatrist and friend, Park Sung-bin. His connection with Michaela disrupts his professional life and complicates his standing with his family and his fiancée, Bae Soo-bong. As Michaela works as his personal driver to stay close, she grapples with intense guilt over using him for her own survival, while simultaneously enduring harassment from his fiancée.
Production of the series, which ran from late May through early July 2018, faced its own behind-the-scenes turbulence. The initial script reading occurred in February 2018, but the cast underwent a significant change before the premiere. Actor Lee Seo-won, originally cast as Jo Jae-yoo, was removed from the project following the filing of criminal charges against him. He was subsequently replaced by Kim Dong-jun. Despite these challenges, the show explores the intersection of fate, romantic entanglement, and the emotional toll of knowing one's own expiration date, ultimately questioning whether love can justify the manipulation of time itself.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: About Time (TV series)
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