Facing criticism over premise, show’s producer says series is about love and life — not illness From left: "Love Against Time" hosts Jung Yong-hwa, Yena, Lee Se-young and DK of Seventeen pose for a photo at a press conference in Seoul, Friday. (Yonhap) What if you knew your time for love was limited?SBS’ new dating reality series "Love Against Time" takes that question literally, bringing together young adults in their 20s and 30s who have faced life-threatening illnesses and had at some point received terminal diagnoses.The series follows them as they navigate dating and search for meaningful connections, reckoning with what it means to live and love with a heightened awareness of time.At the center of the format is a 100-minute clock. Each participant is given 100 minutes to spend with one or more others of their choosing, forcing them to decide whether to devote the entire allotment to one potential love interest or to divide it among several people.For producer Lee Eun-sol, the concept grew out of a broader question about how awareness of one's mortality might shape the way young people approach life and love.“I think the finite nature of time is actually a very universal theme. It is something that all of us, at some point after we are born, inevitably come to think about,” Lee said at a press conference in Seoul on Friday.“But I wondered, for young people who come to realize this earlier in life, at an age when they should be working hard and loving hard, how might they view life and approach love? Wouldn’t they have a uniquely profound perspective? That question was where the idea for the program first began.”Lee stressed that the participants’ experiences with illness are not intended to be the show’s central narrative. Instead, "Love Against Time" focuses on what comes after those experiences, capturing participants as they seek to move forward, pursue relationships and rediscover what life and love mean to them.“Our program is not centered on the experience of battling an illness itself,” Lee said. “Rather, it captures the growth of young people as they try to rebuild their lives and find love after going through those experiences. We felt that, through their stories, we could deliver a very genuine message to viewers. That was ultimately what inspired us to develop the program.”Lee previously directed "Fortune Tellers’ Love," another SBS dating reality series that brought together Generation Z fortunetellers and oracles in search of romance. Actor Lee Se-young, singer Jung Yong-hwa, Seventeen’s DK and singer Yena will join the new series as studio hosts, offering commentary and reactions to the participants’ journeys.For Yena, the show carries a particular personal resonance. The singer and entertainer was diagnosed with lymphoma, a type of childhood cancer affecting the lymphatic system, when she was young, and later made a full recovery.“I think simply finding the courage to put your pain and wounds into words is a great act of bravery,” Yena said.“Watching people who have gone through pain come together and open up about their experiences gave me comfort and a sense of empathy. I highly recommend the show because I think it could be a great source of comfort for those who, like me and the other cast members, carry their own pain and wounds.”Meanwhile, the premise has also drawn criticism from some who question whether participants’ experiences with serious illness should be used as the basis for a dating reality show. Lee acknowledged those concerns, saying the production team is aware and accepts the criticism.“I think viewers will understand once they watch the first episode,” she said.“The experience of battling an illness is not the focus of the program itself. Those experiences are part of a person’s life story, and there are times when it is difficult to move forward without talking about them. But this is ultimately a program where you see their romantic feelings and their attitudes toward life and love more clearly.”"Love Against Time" premieres Monday on SBS and will be available to stream on Netflix.