# About Time (TV series)
**About Time** (멈추고 싶은 순간: 어바웃타임, *A Moment I Want to Stop: About Time*) is a 2018 South Korean fantasy romance television series broadcast on the cable network tvN, starring [Lee Sang-yoon](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-sang-yoon) and [Lee Sung-kyung](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-sung-kyung) as a couple whose fates become physically linked through a supernatural ability to see and control lifespan clocks.[1](https://asianwiki.com/About_Time_%28Korean_Drama%29) • [2](https://www.soompi.com/article/1197855wpp/girl-crushes-heartthrobs-happy-endings-watch-time) The 16-episode series aired from May 21 to July 10, 2018 in tvN's Monday and Tuesday 21:30 time slot.[1](https://asianwiki.com/About_Time_%28Korean_Drama%29)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Korean title | 멈추고 싶은 순간: 어바웃타임 (*A Moment I Want to Stop: About Time*); English title About Time[1](https://asianwiki.com/About_Time_%28Korean_Drama%29) |
| Network and run | tvN, 16 episodes, May 21 – July 10, 2018, Monday & Tuesday 21:30[1](https://asianwiki.com/About_Time_%28Korean_Drama%29) |
| Direction and writing | Directed by Kim Hyeong-Sik; written by Chu Hye-Mi[1](https://asianwiki.com/About_Time_%28Korean_Drama%29) |
| Production | Studio Dragon and STORY TV[3](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/About_Time) |
| Lead cast | Lee Sang-yoon as Lee Do-ha; Lee Sung-kyung as Choi Michaela[1](https://asianwiki.com/About_Time_%28Korean_Drama%29) |
| Central device | Choi Michaela can see the lifespan clocks of other people; Lee Do-ha can stop her time[1](https://asianwiki.com/About_Time_%28Korean_Drama%29) |
| IMDb rating | 6.9/10[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/about-time) |
## Premise and plot
Choi Michaela, a musical actress, carries an unwanted gift: she can see the lifespan clocks, the remaining time, of herself and everyone around her. Her own clock shows her life running out early, and the discovery that Lee Do-ha, the representative of a culture company, can stop her countdown simply by being near her draws the two into both a shared timetable and a romance.[1](https://asianwiki.com/About_Time_%28Korean_Drama%29) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/about-time) As their closeness grows, their clocks become more than a curiosity: Michaela uses Do-ha to extend her own time, and later the pair learn that their time is shared between them, so that what lengthens one clock shortens the other.[5](https://www.hellokpop.com/review/k-drama-about-time/)
The series frames its fantasy device around the urgency of living and loving. Do-ha, initially a self-centered, business-minded CEO, becomes willing to sacrifice his own time in exchange for Michaela's life, while Michaela moves from fearing death to treating life as something to be celebrated.[5](https://www.hellokpop.com/review/k-drama-about-time/) In the final episode, Do-ha gets into a car accident in Michaela's place; some time afterward, both appear on a date as if nothing happened, their countdown clocks having disappeared entirely, giving the couple a happy ending won, in the production's own framing, "through the power of love."[6](https://www.soompi.com/article/1198749wpp/3-important-things-reflect-time-finale)
## Cast and characters
Lee Sang-yoon plays Lee Do-ha, and Lee Sung-kyung plays Choi Michaela; reviewers credit Lee Sung-kyung's performance, particularly her singing as a musical actress, as a central draw of the series.[1](https://asianwiki.com/About_Time_%28Korean_Drama%29) • [7](https://simkl.com/tv/766810/about-time/review/520086) The supporting cast includes Im Se-mi as Bae Soo-bong, Han Seung-yeon as Jeon Sung-hee, Rowoon as Choi Wi-jin, Kim Dong-jun as Jo Jae-yoo, Kim Hae-sook as Oh So-nyeo, and Jeong Dong-hwan as Lee Sun-moon, with Na Young-hee as Michaela's mother Jin Ra-hee and Jang Kwang as Teacher Park.[1](https://asianwiki.com/About_Time_%28Korean_Drama%29) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/about-time)
Each supporting character carries a stated life lesson: Soo-bong learns that love cannot be forced, Jae-yoo grows into independence as a figure for millennials praised too early and then confronted with the real world, and Sung-hee and Wi-jin, placed at opposite ends of a spectrum, come to balance rather than clash with each other.[5](https://www.hellokpop.com/review/k-drama-about-time/)
## Production and casting change
The first script reading took place in February 2018 at [Studio Dragon](https://www.edgepedia.org/studio-dragon) in Sangam, South Korea, and Lee Sang-yoon and Lee Sung-kyung filmed their first scenes on February 12, 2018 at a restaurant in Seoul's Gangnam District.[1](https://asianwiki.com/About_Time_%28Korean_Drama%29) The drama was produced by Studio Dragon with STORY TV.[3](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/About_Time)
**A mid-production cast change** occurred shortly before broadcast. [Lee Seo-won](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-seo-won) was first cast as Jo Jae-yoo, but he was dropped from the series on May 16, 2018 due to a sexual harassment claim; [Kim Dong-jun](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-dong-jun) of the group [ZE:A](https://www.edgepedia.org/ze-a) was then cast in the role.[1](https://asianwiki.com/About_Time_%28Korean_Drama%29)
## The musical within the drama
Because Michaela's profession is musical theater, the series builds a show-within-a-show around her. The in-universe musical, *Yeon Hee's Clock Runs Backwards*, mirrors the drama's own themes: the screenwriter chose a work based on the film *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*, about a man who ages in reverse, rather than an unrelated title.[8](https://heart-n-seoul.com/2018/08/05/about-time/) The production is also treated as Do-ha's business venture, with investment, casting, and leadership disputes forming a running subplot alongside the romance.[9](https://www.hellokpop.com/review/k-drama-mid-series-check-about-time/)
## Reception and availability
The series attracted a devoted fan following but received mixed overall reception.[10](https://kdramabinge.com/review-about-time-korean-drama/) On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.9, while the [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) audience rating is 39 percent.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/about-time) Reviewers praised the character development, the chemistry of the leads, and the soundtrack, which includes performances by the cast and songs such as "Maybe" by Hui of Pentagon; criticisms centered on a plot that was described as vaguely explained, with filler in the middle episodes and a rushed ending.[5](https://www.hellokpop.com/review/k-drama-about-time/) • [8](https://heart-n-seoul.com/2018/08/05/about-time/) • [7](https://simkl.com/tv/766810/about-time/review/520086)
The drama is available for streaming on WeTV, and free with ads on [The Roku Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-roku-channel), Rakuten Viki, OnDemandKorea, Tubi TV, and Amasian TV.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/about-time)
## References
1. [About Time (Korean Drama), AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/About_Time_%28Korean_Drama%29)
2. [Girl Crushes, Heartthrobs, And Happy Endings: What To Watch After "About Time", Soompi](https://www.soompi.com/article/1197855wpp/girl-crushes-heartthrobs-happy-endings-watch-time)
3. [About Time, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/About_Time)
4. [About Time – watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/about-time)
5. [K-Drama Review: "About Time" Departs With Honest Life Lessons & Hopeful Atmosphere, hellokpop](https://www.hellokpop.com/review/k-drama-about-time/)
6. [3 Important Things To Reflect On After "About Time" Finale, Soompi](https://www.soompi.com/article/1198749wpp/3-important-things-reflect-time-finale)
7. [The Rhythm of Destiny and the Brilliance of Lee Sungkyung - Review of About Time](https://simkl.com/tv/766810/about-time/review/520086)
8. [About Time – Heart and Seoul](https://heart-n-seoul.com/2018/08/05/about-time/)
9. [K-Drama Mid-Series Check: "About Time" Approaches Its Own Definition Of Life And Death, hellokpop](https://www.hellokpop.com/review/k-drama-mid-series-check-about-time/)
10. [REVIEW: About Time Korean Drama, k-drama binge](https://kdramabinge.com/review-about-time-korean-drama/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Fantasy, supernatural, and science fiction series › Premiered 2010 to 2022*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license