Netflix fans have been treated to a fresh serving of romance and competition as the hotly anticipated fourth season of Single's Inferno returns to the streaming service.

Among the cast members is 25-year-old Lee Si An, a model attracting a lot of attention in the ratings.

Her journey from a former K-pop trainee to a freelance model has intrigued many viewers.

K-pop Idol and Modeling

Lee, 25, is currently signed under Leaders Entertainment and has featured in a number of relatively well-known commercials, including advertisements for companies like Samsung Galaxy, FILA, New Balance, and COSRX.

Since her intro to Single's Inferno, she's frequently worked with athleisure labels.

Lee was once a K-pop idol trainee and participated in a number of idol survival shows before moving on to modeling.

She was a competitive swimmer from the time she was a child through sixth grade but has always enjoyed swimming as a hobby.

She joined Mnet's Idol School in 2017, placing 16th and narrowly missing out on a place in the top nine for girl group fromis_9.

In 2018, she participated in Produce 48, where she finished in 30th place in episode 11.

Not just SNSD and I.O.I, but even fellow Netflix star Jo Yu Ri from the recently released Squid Game was in the group formed from the competition dubbed IZ*ONE.

Lee was previously attached to the pre-debut girl group Happyface Girls for two years but turned her attention to modeling after the group disbanded in 2021.

While she is no longer in the idol scene, she still keeps in contact with fellow trainees who have debuted, like LE SSERAFIM's Huh Yunjin and former After School member Lee Ga Eun.

Lee Si An's Journey

In the premiere episode of Single's Inferno Season 4, Si An was one of the two ladies picked by 33-year-old businessman Kim Jeong-su to go to paradise with him.

While there is a significant age difference, audiences were receptive to their date, suggesting budding chemistry to evolve over the season.

Jeong-su was filled with praise for Si An's "prettiest smile" and found himself blushing along with Si An after complimenting her.

And her real-life model background works to the advantage of her character on the show.

And, of course, she has spoken about her desire to be an actress — a natural fit for the fan who wants to see her grow past reality TV.

The combination of the two careers may score her points with younger viewers who can only wish to emulate such successes.

Social Media Impact

After the show, Si-an's following on social media multiplied, as her followers on Instagram grew from 82,000 to more than 350,000 within days of the show airing.

People are very curious to see how her story plays out on the show – some are even wondering about a possible love triangle involving Jeong-su.

Controversy

On January 21, Leaders Entertainment reportedly stated that it had filed a lawsuit against Lee for allegedly breaching her exclusive contract.

The agency also revealed that they have been managing Lee's career since August 2023 and claimed Lee unilaterally chose to cancel her contract soon after the reality series was filmed.

Leaders Entertainment said talks for Lee to return for Single's Inferno 4 started back in April 2023. The agency renewed her contract for 18 months at that point, due to expire on October 25, 2023.

In May, Lee signed a deal to appear on the show, wrapping up filming in June.

But Leaders Entertainment alleges that Lee revealed she wanted to terminate her contract in August, right after filming ended.

According to the agency, this is a breach of her exclusive contract as well as the additional contract.

The agency added, "There's no basis in Lee Si An's objections. We've got a lot of evidence and we are suing." They stated her actions could lead the agency and production of Single's Inferno astray.

Overview of Single's Inferno

Single's Inferno has proved to be a massive success, consistently ranking as a top ten Netflix hit in numerous countries. In the popular reality dating show, single contestants are taken to an island, where they compete in challenges to earn private dates.

This season, the twist was to split the contestants into two groups, who battled for a chance to go on extravagant vacations to paradise.

Single's Inferno Season 4 premiered on January 14, 2025, with new episodes dropping on Tuesdays.