A scene from "Single's Inferno" Season 4, which hit Netflix on Jan. 14. Courtesy of Netflix

The "hottest inferno" has opened up again with the new season of Netflix's dating show "Single's Inferno," heating up the cold winter to win over viewers in and out of Korea.

Season 4, which was released on the streaming platform on Jan. 14, has again proved its global popularity, debuting on Netflix's Top 10 Non-English Shows chart and scoring the highest viewing hours in the first week of its release.

With its continued success, the show about a group of attractive singles trapped on a deserted island to find love has already been confirmed for a new season, becoming the first Korean reality show on Netflix to run for five seasons.

The show's co-producers — Kim Jae-won, Park Su-ji and Kim Jung-hyun — attributed its success to the cast members' authenticity this season.

From left, producers Kim Jae-won, Kim Jung-hyun and Park Su-ji pose during an interview with The Korea Times held at a cafe in Jung District, Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Netflix

"In terms of authenticity, I think this season was the best. It's not that previous seasons weren't, but this time there seemed to be more realistic considerations (from cast members)," co-creator and producer Kim Jae-won told The Korea Times during an interview at a cafe in central Seoul on Thursday.

"Rather than just focusing on relationships within the show, they were thinking about how [their relationships] would work in real life ... these were the kind of realistic concerns that people actually face when dating someone and that was perhaps the most unique factor of Season 4."

This season mainly followed Lee Si-an's narrative and her complicated romance with three men — Yuk Jun-seo, Kim Jeong-su and Jang Theo. Lee has previously appeared on a K-pop survival show, while Yuk also previously starred in a military reality show. Despite already being known for their television stints, the two showed no reservations when it came to showing their true feelings and personalities in the search for love, explicitly sharing affection and frustration, as seen in the show's final love triangle with Kim Jeong-su.

Lee Si-an talks in a scene from the show "Single's Inferno." Courtesy of Netflix

"Yuk and Lee showed genuine emotions and actions before starting their romance as if they had forgotten about the cameras and were completely immersed in this world. I'm grateful that they participated earnestly without putting up walls," Kim Jae-won said.

"Even though Yuk and Lee were more well-known than other cast members, I think the show succeeded because they approached it more genuinely and authentically."

Featuring many influencers and aspiring actors as cast members, cast members have often been questioned for their true intention upon joining the show — whether they were genuinely looking for love or had ulterior motives to gain fame.

Kim Jae-won noted that although it was impossible to detect underlying motives as they cast the participants, they followed a clear principle to only show authentic moments to viewers as they edited the show, explaining how it affected the members' screen time.

"Of course, since there are cameras present, it's a natural human desire to want to be portrayed nicely, and I think that can't be prevented ... But amid all this, there are some people who don't mind these things and boldly show their true character without restraint. When such moments occur, we never miss them, which is why we focus on showing those aspects," he said.

Cast members talk in a scene from the show "Single's Inferno." Courtesy of Netflix

The producers shared the backstory of how they recruited the cast members for the fourth season, revealing they interviewed over 500 candidates.

"In fact, because everyone has distinct preferences, we decide on cast members when there is a majority consensus. We have intense discussions where we appeal to each other and share what we like about potential candidates," Park said.

Kim revealed they had been trying to get Yuk to join the show since the first season.

"When we were first developing 'Single's Inferno,' Yuk was someone we had in mind as an ideal cast member. He had that wild, untamed quality. And we really wanted to cast him from the beginning because we felt he would blend well with the natural environment of the deserted island," he said.