Cinderella at 2am – K-drama Episode 1 Recap & Review

Episode 1

Episode 1 of Cinderella at 2am begins with our protagonist, Ha Yoon-seo, meeting her boyfriend’s mother, the chairperson of her company. In this tense encounter, Yoon-seo agrees to break up with her boyfriend, even accepting payment in exchange for ending the relationship. She promises to go through with it within two months to minimize the heartbreak for Joo-won, whom she cares for deeply.

We quickly realize that despite their lovely relationship, Yoon-seo feels that she and Joo-won come from different worlds. She confides this to her friend, Kim I-rae, and mentions how Joo-won bought her an expensive bag for their one-year anniversary—something she now sees as a sign of their differing lifestyles.

We then flash back to the moment when Yoon-seo overheard Joo-won talking with his brother, Vice Chairperson Si-won, and discovered Joo-won’s true identity. Her initial, humorous reaction was: “You’re from a rich family? Why didn’t you tell me? And all this time, you let me pay for meals?”

After Yoon-seo’s breakup plan succeeds, Joo-won is set to be transferred abroad. However, Joo-won, being perceptive, notices that Yoon-seo is acting strangely and consults his brother about it. Si-won brushes it off, revealing that the only way he keeps tabs on his wife in France is through her Instagram posts, hinting at the imperfections in their arranged marriage.

Meanwhile, Yoon-seo brainstorms ways to make Joo-won hate her. She tries being frustrated, difficult, and picky, but nothing works—Joo-won likes her way too much. In a moment of frustration, she drinks with I-rae and nearly drunk-texts Joo-won.

The next day, while heading to work, Yoon-seo discovers she accidentally sent a half-written breakup text to her team group! She also vaguely remembers talking to Joo-won for 10 seconds but can’t recall the details. Later, she fabricates an excuse for her drunk text, while Joo-won casually dismisses the call, saying she had simply called to say goodnight.

After work, Yoon-seo stumbles upon a recording of the 10-second call, where she actually asked Joo-won for a breakup. Confronting him, she learns that he knew about her meeting with his mother but still wants to be with her. Yoon-seo, however, insists on the differences in their upbringings and worlds and finally breaks up with him.

Months pass, with Joo-won transferred abroad while Yoon-seo continues working. But one day, Joo-won returns as the company director, meets Yoon-seo on the iconic Cinderella-style staircase, helps her with her shoe, and boldly declares that he’s going to chase after her and be clingy!

So far, ‘Cinderella at 2 AM’ feels strikingly similar to Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale, which starred Lee Jun-young and Pyo Ye-jin. The key difference is that the latter had a goofy, blatant parody style whereas the former aligns more with a typical satirical romcom K-drama.

In many ways, ‘Cinderella at 2 AM’, starring ‘Hospital Playlist’ star Shin Hyun-been and recent rookie Moon Sang-Min of ‘Wedding Impossible’ fame, aims to break the stereotypical romcom mold while reimagining the classic Cinderella fairytale.

For instance, Yoon-seo agrees to break up with her chaebol boyfriend and even accepts money for it. She ponders what Cinderella would have felt like, not at midnight, but at 2 AM when the differences between her prince and herself are glaringly stark.

As of now, the K-drama is entertaining enough, with tropey main leads and a predictable but enjoyable romance.