Cinderella At 2 AM (2024)

Missed its mark.

It had potential but ultimately didn't reach it. I never thought it would be a drama that would hit it out of the park, but I thought it might have some hidden depths. The drama started out good, they explored some issues in the beginning and I liked how understanding the ML was. He is clearly a green flag. But the story was very subtle and didn't leave much of an impression. The ML's brother and his wife were more interesting to watch as a couple.

Every week I tuned it expecting that something would happen that would break the linear path it was on, but it never got to it. So, I am a bit disappointed. But it did have the power to make me complete it so there is something there.

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Somewhat funny, somewhat bitter, somewhat... something

I am puzzled.... not sure what to make of this one.....
There were a lot of opinions about the FL acting... most of them negative. And I kind of agree....

Story is not bad..... Yun Seo agrees to break up with Jun Won because of their different backgrounds and expectations.
Only... it is easier said and done... Particularly because Jun Won is the most amazing boyfriend you could imagine.... and he decides not to let her go.

So far I have come across a few dramas where the ML is just unrealistically nice...
This is one of them....

Ju Won is rich, handsome, caring, funny, loyal... the whole deal.... only min point, a bit young but I forgive him for that...
Actor Moon Sang Min plays him wonderfully... he is simply adorable. In his suffering because his girlfriend left him, he is super cute... in his resolution not to accept the break up... he is a champion. I was rooting for him all the time.

Now, FL is a different story. The character was written to be plain.... which was delivered accordingly.
This is a woman that suffered child abuse horribly by both parents, to the point she had to run away in her early teens, with her little brother, in order to survive.... Because of that, she became a practical, realistic individual...

that is fair and relatable.
BUT
The way she was portraited... it delivered no emotion in me. The scenes of the child abuse are terrible, those one made me cry, but for the rest... she is very bah... which is a shame.
She agrees to break up with Jun Won, and later on realizes that she loves him and can not be without him...
really? I would not believe it.. she looked pretty normal to me.

Now... the 2nd couple was AMAZING and lifted the whole show ....
Seo Si Won (Yoon Park) is one of the most versatile actors I have seen so far... he is just adorable, cute, like a teddy bear. One moment he plays ruthless CEO, the other he is confused man about his wife and how to deal with her...
His interactions with his contracted wife Mi Jin (Park So Jin) are hilarious... so adorable... they made my time watching the show worth it.

same effect as in Business Proposal... and I would love for them to get their own season.

This is a fluffy story, good to pass the time.... the big lesson is that your mind can say but the heart rules.

Would I watch it again? Nope

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first half of the show was better than the second one

when starting this drama, I wasn't expecting to be a great drama based on the average ratings, but the first half of the story was more engaging and pleasant to watch like having two different feelings through all the show, in my opinion the drama started so strongly in the side of romance and comedy and the acting was so good talking from the chemistry between first leads and seeing how the male lead is holding onto his relationship with female and doing his best for making her besides him showing a sincere love for him, even ready to give up his background being a chaebol and disobeying his mother just to be with the one he loves her so it was so promising to see such great character of male lead BUT...

regarding 10 episodes length for such drama, I perceived that there was a lot of repetitions of male lead not able to let go of his beloved one and the idea was clear that he was struggling to keep her with him through the first half and even they made the drama unnecessary adding more scenes like drinking too much and bidding farewell for their last meeting with the several scenes of eating together but was not bad going to amusement park as the end of their relationship...

moon sang min was doing so good in his acting expressing his deep sadness, shedding tears though a lot if people called him "simp" to still following her and clinging on his relationship with her but I think someone genuinely loving her and unable to believe that she wanted deliberately to break up witu him has at least to show her his devotion until feeling there is no hope from this relationship!!!! he acted in this drama better than wedding impossible which I dropped it not feeling he was suitable there!!!

while shin hyun been was too unable to give up on him and lying to herself that it is better to break up with him for the difference of the social class and backgrounds regarding her parents were so violent, while people had criticized her to accept the money from his mother in return to break up with him while she was forced to do that when knowing the real background of her boyfriend so I don't want to say if it is right or wrong but maybe her dignity didn't allowed her to stay with him having such cruel and outrageous mother of male lead disparaging her!!!

shin hyun been was having average acting like moon sang min, both of them are great to be paired together but to be honest I can't be saying that they had presenting a top notch performance in their roles, the emotions they shown was enough to convince sadness and happiness but still I think there would be other better actors could be replaced exceptionally the second male lead so surprisingly was so good, I think he was so fitting for his role to be a supportive brother and rooting for the relationship of his younger brother with shin hyun been

really yoon park was so amazing being funny portraying the comedic side of the story that it would had been more better if giving more screentime for him and park so jin cause he was the essential one making the comedy successful in addition to the support characters being the colleagues of female lead in office, all of these characters gave a value for the drama cause I felt a lot of boring moments in the second half when the story only focused the most on the first leads with the repetition scenes of both of them struggling to be together...

I think the OST of the drama was something so brilliant and outstanding that saved the show from being less rated for me, such well choosed OST added more value to the show making a balance between the positive and negative sides of the drama cause the script could had summarized the story to less number of episodes as from the episode 6 I felt losing interest in the drama and skipping a lot of scenes till the end so the drama is being average for me as I was disappointed how I started rating it 8 then 7.5 when noticing a lot of repetitions until don't know why feeling the general ambiance of the drama was not deserving that in the second half just to give it 7 if it wasn't for the great performance of second male lead and the OST and the promising start of the drama, it could had been considered for me less than average but that was saved the drama what I mentioned before...

second leads are deserving to be given more scenes but unfortunately the drama was not giving their existence more worthiness cause even on mdl they should consider yoon park and park so jin second leads not from the support characters!!!!! I would emphasized that second male lead was the best actor of this drama not expecting that as yoon park was not playing so well in his previous dramas but here he was so different maybe I would had kept the rating of 7.5 or 8 for the drama but the acting of first leads became not the same great performance as it started but second leads kept more outstanding chemistry till the end, even I think giving park so jin more scenes in the drama after the third episode was wrong while she should had been present from the beginning as only the focus was on first leads more and it was not helping the drama at all!!!

I started to watch this drama being interested in the age gap which was controversial at the beginning before being aired but through all the show it was no longer mentioned cause looking at both of first leads this 14 years age gap is not noticeable at all, so the female even looking younger than her age not making this age difference being obvious for me!!!

the charcter of lee hyun woo as third wheel between the relationship of first leads making a silly love triangle though was short but considered unnecessary for me as his character could had been only as a supportive friend for shin hyun been not making him interfering in this love story as well the actress playing the character of the mother of male lead was not fitting, only feeling not able to see her having this repellent character but though any other actress could had played maybe better than her despite she is given an evil character here...

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Only for those looking for romance and nothing else.

Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75

If you are looking for a pure romantic comedy, then “Cinderella at 2 AM” is for you. The whole drama focuses on the relationship between Yun Seo (FL) and Ju Wong (ML). There’s a little bit about family relationships but for the most part, it’s romance all the way. Is that a good thing or not? Well, it depends what you are looking for. I am a romance lover, but I find the drama lacking in plot. I was more invested in the first half of the drama and loving the romance. But towards the second half, I was looking for more than what the drama could give me.

Having said that, Moon Sang Min is just too adorable. I am actually watching this for him (and because I am looking for a stress-free fluffy romance). Moon Sang Min pouts like an adorable (but very clingy) puppy. But when he stands tall with his 3-piece suit on, he’s a lovely sight. His visuals deserve a solid 8.0 rating. Can you tell I might have a tiny crush on him? LOL.

I am glad “Cinderella at 2 AM” doesn’t focus on the age gap, since I am not a big fan of noona romance. However, visually, you can see Moon Sang Min is younger than Shin Hyun Been. Their chemistry is good though. Their cute scenes make me giggle, and their struggles to stay away from each other hurt me as well. I love that ML is happy just from watching FL being happy, and that he’s willing to try things he doesn’t like because of her, and end up finding new hobbies and likes. The acting is decent and their story is fun….up until I found it a little repetitive with the back-and-forth. I understand it’s not easy to break up when you still love each other. The wishy-washy behavior is totally understandable, it just doesn’t give me a fun watching experience.

The secondary couple is odd yet interesting and lovable at the same time. It’s quite interesting seeing how Seo Si Won and Lee Min Jin fall in love. It provides some more comedic moments.

The two sets of siblings have very different dynamics, and I love them both. The work colleagues though, are borderline annoying and over-the-top.

“Cinderella at 2 AM” is a decent rom-com if you are in the mood for it. It doesn’t take itself seriously and oftentimes makes fun of drama cliches and tropes. But if you are looking for something with substance, then this is not it.



Completed: 9/27/2024 - Review #491

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Better than the other Cinderella kdrama but I wish for more depth

I needed something light & romantic to watch after finishing Again My Life. Moon Sang Min's face was heavily promoted on Viu so I chose this drama. Cinderella at 2 AM is light touch romance drama with moments of seriousness.

What I liked:
1) Moon Sang Min - He has this sweet, kind face. This is my first time watching his work and I enjoyed it. For a leading man with this characteristic, he's alright.
2) Yun Seo chracterisation - It's great that her past was shown to the audience because then I understand why she is the way she is - fiercely independent woman who is focused on raising her younger brother. I cried when scenes of her childhood was revealed - I did not expect that at all.
3) Si Won characterisation - I also enjoyed knowing Si Won outside of work. Such a quirky but sensitive character.
4) Seong Min - At first I find his character creepy but later on he turned out to be a great guy. I wish he formed a tighter friendship with Yun Seo because they have a lot in common.
5) Yi Rae & her Uncle - Great support system for Yun Seo and Ji Seok. Plus I love that they brew their own maekgeolli.
6) Music - I love most of the songs featured in this drama, which is quite rare for me. Love the 80s vibe of the OST. Standout songs are Sweet Drama and Boyfriend.

What I disliked:
1) Romance - The romance between Yun Seo and Ju Won was sweet but I wasn't convinced at the end and I sided with Ju Won. I don't know why they needed a wedding when Yun Seo doesn't seem to be ready. I also wanted more of Si Won and Mi Jin's romance. They were so adorable but only got together in episode 7 if I am not mistaken.
2) Si Won and Ju Won's mother - She is selfish because she acts more like a chairwoman than a mother. I still don't understand why she opposed Ju Won's relationship with Yun Seo. Overall I find her character poorly written.

Favourite scene
Yun Seo's childhood because I see the love she has for her brother.

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Cinderella in shining armor for a few seconds

It's a trend nowadays where the age difference is downplayed by either the younger actor playing a lot older or the older actor playing a lot younger so the gap is actually so close it's negligible. The difference here is focused on job status, with the female lead as the team leader and the male lead as initially an intern. It was actually pretty cool to see from his memories how she guided him as the responsible boss, the Cinderella in shining armor. It would have been great to see more of that. Their dating days were also cute and I really liked how the first two episodes had subversions like Yun Seo learning from Ju Won's brother that he didn't like horror movies, but went for her and learned to like something new. It would have also been nice if the rest of the show had them learning more about each other, but it quickly slipped into bog standard romcom cliches with the most odious being the faux love triangle with Ju Won always having a jealousy stand off with the painter guy Seong Min, who almost committed suicide, but then his mental health was magically fine afterwards. Yun Seo's storyline with escaping her abusive household and not buckling to her mother's pressure to take on her father's debts was really powerful. Sometimes the people you need to cut out of your life are your blood relatives and to keep them far away for your own well being. I feel it's especially important for Asian audiences to see that it's okay to do so. I like how Yun Seo wanted to break off the relationship because she knows that Seong Min's family would not be accepting of him. I feel like the show could have better connected the fact that it would be yet another parental figure treating her terribly. Yun Seo and Mi Jin's short friendship at the end was really short, I rather they have started their sisterhood sooner and less of Mi Jin and her husband's shenanigans. Yun Seo deserves more supportive friends and family. It would have been nice for Yun Seo to have one more scene with her mother in law, finally in acceptance and support of her, one big happy family.

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Two cute couples for the price of 1!

Perhaps this show is not for everyone but I loved the concept. The couple was already established but now the FL is being asked to break up with her boyfriend. It was funny from the first episode. I was very curious how they will work through their issues. The FL has a strong head on her shoulders due to her background and can overrationalise things at times but she is a kind and caring person. The ML can be clingy but he is sweet and kind and who wouldn't love that. I also loved the second leads in the story. Maybe slightly more than the leads because their relationship didn't deal with too much workplace distractions.

Though thers ard a few serious moments, the show also makes you laugh and smile. And both couples have cute moments together. Though I wish there were more romance, a little less angst, and if the comedy was even better then I would have rated it a 9 at least.

In a way I am glad the writers didn't drag the background storylines too much. They were not ths point of the story. It was about the couples and some of the problems they dealt with are quife realistic. Even the nicest people have trouble in relationships because you aren't completely sure how to handle the situation.

The one good thing about the breakup trope was also that they didn't show both living separate lives. They continued to work together as they dealt with their emotions. I don't like when they completely remove the leads from each other's lives. So that was a plus for me.

The OST is also quite calming. I hope everyone gives the series a chance.

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Sweet but clingy rom-com

Cinderella at 2 AM is an office romantic comedy about the struggles of Ha Yoon-seo, a realistic and capable woman who believes that there is no Cinderella in reality and tries to break up with Seo Joo-won, a romanticist who believes that conditions are not important in love and a perfect young chaebol man who only looks at her.

Looking for an easy-breezy K-drama with all kinds of possible cliched tropes? Well, Cinderella at 2 AM could be your pick. Starring Shin Hyun-been and Moon Sang-min in lead roles, the show revolves around a young ordinary woman, Ha Yun Seo [Hyun-been], who doesn't believe in fairy tales until she falls in love with Seo Ju Won [Sang-min], a third-generation chaebol (a Korean term for a person born with a silver spoon, especially a person born into a business family).

Yun Seo is not the one to complicate things. She desires a simple life. So, falling in love with a third-generation chaebol was never on her bingo card. Upon learning about Ju Won’s identity and being pressed to break up by his mother [who also offers her money], she decides to part ways. But our Cinderella has more hurdles to overcome, including convincing Ju-won, who would do anything to protect his love

If you're looking for a cozy rom-com to watch this is not for you cause it only pisses you off with poor writing and off chemistry.

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Rom-Com or Rom-Don't?

After watching this quirky rom-com, it’s clear that it heavily relies on familiar clichés. If you’re not into the genre, you might want to pass—think of it as the fast-food version of romantic comedies, missing the depth of a well-crafted drama.

The plot is straightforward, featuring the classic tale of a working-class girl meeting her Prince Charming in a modern setting. However, the dialogue falls flat, and the love rivalry between the male lead and the supporting character, who has a one-sided crush, lacks excitement. Plus, those two coworkers can get pretty annoying—how does someone so self-centered and gossipy fit into a PR team at a big company?

The breakup between the leads drags on longer than necessary, and while the female lead starts off as smart and independent, she quickly becomes rather dull. As a viewer, I found myself caring less and less.

Interestingly, the most compelling character is the male lead's brother, who genuinely cares for his sibling and navigates his arranged marriage with a heart of gold. The mother also adds a unique touch; she’s not your typical “evil step-mom” or “evil mother-in-law.” Instead, she's a realistic woman balancing the roles of mom, dad, and a company chair.

With the right expectations, this drama can be an okay watch, even if it’s not one you’ll feel compelled to revisit.

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