7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean romance drama with 10, 60 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

This is a story told after the initial romance occurs with the main couple and we, as the viewer, start the story when our Cinderella decides to break up with the man of her dreams.  Ha Yoon-seo (Shin Hyun-been) is practical to a fault. When she rescued her brother and herself from a physically and emotionally abusive environment, she had to grow up and take responsibility at a very young age. She worked long hard hours to put herself and her brother through school and then worked her way up in her career to be a Team Leader/Manager at a major company.  While romance has never been her primary goal in life, she falls in love with a young man on her team, Seo Joo-won (Moon Sang-min), who she at first believes is simply an office worker.  When she finds out her boyfriend of a year and a half is actually the chaebol son of the chairwoman of her company, she decides the best course of action is just to end it.  So when she receives an offer of money from Joo-won's mother Kim Sun-joo (Jin Hee-kyung) to break up with and stay away from her son, Yoon-seo takes it.  The hard knocks of a difficult life have led Yoon-seo to believe there are no fairy tale endings.  Cinderella may be happy up to midnight but what happens later, say 2 AM, when the harsh reality that she was not raised to be a Princess will set in.  But, Joo-won believes in their love and isn't giving up easily. 

Review

I am not a fan of stories told in reverse and their romance was mostly told in flashbacks.  We start with the main part of their romance having already occured.  I could get past that if the story was compelling enough for me to overcome my dislike of stories told in that manner but, for me, this one did not.  A lot of reviewers have the criticism that this drags in spots and I had that experience as well.  Still it is not horrible and I think if you are a fan of the romance genre you would want to watch it.  But, for many, I don't think it would be one to watch again and again.

Spoilers

It ends happy with all the major plot points wrapped up. 

I found Yoon-seo an unlikable character for the majority of the show.  Breaking up with someone in the height of your relationship when everything seems to be going well is very hurtful.  And her "easing out" actually made it worse.  She says later, and I thought it all along, the way she did it had little to do with him and was more so she did not get hurt.  It was odd to have such a tragic character, that had gone through so much emotional hurt, be so cold to everyone around her.  Her push pull behavior was so frustrating.  I don't know how many times I was like just knock it off already.  You are just torturing him and yourself at this point.  Quit being a coward.  It's a relatively short series but I spent a significant portion of it so frustrated with the main character.  It almost made me stop watching it, but I was interested in the second couple enough to continue or I would not have stuck around for the final episodes where it became more interesting again.  My thinking on who she was and what she did completely changed in finding out the details of her childhood.  Knowing the full details of her past explained so much about why she acted as she did.  I would not want a mean mother-in-law if I escaped abuse as a child. I understood her a little more but it wasn't until almost the end of the series. I hoped I would like her more and I did a little but felt frustrated with her to the end when she didn't find any time to help him with the wedding preparations and it hurt his feelings.  She is with someone who is sweet and sensitive and her cold personality would likely continually hurt him.  So it was disappointing that basically she is still doing it. 

While the first half of the series nearly ruined it for me, the last half saved it.  I loved the second couple that had an arranged marriage, initially thought of themselves as business partners but fell in love anyway.  Seo Si-Won (Yoon Park) perfectly played the doting older brother.  His "freedom" in his boxer shorts provided a lot of comedic moments.  It was also amusing that he could be so spot on with his younger brother in terms of how to win Yoon-seo but so clueless in his own life.  There was a point in the series where I looked forward to the parts with Siwon and his wife, Lee Min-Jin (Sojin) far more than I did the main couple. 

I thought the 2nd guy, Leo Seong-Min (Lee Hyun-woo) was the perfect foil for the icy Yoon-seo.  And I loved that they all became friends in the end and that he loved her enough to let go of his chance and help her find her way back to Juwon. 

The character growth that allowed the three Ju-won, Si-won and their mother Sun-joo to come together with the two new family additions, Min-jin and Yun-seo was heart-warming.  And the fact that it turned out to be "Cinderella" who had a hand in weaving them all together was a full circle feel good scenario.

This is a highly flawed series with a weak start and middle but that ends strong enough to save the series a bit.  The late portion of the series is really what makes it worth the watch. 

#CinderellaAt2AM  #ShinHyunBeen  #MoonSangMin  #JinHeeKyung #YoonPark  #Sojin