As promised, here are my honest thoughts on the kdrama, Cinderella at 2am.

First off, I think the casting was perfect especially for the lead roles. The plot follows the love story of a 3rd generation chaebol and his worker who is a team leader. Unknown to the female lead at the time they started dating, he was the son of the chairwoman who ran the company.

The first scene opens with the chairwoman offering the female lead money [ a billion won] in exchange for leaving her son. To which the female lead agrees and promises to break up with him in 2 months.

Here are some of the things I liked;

1. The Chairwoman being a lady: 

Oftentimes in kdrama the chairperson is usually always a man with a woman who has little involvement with the business itself or one who runs things from behind the scenes. I liked that there was only a chairwoman and it was her company which she started from scratch. I locved every scene with the chairwoman and although she wasn’t the best mother, she always wanted the best for her kids and the company.

2. The relationship between the siblings: 

I loved that the male lead would never hesitate to tell his older brother anything. He would literally walk in at any time and just tell him how it is and seek his advice. I liked that they were that close, it really felt like a siblings relationship.

Same goes with the female lead and their brother. I truly got the feeling that the duo had been on their own all these years and could only rely on one another. 

3. The older woman, younger boy dynamic: 

While I don’t love this troupe everytime as it tends to feel like the woman is his mother and not his lover, I liked how it was done in this drama that although you know she was older, it felt like they were equals and there was mutual trust and respect.

4. The Female lead’s past: 

I loved the narrative she was given. I thought it was authentic to her character. I was deeply moved at the scene where she ran out of her house to escape her father only for no one to help her or even bat an eye in her direction. It perfectly depicts how although everyone claims they would help you, in reality only few people will step in to actually help.

5. I loved the second lead couple’s dynamic: 

Although it was an arranged marriage, we see how the couple grows. Typically in arranged marriages we see the characters just fall in love immediately. But this time there was some realism to it, she left for a few years and then came back. We saw them adjust to each other’s lifestyles and begin to grow on one another. 

Previously I named, What’s wrong with Secretary kim as the leading drama when it comes to open communication amongst couples but now I think I’ll change that to Cinderella at 2am. I loved the way both couples would communicate and tell each other how it is. There was no room for miscommunication and even if there was, it was resolved 5 minutes later.

The only notes I have is as regards this drama is the mother and son relationship. Their mother had way too much control over their lives and It felt like even though they were grown they were still kids and couldn’t make decisions on their own or freely speak their mind around her.

I also didn’t understand why everyone was freaking out when the male lead left home and was lodging in a luxury hotel. Everyone was acting like he had turned his back on his mother and the whole world was crumbling but maybe that was because he had never left home before.

Also, while I sympathise with the female lead’s struggles in life it felt like she kept undermining the male lead’s struggles because he was rich. He can’t help the fact that he was born into a rich family.

Chef’s kiss to the second female lead, I had previously seen him in True to Love and I loved her character there. Can’t wait to watch more of her dramas. 

Author’s Note:-

I am not a critic, these are just my thoughts on the drama.