Shin Hyun-bin’s fairytale breakup in Cinderella at 2AM

by solstices

In the latest teaser for Coupang Play’s office rom-com Cinderella at 2AM, our titular princess is kicking the glass slippers off herself — she’s no storybook heroine, and she certainly doesn’t believe in a happily-ever-after. Not when she’s a mere corporate slave, and her boyfriend is the chaebol son of the company that pays her wages.

Thus, our pragmatic Cinderella Ha Yoon-seo — played by Shin Hyun-bin (Tell Me That You Love Me) — abruptly breaks up with her beloved. After all, there’s no refusing a chaebol mom and her envelope of money. Later, though, Yoon-seo drinks herself into a stupor with a friend for emotional support. “The Cinderella who marries a prince only exists in fairytales,” Yoon-seo declares, as if trying to convince herself that she made the right decision.

As for the dumped boyfriend Seo Joo-won, played by Moon Sang-min (Wedding Impossible), he’s unwilling to give up on their relationship of one and a half years so easily. Cue Joo-won crying on a chagrined Yoon-seo’s lap amidst tittering onlookers, ha. “How could you accept the money and throw me away?” wails the heartbroken Joo-won.

Yoon-seo may be adamant on parting ways, but Joo-won is equally stubborn — he’ll just cling onto her, then. To Yoon-seo’s dismay, Joo-won makes good on his word by following her around everywhere, even stubbing his foot between elevator doors. When she asks if he’s okay, he whines in response: “I’m not, so date me.” LOL. Determined to pull out all the stops to win Yoon-seo back, Joo-won switches to banmal, having heard that it makes a noona’s heart flutter.

Indeed, Yoon-seo can’t help but waver. When Joo-won greets her with a smitten smile and a tender “I missed you,” Yoon-seo’s instinctive response is “Me too.” Oops. Realization hits her seconds later: “This isn’t how it’s supposed to go!” To make matters worse, Yoon-seo witnesses the stunning Lee Mi-jin — played by Park So-jin (Delightfully Deceitful) — strut into the office on Joo-won’s arm. It dredges up all the feelings that Yoon-seo has been suppressing, pushing her to tears.

Joo-won is experiencing his fair share of dismay too, having noticed Yoon-seo laughing merrily with another man. Our prince has been chasing his dream girl with a one-track mind, but it’s time for him to pause and take stock. “Think carefully about which course of action would be in Yoon-seo’s best interests,” advises Yoon Park (Doctor Slump), as Joo-won’s hyung Seo Shi-won. (A fun fact that Yoon-seo doesn’t know: Mi-jin is Shi-won’s wife, in a strategic marriage.)

With two months to finalize the breakup, will our Cinderella be able to cut ties with her Prince Charming? Or will he return her glass slippers to her feet? “We were happy back then,” muses Joo-won, amidst a flashback of him tying a flower ring around Yoon-seo’s finger. Their precious memories together linger deep in Yoon-seo’s heart too: “How can I break up with you?”

Helmed by director duo Seo Min-jung (Bora! Deborah) and Bae Hee-young, with scripts penned by Oh Eun-ji and creation supervised by Park Joon-hwa (Alchemy of Souls), Cinderella at 2AM premieres next week on August 24.

Via News1, Newsen (1, 2)

 
RELATED POSTS

• Shin Hyun-bin transforms into a Cinderella at 2AM
• News bites: July 25, 2024
• News bites: July 4, 2024
• News bites: March 28, 2024