I love a fairytale retelling, and thanks to my family, I have another avenue to enjoy them in. K-dramas! The first one I watched, which is how I learned to love Korean media translations of fairytales and folktales, was by watching Cinderella and Four Knights. Eun Ha Won, played by Park So Dam, is the typical Cinderella with an evil stepmother and sister. But that is where the best twist to the tale occurs, she is not waiting to be saved by a knight in shining armour, Eun Ha Won is saving up to go to college and follow her mother’s dream to become a teacher.
Ha-Won works multiple part-time jobs to fulfill her dreams, so when she finds out her family is behind on payments for storage of her mother’s ashes at the cemetery, she is desparate for more money and takes Hyun-Won up on his offer to pretend to be his fiance at his grandfather’s wedding.
I have included the trailer:
As you can see, this Cinderella is peppy with strong ethics, and when the grandfather offers her the job to be the live-in butler to change the way his grandsons live, she takes on the challenge. It’s a fun, heart-warming romantic comedy.
There are lots of cute lines of devotion between Cinderella and her suitors/remediable roommates. I love that she is not taken in by them, but sticks to her ethics and what is important to her.
The glass slipper provided a beautiful metaphor for what is important in life.
There is no magical fairy godmother, just a girl with a great work ethic doing her best to make her mother proud. I like this version of Cinderella, and will enjoy watching the series again:) This was a week filled with Cinderella’s stories and I loved the differences in the new twists. From Cyborgs with Marissa Meyer to a student with an amazing work ethic by Baek Myo, there is always a new interpretation to be enjoyed. That is what I love about fairytales.
I found it on Netflix, but I am sure it is available on other streaming services.
Happy Watching!
