K-Drama Cinderella at 2 a.m.: Shin Hyun-been and Moon Sang-min strive for their happy ending

Many of the most popular K-dramas of the past twenty years have adapted the codes of these fairy tales into narratives that pair ordinary women with extraordinary men, either because they are supernatural beings or because they belong to the unattainable upper echelons of society – typically as heirs to chaebol (powerful family-run corporations).

Although these TV shows don't usually feature any princesses or princes, viewers and writers alike are aware of what's going on. No matter how contemporary and down-to-earth their setting, the stories are often pure fantasy and vicarious entertainment.

This year, several shows have gone a step further by remembering the princess formula from which they sprang and adding a new “what if” twist to spice up the familiar scenario.

The story begins with office worker Ha Yun-seo (Shin) sitting across from an elegant lady in a fancy restaurant. This lady is Kim Sun-joo (Jin Hee-kyung), who has just asked Yun-seo to break up with her son Seo Ju-won (Moon).

Yun-seo and Ju-won have been together for 18 months, but only four weeks earlier, Yun-seo learned that her partner, who is also her colleague and a newcomer to her department at AL Card, is actually the heir to the entire AL Group and is working incognito while gaining experience in the field.

Surprisingly, Yun-seo immediately agrees. She writes down her bank details so she can get her money back, then explains that she will spend the next two months trying to make Ju-won dislike her so she can end things easily.

In the show's introductory voiceover, Yun-seo explains that she may have already experienced her Cinderella moment when she met and fell in love with Ju-won, but her story now is what happens after midnight when Cinderella loses her shoe and the magic wears off—hence the title Cinderella at 2am.

Although she readily agrees to Sun-joo's request, breaking up with Ju-won is easier said than done.

Back at work, she tries various ways to cool down their romance, like scowling at him and pretending to be annoyed by everything he does, but her clear affection is clear to see. Her half-hearted tricks quickly fall by the wayside and her natural smile shines once again.

It doesn't take long for Ju-won to figure out the reason for Yun-seo's unusual behavior. He accepts that she can break up with him if she wants to, but he intends to respond by clinging to her even more tightly.

The next day, Ju-won marches into the office building accompanied by his staff—he has abandoned his incognito status and assumed the role of director of AL Card. Not only that, he has taken the unusual step of setting up his office right next to Yun-seo's team.

Cinderella at 2am doesn't have a particularly modern or realistic take on romance, but it's difficult to criticize a show that does exactly what it says on the tin. The show delivers the black-and-white romantic beats you'd expect from it.

However, this show is refreshingly modern in one respect – the age difference between Yun-seo and Ju-won. Age differences between younger men and older women are not uncommon on screen these days, but these differences are usually quite small.

It's not entirely clear why Yun-seo feels the need to break up with Ju-won, but it's unlikely that she'll succeed in her goals. And since the series only has 10 episodes, it won't be long before she finds her happy ending again.

“Cinderella at 2AM” is streaming on Viu.