The K-drama “Cinderella at 2 AM“, which features familiar actors like Shin Hyun-been, Moon Sang-min, Yoon Park, and Park So-jin, premiered on August 24. It started with a rating of 0.6%, which has since dropped to just 0.5%.
So far, the K-drama has received mixed reviews from viewers, especially regarding the pairing of the main leads.
“Cinderella at 2 AM” tells the story of a secret office romance between Ha Yoon-seo (played by Shin Hyun-been), a “modern-day Cinderella,” and Seo Joo-won (played by Moon Sang-min), the youngest son of a wealthy conglomerate who keeps his true identity hidden. When Seo Joo-won’s mother discovers their relationship, she attempts to separate them by offering money to Ha Yoon-seo to break up with her son. Ha Yoon-seo quickly takes the money and ends the relationship.
In the drama, Shin Hyun-been plays Ha Yoon-seo, a strong and confident woman who works as a team leader at a large company and is well-liked by her colleagues. As a child, unable to endure domestic violence, Yoon-seo ran away with her younger brother. After going through difficult times to grow up, she became a pragmatic person who prioritizes her career above all else. Moon Sang-min plays Seo Joo-won, Yoon-seo’s younger boyfriend, who works under her but is actually the son of the chairman of the conglomerate where she works.
A core reason why “Cinderella at 2 AM” is not well-received is due to Shin Hyun-been’s acting skills, as many viewers believe the actress’ chemistry with her co-star Moon Sang-min to be lackluster. Additionally, the 14-year age gap between the leads makes it difficult to create on-screen chemistry. Many viewers even commented that Shin Hyun-been looks significantly older than the youthful Moon Sang-min, which leads to awkward and unnatural scenes.
Below are some reactions from netizens:
- The age difference of 14 years is way too large. Either choose a younger female lead or an older male lead. This pairing doesn’t work.
- I used to defend her (Shin Hyun-been) in “Hospital Playlist”, saying her lackluster expressions were due to her character’s motif, but after watching “Monstrous” and “Reborn Rich”, it’s clear she can’t create chemistry with the male lead. Her expression always looks tired and dull.
- Her chemistry with her co-star in “Hospital Playlist” was already disappointing, and now after watching some cuts of this new drama, I don’t even want to watch it.
- She’s awkward with every co-star she’s paired with.
- I like Sang-min, but seeing the female lead makes me lose interest, so I ended up dropping this drama.”
Meanwhile, the K-drama “Cinderella at 2 AM” airs every Saturday and Sunday on Channel A.
Source: K14
