The first episode of Cinderella at 2am starts with main character Ha Yoon-seo meeting her boyfriend’s mother, who is also the chairwoman of their company. Yoon-seo agrees to end her relationship with her boyfriend in a tense situation and even accepts payment for it. She vows to proceed with the decision within two months to lessen the pain for Joo-won, for whom she has great affection. The chairwoman inquires if she truly was unaware that Joo Won was her son and if she had a liking for him. Ha Yeon Seo reminisces about her interactions with her boyfriend. She confesses to having a strong liking for him but acknowledges the disparity between them.
She shares the situation with her friend, Kim Yi-rae, and her uncle, surprising both of them. She talks about how Joo-won gave her a pricey bag on their one-year anniversary, which she views as a reflection of their contrasting lifestyles.
We fast forward to the time when Joo won had just started working as a junior intern at their company, where they first met. They began a relationship shortly after but she noticed he consistently concealed his past and didn’t disclose his address. A month ago, Yoon-seo caught Joo-won revealing his true identity while talking with his brother, Vice Chairperson Si-won.
Yi Rae is shocked by Yoo seo’s desire to end the relationship and by take her boyfriend’s mother’s money. After the break up, she is worried about how she will handle seeing him again, but Yoon Seo clarifies that she accepted the money to facilitate the break up as the chairwoman plans to send Joo Won overseas. Her hunger decreases and she departs from Yi rae’s eatery.
At the same time, Joo won’s brother Si won advises him to not dwell on Yoon Seo. He should keep a professional relationship, similar to how he does with his wife. Joo won tells him that his wife is in Paris, but Si won is unable to go online because of a viral crying photo. Joo won ignores him, fixated on Yoon Seo’s photo like a love-struck puppy.
Yoon Seo is struggling to maintain her cold demeanor in order to not upset Joo Won, as she is already very emotionally invested in him. She eventually returns to Kim Yi rae’s restaurant and drinks until she passes out from sorrow. At the same time, Joo won’s brother Si won discovers that Yoon Seo has borrowed money from their mother. He considers it to be out of character, and he believes his mother will harm his brother in the same way she hurt him, by pushing him into a loveless marriage.
Yoon Seo has breakfast with her younger brother Ji Seok when she wakes up. He shows his distaste for Joo won by considering him a weak and impoverished individual. At that moment, Yoon Seo recognizes that she mistakenly sent a drunken message ending her relationship with Joo won in the company’s group chat.
At work, Yeon Seo feels uncomfortable when encountering Joo Won and the rest of the staff in the elevator. Her colleagues are pressing her about the text, leading her to come up with a fabricated excuse for her intoxicated message, while Joo-won nonchalantly brushes off the call she made to him, claiming she only dialed to bid goodnight.
When Yoon-seo finishes work, she accidentally finds a recording of the 10-second phone call where she had requested a breakup from Joo-won. During dinner, she confronts him and finds out that he was aware of her meeting with his mother but still desires to be with her. Yoon-seo, on the other hand, emphasizes the disparities in their backgrounds and environments and ultimately ends their relationship.
Months go by, with Joo-won being relocated overseas while Yoon-seo carries on with her job, despite grappling with the aftermath of the split. While talking to Yi rae, she remembered falling in love with Joo won when he assisted her after she tripped on the streets.
Nevertheless, Joo-won reappears as the company’s director one day, surprising everyone by gifting the staff with many goodies and massage chairs. By chance, he encounters Yoon-seo on the famous Cinderella-style staircase, where she almost trips upon seeing him with his group of entourage. He assists her with her shoe and confidently states his intention to pursue her and be pathetically clingy to her to the end.
This is a cliche drama but it’s cute and lovely. Thank you very much for reading this recap!!!