By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
December 1, 2016
Eun Ha-Won (played by Park So-Dam)
Kang Ji-Woon (played by Jung Il-Woo)
Kang Hyun-Min (played by Ahn Jae-Hyun)
Park Hye-Ji (played by Son Na-Eun)
As you can tell by the title, “Cinderella and Four Knights” is a modern-day fairytale.
Ha-Won is a soon-to-be high school graduate. Her father is a truck driver who is rarely home. Her mother died in a fire when she was a young girl.
So, she lives with her evil Stepmother and Stepsister, who make her sleep in the cluttered balcony of their apartment. The only reprieve Ha-Won gets is when her father returns home from the road and the evil Steps move her belongings into an actual room.
But, instead of telling her dad how badly she is being treated, Ha-Won tries to make it appear as if they treat her well — even after her father slaps her for being disrespectful to his wife. (In reality, Ha-Won had finally grown a spine and was standing up for herself.)
She works multiple minimum wage jobs to save enough for her first year of college. During a chance meeting with a wealthy patriarch — who is impressed that she can hold her own in a group of unruly men — he offers her a job to live at his estate and keep his grandsons in line. She will be paid well, he says, if she can get them to act more like a family, rather than tenants. He tells her that his one cavaet is that she is not to date any of her grandsons.
Of course, you know what that means.
There are a some really great moments in this series. For instance, when rebel-without-a-cause Ji-Woon and Ha-Won drunkenly flirt with each other, they are believable and incredibly likable (until I remember the age difference).
Which leads me to am element that made me uncomfortable. When we meet Ha-Won, she is not yet 18 and is a few months away from her high school graduation. It’s vague how old the Knights are, but since they are all clearly out of college, I’d guesstimate that they range from mid to late 20’s. It’s just all kinds of wrong for a bunch of grown-ass men to be vying for a teenager’s attention.
The writers pit cousins Ji-Woon and Hyun-Min as rivals who want to date Ha-Won. (Again…she’s still a high school student. Ew.) The push-and-pull grew old fast, especially when it’s clear to the viewers that Hyun-Min is better suited to be with his childhood friend, Hye-Ji (played by APink’s Son Na-Eun).
What really bothered me about this drama was the inconsistency of character development.
In the first episode, we see Ha-Won fight a man who refused to pay for the food he ordered. She takes him down easily. Later, we see her hold her own against Ji-Woon. When a man grabs her and throws her against a wall, she turns the table on him and tells him to never do that again, unless he’s ready to die.
But then in episode 6, a bunch of the high school Mean Girls bully her, push her into a chair and are threatening to cut her and she … just … sits … there. Seriously? It has already been established that she can fight and disarm grown men. Her mother ran a taekwondo dojang and trained her daughter personally to be a martial arts expert. And she just sat there trembling in fear until Ji-Woon came to rescue her.
Airdate:
This 16-part series aired on tvN from Augusts 12 to October 1, 2016.
[SPOILER ALERT. SPOILER ALERT]
Remember I told you how Ha-Won’s father slapped her in the face? In his anger, he also spit out that he never should’ve taken another man’s child into his home and says that he’s done with her.
WHOA! What an asshole.
We learn via flashbacks that Ha-Won had a lovely childhood when her mother was alive. Her father was loving to both of them. After her death, he began to suspect that she had an affair with her dojang partner (she didn’t) and that Ha-Won was their love child (which she isn’t). Instead of satiating his paranoia with a DNA test, he just treats her like trash, ignoring her phone calls, turning a blind eye to the way his second wife treats her and just being a Grade A jerk to her.
Even if she was the product of an affair, how could he treat a child he had raised in this manner? It’s disgusting.
By the end of the series, he has become a loving father again, the evil Steps show remorse and Ha-Won happily accepts them as family. She and Ji-Woon have won over his grandfather, who initially was against their relationship, because of her low position in life.
Winning? I’m not so sure about that…
© 2016 JAE-HA KIM | All Rights Reserved
That’s gross and makes me wonder what’s wrong with these men that they’re attracted to a high school kid.
Actually in the TV show the main character is asked her age, she says she is 20 years old, and a senior at high school. High school is not the same as in North America. And the guys are called children by their elders constantly, I bet they are between 19 and 23 max.
In the U.S., high school is from 9th to 12th grade. In South Korea, it’s 10th through 12th grade. The children are the same biological age (usually about 17 to 18 years old when they graduate; 18 to 19 if you’re going by Asian age). Whenever her character mentioned her age, that was her Korean age, not her biological age.
So Ji-Sub, who played a character in his 30s in “Oh My Venus” was called a child by his grandmother, too. 🙂
No, Eun ha won was 20. Hyun min was 20, ji woon was 27 and im pretty sure seo woo was 20 or in his mid 20’s. The age gap was fine. I don’t think there is anything wrong with it.
Sry i made a mistake, Kang ji woon might be 20 or 21. and seo woo might be 19 and probobly just turned 20. All the characters are in their 20’s or mid 20’s. There is nothing disgusting or gross abt it
I disagree. The major point is that she was in high school and there is a power dynamic between a bunch of rich MEN who are not in high school and a teenager. She wasn’t even 18 at the start of the series. The Korean age and Western age are different. It was gross. They should’ve made her a college student. The story would’ve worked that way just as well.
That bothered me as well. I’m okay with the age differences as long as the youngest is of adult age. Especially when 19 is the age of an adult in South Korea. Those exact inconsistencies of her being a strong person and then a weak one drove me nutty. I always wish the writers would stay consistent as well. Continuity please!
When I watch these dramas, I’m always aware of Korean age vs. Western age, so when I hear that she is 17 or 18, I automatically convert it to a year or two younger. I really like the female lead and think she did a great job with the material given to her. Because she looks younger than she is and because the actors all look around their age (late 20s), it just made the whole thing a little ew to me…
Exactly! I’m watching the drama “The Man Living In Our House” now. The other title is Sweet Stranger and Me. A bit creepy that the main character actress has to go along with the fact that her mom married a guy 30 years younger than her just to protect their land from conglomerates and gangsters. So now this guy is her step-father. The storyline plays out that she’s falling for him and he’s been in love with her forever. I do like the drama but the story premise keeps creeping me out. I guess writers are trying to find a “new” spin on things?
I haven’t seen this one yet, but from what I remember of the synopsis, they’re all adults (mid-30s ish?). So…there’s that, I suppose? 🙂
I think so. All but the one high school girl who’s obsessively crushing on the lead male character due to him being nice to her. Another-Ew.
Haven’t seen it yet. I just wrapped up K2. That man is smokin’ and such a great actor. Now I’m watching Squad 38 which is very different and interesting like Oceans 11 or something.
I couldn’t get into this show because of what you said about character development. Why make the female lead a martial arts expert at all when you’re going to make her unable to defend herself from another girl?
The age matter was really confusing, especially since in the end they show the age of Hye-ji’s brother (born in ’97) – since they are twins, she was probably around 19 in the drama.. Before seeing that scene, from the childhood flashbacks, I actually thought the brother was older than Hyun Min 😅 and isn’t Hyun Min supposed to be the oldest? Since he was supposed to be the heir..
As I said, super confusing.. but overall it was a cute drama 😊
I don’t remember exactly, but I think that there was some discrepancy when they subtitled the ages, too (as in what they said in Korean wasn’t what they translated). I had a question mark in my notes about this. But yes, the actors and lead actress did a good job and it was a cute drama. 🙂
When Ji Woon looks into his mom’s past with his father it shows that he was conceived in 1995/1996 and then born in 96/97. With the drama taking place in 2016 that makes Ji Woon 20 or 19. Being that he worked in a garage it is likely he never went to college. Ha Won also uses the term -ha when referring to Seo Woo, indicating she is likely older.
In the show they have to be around 20, Kang Ji-woon finds the picture of his mom that was taken 21 years ago and he wasnt born yet. So just because they look older doesnt mean they are. So the are difference is probably give or take two years. And not only that when Hye-jis brother died it was ten years before that and they were around 9 or ten.
Hey, guys! I am also wondering like you and went through various websites to find out the characters’ age in this series. After reading the comments, I rewatched the series to confirm some of my guesses.
The drama was released in 2016 of August to October. I read a statement from a source, and it says that Cinderella and the Four Knight’s plot revolves around the lives of young people in their 20s. At this point, I think maybe it refers to the characters’ Korean age, not the international age.
Eun Ha Won, stated in the first or second episode (not sure) that she is 20 years old. Additionally, in the last part of Episode 4 or 5 (not sure what episode exactly), her birthday was shown as May 5 as Kang Seo Woo fixed the tore piece of Ha Won’s planner. Her birthyear would probably be 1997 based on her Korean age.
Kang Hyun Min is the oldest cousin among the three. His age is uncertain since there was no direct representation of his age. But since he was friend with Hye Ji’s brother, maybe he is a year older or maybe months older than his cousins and Hye Ji. My estimation is Hyun Min is 21 or 20 years old.
Kang Ji Woon is the middle cousin. I bet his age is 20 years old since his identification (ID) card was shown in around Episode 2
where he is trying to check-in a hotel and he throws his ID at the trash can. In the ID, it is said that he was born July 25, 1997, something, making him 20 years old in Korean age.
Kang Seo Woo is the youngest. I am also uncertain about his age. But if I will guess, I think it is 19 years old and he will probably be turning 20 soon, making him born in 1997 also but just months younger than the previous cousins.
Hye Ji and Ja Young is probably the same age as Ha Won if I would guess. Lee Yoon Sung is probably older than all of them, maybe he’s around 25 or something.
I read that Koreans start studying college at the age 18 or 19, making the all the age in the right place, especially Ha Won since she is just a recent graduate of high school.
The Kang cousins may not be attending school and Kang Hyun Min maybe is attending school but not shown in the drama.
Overall, this series is really worth watching, it is not the typical Cinderella that you know. I totally recommend this series, its full of emotions-sadness, anger, happiness, and a whole total package. Great cinematography, actors, directors, and everything is just outstanding. I am also addicted to their filming location which is the Sky House.
That ends my thoughts for this drama. If you find my statement misleading, please correct me and if you want to add anything, feel free to. Thank you so much. XO
Creo que también la señora que les cocina menciona en los primeros capítulos que Hyun Min llegó hace como un año de estudiar en el extranjero, Ji Woon, me parece que no estudió la secundaria porque vimos que se volvió mecánico luego de que salió del orfanato y Seo Woo, tampoco estudia de forma convencional por su carrera