Cinderella's Stepsister Explained
Cinderella's Stepsister is a 2010 South Korean television series starring Moon Geun-young, Chun Jung-myung, Seo Woo, and Ok Taec-yeon.[1] [2] [3] Applying a modern twist to the classic fairy tale, the story follows the contentious relationship between two stepsisters as their lives and loves intertwine. Written by Kim Gyu-wan, and directed by Kim Young-jo and Kim Won-seok, it aired on KBS2 from March 31 to June 3, 2010 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.[4] [5] [6]
Synopsis
Ever since she was young, Eun-jo (Moon Geun-young) has learned to trust no one and live strong on her own. Used to being dragged from one broken home to another by her manipulative, money-grabbing mother (Lee Mi-sook), Eun-jo doesn't know what to make of her mother's latest catch Dae-sung (Kim Kap-soo), the solemn head of a traditional rice wine brewery. Both Dae-sung and his daughter, bubbly spoiled princess Hyo-sun (Seo Woo), warmly welcome wary young Eun-jo into their sprawling home, and treat her with a kindness that she simply can't stomach. Instead, she forms a bond with brewery staff Ki-hoon (Chun Jung-myung), the first person to see past her tough act, and it is his betrayal that will hurt the most. However, Dae-sung's genuine kindness to her eventually melts Eun-jo's defenses, and she learns to trust and love her stepfather. Naive Hyo-sun, meanwhile, stubbornly seeks affection at every turn, only to slowly realize she's losing Ki-hoon and everything else in her life to her cold stepsister. Eight years later, Jung-woo (Ok Taecyeon) reappears in Eun-jo's life, a boy she used to treat as her little brother who is now a young man determined to win her heart. Reluctant sisters Eun-jo and Hyo-sun both experience angst and rivalry, as their polar-opposite personalities and love-hate relationship bring them through many ups and downs from adolescence to adulthood.
Cast
- Moon Geun-young as Song Eun-jo/Goo Eun-jo[7] [8] [9] - A cynical and shy young woman, Eun-jo is good at hiding her emotions and does not get attached to people easily. She is skeptical of her stepfather's kindness; however, she later realizes that it is genuine and this realization begins to break her hard exterior. Eun-jo is in love with Ki-hoon, and is hurt when he leaves, leading her to be cold and reject him when he returns 8 years later. She later mourns her stepfather's death.
- Seo Woo as Goo Hyo-sun - A gentle and brilliant girl who has been treated like a princess her entire life. However, she is lonely and becomes excited when she learns that she'll be getting a new mother and sister. When her new family members are different from what she expected, it takes a toll on her. Hyo-sun is slightly spoiled and becomes jealous of her new stepsister.
- Chun Jung-myung as Hong Ki-hoon - Gentle, handsome, and kind, Ki-hoon sees much of himself in Eun-jo. However, when his difficult and broken family situation causes him to leave the winery, he disappears, leaving Eun-jo a letter that she never receives. Ki-hoon returns 8 years later and appears to be a spy for his evil step-family's company, but not everything is as it seems.
- Ok Taec-yeon as Han Jung-woo[10] [11] - Jung-woo is the adopted son of one of Song Kang-sook's ex-lovers. Eun-jo is the first person to care for him when he was a child, which creates a deep affection in him. Jung-woo finds Eun-jo at the winery 8 years later in order to be near her and declare his love for her. Jung-woo is selfless, reliable and always cares for Eun-jo.
- Moon Suk-hwan as young Han Jung-woo
- Lee Mi-sook as Song Kang-sook[12] - Eun-jo's mother. Knows how to get what she wants, and marries Go Dae-sung for his wealth. Though initially an evil stepmother who fakes affection for her new family, Kang-sook does love her daughter Eun-jo in her own way and begins to change as a result of Dae-sung's love for her.
- Kim Kap-soo as Goo Dae-sung - Hyo-sun's father and Eun-jo's stepfather. Dae-sung is kindhearted, genuine, and loving. His character and goodness causes changes in everyone around him for the better.
- Kang Sung-jin as Yang Hae-jin
- Choi Il-hwa as Chairman Hong
- Yeon Woo-jin as Dong-soo
- Go Se-won as Hong Ki-jung, Ki-hoon's manipulative and calculating older half-brother, who does not even acknowledge Ki-hoon as his brother.
- Seo Hyun-chul as Kang-sook's true love
- Kim Chung as Ki-hoon's stepmother
Original soundtrack
- 너 아니면 안돼 (It Has To Be You) - Yesung of Super Junior
- 불러본다 (Calling Out) - Luna and Krystal of f(x)
- 스마일 어게인 - Lee Yoon-jong
- 너 였다고 - JM
- 내 사랑을 구해줘! - Pink Toniq
- 신데렐라언니
- 미소지으면
- 보사노바
- 그때 그 자리에
- 사랑한다면
- 뒷동산
- 마이너 왈츠
- 느리게 걷기
- 후회
- 모정
- 내 사랑을 구해줘! (Rock version) - Pink Toniq
Ratings
| Episode # | Original broadcast date | Average audience share |
|---|
| TNmS Ratings[13] | AGB Nielsen[14] |
|---|
| width=100 | Nationwide | width=100 | Seoul National Capital Area | width=100 | Nationwide | width=100 | Seoul National Capital Area |
|---|
| 1 | 31 March 2010 | 16.7% | 16.2% | 15.8% | 15.9% |
|---|
| 2 | 1 April 2010 | 16.4% | 15.8% | 14.5% | 15.5% |
|---|
| 3 | 7 April 2010 | 16.8% | 16.4% | 16.1% | 17.7% |
|---|
| 4 | 8 April 2010 | 18.0% | 17.3% | 17.7% | 18.2% |
|---|
| 5 | 14 April 2010 | 19.7% | 19.1% | 19.1% | 20.7% |
|---|
| 6 | 15 April 2010 | 18.6% | 17.8% | 18.2% | 19.1% |
|---|
| 7 | 21 April 2010 | 18.5% | 17.8% | 17.9% | 18.2% |
|---|
| 8 | 22 April 2010 | 19.0% | 18.6% | 18.0% | 18.2% |
|---|
| 9 | 28 April 2010 | 19.2% | 18.8% | 18.7% | 19.6% |
|---|
| 10 | 29 April 2010 | 20.8% | 20.6% | 19.2% | 20.4% |
|---|
| 11 | 5 May 2010 | 18.8% | 18.4% | 18.3% | 19.7% |
|---|
| 12 | 6 May 2010 | 20.5% | 20.3% | 19.2% | 20.7% |
|---|
| 13 | 12 May 2010 | 18.1% | 18.4% | 17.3% | 17.5% |
|---|
| 14 | 13 May 2010 | 18.7% | 18.4% | 16.7% | 17.4% |
|---|
| 15 | 19 May 2010 | 19.0% | 19.1% | 17.1% | 17.9% |
|---|
| 16 | 20 May 2010 | 16.8% | 17.1% | 14.8% | 15.1% |
|---|
| 17 | 26 May 2010 | 23.2% | 23.8% | 20.2% | 21.0% |
|---|
| 18 | 27 May 2010 | 21.0% | 22.1% | 19.4% | 20.1% |
|---|
| 19 | 2 June 2010 | 22.3% | 23.6% | 20.0% | 21.3% |
|---|
| 20 | 3 June 2010 | 22.7% | 23.7% | 19.4% | 20.6% |
|---|
| Average | 19.2% | 19.2% | 17.9% | 18.7% | |
|---|
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|
| 2010 | | Hall of Fame | "It Has To Be You" | |
| Song of the Month (April) | |
| Digital Bonsang | |
| Popularity Award | |
| Special Song OST Award | |
| Best Actress | | |
| Best New Actress | | |
| Top Excellence Award, Actor | | |
| Top Excellence Award, Actress | | |
| |
| Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama | | |
| Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama | | |
| Best New Actor | | |
| Best New Actress | | |
| Netizens' Award, Actor | | |
| Netizens' Award, Actress | | |
| |
| Popularity Award, Actress | | |
| Best Couple Award | | |
| 2011 | | Best OST | "It Has To Be You" | |
| Best New Actor (TV) | | |
| Best Screenplay (TV) | Kim Gyu-wan | |
| Most Popular Actor (TV) | | |
| Most Popular Actress (TV) | | |
|
Adaptation
See main article: Symphony of Fate. A Chinese remake of Cinderella's Stepsister, called Symphony of Fate, was produced in 2011.
Notes and References
- Web site: Kim. Jessica. Cinderella is not quite the fairy tale, says Taecyeon (1). Asiae. March 25, 2010. 2013-02-18. 2014-04-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20140413141837/http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2010032523564814224. live.
- Web site: Kim. Jessica. Cinderella is not quite the fairy tale, says Taecyeon (2). 2013-02-18. Asiae. 25 March 2010. 2014-04-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20140413130749/http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2010032522271293911. live.
- Web site: Choi. Ji-eun. On the set of TV series Sister of Cinderella. 2013-02-18. Asiae. 12 May 2010. 2014-04-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20140413125610/http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2010051213280294995. live.
- News: Preview: KBS TV series Sister of Cinderella. 2013-02-18. Asiae. 25 March 2010. Lynn Kim. Lee Ji-Hye. 2016-07-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20160704034600/http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2010032514420175096. live.
- Web site: Kim. Sun-young. REVIEW: TV series Sister of Cinderella - Premiere episode. https://archive.today/20130703020838/http://us.tenasia.co.kr/archives/2341. dead. July 3, 2013. 10Asia. 2013-02-18. 2 April 2010.
- Web site: Choi. Ji-eun. REVIEW: TV series Sister of Cinderella - Final episode. Asiae. 2013-02-18. 4 June 2010. 2014-11-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20141129060625/http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2010060414302755307. live.
- Web site: Moon to Play Villain in TV Drama . . 2013-02-18 . 16 December 2009 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20100328182450/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/12/135_57418.html . 28 March 2010 .
- Web site: Han . Sang-hee . Top Actresses Heading Toward Small Screen . . 2013-02-18 . 8 February 2010 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20100418163646/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2010/02/201_60480.html . 18 April 2010 .
- Web site: Han. Sang-hee. Younger Men, Power, Money Fill Dramas. The Korea Times. 2013-02-18. 30 March 2010.
- News: Lim. Hye-seon. 2PM Taecyeon mulling TV acting debut. 2013-02-18. Asiae. 26 January 2010. 2021-06-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20210609163642/http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2010012611002310655. live.
- News: Park. So-yeon. 2PM Taecyeon starts shooting for new drama. 2013-02-18. Asiae. 23 February 2010. 2020-09-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20200928064628/http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2010022311104040275. live.
- Web site: Jin. Yeong-ju. Veteran Actress to Reveal Never-Shown Side in Cinderella's Stepsister. https://archive.today/20130221000712/http://english.kbs.co.kr/TVRadio/BehindtheDrama/view.html?No=425. dead. 21 February 2013. KBS Global. 2013-02-18. 19 March 2010.
- Web site: TNMS Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu . TNMS Ratings . 2010-03-31 . ko . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131128032303/http://www.tnms.tv/rating/default.asp . 2013-11-28 .
- Web site: AGB Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu . AGB Nielsen Media Research . 2010-03-31 . ko . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131226133248/http://www.agbnielsen.co.kr/index.asp?ref=0 . 2013-12-26 .
