SUMMARY: From the very beginning there was intense sibling rivalry. But it wasn’t mutual. One sister was happy to have an older sister. But the stepsister hated having a younger sister. That was because she was disgusted with her biological mother who married a rich man and had to become a stepmother. The stepsister’s life has always been a struggle. But her mother tells her everything will be OK. She doesn’t believe her mother. She prefers not to believe or trust anybody. That way she protects herself from pain and can one day be independent. That’s her plan.
In “Cinderella’s Sister”, Song Eun Jo probably wishes she could have chosen her biological mom. But she didn’t and she tries to live with that fact. Her mother goes around trying to get hooked up to a man (any man) because she needs the money and a place for them to stay. Then if the man turns out to be a drunkard or abusive, they have to try to escape him.
Song Eun Jo has had to flee several times. One time she was very tempted to leave her mother on the train and just run away. But she couldn’t do it. As a result, she and her mother ended up living with the same man they were trying to get away from.
One day her mother left her with that drunk man and went to look for work. Did she find work? She did better than that. She found a rich widower who had a daughter. All she had to do was find a way into their hearts and his home so she could enjoy living the good life with them. Her mother succeeded. To her credit, she did tell the man that she had a daughter and he would have to accept her as well.
He agreed and they sent someone to the house where Song Eun Jo was staying to bring her back. She was already trying to run away and the people who came to get her had to chase her and catch her. Ki Hoon was one of the employees who came to get her. He convinced her to come to her new home and meet her stepfather and stepsister. He said that her mother was waiting for her. As far as Song Eun Jo was concerned, her mother was always hooking up with some man. It never lasted long.
Song Eun Jo went along willingly with Ki Hoon and she immediately told her mother she wanted to leave. Her mother promised that “this time” life was going to be good for them. Song Eun Jo didn’t believe anything her mother said. She met her stepfather and greeted him politely. Then she met her “new little sister”, Goo Hyo Sun, and was told they had to share a room.
Goo Hyo Sun was excited about having a sister. Her mother died when she was 7 years old and she was so happy to have a kind stepmother. She thought her stepsister would be just as kind and they would be happy together. WRONG! Song Eun Jo didn’t choose her biological mother and she certainly didn’t choose a stepfather and a stepsister. This is supposed to be the good life?
From the very first day, she wished she could be somewhere else. She especially hated seeing her mother coddle her stepsister as if she were a precious princess. All the horrible times she and her mother went through and her mother never treated her so daintily and carefully. She even clipped her stepdaughter’s toenails. The girl is big enough to do her own pedicure! UUGG! The way her mother was behaving to ensure that she kept her place as the lady of the house was disgusting! It was all a show. Her mother doesn’t love anybody but herself! She’s just pretending to be “the good mother”.
Goo Hyo Sun always had a crush on Ki Hoon. She claimed him. “He’s mine.” That’s what she thought. But Ki Hoon only thought of her as a little girl who was his employee’s daughter. He was never interested in her romantically. He did however seem to be attracted to Song Eun Jo, and Song Eun Jo found herself becoming attracted to him.
But her romantic interest blossomed slowly; while her hatred for Goo Hyo Sun grew quickly with each passing day. She thought of all kinds of ways to hurt her little stepsister. One way was by taunting her and telling her that Ki Hoon was interested in her and wanted to date her. No surprise that caused a huge fight between the two siblings. Song Eun Jo got punished because she refused to back down and say she was wrong. She was wrong, because she lied when she said Ki Hoon had given her flowers and wanted to date her. He never gave her flowers and never said he wanted to date her. But she wasn’t going to admit that.
But now Goo Hyo Sun is stuck. She is angry with her stepsister. How dare she try to steal Ki Hoon from her. “He’s mine!” But her father wants them to live together as a happy family. She wants to please her father and continue receiving loving treatment from her stepmother. If she and Song Eun Jo can’t get along her father will be displeased and her stepmother will probably be upset as well.
Meanwhile, the kindness Ki Hoon continues to extend toward Song Eun Jo makes her feel that maybe life isn’t ALL cruel and she doesn’t have to be angry and tough all the time. With him, she can feel at ease, comfortable, and comforted. But she knows how Goo Hyo Sun feels about Ki Hoon. Should that matter? After all, he never said or showed that he had romantic feelings for her little sister. Does Goo Hyo Sun think she will always have everything she wants?
Knowing the way her manipulative money-hungry mother behaves, Song Eun Jo might not even be in that fine house long enough to care or even develop relationships. She better stay tough and strong. That way she won’t get hurt. If she has to leave … oh well! She’s used to bouncing around from home to home and never having a place to live that she could call “home”. But what if? What if it were possible for her to fall in love with Ki Hoon and for them to live a fairy tale life and have a happy home? What if?
My personal rating is the same as the Viki viewers.
Some reviewers said this series was underrated. I agree. That’s why I think the Viki viewers gave it a fair rating. “Cinderella’s Sister” ended up on my watch list because I was looking for Korean dramas that put a different spin on Western fairy tales. I mentioned it in my review of “Cinderella at 2 AM”.
Everybody knows the story of Cinderella. She had a wicked stepmom and wicked stepsisters. But in this version. Cinderella is treated like a princess and genuinely wants to get along with her step-sister. But her stepsister can’t stand her! I rooted for Cinderella’s sister all the way! I just wanted her to grow up, leave home, and find a way to live a successful and happy life. Face it! Sometimes you don’t need family. Sometimes living with family is just a headache!
Also, I watched this series because I’m a Taecyeon fan and this is one of his earlier works. It took several episodes before he finally showed up.
Cinderella’s Sister 2010 Korean Drama Review Geun Young Moon | Kdrama Love
Korean Drama Review: Cinderella’s Sister | Wannabefob
TVD Admin. “Cinderella’s Sister Trailer [English Subbed].” YouTube, 14 Nov. 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ1Ak1Ch7Z4.
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