“Dreaming of a Freaking Fairy Tale” is a 2024 Korean drama series, with 10 episodes, categorized as Family, Romance, and Comedy (Rom-Com); streaming on Paramount+. The K-drama is clearly inspired by the classic Cinderella fairy tale but reimagined for the 21st century. This makes how many Cinderella K-dramas? (I lost count. LOL.)
- “Follow your joy, and be your own Prince Charming.”
SUMMARY: Her dad married her stepmother. She came with two daughters. He came with one daughter. Then he died, not only leaving the blended family behind penniless, but didn’t even know that the stepmother was pregnant! Good grief! It’s time for this Cinderella to leave home and find her own way – with or without a Prince Charming.
♦ From Poor Parents to Rich Husband?
In “Dreaming of a Freaking Fairy Tale”, Shin Jae-rim is poor but ambitious. Her best friend told her LIFE comes in two phases.
- PHASE 1 you have no control over, i.e. you can’t choose whether or not you will have rich or poor parents.
- PHASE 2 is all up to you! You can choose to MARRY INTO A RICH FAMILY!
Shin Jae-rim thought that even if that advice is realistic, it still seems like you don’t have any control. Can’t she be happy WITHOUT marrying a rich man? Even her father’s last words of advice were that she should marry into wealth. LIFE doesn’t seem fair. But according to her father and friend, fair or not, it’s LIFE! So start looking for a rich husband. Start looking? WHERE? (O.o)
Meanwhile, Moon Cha-min is a “typical” chaebol heir. “Typical” means he’s the CEO of a social club that doesn’t generate any money, but so what! Rich people don’t worry about losing money because they have money to burn. That’s why even though the club lost money, he gave his employees a 10% raise in salary. (O.o) He’s the CEO of a social club and just wants to meet someone who is FUN! Where or where could that person be?
Shin Jae-rim’s father left a flyer in a drawer in his room with a note telling her to apply for a manager job at Cheongdam Heaven, an elite social club that caters to South Korea’s upper class. He didn’t leave her any money, but it looked like he tried to point her in the direction of money. What’s she got to lose? She should at least try to get a job there. It may open a door of opportunity. It doesn’t have to be a rich husband. Any golden opportunity would be awesome!
Honestly, Shin Jae-rim just wants to get a job. The father left the entire family with debt and on top of that, her stepmother is pregnant. Shin Jae-rim has a dream about the family being so poor that one of her stepsisters ate the baby’s milk formula. Now that’s poor! Guess she better aim for being a Cinderella who meets a rich Prince Charming or at least the prince hires her so she can work and earn a steady paycheck.
Shin Jae-rim gets a job at Moon Cha-min’s social club, but her first encounter with Moon Cha-min, her boss, goes hilariously wrong. YIKES! Is she going to get fired already? Her boss says if she can show him a good time, then she can keep her job. WHAT? Oh no! It wasn’t a sexual proposition. Far from it. Her boss doesn’t believe in love and never wants to marry. Well OK! Shin Jae-rim was sure that she could be … FUN!
Their “sort of adventure? fun? date?” was going well until Moon Cha-min’s fiancée showed up. Fiancée? The man who said he hated women, didn’t believe in love, and never wanted to marry has a fiancée? Her name is Ban Dan-ah and she’s way meaner and nastier than the wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters in the traditional Cinderella fairy tale.
It looks like Moon Cha-min can’t control the behavior of Ban Dan-ah. He acts like he’s under her control and must do whatever she demands. People don’t mess with Ban Dan-ah. They bow to her. Even her father is afraid of her. Oh no! Shin Jae-rim has a ruthless rival and enemy that she didn’t see coming. She just got a great job and it’s already in jeopardy? No way! Shin Jae-rim is in PHASE 2 of her LIFE and she is going to live happily ever after. She might even have to rescue poor Prince Charming.
Main Characters:
- Shin Jae-Rim (played by Pyo Ye-Jin, “Moon In The Day”, “Our Blooming Youth”, “VIP”, “Taxi Driver 1, 2, and 3”, “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim”)
- Moon Cha-Min (played by Lee Jun-Young, “Badland Hunters”, “Brave Citizen”, “Melo Movie”, “The Impossible Heir”, “May I Help You”, “Avengers Social Club”, “Weak Hero Class 2”, “Please Don’t Date Him”)
- Ban Dan-A (played by Song Ji-Woo, “Love Andante”, “Squid Game 2”, “The Glory 1 and 2“, “A Time Called You”, “Love to Hate You”, “Doctor Slump”, and “Gangnam B-Side”, “The Forbidden Marriage”, “Queen: Love and War“)
Where to Watch: Paramount+
Viewership and Rating:
- IMDb: 6.8 out of 10 stars
- My Drama List: 7.8 out of 10 stars
- Dramabeans: 5.1 out of 10 stars
- Reddit user: 8.75 out of 10 stars
My personal rating is the same as MDL.
“Dreaming of a Freaking Fairy Tale” is a Freaking Fairy Tale! LOL. Some reviewers described this K-drama series as “goofy”, “slapstick satire”, “a love letter to self-love”, etc. I say: Freaking Cinderella stories are like freaking love songs. The world just doesn’t have enough of them. AGREE?
LINKS OF INTEREST:
Review: Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale | The Fangirl Verdict
Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale Brings Us A Satirical Take On Cinderella Clichés | hallyureviews
DRAMA REVIEW | Dreaming of a Freaking Fairy Tale (2024) – @namjhyun on Tumblr
TRAILERS/TEASERS:
Official trailer for Dreaming of a Freaking Fairy Tale on TVING’s official YouTube channel.
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