Cinderella and Four Knights

***Cinderella and Four Knights*** (Hangul: 신데렐라와 네 명의 기사; RR: Sinderella-wa ne myeong-ui gisa) is a South Korean television series starring, Jung Il-woo, Ahn Jae-hyun, Lee Jung-shin, Park So-dam, Choi Min and Son Na-eun. It aired every Friday and Saturday at 23:00 (KST) starting from August 12, 2016.

Based on the novel with the same title published in 2011, the drama is about a group of passionate young people in their 20s who happen to live together. It drew parallels to the 2009 TV series *Boys Over Flowers*.

## Plot

Eun Ha-won (Park So-dam) is a high school student who dreams to be a teacher, but needs money for her education. One day, she meets the chairman of Kang Group who offers her the chance to live in his house if she accomplishes the mission of reuniting his three grandsons, under some conditions such as she cannot date anyone among them.

At the Sky House, she meets Kang Ji-woon (Jung Il-woo), a soft-hearted but lonely and wild-child rebel, Kang Hyun-min (Ahn Jae-hyun), a playboy plutocrat who does whatever he wants, Kang Seo-woo (Lee Jung-shin), a top singer-songwriter who is gentle and kind to Ha-won, and finally Lee Yoon-sung (Choi Min), the chairman's secretary and their bodyguard.

## Cast

### Main Cast

#### Cinderella

* Park So-dam as Eun Ha-won

A smart, athletic high school student. Ever since her mother died, she lives a terrible home life because of the ill-treatment from her new stepmother and stepsister. In order to pay for her college tuition, she accepts an invitation to the Sky House and gets entangled with the Kang cousins. She met Kang Ji-woon at their mother's funerals, giving him her white ribbon hair pin and him his white arm band. Their friendship was a brief one, since they couldn't recognize each other when reunited after 11 years.
#### The Four Knights

* Jung Il-woo as Kang Ji-woon

The middle cousin, who went from an orphan living in poverty to a royalty overnight. Although he seems to be wild and rebellious on the outside, he is soft hearted, extremely lonely and sensitive on the inside. At first, he tries to get closer to Ha-won in order to protect Hye-ji, his one side love who likes Hyun-min. However, as he gets to know Ha-won, he gradually falls in love with her. He originally met Ha-won at his mother's double funeral with Ha-won's mother, and gave words of comfort and his white arm band to her, while she gave him her white ribbon hair pin. It is suggested that their friendship was a brief one as they could not recognize each other when they were reunited after 10 years.
* Ahn Jae-hyun as Kang Hyun-min

The eldest cousin, an arrogant playboy and smooth-talker who's used to getting whatever he wants in life. He firmly believes he can win any woman. At first, he appears to take an interest in Ha-won and pretend to be Ha-won's fiance. However, he is still in love with Hye-ji, his childhood friend and his dead best friend's sister, but he hide the fact and chose to push her away due to a childhood trauma. As the time comes he realises his foolishness for pushing Hye-ji away and apologises for what he did and go back to his first true love. He has a troubled relationship with his mother due her constantly pushing him to be Hanuel Group's successor, and for abandoning him when he was younger, only coming back to ask about his position.
* Lee Jung-shin as Kang Seo-woo

The youngest cousin, a popular singer-songwriter and top star. He is a sweet, playful guy who is affectionate towards Ha-won whom he starts developing feelings for. He gives up his first love as he gets to know about Ha-won and Ji-woon's relationship. In the finale, it is hinted that he possibly ended up with Ja Young.
* Choi Min as Lee Yoon-sung

The secretary of Chairman Kang, and bodyguard to the three Kang cousins and Ha-won. He treats Ha-won really well and helps her settle into her new environment at Sky House. He protects Haneul Group by voting against the removal of chairman Kang, going against his mother's wishes. His mother is revealed to be Ji Hwa-ja, Chairman Kang's fifth wife.
#### Other main cast

* Son Na-eun as Park Hye-ji

A university student majoring in fashion design. She is a childhood friend of Hyun-min, and has liked him since they were kids. She tried using Ji-woon's crush on her to get closer to Hyun-min. She has a genuine and pure heart, but is constantly at battle with it because of Hyun-min constantly pushing her away. Especially after her brother's death.
* Kim Yong-gun as Chairman Kang Jong-du

Chairman of Kang Group and the Kang cousins' grandfather. He was reason behind Ji-woon not having his father present in his life, because he forcibly ended their relationship, and citing that people from different social classes should not be together. He almost does the same to Ji-woon and Ha-won, but relents and lets the couple be happy, not wanting history to repeat itself.
* Kim Hye-ri as Ji Hwa-ja

Chairman Kang's fifth wife, and the mother of Yoon-sung. She schemed to take over Hanuel Group, by taking advantage of Chairman Kang being in coma, and put her son briefly as CEO of Hanuel Group. Her efforts were foiled by Kang Hyun-min convincing 52% of the board against removing his grandfather, and also secretly by her own son. Chairman Kang divorces her, but relents and possibly remarries her again.
### People around Ha-won

* Seo Hyun-chul as Eun Gi-sang

Ha-won's father. He works as dump-truck driver at construction site. He originally believed Eun Ha-won to not be his daughter, and thus hated not only her, but her deceased mother as well, thus kicking her out. His theory was put down by Kang Young-jin, and he tries to make amends with his daughter again. He also moves his second wife and step-daughter to the same small room that Eun Ha-won slept in at the beginning of the series, as punishment for their cruel treatment of his daughter
* Choi Eun-kyung as Park Soo-kyung

Ha-won's stepmother. She works at a spa and dreams of getting her daughter rich and famous. She is eventually fired from her job for spying through Madmam Kang's personal items, trying to find information on how to make her daughter marry one of the Kang cousins and make her famous.
* Ko Bo-gyeol as Choi Yoo-na

Ha-won's stepsister. She aims to be a top star one day and marry Kang Hyun-min. Her grades in school were poor, seeing as how she couldn't get into University, and is lazy and unemployed. She tries to switch her advances to Kang Seo-woo, but is rebuffed by him, by writing in her autograph book to "be nice to Eun Ha-won". She childish and immature because her mother constantly spoiled her and never made her lift a finger to work in her life, and thus having to rely on her mother for everything.
* Jo Hye-jung as Hong Ja-young

Ha-won's best friend who works part-time at the cafe. She met Eun Ha-won when she couldn't afford food, and Ha won gave her some of her almost expired food, they have been best friends since then She has a mother who works full time, and a father who can't work yet due to recovering from cancer treatment. She is a fan of Kang Seo-woo, and possibly becomes his girlfriend in the series finale.
### Others

* Jo Mi-ryung
* Kang Eui-sik as Hyun-min's friend
* Go Yi-Ra as Hyun-min's Friend
* Kim Seon-woong as Hyun-min's friend
* Shin Dong-mi as Han Jung-sun (Ha-won's mother) - She deceased before the main events of the show, Eun Ha Won's Father believed to be unfaithful to him, but was proven to be false. She died alongside Kang Ji-woon's mother trying to save her, and tried to give a keepsake ring to Kang Ji-woon, but ended up being mistakingly given to Eun Ha Won.
* Jin Hye-won as Hye-ji's friend
* Jung Young-joo as housemaid
* Kim Jin-tae
* Jo Kyung-hoon as Ji-woon's boss
* Kim Kang-hyun as Seo-woo's manager
* Lee Ah-hyun as Seo-woo's mother - She is very easy going, and somewhat childish, but still loves her son a great deal, and still very much in love with her deceased husband, Kang Seo-woo's father.
* Son Seon-geun
* Park Kyu-jeom as Director Kim
* Gong Da-im
* Park Hyo-jun as customer in car center
* Kim Kwang-seop
* Jo Eun-suk as Hyun-min's mother - cold and arrogant, she only cares about her son succeeding Hanuel Group, constantly pressures him to stay as the main heir.
* Gong Jung-hwan as Kang Young-jin - He was mistaken to be Eun Ha-Won's biological father, but turned out to be false. He tried using this false information to his advantage by getting money from Kang Ji-Woon to pay his debt, but was foiled by Eun Ha-won.
* Jin Ju-hyun as Jun-su (Hyun-min's friend)
* Na Jong-chan as Hyun-min's friend
* Kim Ji-sung as Ji-woon's mother - Deceased before the events of the show, she dies alongside Eun Ha-won's mother, and begged Ha-won's mother to give her ring to Kang Ji-woon. She didn't let Ji-woon's grandfather know him, for the fear that he would not be able to love someone without the worry of social status, and being ripped apart like her and Ji-woon's father were.
* Kim Young-jae as Ji-woon's father - He was forcibly separated from Ji-woon's mother, by his own father, believing that people of different social classes should not be together. It is believed he died before he could ever find out about his son.
* Kim In-ho as doctor
* Jun Hye-young
* Kim So-hye
* Song Ha-rim
* Kang Seok-ho
* Song Woo-suk
* Kim Su-in
* Seo Han-gyul

### Cameo

* Moon Se-yun as convenience store manager (ep 1–2)
* Park Young-soo as Butler Kim (ep 1)
* Choi Dae-sung as man in cloth store (ep 1)
* Park Eun-ji as TV reporter (ep 1)
* Seo Bo-ik as reporter (ep 2)
* Chun Yi-seul as Kang Hyun-min's blind date (ep 4)
* Park Gwi-sun as monk (ep 6)
* Kim Dong-gyun as plastic surgery doctor (ep 7)
* Hyun Suk-hee as orphanage's headmaster (ep 13)

## Filming Location

The "Sky House" is the clubhouse of the luxury golf resort South Cape Owners Club on the southern coast of Changseon Island in Namhae County in the Southern Gyeongsang Province in South Korea.

## Ratings

In the table below, **the blue numbers** represent the lowest ratings and **the red numbers** represent the highest ratings.

*Note: This drama airs on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS & MBC & EBS).*

## Awards and nominations

 9th Korea Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actor
 Global Star Award
 7th Macau International Television Festival  | Best Actor

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Park So-dam to play heroine". 12 January 2015. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2016/01/201\_195241.html. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kim, Young Shin (22 January 2015). "Jung Il Woo to Return to the Small Screen". http://www.bntnews.co.uk/app/news.php?nid=28131. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pyu, Jae-min (22 January 2015). "정일우·박소담·이정신 등 6인, 판타지 드라마 '신네기' 출연 [공식입장"] (in Korean). Osen. http://entertain.naver.com/ranking/read?oid=109&aid=0003245613. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
4. ↑ Choi, Bo-ran (22 January 2015). "안재현·정일우·박소담, '신데렐라와 네 명의 기사' 출연 확정(공식)" (in Korean). Sports Chosun. http://news.nate.com/view/20160122n05916?mid=e0101. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
5. ↑ Han, In-goo (8 February 2016). "'신데렐라' 정일우·안재현·박소담, 첫 대본 리딩 현장" (in Korean). Xports News. http://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=311&aid=0000574999. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
6. ↑ Lee, Yousun (22 January 2015). "CNBLUE's Lee Jung-shin to transform into top singer on "Cinderella and Four Knights"". http://en.asiatoday.co.kr/view.php?key=20160122001439146. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
7. ↑ South Cape Golf Resort
8. ↑ South Cape Owners Club - South Korea - Top 100 golf courses
9. ↑ "AGB Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu" (in Korean). *AGB Nielsen Media Research*. http://www.nielsenkorea.co.kr/tv\_terrestrial\_day.asp?menu=Tit\_1&sub\_menu=3\_1&area=00. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
10. ↑ "TNmS Daily Ratings on Naver" (in Korean). *TNmS Ratings*. Naver. https://m.search.naver.com/search.naver?sm=mtb\_hty.top&where=m&oquery=국가의+여동생&query=신데렐라와+네+명의+기사. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
11. ↑ Mathew, Ilin. "APAN Star Awards 2016: Complete nomination list; Descendants of the Sun earns 8 nods". International Business Times, India Edition. http://www.ibtimes.co.in/apan-star-awards-2016-complete-nomination-list-descendants-sun-earns-8-nods-695476. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
12. ↑ "2016第七届澳门国际电视节获奖名单". *Macau International Movie Festival*. http://movie.mtm.mo/?act=app&appid=37&mid=217&p=view.
13. ↑ "TV SHOW Cinderella and Four Knights ปิ๊งรักยัยซินเดอเรลล่า" (in Thai). *True4U*. http://true4u.truelife.com/index.php?name=show&action=detail&program\_id=223. Retrieved December 1, 2016.

## External links

* Official website
* *Cinderella and Four Knights* at HanCinema
* Template:Str rightmost/ *Cinderella and Four Knights*  at the Internet Movie Database
* *Cinderella and Four Knights* at Daum Template:Ko icon
* *Cinderella and Four Knights* at Naver Movies Template:Ko icon