Business Proposal and 3 Other Cinderella-Like K-Dramas for a Romantic Evening
Cinderella's story changes over the years, but never loses its relevance.
Are you ready to find out how a poor student becomes the bride of a billionaire, and a secretary becomes the mistress of her boss's heart? Then welcome to our list of Cinderella K-dramas.
1. When the Phone Rings, 2024
The president's press secretary Baek Sa-eon is one of the most influential people in the country. He has dozens of people under his command, but the only people he cannot resist are his parents and his wife, Hong Hee-joo.
From the beginning, she has no warm feelings for Sa-Eon, but her duty to her family forces her to replace her sister, who ran away at the altar. Their fictitious marriage is complicated by the fact that Hee-joo suffers from muteness.
Unable to read sign language, Sa-Eon only occasionally addresses his wife, and then just as rudely as he does his subordinates. The situation changes when Hee-joo is kidnapped.
2. The King: Eternal Monarch, 2020
In two worlds–- the Korean Empire with its palaces and the Republic of Korea with its skyscrapers and digital technologies – two destinies intertwine.
The ruler of the empire, Lee Gon, has been searching for his father's murderer for 25 years and accidentally ends up in modern Seoul, where he meets Jeong Tae-eul, a detective who thinks he's crazy.
But when Tae-eul discovers that her name is engraved on an ancient flute – the key to the balance of the worlds – she is drawn into a battle with Lee Lim, a demigod willing to destroy both worlds for power.
3. Business Proposal, 2022
Modern Seoul, where career is religion and love is a luxury. Ordinary employee Shin Ha-ri agrees to stand in for her friend on a blind date, only to find herself trapped in her own lies.
Her "victim" is corporate heir and billionaire CEO Kang Tae-moo, who decides that she is the perfect candidate for a fictitious marriage. His goal is to escape the pressure of his family.
But the longer they play the role of the perfect couple, the more the rules become unnecessary: accustomed to Excel spreadsheets and negotiations, Tae-moo discovers that love cannot be calculated.
4. What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, 2018
In a world of sleek offices and impeccable suits, where status is measured by the number of zeros in your bank account, the story unfolds of Lee Young-joon, a company vice president whose narcissism has become legendary.
His universe collapses when Kim Mi-so, the perfect secretary, submits her resignation after nine years of impeccable service. She wants to start over with a clean slate, but the real motive is hidden in a past trauma in which Young-joon played a fatal role.