Cinderella and Four Knights Episode 12 Recap

Cinderella’s knight in shining armor comes to save her, but does she need saving?

Cinderella and Four Knights Episode 12 Recap

Reeling from Kang Young Jin’s visit in which he claimed to be her biological father, Eun Ha Won (Park So Dam) visits her mother’s memorial marker. She recalls her father slapping her and regretting raising another man’s child. Ha Won begs her mother to tell her it’s not true. She weeps. Like the knight in shining armor that he is, Kang Ji Woon (Jung Il Woo) realizes that she might be visiting her mother. He dashes into the building and is visibly relieved to see Ha Won sitting on the floor. She’s a bit surprised to see him and stands. He tells her that he was worried about her, that she was in pain and alone. Swoon! Ji Woon sweeps Ha Won into a hug and gently tells her that she can cry as long and as hard as she wants because he won’t leave her side. Swoon! She cries and lets him hold her. Terrific opening scene that had emotional content. The show is starved for that.

The housekeeper explains to Kang Hyun Min (Ahn Jae Hyeon) and Kang Seo Woo (Lee Jung Shin) that Ha Won was upset when a man claiming to be her father came to visit. Both knights are concerned about Ha Won.

Ha Won muses now she has two dads, she can hardly believe it. Ji Woon explains that a year ago Assistant Lee visited him and told him that his real name was Kang Ji Woon. He explains he didn’t know the man that was his father nor had his mother ever discussed him. Ha Won understands that he had to be overwhelmed with this information. Ji Woon says he’s felt like she’s feeling now. Ha Won asks if he was able to believe Assistant Lee. Ji Woon says he didn’t believe what he was told. Ha Won understands because she can’t believe what she’s been told. Ha Won says that when her father told her that she was not his biological daughter, she hoped that he said that only in anger. But she realizes that if indeed she has a different biological father, she wanted to know the kind of man he was. But today when he appeared in front of her, it wasn’t like her dreams. Ji Woon tells her that she doesn’t need to force herself to believe anything that she heard today. He gives her the advice to wait until she’s ready to accept. She admits she didn’t want to be alone. She wanted somebody by her side. And then he appeared. Ji Woon quips that she should’ve been ecstatic to see him. She teases him that there have been times that having him in her life has been wonderful. Now they both have smiles on their faces. Nice exchange!

Hye Ji walks alone and recalls asking Ji Woon why he came to her rescue if he didn’t care about her.

Back at the mansion Ji Woon opens the door to Ha Won’s room, like the gentleman she’s chided him to be (recall her wanting him to open the car door for her), and bids her a good night. She thanks him and heads into her room. She looks at him as he walks to his room and smiles.

Stepsister tells stepmother she’s decided that Hyun Min is no longer the man for her. Stepmother wonders if they should give up on the Kang cousins altogether. Stepsister claims now she wants to marry Seo Woo.

Grandfather’s wife (and Assistant Lee’s mother) visits her husband and wonders why he’s been standoffish lately. Grandfather asks her to reveal any secrets, guaranteeing that he’ll forgive her if she tells him now. His wife feigns ignorance at what she could possibly be hiding from him.

Ha Won gets a call from the company that maintains the memorial marker’s and learns that Kang Young Jin also paid for upkeep on her mother’s memorial marker. Ha Won doesn’t understand why he would do that.

Seo Woo makes Ha Won a delicious meal. She tells him not to worry about her. Seo Woo says that she’s helped his family so much, he only wants to help her in return. Ha Won tells him that Ji Woon helped her out in a big way yesterday. She says between the help that Ji Woon gave her yesterday and the delicious meal Seo Woo is giving her today, she feels supported.

Hyun Min is waiting outside of Ha Won’s door. He tells her that Seo Woo was worried about her but he knew that she was mentally strong. Ha Won agrees she is mentally tough. When she opens the door Hyun Min takes a sweep of the room and sees the jogging outfit that Hye Ji wore when Hyun Min mistakenly thought Hye Ji was Ha Won. Hyun Min barks at her not to wear those tacky sweats again.

Ji Woon thinks about Hye Ji’s admission that she told Ha Won that she wanted to date Ji Woon and thought he wanted to date her too. When Ji Woon sees Hye Ji he apologizes for leaving her in the lurch yesterday. Hye Ji says that he must help people in distress, because he’s actually a nice guy. Ji Woon admits that’s not why he went to Ha Won. Atta boy! Ji Woon says he has special feelings for Ha Won. Atta boy! Hye Ji asks that if Ji Woon had feelings for Ha Won, why did he come to her? She demands to know why he let her on. She tells him she’s feeling pathetic because of his actions. Really, this woman lives in an alternative universe. She only sees things through her self-centered viewfinder. Ji Woon keeps his explanation simple. Hye Ji was nice to him so he was nice to her. He apologizes that he upset her. Hye Ji doesn’t want to hear his apology. She says he stayed by her side every time Hyun Min hurt her. Hye Ji says she wanted to lean on Ji Woon. He clarifies that she didn’t really want him, she just wanted somebody to have when Hyun Min failed to be the man she really wanted. He walks away. Ji Woon did a good job in deflating Hye Ji’s twisted logic that he led her on. He clearly stated he was being her friend and she was the one that imagined him as a replacement for Hyun Min, the man she really wants.

Hyun Min watches Hye Ji after Ji Woon walks away. He recalls rejecting Hye Ji when he returned to Korea and how it hurt her.

Kang Young Jin stands outside the mansion and thinks that paying for upkeep on Ha Won’s mother’s memorial marker had to be done to make this all real. When Ji Woon walks out of the mansion he approaches Kang Young Jin. He recalls seeing Ji Woon and Ha Won together. Kang Young Jin claims he is Ha Won’s father.

Ji Woon introduces himself as Ha Won’s friend. Kang Young Jin asks if they are engaged. Ji Woon says he considers Ha Won part of his family. Kang Young Jin appreciates how nicely Ji Woon is treating Ha Won, something he was never able to do. Kang Young Jin states that he’s waited to reveal himself to Ha Won because he was debt ridden and unable to provide for her. He claims he’s a terrible father. Ji Woon gives him some money so he can take Ha Won to dinner and by her some clothes. Kang Young Jin accepts the money for Ha Won’s sake. Ji Woon also gives him his cell phone number. Kang Young Jin must feel like he hit the jackpot with this guy.

Assistant Lee follows his mother to a restaurant. He watches her go into a private dining room. He sees Grandfather’s lawyer walk down the hall to the private dining room. He calls Grandfather’s lawyer and watches him turn off his phone and ignore the call. The lawyer gives Grandfather’s wife a copy of his will. Assistant Lee overhears.

Assistant Lee surprises his mother and asks why she met with Attorney Lee. He sees the will and asks what she intends to do with this. She tells him he only needs to keep quiet. Assistant Lee asks how long he needs to keep quiet. She replies until she has everything in hand. She tells him everything she’s doing is for his sake. She asks if he’s still going to babysit the Kang cousins after Grandfather is dead. He tells her he’s not doing it for her. She tells him she is and will stay with Grandfather to the end. Assistant Lee doesn’t believe that she’s doing any of this for him. He thinks she’s doing it purely for herself. If she walked away from him 12 years ago and hasn’t contacted him since, then how could he believe she was doing this for anyone but herself? She calls somebody and says they need to move on the matter quickly. Will Assistant Lee keep quiet or go to Grandfather with the truth?

Ha Won receives a text from Kang Young Jin inquiring if she’s okay. She flashes back to when she was a child and Kang Young Jin pretended to be her father at the playground to scare off a bully. Present day Kang Young Jin is playing games at a casino. Want to bet he’s using the money Ji Woon gave him? Ha Won calls and suggests they have dinner together. At the restaurant Ha Won says that she found out that he paid for her mother’s memorial fees. Kang Young Jin claims that it’s only right that he pays for her mother’s memorial fees. He tells her that he had a relationship with her mother that she did not know about. He says that they fell in love late in the game. But when the fire destroyed the tae kwon dojo, suddenly he was saddled with debt. He couldn’t approach her in that situation. He reminds her of how he helped her at the playground. Unnerved she rushes out of the restaurant. She claims she has somebody that she needs to find. Kang Young Jin frets that he couldn’t even ask her for money.

Ha Won buys him some clothes. When she returns to the restaurant she sees him rifling through her bag. When she returns to the table she asks if he’s in a financially tenuous situation. He says that he is in a financial bind, his job doesn’t pay much. He wishes he had a home to share with her. He asks her money. She replies she doesn’t have that kind of money. He believes she can ask one of the Kang cousins for money. He specifies Ji Woon is the person to ask. She asks how he knows about Ji Woon. Kang Young Jin admits he met him when he went to the mansion. Kang Young Jin says that he thinks that Ji Woon likes her and is a generous man. He shares that Ji Woon gave him money to buy her a meal. Ha Won is surprised that he accepted money from Ji Woon. She asks how much money Ji Woon gave her. He doesn’t want to say and Ha Won says that’s okay she’ll ask him herself. She leaves without giving him the clothes or finishing her food.

Hye Ji drinks alcohol and recalls Ji Woon’s statement that she only used him to replace Hyun Min. A man approaches her at the bar and asks why she’s open to drinking with him when she only had eyes for Hyun Min in the past. He wonders if she’ll date him now that things are over with Hyun Min. He starts to make moves on Hye Ji and one of Hyun Min’s friends sees this and calls Hyun Min. He tells him that Hye Ji is drinking with someone else. Hyun Min doesn’t like that.

Ji Woon texts Ha Won asking if she’s available. He looks at the gift that he bought to give her for white day, recall he didn’t give it to her in the previous episode. He tells himself it would be weird to give her the gift now. Kang Young Jin gives him a call.

As Ji Woon leaves his room, Hyun Min is waiting and wonders if he’s going to see Hye Ji. Ji Woon tells him he’s not going to see Hye Ji. Ji Woon tells Hyun Min they need to stop these games. He tosses Hyun Min the storage locker keys. Ji Woon tells Hyun Min to do whatever he wants with Hye Ji, that’s his business. Ji Woon tells Hyun Min to take care of Hye Ji on his own. Finally, Ji Woon finds his voice and puts the burden of Hye Ji squarely on Hyun Min. Atta boy! About time! Hyun Min, I feel sorry for you.

As Ji Woon leaves the mansion he spots Ha Won walking towards him. She doesn’t look good. He asks what’s wrong. Ha Won asks him if he pities her. That’s not the question he expected. She says that she knows that he gave money to Kang Young Jin. Ha Won says that she thought they were in similar situations after their conversation yesterday but now she knows it’s actually quite different. She wasn’t born into a rich family. She is stuck with the man that she doesn’t even want to be her father. She says giving Kang Young Jin money made her feel pathetic. Ji Woon tries to tell her that that’s not what he intended. Ha Won tells him to stay out of her business. Ji Woon recalls the phone call he received from Kang Young Jin where he asked Ji Woon to help fund a fully leased apartment. Ji Woon naturally asked Kang Young Jin if Ha Won knew he was asking for these kinds of favors. Kang Young Jin lied that Ha Won felt bad about asking Ji Woon directly so she wanted him to do it. Ji Woon agrees to help. Ji Woon knows that Kang Young Jin lied and is using him.

Ha Won wonders what she should do. She asks her mother how she could love a man like that.

Ji Woon goes to visit Kang Young Jin at the worksite and overhears him telling his coworkers that he’s found a new sugar daddy. Ji Woon elects to not reveal himself but does take the discarded coffee cup. I believe we have a DNA test in the making.

Ha Won recalls Kang Young Jin’s request for money. She clutches her bankbook and stares at the bank door.

Seo Woo is interviewed at a radio station where he admits that he’s just experiencing his first love now. The interviewer wants to know what kind of woman she is. Seo Woo describes a woman that is frugal, fun, and casual.

Outside the radio station step sister practices casually running into Seo Woo. But it doesn’t go as planned when a gaggle of fans race past her to greet Seo Woo as he exits the radio station. Stepsister isn’t happy to see Ha Won’s friend who admits that she’s a big fan of Seo Woo. Stepsister is surprised when Ha Won’s friend manages to get Seo Woo’s attention and introduces stepsister as the mean stepsister of Ha Won. Seo Woo takes the proffered autographed book from stepsister and writes a message “be nice to Ha Won.” Ha! Stepsister isn’t happy and Ha Won’s friend laughs in her face. Of course stepsister, who also exists in her own alternate reality, blames Ha Won for the situation.

Hyun Min stares at the storage he’s and recalls Ji Woon telling him that it’s up to him to take care of Hye Ji now. We finally learn what happened to Hye Ji’s brother. Hyun Min and Hye Ji’s brother were playing with water soakers. When Hye Ji’s brother ran into the street a car hit him. Hyun Min watched it happen. Present day Hyun Min grapples with the memory.

Ha Won gives Kang Young Jin money from her bank account. He is thrilled to have the cash for the lease for their new apartment. Ha Won corrects his misunderstanding and tells him this is payback for the memorial fees that he paid. Ha Won says that she can’t acknowledge him as her father. Atta girl! Kang Young Jin says it doesn’t matter whether or not she acknowledges it, the fact is they are related by blood. Ji Woon surprises both of them by slapping envelope on the table. He tells Kang Young Jin that inside that envelope are the results on whether or not he is biologically related to Ha Won. Kang Young Jin pleads with Ha Won to believe him. Ji Woon tells him to open the envelope. Ha Won rips the envelope surprising both men. That surprised me too. Ha Won stands and tells Ji Woon she knows her mother would never get involved with a man like this. Kang Young Jin hangs his head in shame. Ji Woon is impressed. Ha Won tells Kang Young Jin that if he’s looking at her for money, he came to the wrong person. She tells him she only lives at the mansion to fulfill a part-time job. She tells him she never wants to see him again. He tells her that if it hadn’t been for the fire at the apartment his life wouldn’t be ruined. Ha Won can’t believe that he’s overlooking the fact that her mother died on that day. Ha Won tells him that even though she lost her mother that day, she never allowed her to think that her life was ruined. She tells Kang Young Jin that he ruined his own life. She leaves. Ji Woon follows, newfound respect for Ha Won brimming. He catches up to her and tells her it’s time that they go for that long overdue drive.

Hyun Min sees Hye Ji leaving to meet someone for a date. It’s the guy from the bar. Hyun Min isn’t happy that she’s meeting up with a guy like that.

Hye Ji meets the guy for the date who can’t believe that she’s really over Hyun Min. Hye Ji tells him that she and Hyun Min were only friends. Hyun Min arrives and says they were more than friends. He takes her hand and tells her to come with him. Hyun Min proves Hye Ji’s date already has a girl. He leaves. Hye Ji asks why Hyun Min came. He takes her to his car and puts her in. Hye Ji wonders why he did that. Hyun Min tells her if she’s going to date somebody, make sure that the guy is worthy of her attentions. Hyun Min says he’s only inserting himself because she got dumped by Ji Woon and she’s looking for a rebound relationship. What you said! Hye Ji demands that he pull over. Hyun Min pulls over, gets out of the car, goes to the convenience store, and comes out with a beer in his hand. Hye Ji gets out of the car and asks what he’s doing. He chugs the beer in front of her and says he can’t drink and drive. He gets into the passenger side of his car.

Seo Woo’s manager gets a call from a reporter who wants to know who Seo Woo is dating. He denies that Seo Woo is dating anyone. He stares at his client. Seo Woo asks who is he supposedly dating. The manager says the reporter didn’t give a name but warns his client that another scandal would not be good. Seo Woo says he’s not dating anyone. His manager asks if he was serious when he talked about his first love at the radio show. Seo Woo denies his words claiming he said it because it made a good radio show.

Turns out Seo Woo is a grandma driver. Okay I’m wrong, she’s a bad driver. She tells Hyun Min this is her first prime driving since she got her license. Hyun Min clutches his seatbelt in hopes that he’ll get back to the mansion alive.

Ji Woon asks Ha Won if he still mad and at him. He apologizes for inserting himself in her business with Kang Young Jin. Ha Won apologizes for how mean she was the other day. She says that she was upset, conflicted, and didn’t know whether or not to believe Kang Young Jin and she took it out on Ji Woon. She tells them that when he showed up with the envelope she knew that Kang Young Jin was not her father. She trusts that her mother would never get involved with a man like that. She smiles. Ji Woon smiles. He ruffles her hair. She complains this is a boring drive. He takes her to a fun location. She tells him that no one is ever brought her to this particular location. She smiles. He smiles. Ji Woon says that he never thought that he’d find somebody that was in a similar situation as he was. Ha Won tells him he has a prickly personality. Ha Won says that he guards his heart by telling her to go away. Ha Won declares he’s like an ironclad wall. Ha! Ji Woon gives her the white day gift. She asks what it is. He tells her it’s a gift from the ironclad wall. Ha! It’s an empty box. He tells her it’s his feelings for her. She strides away. He stops her and tells her that he had bought her candy for white day. That gets her attention. She holds the empty box to him and asks what happened. Ji Woon claims the candy melted. He tells her he doesn’t like Hye Ji. He says he likes her. He says she has his heart. He thanks her for breaching his ironclad wall. He tells her to stay just as she is. He says he’ll be the one making the moves to get closer to her now. Swoon! He strides towards her, takes her face in his hands, and kisses her. Swoon! Her hands slowly creep around his waist and she kisses him back.

My Thoughts

We finally had progress on several plot lines. In a single episode Kang Young Jin was identified as a fraud who claimed to be Ha Won’s father. Ji Woon told Hyun Min that Hye Ji was his responsibility. Ji Woon told Ha Won that he liked her. Then he kissed her. Yes, this was a much better episode.

Kang Ji Woon (Jung Il Woo) divested himself of Hye Ji. Frankly I feel sorry for Hyun Min, the new protector of Hye Ji. But I’m happy that Ji Woon decided to stop the games with Hye Ji and Hyun Min. That allowed him to pay attention to and support Ha Won, the woman he cares for. And a miracle occurred, he told her he liked her. 12 episodes and this couple finally has their first sober kiss. This one mattered. Il Woo delivered a decent kiss.

Eun Ha Won (Park So Dam) realize that she didn’t need a DNA test to tell her that Kang Young Jin wasn’t her father. She saw what kind of lowlife man Kang Young Jin was. She listened to her gut and her heart that told her that her mother would never become involved with a man like that. I liked that the writers gave her the strength and the trust in her mother to reject Kang Young Jin, not needing to see the DNA test that Ji Woon provided. Finally she had a true romantic moment with Ji Woon. The romance of that moment was Ji Woon admitting that he never thought he find someone like her. Then Ji Woon admitted he was glad that she stuck to him. Then Ji Woon told her that it was his turn, now he would pursue her. He made his point when he walked towards her and kissed her. Nice!

Kang Hyun Min (Ahn Jae Hyeon) is now the man responsible for Hye Ji. Unfortunately, that doesn’t feel like much of a prize, but there it is. We finally learned that Hye Ji’s brother was killed when he was hit by a car while playing with Hyun Min. That’s a tough memory for Hyun Min to accept. It’s obvious that he blames himself. Because of that he feels a responsibility to Hye Ji, in addition to her being his first love. I know I can’t avoid Hyun Min and Hye Ji getting together, but I don’t see her as worthy of him.

Park Hye Ji (Son Na Eun) was ready to date a man that was not worthy. She tried to guilt Ji Woon but he refused to listen to her flawed logic. Upset that Ji Woon and Hyun Min rejected her, Hye Ji decided drinking and dating an unsuitable man was the best way to go. It did garner Hyun Min’s attention and so in many ways she got exactly what she wanted, but this time she wasn’t expecting it. I still don’t like this character, and am sad that Hyun Min will be saddled with her. Perhaps the writers will allow her to show a different side, one that might make her worthy of Hyun Min.

Kang Seo Woo (Lee Jung Shin) admitted he was in his first love. He’s thinking that he’s in love with Ha Won. What will he do when he learns that Ji Woon and Ha Won are a couple? Will Ji Woon and Ha Won return from their outing and admit to everyone in the house that they are dating?

Assistant Lee (Choi Min) wasn’t happy when he saw that Grandfather’s wife (his mother) had a copy of Grandfather’s will. He wants to know what her game is. That’s a good question. Will he stay loyal to Grandfather and expose his mother?

Part 8 of the OST is “The Way To Find Love” by CNU (B1A4). Check out the video below:

About KJT (aka kjtamuser)

Asian drama fan. I watch and blog dramas on https://kjtamusings.wordpress.com/.

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Tagged with: Ahn Jae Hyeon, Cinderella and Four Knights, Cinderellawa Ne Myungui Gisa, ep 12, episode 12, 신데렐라와 네 명의 기사, Jung Il Woo, Lee Jung Shin, Park So Dam, recap, Son Na Eun
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