Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale – K-drama Episode 4 Recap & Review

The Chore Before The Ball

Episode 4 of Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale begins with the narrator wondering who Jae-rim would pick – the rich bratty kid or a successful man with abs. Well, she will pick whoever is nice to her.

At present, the new customer, Baek Do-hong is tall, big and has abs. He sees that her Wish note says she likes a big guy and he teases her. He instantly apologises but while taking the note, a button falls off his shirt. He suddenly takes out a sewing kit and sews on the button. Jae-rim believes she has found her dream guy.

Secretary Heo Young-bae is supposed to show him around but Do-hong asks Jae-rim to do it which annoys Cha-min. As the two talk, Jae-rim learns that Do-hong is only 30 and the youngest award-winning filmmaker. He comments on how difficult it is to get into the club and she takes it upon herself to get him in.

She barges into the office where Cha-min and Dan-a are bickering as usual. Jae-rim points out that Do-hong can be her Prince Charming and she will cry and irritate Cha-min till he lets him in. Dan-a also agrees it is a good idea as it will get Jae-rim can finally marry and quit. While Cha-min is not happy, he gives in.

Our hopeless romantic tries to plan a romantic moment during the farewell, but Cha-min tags along with Jae-rim and Do-hong. She tries to get Cha-min to leave but he pushes her – right into Do-hong’s arms. He fixes her hair, gives her a lollipop and promises to buy her more things. Cha-min scoffs and tells her to tie her hair but as she does, he is flustered.

He tries to stop her from attending Do-hong’s welcome party by telling her to create an exhibition from scratch with Artist D’s art. He then heads to his Hapkido class where he takes out his rage on his teacher by pretending he is Do-hong. 

Meanwhile, Jae-rim wins over the staff and even Artist D to create all the paintings for the exhibition. However, they all wonder how Jae-rim got Do-hong his membership since Cha-min is very picky about his clientele. She also learns that the umbrella he carries around has been passed down for generations and is believed to be lucky.

Jae-rim excitedly shares her day with the doll her dad had gotten her as a kid. Hwa-jin makes fun of her but it turns into a fight as Jae-rim sees her eating the lollipop Do-hong had given her. Her problems don’t end there as Su-jin rejects Dr. Koo. He threatens Jae-rim into helping him and she tells him to be nice to their stepmother as she is close to Su-jin.

Back at work, Jae-rim notices Cha-min is missing and rants about him being an irresponsible and mean boss. At the same time, he is at an abandoned house and is angry with her. They both wish that she quit soon. However, he sees a photo and realises it is the reason why he is drawn to Jae-rim but also can’t stand her.

As for Jae-rim, while fixing a bulb, it falls and breaks. Do-hong suddenly carries her down the ladder and she believes he is her match. Her happy bubble shatters as Artist D suddenly backs out as he gets an artist’s block. She wonders if Cha-min recommended a flaky artist on purpose. But with only one pending spot, she quickly whips up a painting on her own.

Meanwhile, Cha-min dreams of Jae-rim and he confesses that he hates her but also hates the idea of her dating Do-hong. She points out that he has just admitted he likes her. On D-Day, he is impressed with the exhibition and allows her to attend the party. He keeps wondering if it is too late for them and genuinely hopes she leaves with Do-hong as he cannot hold himself back if she stays. 

The party begins and Jae-rim shows up in a pretty dress. He is speechless but his smile falls when she heads to Do-hong. They have a good time till Dan-a introduces a chaebol heiress, Ri-na to Do-hong. Ri-na mocks Jae-rim as she sees through her reasons for getting Do-hong the membership.

She tells her to work for her if Jae-rim is that desperate for money and orders her to get her a drink. Jae-rim doesn’t mind and brings her mint chocolate. However, Ri-na smacks it away as she hates the flavour. Jae-rim falls and takes Ri-na down with her. The chocolate falls on both of them but Do-hong picks up Ri-na, gives her his handkerchief and assures her that Jae-rim will clean it since it is a mistake.

Jae-rim is hurt and refuses to take his hand when he finally reaches for her. Cha-min steps in and offers his hand. He tells her not to make such mistakes but he does like mint chocolate. They all believe that he has confessed to Jae-rim and Dan-a slaps him at the end of Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale Episode 4.

The Episode Review

Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale Episode 4 reduces the slapstick comedy in favour of the conflict and the drama but the momentum continues as the story unfurls in a hilarious way. The leads are so unserious and unaware of each other’s feelings that it makes for a fun watch. Jun-young especially kills it as Cha-min who is a complete loser in love but tries to play it cool.

The Cinderella motifs continue and are weaved in pretty cleverly. In this episode, we get the impossible task before the ball, Jae-rim showing up in her pretty dress at the ball and Cha-min falling for her. The evil aspect switches from the stepfamily who is actually nice to Jae-rim and instead, we get Dan-a and her cohort being the antagonists and ruining her dress. We do wonder why Do-hong suddenly changed his mind. Or was he only pretending to be nice to Jae-rim all this while so she’d secure him the membership?