Cunning Single Lady (; lit. "Devious Woman Who's Single Again") is a 2014 South Korean

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

television series starring

Lee Min-jung Lee Min-jung (; born February 16, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She began her career in Jang Jin's stage plays, and for a few years appeared in supporting roles on film and television. She became known after her appearance in ''Boys Over Flow ...

and

Joo Sang-wook Joo Sang-wook (; born July 18, 1978) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in generational saga ''Giant'', medical drama '' Good Doctor'', romantic comedy ''Cunning Single Lady'', ''Birth of a Beauty'', and crime procedural ''S ...

as a

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

d couple who rekindles their romance. It aired on MBC from February 27 to April 24, 2014 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 16 episodes.

Plot

Na Ae-ra grew up believing she was born to be only pretty and not smart. While working at her family's restaurant, she falls in love with Cha Jung-woo, a geeky

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

graduate student preparing to enter

civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

. Na Ae-ra wants to become a housewife, and after Jung-woo promises that she will be, they get married. During their 100th day wedding celebration, Jung-woo announces that he has quit his job because he has an idea for a business. Jung-woo's businesses keep failing and Ae-ra struggles to keep them afloat by working multiple jobs. After secretly suffering a miscarriage from the stress of being the sole breadwinner and living in poverty, Ae-ra divorces Jung-woo after four years of marriage. Three years after the divorce, Ae-ra discovers that Jung-woo has become fabulously successful and wealthy, while she is still paying debts that accrued during their marriage. The fun begins when Ae-ra schemes for revenge, with Jung-woo believing that Ae-ra wants him back because he has become wealthy.

Cast

Main characters

as Na Ae-ra :Beautiful but flighty, Ae-ra initially cares more about honing her looks over her life skills. Upon marriage to Jung-woo, she dreams of becoming a housewife but finds herself shouldering the sole burden of their financial needs for four years, until frustration and exhaustion drives her to divorce him. But after learning of his success, she schemes to ostensibly win back her ex-husband by becoming an intern at his company, though what she really wants from him is a belated apology and a "thank you". *

as Cha Jung-woo :Despite being an engineering genius, he was initially studying to become a civil servant when he meets and marries Ae-ra. To her shock, Jung-woo suddenly announces that he's quitting to become a software developer instead. Years of his business failures lead to their divorce. Jung-woo eventually creates DonTalk, a

WhatsApp WhatsApp (also called WhatsApp Messenger) is an internationally available freeware, cross-platform, centralized instant messaging (IM) and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by American company Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook). It allows us ...

-like text-over-data app that becomes Korea's No.1

social networking A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for an ...

application. Thus Jung-woo transforms from a geeky loser into the self-made, successful president of D&T Software Ventures, a

venture capital Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth potential or which ha ...

firm. * Kim Gyu-ri as Gook Yeo-jin :Smart, elegant, and capable, Yeo-jin possesses a keen insight and determination that can be intimidating, particularly given that she was born with the disposition of a boss. She is an heiress, being the daughter of the chairman of D&T Software Ventures, where she works as a director. She nurses painful scars from a past love, but falls for her business partner Jung-woo because of his warm personality, becoming Ae-ra's rival for his heart. *

Seo Kang-joon Seo Kang-joon (born Lee Seung-hwan on October 12, 1993) is a South Korean actor and singer who is a member of the group 5urprise. He gained recognition with his role in the television series ''Cheese in the Trap'' (2016) and has since starred i ...

as Gook Seung-hyun :Yeo-jin's younger brother, who was once tutored by Jung-woo when he was in high school. Good-looking, rich, and caring, Seung-hyun is seemingly a perfect guy. Upon his return to Korea from overseas, he gets hired at DonTalk despite his resistance to working a desk job at his father's company; but to avoid preferential treatment, he hides his real identity. Among his fellow interns is Ae-ra, and he becomes attracted to her, notwithstanding their eight-year age difference.

Supporting characters

Kim Myung-soo Kim Myung-soo (; born March 13, 1992), known professionally as L, is a South Korean singer, actor, and model. He debuted as a vocalist of boy band Infinite in 2010 and its sub-group Infinite F in 2014. He left Woollim Entertainment in August 201 ...

as Gil Yo-han :Yo-han was the part-time clerk at the

PC bang A PC bang (Korean: PC방; literally " PC room") is a type of LAN gaming center in South Korea, where patrons can play multiplayer computer games for an hourly fee. The typical cost for an hour of play ranges from 500 to 1500 KRW (approximately ...

where Jung-woo practically lived when he was broke, and when he hits it big, he takes the kid along and hires him as his personal secretary. The two have a devoted friendship, particularly since Yo-han was by Jung-woo's side while he was suffering through his divorce. *

Hwang Bo-ra Hwang Bo-ra (born October 2, 1983) is a South Korean actress. Hwang made her acting debut in 2003 and became popular after she played a quirky-looking "cup noodle girl" in a ramyeon commercial. In 2007, Hwang played the daughter/narrator in bla ...

as Kang Min-young :Ae-ra's best friend. *

Lee Byung-joon Lee Byung-joon (; born January 27, 1964) is a South Korean actor. Active in film, television and theater since 1985, Lee is best known for his supporting roles in '' A Bloody Aria'' (2006), '' Highway Star'' (2007), and ''Eye for an Eye'' (2008) ...

as Oh Byung-joon :Managing director, and Chairman Gook's right-hand man. *

Choi Cheol-ho Choi Cheol-ho (; born 2 March 1970) is a South Korean actor. He rose to fame after appearing in the hit drama ''Queen of Housewives'' (also known as ''My Wife is a Superwoman'', 2009). Other notable roles include King Seonjo in '' The Immortal L ...

as Kim Jung-won :Manager of the mobile shopping team. *

Im Ji-eun Im Ji-eun (born February 27, 1973) is a South Korean actress. Filmography Television series Film Awards and nominations References External links Im Ji-eun Fan Cafeat Daum * * * 1973 births Living people South Korean televi ...

as Wang Ji-hyun :Team leader of the mobile shopping team. *

Lee Hwa-kyum Lee Yoo-young (Korean: 이유영; born January 23, 1995), better known mononymously as Yooyoung, later, the stage name was changed to Lee Hwa-kyum (Korean:이화겸), is a South Korean singer and actress. She is best known as a former member o ...

as Pi Song-hee :Fresh out of university, Song-hee is a new employee at D&T Software Ventures. She pretends to be quiet most of the time but is actually a seductress. *

Kim Jae-hwa Kim Jae-hwa (born September 1, 1980) is a South Korean actress. Career Kim made her acting debut in 2009 in the film ''Harmony'' and she started to gain recognition following her role as Deng Yaping, Chinese champion of table tennis compe ...

as Oh Bang-soon :Ae-ra's

frenemy "Frenemy" (also spelled "frienemy") is an oxymoron and a portmanteau of "friend" and "enemy" that refers to "a person with whom one is friendly, despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry" or "a person who combines the characteristics of a friend ...

. *

Lee Jung-gil Lee Jung-gil (born October 1, 1944) is a South Korean actor. After making his acting debut in 1967 in the stage play ''Sakhalinsk's The Sky and the Earth'', Lee has had a prolific career in Korean television and film. Filmography Television ser ...

as Gook Yong-geol :Yeo-jin and Seung-hyun's father. The chairman of D&T Software Ventures. * Kim Yong-hee as Na Soo-cheol :Ae-ra's troublemaker older brother. He escapes to

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

after a failed business in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. Soo-cheol only manages to survive with the help of his sister, and he accepts the

alimony Alimony, also called aliment (Scotland), maintenance (England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Canada, New Zealand), spousal support (U.S., Canada) and spouse maintenance (Australia), is a legal obligation on a person to provide financial suppo ...

money from Jung-woo that Ae-ra had already rejected. *

Kim Eung-soo Kim Eung-soo (; born February 12, 1961) is a South Korean actor. Kim lived in Japan for seven years, where he studied filmmaking at the Japan Institute of the Moving Image The , formerly known as the Yokohama Broadcasting Technical School, is a ...

as Na Gab-soo :Ae-ra's father. *Kwon Ki-sun as Jang Sook-ja :Ae-ra's mother. *

Kim Ye-ryeong Kim Ye-ryeong (born Kim Yoon-mi on March 17, 1966) is a South Korean actress. Filmography Television series Film Variety shows Theater Awards and nominations References External links Kim Ye-ryeong Fan Cafeat Daum * * * ...

as Lee Eun-hwa :Yeo-jin and Seung-hyun's mother. *Kim Ho-young as Jung-woo's father *Byun Eun-young as Jung-woo's mother *--- as Cha Jung-sook :Jung-woo's older sister. *--- as Cha Jung-ran :Jung-woo's younger sister. *Choi Joo-hee as Yeo-jin's secretary * Kim Bup-rae

Cameo appearances

In Gyo-jin In Gyo-jin(; born August 29, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his supporting roles in various television dramas. Career In Gyo-jin was born in Jochiwon, Yeongi County, South Chungcheong Province (now Sejong City). He studie ...

as man no. 1 * Lee Jung-eun as salon director *

Wang Bit-na Wang Bit-na (born April 15, 1981) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for playing Bu-yong in the popular historical drama ''Hwang Jini''. Filmography Television series Film Awards * 2018 Korea Drama Awards: Top Excellence Award, A ...

as Yeo-jin's college roommate who went on a blind date with Jung-woo (ep. 2) *Oh Na-mi as S-line lady *

Kim Sung-kyun Kim Sung-kyun (born May 25, 1980) is a South Korean actor. Kim began his career in theatre, then made his screen debut as a gangster boss's faithful henchman in '' Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time'', followed by supporting roles in '' The Ne ...

as head of IT security (ep. 3) * Ricky Kim as Yeo-jin's first love who died in a car accident soon after they got married (ep. 5) *Choi Eun-kyung as matchmaking MC *Yeom Dong-heon as middle-aged man *

Yang Hee-kyung Yang Hee-kyung (born December 3, 1954) is a South Korean actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such ...

as restaurant ajumma *Lee Jong-soo as Robert Kim * Alice as booking lady (ep. 10) *

Kwon Nara Kwon Na-ra () (changed her name legally to Kwon Ah-yoon (), known by her birth name Nara), is a South Korean singer and actress. She is best known as one of the original members of the South Korean girl group Hello Venus. Career Beginnings an ...

as booking lady (ep. 10) *

Kim Da-hyun Kim Da-hyun (born Kim Se-hyun on January 1, 1980) is a South Korean actor and singer. Kim made his entertainment debut in 1999 as the lead vocalist of the rock band ''Yada'' (which disbanded in 2004). Since then, he has been actively engaged i ...

as Kim Chang-soo,

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Shilla Hotel Hotel Shilla ( ko, 신라호텔) is a South Korean operator of luxury hotels and duty-free shops. It is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. The company is an affiliate of Samsung. History Hotel Shilla started operations in March 1979 at ...

(ep. 12-13) *

Lee Han-wi Lee Han-wi (born June 17, 1961) is a South Korean actor. Since his acting debut in 1983, Lee has become a prolific supporting actor on Korean film and television. He is particularly known for his mastery of ad-libbing In music and other pe ...

as doctor *Choi Kyu-hwan as Kim Chang-gyu

Production

The screenplay won the Encouragement prize at MBC's 2012 Script Contest (serial section).

Ratings

In the table below, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. The final two episodes were not aired as originally scheduled due to media coverage on the

sinking of the MV Sewol The ferry MV ''Sewol'' sank on the morning of April 16, 2014, en route from Incheon towards Jeju in South Korea. The 6,825-ton vessel sent a distress signal from about north of Byeongpungdo at 08:58 KST (23:58 UTC, April 15, 2014). Out of ...

Awards and nominations

Original soundtrack

References

External links

''Cunning Single Lady'' official MBC website

at MBC Global Media * *{{hancinema drama, Sly_and_Single_Again, Sly and Single Again 2014 South Korean television series debuts 2014 South Korean television series endings MBC TV television dramas Korean-language television shows South Korean romantic comedy television series Television series by IOK Media