The Cinderella Boy is a clever, funny webtoon that turns fairy tales upside down. It follows the story of Chase. He is a sarcastic and ambitious boy who, by accident, finds a magical key that allows him to enter storybooks… But(drum rolls…) he always appears as a heroine of the tale. In Cinderella Boy Chapter 1–9, we watch him make his way through Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and other classic stories, collecting something called Narratonin, the essence of storytelling. Although along the way, he is continuously sabotaged by a black-haired boy with another key. Between witty jokes, dark twists, and magical rules, Chase also unlocks his personal heroine key spirit, Little Silver, and gets to know about the Order of Ex Libris. Here, with each story, the stakes — and secrets — grow deeper.
Cinderella Boy Chapter 1: The Glass Sneaker Mystery
Cinderella Boy Chapter 1 begins with the familiar fairy tale scene of Cinderella being narrated. The royal court is searching for the mysterious lady who fits the glass slipper. Concerned, the prince stands there as all the people around him are afraid of the coming of the girl. The doors suddenly swing open, and a young lady dressed in tattered rags comes in to the surprise of everybody. The prince looks at her with admiration. But there is a twist to it, the woman everyone thinks is a woman is actually a boy. He is our Chase, with golden hair disguised in a clever way.
The slipper is brought out. It turns out not to be a fragile glass slipper, but a plain sneaker, which Chase recognizes as his own. The whole court rejoices because they think they have succeeded in finding the right person. However, right then, a different character appears. A dark-haired young man introduces himself to be the cruel stepmother of the tale. He says that Chase was just a maid at his home, and he insists that the shoe must belong to one of his daughters. Frustrated and not ready to lose, Chase runs after the man as the unknown guy runs away with the sneaker.
Chase eventually catches him in the garden and both fall down, exposing the “stepmother’s” deceit. With a sly smile, Chase enjoys his small victory as the prince lifts him into his arms, hinting at their destiny “to be one.” Hearing that and thinking it is too much, Chase takes out a locket with a small key and mutters, “Home, please,” and magically returns to his own world, already thinking about finding a summer job. Cinderella Boy Chapter 1 ends with Chase smirking to himself, ready for whatever comes next.
ALSO READ: 50 Best Fantasy Manhwa of All Time
Cinderella Boy Chapter 2: The Hero Key
Cinderella Boy Chapter 2 begins with Chase waking up from a deep sleep, still thinking about the strange events of the other night. He carefully packs the Cinderella book and the mysterious key into his bag before heading out of his room. He visits his older cousin Deacon, a so-so serious 20-year-old, obsessed with reading trashy romance novels. But at the same time, he is always buried in his medical school studies. Deacon dismisses him, telling him that he is too busy to play or go out. A bit depressed, Chase goes down the stairs, questioning what he’s really doing with his life. He dreams of becoming a performer. His room is plastered with posters of dancers and singers that he loves. And he has even uploaded some of his own videos online.
But with barely any views, his confidence has started to slip. The only real visitor to their home these days is their cheerful little neighbor, Prunella, who appears to have a knack for dropping in at the most inconvenient time. One day, Chase is dragged to the library by Deacon. He walks aimlessly, with little purpose, and finds an unusual book on a dusty shelf, titled, Read Me. He takes it out and discovers it is a very basic children’s book of fairy tales. But then, a small key falls out from between the pages. A little note. The note mysteriously explains the existence of 12 keys, meant for “restricted members of the Order” to enter into the bodily worlds of fiction.
The note calls his key the Hero Key, leaving Chase absolutely puzzled. As he sits confused, Deacon shows up out of nowhere, shocking him. Chase quietly slips the key into his back pocket and gets ready to leave.
Cinderella Boy Chapter 3: The Heroine’s Curse
Cinderella Boy Chapter 3 begins with Chase trying to figure out the truth behind the mysterious Hero Key. He goes online to see whether he can find any information regarding the keys or the Order mentioned in the note, but is unable to find anything. Annoyed and curious, he grabs a copy of Grimm’s Fairy Tales and places the key against the cover of the book. To his surprise, a little keyhole opens. The key turns, light flashes, and before he can think twice, he is gone, the locket clasped around his neck.
When he wakes up, he is in some mystical, unknown location, and he suddenly realizes that a beautiful prince is leaning over him and is about to kiss him! Chase is shocked, and he looks at a mirror close to him. To his utter horror, the reflection of a princess looks back at him. He pushes the prince away, screams to be taken home, and slaps the Prince before trying to run away again. The next moment, he is back again in his world. And he understands that the note was not a lie. The key indeed allows him to enter the stories.
Once Upon a Key
Chase continues to read and enter the stories. He discovers he always ends up as the heroine of the tale. According to the note, as long as he reaches the end of a story, the key extracts something called “Narratonin” out of the book. Although he does not know what that is supposed to mean.
This becomes his strange summer job, hopping into stories like Sleeping Beauty, collecting a few drops of precious Narratonin. While the characters around him in the stories only hear what they are supposed to hear. But lurking in the darkness, the dark-haired boy from Chapter 1 watches Chase from the trees, planning to steal his key… Before the old man realizes that something is missing. Cinderella Boy Chapter 3 ends with Chase unknowingly walking deeper into the world of stories, unaware he’s being hunted.
ALSO READ: Best Manhwa Couples of All Time
Cinderella Boy Chapter 4: Framed by the Queen
Cinderella Boy Chapter 4 begins with Chase waiting impatiently for his friend Simon to arrive so they can practice for an upcoming competition. The Big Leagues he has been dreaming of. However, when Simon calls and says that he is unable to attend, Chase is left feeling defeated. And he decides to run away once again into the world of stories.
This time, he is in another fairytale. Where an attractive prince timidly tells him that he is in love with him. Before Chase can even do anything, the black-haired guy, who is here seen as the scheming Queen, suddenly throws dirt at him. Completely ruining the peaceful moment. Later, Chase confronts the guy, asking him to stop acting like such a jerk. His day is only getting worse. However, the guy merely laughs at Chase unbothered. Things quickly turn serious when the Queen frames Chase for murder and arson. He is dragged off by the guards. And as a result, he is tossed into a dark prison cell.
A Villain in Every Chapter
While Chase sits there confused and angry, the Queen sneaks in and grabs him roughly by the key locket around his neck. “Your key — I want it,” he hisses. The guy explains that he simply cannot take the key from Chase, as the real key is still present in the home world of Chase. It serves to bring Chase back home. He mocks Chase, saying that he does not even deserve to be carrying the key.
Hurt by his words, Chase recalls all the failures he had in real life, but still insists that he is a genius with a smile. Before leaving, Chase finally asks how the black-haired guy manages to end up in every story alongside him, but the Queen only smirks and disappears. Cinderella Boy Chapter 4 ends with Chase left alone in his cell, more determined than ever to prove himself.
ALSO READ: Best Blond Manhwa Characters
Cinderella Boy Chapter 5: Nowhere to Hide
Cinderella Boy Chapter 5 begins with Chase back home, resting on his bed as he wonders if there is a faster way to collect the mysterious Narratonin. With his present rate of collecting the liquid, hopping through story after story, he feels like he’ll never finish. He tells himself that he has gotten rid of the dark-haired boy. But each day, in a different and new fairy tale, the boy shows up and creates havoc and spoils everything.
By Saturday, fed up, Chase decides to take a break and goes shopping. As he goes out, he sees little Prunella at home, throwing a tantrum. Annoyed, he grabs her by the arms to return her to her own house. He goes outside and finds Deacon calmly feeding the neighbor’s horse, as though nothing unusual is happening.
Chase finally receives the package that he had ordered and believes that this is his chance. A book that no one else has access to. If he jumps into this unfamiliar story, maybe the other guy won’t be able to follow him for once. He opens the book with a sense of smugness and finds himself in a strange world. At first, he thinks he has been successful, only to be interrupted by a known voice. The dark-haired boy is leaning casually against a wall, already there. He points out that Chase is choosing a different kind of story this time. Chase shoots back, saying it is all the same to him.
Cinderella Boy Chapter 5 ends with Chase staring at him, realizing he might be in more danger than ever.
Cinderella Boy Chapter 6: A Dangerous Bet
Cinderella Boy Chapter 6 begins with the black-haired boy cornering Chase and proposing a bet. If Chase can finish the story properly — without relying on his cheat bookmarks. Then he wins. However, in case he fails, he will have to give his real-life Hero Key to the guy. Chase, though nervous, smirks and accepts his own condition. If he wins, then the boy must stop meddling with his stories. The boy accepts with a sly grin, and the challenge starts.
This time, the story drops Chase into the original Cinderella story. Naturally, the black-haired boy is once again shown as the cruel stepmother. From the very beginning, Chase is commanded to clean fireplaces, scrub floors, and perform never-ending chores. By the time evening arrives, his arms are sore and his feet heavy as lead.
But the last chore of the day remains to be done, which is to water the grave of Cinderella’s mother. He finishes the job and sits exhausted. Right then, the fairy godmother turns up in a flash of glittering light. She puts him in a glittering dress, glass shoes, and jewels. When Chase looks at himself in the mirror, however, he remembers that his plot stuff keeps up with him, irrespective of what he does. So, it doesn’t matter what he wears.
Wearing the magical dress, Chase enters the royal ball, determined and at the same time uneasy. At the ball, he attempts to concentrate, knowing that this time everything is on the line — the story, the key, and his pride. Cinderella Boy Chapter 6 ends with Chase arriving at the ball, ready to play his part. While the black-haired boy watches from the shadows, waiting for him to slip.
Cinderella Boy Chapter 7: The Price of the Shoe
Cinderella Boy Chapter 7 begins with Chase arriving at the royal ball, looking every bit the perfect Cinderella. But when he looks at the feast in front of him, his stomach grumbles, just to realize that he cannot eat most of it due to his intolerance to gluten. The black haired boy comes up beside him, smirking as always. And nonchalantly remarks about the food not being real, so it cannot hurt Chase. Before Chase gets a chance to put that theory to the test, the prince at last comes up, asking him to dance, but he appears to care more about eating the fine food than listening to the Prince.
The following morning, Chase sits outside chatting with his little bird minions about the chaotic night. However, the peaceful moment is interrupted by a noise in the courtyard. The guards are searching desperately to find the woman who matches the glass slipper. Chase’s eyes widen as he spots the black-haired boy who plays the role of the stepmother once again. He makes one of his daughters cut her heel with a cold-blooded cruelty so that the shoe is able to fit her. Chase feels sick, realizing how dark the original story really is.
A Dance with Consequences
Soon after that, the second sister experiences the same dreadful event. Again, there is blood on the slipper as the small birdie flies in and chirps the truth to the seeker. Shocked but determined, Chase is finally given the chance to wear the shoe. It fits in easily like a glove. He looks up and smirks at the boy with black hair, who only looks back at him strangely. But before he can celebrate, a strange sound echoes through the hall — trot trot. Cinderella Boy Chapter 7 ends with Chase turning toward the sound, his confidence slipping as something unexpected approaches.
ALSO READ: In Between Chapter 1-10: Meet the Main Characters
Cinderella Boy Chapter 8: A Vow and a Victory
Cinderella Boy Chapter 8 begins with Chase being whisked away in a grand carriage to meet the Prince after winning the slipper trial. During the ride, he wonders,–Why did the black-haired boy help him finish the story?
Chase is shocked to find the stepsisters again on the palace grounds, standing straight with very visible, terrified expressions on their faces. The black-haired boy, playing the stepmother as usual, only smirks and comments about the girls getting what they rightfully deserve as their punishment. He then exposes the dark truth of the original tale. In the wedding, birds are supposed to land on Cinderella’s shoulder and peck out the sisters’ eyes as a form of cruel punishment.
As the wedding is about to begin, Chase sees in horror as the birds swoop toward the sisters — but at the last second, he raises his hand and stops them. The sisters cower in fear, but he lets them go unhurt.
The Song That Saved Me
The black-haired boy, later on, mocks him, commenting that he is not following the story. Chase snaps, says that he is a jerk, and storms away. Even during the vow exchange, the boy keeps mocking him from the sidelines.
Chase is fed up and takes a deep breath. With his new singing talent, he calls all his loyal animal and bird friends. Together, they chase the black-haired boy out of the palace in a flurry of feathers and laughter. Back home, Chase sees something incredible, his Narratonin vial is now almost half filled. Even more surprising, the crack in his Hero Key repairs itself, looking as good as brand new. Right then, in a faint glitter of light, a very small princess-shaped key appears in his hand. Cinderella Boy Chapter 8 ends with Chase staring at the key, wondering what story it might unlock next.
Cinderella Boy Chapter 9: The Heroine Key Awakens
Cinderella Boy Chapter 9 begins with Chase staring in shock at the tiny woman who has appeared in his hand. Flustered, he mutters a quick apology, but the little woman just smiles gently and says, “It’s okay.” She identifies herself as Little Silver, and says that she is the heroine spirit of his key, brought to life now that his vial of Narratonin is half full. She says she needed that much to take a more conversational form.
Silver tells him that she was created by a person named Ex Libris, and when she asks about the other keys, Chase looks genuinely shocked. He admits that the only other key that he is aware of is that of the black-haired boy, whom he has been reluctantly referring to as Buddy. Though he does not know the boy’s real name.
When the purple key is mentioned, Silver’s eyes widen, and she recognizes it as the Violet Key. Chase remembers how Buddy would enter stories without needing a book and often used the word “we”, which now seems even stranger. Silver describes that Ex Libris was a group of people that created those keys to open books and gather Narratonin, which was defined as the pure essence of humanity’s love for stories.
The Order of Ex Libris
Chase asks himself out loud whether Buddy can be a part of this order, even though he is too young. Silver frowns but does not reply. He shares about how he initially located his key and the book, confessing that he only receives small amounts of Narratonin, possibly due to skipping pages using bookmarks. Silver tells that only a whole jar full of Narratonin can fulfill a wish. He reveals that with a small amount of the liquid, he could cure his small wound injury on his finger. Cinderella Boy Chapter 9 ends with Chase gripping the key tightly, a new determination sparkling in his eyes.
What do you think about Cinderella Boy Chapter 1-9? Subscribe to AnimeMangaToon to know what happens next!
