The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince
Title: The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince / Coffee Prince
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 17 + Special
Broadcast Period: July 2007 to August 2007
Cast
Yoon Eun Hye as Go Eun Chan
- Park Won Sook as Eun Chan's mother
- Han Yeh In as Go Eun Sae (younger sister)
Gong Yoo as Choi Han Kyul
- Kim Ja Ok as Han Kyul's mother
- Choi Il Hwa as Han Kyul's father
- Kim Young Ok as Han Kyul's grandmother
- Lee Sun Gyun as Choi Han Sung (older cousin)
- Chae Jung Ahn as Han Yoo Joo (first love, Han Sung's love interest)
Kim Chang Wan as Hong Gae Sik
Kim Jae Wook as No Sun Ki
Kim Dong Wook as Jin Ha Rim
Lee Un as Hwang Min Yeop
Lee Han Wie as Mr. Ku
Kim Jung Min as DK (Yoo Joo's ex)
Synopsis - Contains spoilers!
Go Eun Chan, portrayed by superstar actress Yoon Eun Hye, leads a very tough life. As she constantly works to pay off the debts for her family, she was forced to sacrifice her image as a woman and is often mistaken as a boy. Eun Chan bumps into Choi Han Kyul, the rich heir of a notorious food company, and is, as usual, mistaken for a boy. In order to get his grandmother off his back and to stop the ridiculous blind dates she's been setting him on, Han Kyul hires Eun Chan to be his gay lover. Desperate for money, what choice does Eun Chan have?
Han Kyul's grandmother also gives a coffee shop for him to handle. It is his responsibility to bring it out of the verge of bankruptcy, and soon, Coffee Prince is born. Eun Chan begs to work at the coffee shop, and she lands the job. Along with her, there are three other coffee princes working at the shop: Hwang Min Yeop, who is in a rather awkward relationship with Eun Chan's younger, spoiled sister; Jin Ha Rim, the outspoken player who is constantly switching dating partners, and the mysterious, cool No Sun Ki.
Pretty soon, as Eun Chan makes deliveries around the neighbourhood, she meets Han Kyul's older cousin, Choi Han Sung. Charming and handsome, Eun Chan falls hopelessly for him. Han Sung finds Eun Chan absolutely adorable and develops a small crush on her - nothing special, right? However, his feelings for her begin to get stronger, until Han Yoo Joo, the woman he's loved for a majority of his life (and also a woman whom Han Kyul has loved for a majority of his life), returns. Han Sung is torn, as he cannot seem to forgive Yoo Joo for leaving him for another man a few years ago. Yoo Joo returns, in hopes of rekindling their relationship and she realizes that she loves him.
It gets complicated when Han Sung's crush on Eun Chan develops a little further. He's protective of her and does things for her, but when he kisses her things go downhill. Yoo Joo comes to his house one day and to find him sitting outside. A woman's voice come from inside and out pops Eun Chan, wearing nothing but a towel. It's a misunderstanding, but Yoo Joo feels betrayed. Han Sung tells her that he doesn't love Eun Chan, that it was only a temporary weakness and that she has strayed away from him too. Yoo Joo is still hurt, and leaves.
Meanwhile, Han Kyul is also falling for the eccentric, outspoken Eun Chan. However, he fails to see the truth about her gender. Still believing she's a man, he tries everything he can to fight his feelings for her. He even suggests that they become sworn brothers, in other words, best friends. However, his feelings begin to get out of hand, and he feels that he can no longer maintain a platonic relationship with her. He fires her from Coffee Prince, which devastates her. Stubbornly, she insists that she stay and doesn't leave the shop. Eventually, Han Kyul gives up on trying to push her away and decides that he will date her. Still believing she's a man, Han Kyul gives up a lot to stay in a "homosexual" relationship. Eun Chan does not have the courage to tell him that she's a woman.
It doesn't take long for the revelation of Eun Chan's true gender to accidentally slip. Han Kyul is devastated and is hurt by her lies. He shuts her out once again, leaving Eun Chan utterly heartbroken. She cries outside of his house, begging him to let her in and apologize, to explain. He does not comply. Eun Chan finds consolation in Han Sung, who can do nothing but listen to her sorrows. When she confronts Han Kyul at the shop, he is cold and cruel to her. Eun Chan feels like she's about to give up. However, it doesn't take long for Han Kyul to realize that his love for Eun Chan is stronger than the hurt he felt as a result of her lying to him. He feels that after fighting so hard to have her by his side, it shouldn't matter whether she's a man or a woman.
On the other hand, Han Sung returns home one day to find that Yoo Joo has come back once again. She tells him that she's not leaving this time, that she's staying for good. The two put their past behind them and attempt to start anew. Things look good when Yoo Joo reveals to Han Sung that she is pregnant with his child, and they decide to get married. As Yoo Joo and Han Sung are preparing for the wedding, Eun Chan and Han Kyul are invited to the fitting of the wedding dresses. Han Kyul keeps asking Eun Chan to marry him, but she constantly changes the subject, spewing out that Yoo Joo looks stunning in her dress. Han Kyul and Eun Chan continue to bicker about the marriage topic. But things don't look too good as Yoo Joo begins to neglect her health in order to work. Han Sung is angry that she chooses work over the health of their child. When he tells her that the child should be of higher importance to her, she admits that work and the baby are both equally important. Han Sung does not understand this. However, Yoo Joo submits and says that she will try harder to be a better wife and a better mother, that she will stop working so hard and start caring more for their child.
When Han Kyul decides to tell his family about his relationship with Eun Chan, they are all shocked. Eun Chan is over at the house with grandmother and she is scolded for peeling the fruits. Why would a man peel fruits, after all? It's something the woman should do! Han Kyul steps out and says that Eun Chan is a woman, which surprises everyone. At first, only Han Kyul's father does not object to the relationship, as he knows what it feels like to be separated from a loved one. However, his mother and grandmother are strictly against the relationship. His grandmother even goes as far as to want to send him away to America. Han Kyul does not want to go, even though his opinions differed before he met Eun Chan. He claims that although Eun Chan is part of the reason he has changed his mind, she is not the only reason.
Eun Chan feels guilty for causing so much turmoil in the Choi family. Although she does not want Han Kyul to leave for America, she believes that if it will make his family happy, then he should go. However, when he reassures her that he is not leaving, she is happy. Soon, Eun Chan's witty charisma and charms begin to win over his mother, but his grandmother is still not convinced. But when Han Kyul makes the decision to ask Eun Chan to marry him, she knows there is nothing she can do. However, Eun Chan rejects the idea of getting married. She tells Han Kyul that she is only 24, and that she does not have the urge to get married just yet. Eun Chan contemplates, though, as she says that she wants to get married in five years' time. She thinks about Han Kyul's age - by the time five years have gone by, she will be 29 and he will be 34. She then limits the time to two years.
Soon, Eun Chan reveals her dreams of becoming a barista. With much encouragement from Hong Gae Sik, the former owner of Coffee Prince, Eun Chan is even more persistent in her dreams. Gae Sik believes she has much potential, but Han Kyul does not want to part with her. Although Eun Chan understands this, she cannot understand why he can't be more supportive of her. She tells him that she has a lot more to accomplish in life and that she does not want to depend on a husband. Han Kyul is awfully angered by this and they quarrel. However, he soon allows her to go to Italy for her studies, saying that he does not want to be the cause of her giving up her dreams.
So, Eun Chan leaves for Italy for two years. After the time has passed, she tells him that she may not be coming back so soon after all. Han Kyul stresses over this, but as he is interviewing several people for the barista position at Coffee Prince, Eun Chan suddenly appears before him, sporting a more feminine image: slightly longer permed hair, nicer-fitting women's clothing, and some makeup - he can barely believe his eyes. Eun Chan expresses her yearning for him and says that she has missed him terribly while she was gone. Han Kyul can only sit there in shock, with tears in his eyes.
Eun Chan then calls Han Kyul's grandmother to announce her arrival. She screams into the phone that she has brought gifts for them, and then she hangs up. Han Kyul's grandmother grumbles, "She asked me to keep her return a secret, yet now she's with him anyway. And why does she want to bring me gifts, that silly girl?" But then she turns and smiles discreetly to herself.
Han Kyul brings Eun Chan back to the shop, where she is reunited with her Coffee Prince friends. Min Yeop shows his boyishness by running to her, shouting "Noonim! You're back!" While Ha Rim refuses to touch her because he feels weirded out to see her dressed and looking like a woman. "This is strange! So, you're a woman?!" Then the cool Sun Ki comes out of nowhere and offers her a warm hug. Min Yeop does the same, but Ha Rim cowers away, still weirded out, when Eun Chan attempts to give him one. The drama ends with Han Kyul making Eun Chan a cup of coffee, while she pretends to gag at the taste of it, but in the end she tells him that it tastes good. They sit down together in the shop, sharing the coffee that brought them together in the first place.
The Verdict
I never found Yoon Eun Hye pretty until I watched this drama. She did an amazing job, and if you watch the Special, she receives nothing but praise for her performance. She's a very professional actress, and it was said that she totally transformed herself in order to fit her given character. Poor Eun Hye even cried her little heart out when filming came to an end, claiming that it killed her to be parting with our dear Go Eun Chan. I can see why she has earned such a status in the Korean entertainment industry. She is indeed an amazing actress. Her tears were real and heartbreaking, and she didn't really care if she didn't look pretty on camera - she was perfect for Go Eun Chan. Kudos to the casting director for that.
The plot was intriguing, the characters amusing, and most importantly, the drama itself is compelling. It shows us that the power of love does not stop to look at gender, it does not pause to consider gender roles. Homosexuality is a very tender subject, particularly in the conservative areas of Asia. Coffee Prince takes the topic very seriously and creates a beautiful drama out of it. The comedy was not taken too far, nor was it too cautious either. The budding relationship between Eun Chan and Han Kyul was just perfect, and I can imagine his shock and hurt when he finds out that the one he loves is in fact a woman.
The side story that belongs to Yoo Joo and Han Sung was refreshing too, as it tells the story of two people who haven't exactly seen the bright side of things, but still decide to work it out. Unlike other portrayals of relationships, Yoo Joo's and Han Sung's were the most realistic yet. They're two people who love each other, but they've gone through hardships that real people face today - not just the typical social status difference and disapproval from family members. Instead, they've gone through unfaithfulness to each other (Yoo Joo with DK and Han Sung with Eun Chan), many arguments that seemed like they would never stop, and the constant separations that just didn't seem right. In the end, they're still together and they get married, but that does not mean their troubles stop there. Their opinions on what Yoo Joo should be doing as a mother are different, they still argue, they still don't see eye-to-eye, but that's a relationship. It takes a lot of work and they prove that as long as two people love each other, the effort to be together, to understand each other, will eventually come out. That's what I loved about this couple.
Now, Min Yeop and Eun Sae's relationship is rather different. Eun Sae is Eun Chan's prettier younger sister, but she is spoiled rotten and lacks the characteristics that make her older sister so popular. Eun Sae constantly complains about how she needs money to fund her high school and college education, therefore Eun Chan always feels pressured about making money for her family. So, with Min Yeop she is no different. She belittles him and humiliates him, yet he still loves her with his entire heart. She does not cherish him, and Ha Rim eventually tells Min Yeop to start seeing other women. Eun Sae makes a slight change in herself as she realizes she wants Min Yeop back. He comes back to her, of course, but this time she's not as selfish and learns to love him in return. I liked their relationship because it gave me a new perspective. I constantly see girls out on the streets with their "whipped" boyfriends, but seeing the portrayal of Eun Sae and Min Yeop, I guess I developed more of an understanding as well. It also gave me the feeling that people can change, and that is what's most important.
Coffee Prince is a highly recommended drama, even if you don't like Korean dramas. It is one of the best ones out there, and honestly, I don't know who wouldn't like it. Although Eun Hye's boyish looks may get you frustrated because she is actually quite the beauty, Eun Chan's character will guarantee to make you fall in love with her. Coffee Prince will have you laughing, crying, and thinking about whether or not the things you've heard about love and friendship are the real deal. Touching, comedic, and highly compelling, I give Coffee Prince a perfect score!
