Details
Title: The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince
Also known as: Coffee Prince
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 17
Broadcast Network: MBC
Broadcast Period: 2007-Jul-02 to 2007-Aug-27
The Coffee Prince is a South Korean drama that aired on July 2, 2007 in South Korea. It stars popular actress Yoon Eun Hye from Goong, Gong Yoo from One Fine Day and Lee Sun Gyun from White Tower and Chae Jung Ahn. The drama contains vaguely homosexual elements, although these are disputable given the theme of the plot.
Due to the show's popularity, MBC had announced extension of the show by one episode. MBC also aired a special on August 28, 2007. Gong Yoo watched the special with 1000 fans from all over Asia.
Choi Han Kyul, played by GONG YOO, is the cocky, gorgeous, and handsome son of a rich family who runs a coffee franchise. He doesn't believe in love and certainly doesn't want to get married despite his family's requests. On the other hand, Go Eun Chan, played by Yoon Eun Hye, is a 24-year old tomboyish female who gets mistaken as a guy quite often. She takes up every job possible - waitress, delivery man, etc - and has the responsibility of taking care of her mother and younger sister. Eun Chan accidentally meets Han Kyul twice, once on a delivery and once during a robbery. During the robbery, Eun Chan's delivery motorcycle ends up being destroyed. Han Kyul, not knowing that Eun Chan is actually a girl, decides to hire Eun Chan as a false "gay lover" in exchange for money so that he can escape the blind dates arranged by his grandmother. Meanwhile, Han Kyul's cousin, Choi Han Seong, is an established music producer and his ex-girlfriend Han Yoo Joo, who Han Kyul secretly loved for nine years, is a famous artist who studied in New York. The two were lovers for about 8 years but their relationship ended when Yoo Joo broke up with Han Seong. Two years after they separated their paths cross again when Yoo Joo returned to Seoul.
After getting an ultimatum from his grandmother, Han Kyul takes over their newly bought coffee shop, which was later named Coffee Prince, to prove his ability, both to his grandmother and Yoo Joo. In order to attract female customers, he only hires good looking male employees. In a struggle with money, Eun Chan, whom Han Kyul has already mistaken as a boy, hides her gender identity to get a job at Coffee Prince. Soon the feelings start to spark between Eun Chan and Han Kyul. Despite not knowing Eun Chan was a girl, Han Kyul starts to question his sexuality and decided to see a psychiatrist. Until one day, Han Kyul finally decided to tell his feelings to Eun Chan that he love him despite the fact that he is a male.
International Broadcasting:
Philippines -airing date: January 1, 2008
-broadcast network: GMA Network
-theme song: Because of You by Martin Nievera
-trivia: Go Eun-chan's name was changed into Andie Go and Choi Han-kyul's name into Arthur Choi so that it will be appropriate for the Filipino's way of naming.
