How long have you been a K-Drama fan? What was your favorite of the early era Korean dramas? For me, it was Coffee Prince, starring Yoon Eun Hye and Gong Yoo. Aired in 2007, it was one of the most memorable K-Dramas that I have seen that I still love today. Let’s look back at the story, the cast, and the effect it has had on fans since then.
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| Photo Credit: MBC Korea |
Plot
The story revolves around a coffee shop called Coffee Prince. This was a shop run by Choi Han Gyul whose grandmother handed him the business. She wanted him to learn how to run the business so that he could inherit the family company.
Coffee Prince features male employees, which Han Gyul thinks would attract female customers. Among these employees is Go Eun Chan. Eun Chan is a young woman who is pretending to be a man so that she can make ends meet for her family. She met Han Gyul when she pretended to be his gay lover in the past. This was when he wanted his grandmother would stop arranging blind dates for him.
Han Gyul is in love with Han Yoo Joo, an artist who only sees him as a friend. This is because she is in an on-off relationship with composer Choi Han Sung, who happens to be Han Gyul's cousin.
Complications happen when Han Gyul develops feelings for Eun Chan. Thinking that Eun Chan is a man, Han Gyul feels confused about what he is feeling for her. It confuses him further that he still has a continued infatuation with Yoo Joo. What makes matters worse is that Han Sung also develops for Eun Chan. He knows that she is a woman because they met before things developed between her and Han Gyul.
My Review
Coffee Prince is one of my all-time favorite K-Dramas because of the cast. The combination of all the actors is part of what makes this story work. Having a large cast doesn’t always work in a Korean drama. It can sometimes drive viewers away from the plot with all the subplots from the supporting cast. With Coffee Prince, I found that the subplots helped enhance the story instead of taking away from it.
The plot is a bit unrealistic. I can't believe Han Gyul and the other men who work for Coffee Prince believe that Eun Chan is a man the entire time. Yoon Eun Hye does do a good job looking like a man with her build and her lack of makeup, as well as with her acting. But there were still hints here and there that would make you think that she wasn’t who she was pretending she was. The fact that other characters could see she was a woman right away made this even weirder.
I love how it pushed the envelope when it came to the homosexual theme of it. Eun Chan was a girl, but it doesn't take away from how Han Gyul thought he was gay for having feelings thinking she was a man. The scenes where Han Gyul was developing feelings and coming to terms with them were a good example of that. Showing a male lead having the possibility of falling in love with a man was something not done at the time. It was a fresh take on this type of love story.
There were so many memorable moments in the show that I remember years after Coffee Prince ended. It was these moments that made this show the classic that it is today.
Memorable Moments
Eating Scenes
Eun Chan, despite the small frame, is a voracious eater. She has scenes where she eats so much that will make you either crave what she’s eating or swear off food altogether. This series was the show where I discovered jajangmyeon, which I still love to eat today.
As a coffee lover, I loved that this story involved a lot of it. I am a fan of the scenes that had them working on coffee for the shop. I remember dreaming of having my coffee shop one day because of how much I loved Coffee Prince.
Blind Date Scenes
I thought that this was a very funny part of the series. Seeing the rapport that Yoon Eun Hye and Gong Yoo had together was fun to watch. The scenes where they pretended to be a gay couple were some of the amusing parts of this show. The reactions to his blind dates were a bit over the top, but these two made it so amusing.
Car scenes
I find myself remembering the car scenes from the movie whenever I'm in a car and looking out the window. There are several car scenes in the show I loved. They often centered around the emotional moments of the main characters. From heartbreak to joy, then falling in love, it seems that Han Gyul’s car was always part of those moments.
The Kiss Scenes
If you have watched the series, you will get what I mean. The chemistry between the two leads is unlike other shows I’ve seen before! I still wish they could end up together in real life years after the show was long over!
Beach Scene
The scene where Han Gyul realizes that he is in love with Eun Chan is one of the most moving scenes I’ve seen in a K-Drama. I love how Han Gyul’s expressions change in the scene because he is trying to justify his feelings. He was trying to justify them as that of an older brother but still could not control his feelings for Eun Chan. I also love how Eun Chan is trying to push him to show how he feels about her. She wanted him to admit it even if it meant him thinking he was falling in love with a man.
Official Soundtrack
The song from the opening credits, Lalala It’s Love, always makes me feel good when I hear it. It reminds me so much of the show.
There are other songs from this series that I have kept on my playlist even years after the show ended. I loved this show that much. These songs, White Love Story, Go Go Chan, and Polly are all available on online music streaming sites.
Filming Location
The Coffee Prince café is the most popular film location of the series. K-Drama fans consider the place a must-visit when on a visit to Korea. Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun Hye were at the same location for the reunion documentary of the show.
Unfortunately, as of this writing, it seems the place is already closed.
Where are they now?
Gong Yoo
Gong Yoo continued with his acting career after completing his mandatory military service. He has had success in several shows. Some of his most popular work has been the film Train to Busan, the TV series Goblin, and The Silent Sea. He also appeared in a cameo role in the popular series Squid Game.
Yoon Eun Hye
She continued to make TV shows after Coffee Prince, but she did not find the same success as she had on the show. She is active on social media and has her own YouTube channel.
Chae Jung An
She continues to be active in the industry. I am not familiar with any of her work after Coffee Prince.
Lee Sun Kyun
He moved on to become a successful actor in movies and films. He has garnered awards and nominations for his work. The most popular of his recent work has been the movie Parasite, which won an Oscar award for Best Picture.
Kim Dong Wook
After appearing as one of the Coffee Princes, Kim Dong Wook continued to work on TV and film. The most noteworthy of his recent work has been in the successful Along with the Gods film series.
Kim Jae Wook
Being the handsome waffle guy on Coffee Prince led to leading roles in future projects. His other work included romantic lead roles in dramas such as Her Private Life and Crazy Love. Kim Jae Wook has also appeared not only on TV but also in musicals and films.
Lee Eon
A former model, he moved on to other dramas, including a drama called Strongest Chil Woo. It was after a celebration of the end of his last drama that he figured in a motorcycle accident and died. His Coffee Prince castmates attended his funeral. Gong Yoo even carried the memorial tablet during the funeral. He went on leave from his mandatory military service at the time to attend the funeral.
Other Cast Members
Many of the supporting characters in the show are still active on TV. Kim Young Ok, who played Han Gyul’s grandmother, is still an actor in her 80s. Her most recent TV work has been on the show King the Land.
Park Woon Sok, who played Eun Chan’s mother, was recently seen in the drama Mine as the matriarch of the Hyowon family. Kim Chang Wan, who played the manager in the Coffee Prince shop, is still active in TV and film. He also wrote several books.
Coffee Prince Legacy
The show has had remakes in Thailand, the Philippines, China, and Malaysia. This is how successful the original series was in these countries.
Due to the continued love for the show, a reunion documentary aired in 2020. Cast members looked back on the show and the enduring success of the story with fans all over the world. It was too bad that the reunion was during the pandemic. This meant social distancing required the cast to be apart. It would have been great to see everyone together for that reunion.
Were you a fan of Coffee Prince? Which characters and actors did you love the most? Share your thoughts in the comments, let’s reminisce together!
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