Back in the early K-drama wave in the Philippines, one show that I completely fell in love with was Coffee Prince. Starring Yoon Eun Hye and Gong Yoo, it was the show that cemented my love for K-dramas. The show was a love story that revolved around a coffee shop where the lead characters worked. the drama made me a fan not only of the story but of the actors involved in the series as well. I was so happy that I screamed with delight and excitement when I found out that they were doing a cast reunion. The reunion show is a two-part documentary that they called My Dear Youth -- Coffee Prince. If you haven't seen it, allow me to share my thoughts about watching it so you can find out what you missed!
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| Image Credit: MBC and Viu |
Background on the Show
For the uninitiated, Coffee Prince, aka First Shop of Coffee Prince, is a Korean drama from way back in 2007. It features a romance between a woman pretending to be a man to get a job at a coffee shop owned by a rich male owner. It's a romantic comedy that also features a group of guys who work at the cafe to attract female customers.
Unfortunately, it was not the kind of reunion that I expected. To be honest, it shouldn't have been a shock that they were not all together because they did it during the pandemic. But the fan girl in me was hoping to see them be the group I loved again after all these years. Part of me wishes they could have waited until after the pandemic to do it, not that anyone knew when it would end. Still, I cannot complain, it was still a reunion and it was still a nice look back into the show that I loved so many years ago. It was a comfort for me to see them on screen (albeit in groups of two) during those crazy times.
Awards and Recognition
Coffee Prince was very popular and well-received during its broadcast. Many of the actors received awards for their performances. Lead stars Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun Hye received acting awards for the show. Lee Eon, Kim Dong Wook, Kim Jae Wook, and Lee Han Wi received popularity awards because of Coffee Prince as well. Kim Chang Wan, also a member of the cast, received the Best PD award at the MBC Drama Awards.
The show itself won Best Drama at the 44th Baeksang Awards and Lee Yoon Jung also took the Best Director award. It was also the Best Drama for the 20th Korea PD Awards.
Reunion in Groups
Of course, Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun Hye were together for their part of the reunion as the leads of the show. They had solo interviews and an interview together at the coffee shop featured in the show. The location they used in the show is a real cafe, which was still running when they did the reunion. For some reason, I can't find the cafe online anymore so I'm not sure if it is still open. I heard that tourists often visit the coffee shop, it's too bad if it's not around anymore.
But back to Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun Hye. The two caught up with each other and looked back on their scenes together in the show. It was funny to see them cringe at their kissing scenes, they looked so embarrassed it was too cute! I loved how they both talked about how their careers went after being on the show.
There were similar setups for Lee Sun Gyun and Chae Jung An, as well as for Kim Dong Wook and Kim Jae Wook. The location for Dong Wook and Jae Wook's reunion was not familiar to me, it felt a little random. For Sun Gyun and Jung An, the site was the home of Sun Gyun's character in the show. From what I've heard this is also a coffee shop now and it is still open today. It's called Sanmotunggi Cafe and is in Seoul.
All the actors talked about how good of an experience it was to be on Coffee Prince. It made me think that part of the show's success was because of the rapport of the actors with each other. It was obvious how well they all seemed to get along. Having a good working experience helped make their ensemble case so effective. They were so good that fans like me could not help but fall in love with them!
A Little Kim Jae Wook Side Note
I felt disappointed with Kim Jae Wook and Kim Dong Wook's part in the reunion. It felt too short for me and I would have loved more of them. OK, I have to admit, it's partly because I had a huge crush on Jae Wook back during the Coffee Prince days. Their part also felt sad because they were missing one member, Lee Eon, who passed away in 2008.
Coffee Prince as Their First Love
Every actor interviewed talked about how the show was like looking back on first love. Some of them were already actors at the time, but they were not that popular. It was Coffee Prince that helped them to make a name for themselves in the industry. It was good to know that they all had gone on to good projects after the Coffee Prince. Most notable of these projects were for Gong Yoo and Lee Sun Gyun. Both have been part of successful films overseas. Gong Yoo was in Train to Busan and Lee Sun Gyun was in Parasite.
Lee Sun Gyun
Now that I am writing about this reunion, it feels bad to think of Lee Sun Gyun's recent controversies. According to what I've read in news articles online, he is under investigation for drug use. I have read that South Korea is strict when it comes to drug use and there is a huge social stigma attached to it. Even the accusation of drug use will for sure affect his career and that is such a waste of a promising talent.
Finding out that he is now under investigation makes me feel sad about this reunion. I would have loved to look back on the show and then see that the entire cast is doing well today. I have no idea if he is guilty or not, but I hope that this is an ordeal that he can overcome.
A Tribute to Lee Eon
One touching part of the reunion was when they talked about Lee Eon. He was one of the guys from the show who passed away due to a vehicular accident. It was very obvious during the interviews that the main cast were all very close to each other. You could see how Lee Eon's death had affected them when they talked about him. Gong Yoo even commented that he and Kim Jae Wook cried so much when Lee Eon died. As a fan of the show, even I felt so shocked to hear of his death. I loved the show so much that the cast felt like family. Hearing this was heartbreaking for me.
Lee Eon passed away at such a young age. it was such a shock even to me when I heard the news back then. It was nice that they gave him a little tribute during the reunion show. It made the reunion a bit bittersweet, but it was a nice touch.
Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun Hye Reunion Project, Anyone?
It was good to see Yoon Eun Hye and Gong Yoo together again. It would be nice if they could work together again someday. They had such good chemistry together in the show that I thought that they were a couple in real life. I remember watching a teaser for the reunion and they both noted that they were both still single. Wouldn’t it be cute if, by some twist of fate, these two end up together in the end? I would love that, but I would be fine with a reunion project. Them ending up together would be a good bonus, but I'm not going to get my hopes up for that one!
It's too bad that Yoon Eun Hye has not been active in her acting career for years now. I would love to see her with Gong Yoo again. I would want this reunion project more than one of Yoon Eun Hye and Ju Ji Hoon (not that I wouldn't want that either). At this point, any kind of reunion of the cast in other projects would be great since the rest of them are still active.
Did any of you watch Coffee Prince back in the day? Did you get to see the reunion show? What did you think about it? Let me know if you agree that Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun Hye should have a reunion project! It would be amazing if they did! Share your thoughts in the comments section!
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