Korean Drama: The First Shop of Coffee Prince

The First Shop Of Coffee Prince (Must watch!!!)
Cast : Yoon Eun-hye, Gong Yoo, Lee Seon-gyeon, Chae Jung-an

She’s back!Following her roles in Princess Hours and The Man of the Vineyard, which made her an icon of trendy Korean dramas, Yoon Eun-hye is now starring as a tomboyish young girl dressed as a man in The First Shop of Coffee Prince. This big hit drama in Korea, which is based on a novel with the same title, has attracted a large female audience by casting some well-known actors to play “handsome princes” in this marshmallow drama. This is the first long dramatic series ever to be produced by MBC’s first female drama producer Lee Yoon-jung who had previously directed shorter dramas such as Taeneung National Village. With her sophisticated and feminine dramatic sensibility, Lee has succeeded in capturing the hearts of viewers who
are largely young males and females in their thirties.

Synopsis

As the head of a poor family, the lively and independent Eun-chan has worked at just about every job there is. She is hired to work at a coffee shop by Han-gyeol who mistakes her for a male and asks her to pose as his boyfriend. A relationship begins between Han-gyeol, who pretends to act as a homosexual to scare off the blind dates arranged by his grandmother, and Eun-chan, who needs to hide her gender to make money.
At his grandmother’s request, Han-gyeol has taken charge of the failing Coffee Prince. He re-opens the shop together with a few “princes” including Eun-chan and builds a partnership and friendship with them. In this process, Han-gyeol finds himself drawn to Eun-chan, and this “homosexual” attraction confuses him.

About the Characters

Choi Han-gyeol – Played by Gong Yoo Han-gyeol is the heir to the Dongin Foods Company. He had been working in the U.S., but returns to Korea at his grandmother’s request. Smart, witty, and handsome, he is popular with women. He hasn’t settled on any particular job, and still has so many things he wants to do. Clearly, taking over the family business is not what he has in mind. He is unable to defy his grandmother’s requests, however, so he starts managing the coffee shop, Coffee Prince, and grows to enjoy the taste of its coffee. Definitely stubborn, he doesn’t want to ask for favors or give them. Likewise, he acts with indifference toward others. However, deep inside he is warm hearted. He meets Eun-chan, a lively boy (who is actually a girl) and falls in love with him, which has him deeply troubled about his sexual preference.

Go Eun-chan – Played by Yoon Eun-hye Eun-chan is definitely a manly-looking girl. Since she was in high school, girls of her age had often mistaken her for a pretty boy and tried to date her. Since her father passed away, she has worked at all kinds of jobs to support her family. Despite her difficult situation, she maintains a courageous and forthright demeanor. A likeable person, she enjoys eating good food and is friendly to everyone. Influenced by her coffee-loving father, she has an uncanny ability to judge the aroma of coffee. Thanks to this ability, she lands a job at Coffee Prince and dreams of becoming a hostess one day. She falls in love with Han-gyeol who is cold and wild, and since their encounter, her life is no longer as peaceful as it had been.

Choi Han-seong – Played by Lee Seon-gyeon Not only does Han-seong have a sweet voice and smile but he is also easy-going, so he can easily make friends with anyone, but he doesn’t reveal his true feelings. Like other artists, his is stubborn and somewhat eccentric. A musician working at a broadcast company, he lives alone - away from his family and the family business, Dongin Foods. As far as work is concerned, he is full of confidence and active. He has found it difficult to be close to women ever since he broke up with his ex-girlfriend, Yoo-joo. However, he finds he is drawn to Eun-chan who befriends him.

Han Yoo-joo– Played by Chae Jung-an Yoo-joo is a stylish and sexy artist. The raven-haired beauty has been working actively in both New York and Seoul. She is liberal to the point of selfishness, wearing whatever fashion suits her taste. She makes friends with others quite easily but her unrestrained character often leads to loneliness. Deep inside, she is hurt easily and has trouble getting over it. She once loved Choi Han-seong but her passion for art causes her to break up with him and go to New York. She later goes back to Han-seong only to learn the painful truth - that he doesn’t feel the same way about her.