Number of episodes: 17

Released Year: 2007

Main Plot:

Coffee Prince is a romantic comedy that tells the story of Go Eun-chan, a tomboyish young woman who is often mistaken for a man. When she starts working at a café owned by Choi Han-gyeol, a wealthy bachelor, he hires her while believing she is a boy. Things get complicated as Han-gyeol begins to fall for her, leading to a heartwarming story of love, identity, and self-discovery.

Main Cast:

• Yoon Eun-hye as Go Eun-chan

• Gong Yoo as Choi Han-gyeol

• Lee Sun-kyun as Choi Han-sung

• Chae Jung-an as Han Yoo-joo

Episodes Summary:

Episode 1: Eun-chan’s Struggles

At the beginning of the novel, Go Eun-chan is a vibrant and ambitious young woman who, sometimes wrongly identified as a boy, due to her boyish physique. Eun-chan doesn’t mind the confusion because it really helps her get more employment because of her short hair, breezy attire, and tomboyish confidence. She is in dire need of jobs as well. She works as a taekwondo teacher, a delivery girl, and does odd jobs, to support her mother and her sister as well. Despite her financial troubles, such as a surprise rent increase and her mother having lost a priceless diamond, she never lets those circumstances get her down.

We meet Choi Han-gyeol, the endearing but careless heir to Dongin Foods, across town. Han-gyeol is a carefree, rebellious, and hard-work-sensitive person who would rather play, travel, and flirt than work in the family business. However, his strong grandmother has different ideas. Through a series of planned blind dates, she hopes to instill a sense of responsibility in him. Naturally, Han-gyeol does not want to interact with them; this is where his destiny and Eun-chan’s meet.

In a comical turn of events, Han-gyeol believes Eun-chan to be a boy. Captivated by her fearless demeanor, he devises an absurd yet astute scheme: Eun-chan will pose as his homosexual boyfriend in order to frighten away the women at his grandmother’s planned dates. After being startled at first, Eun-chan reluctantly concurs. It’s excellent money, after all, and her family needs it badly. One of the most hilarious parts of the episode is seeing Eun-chan comply while Han-gyeol snickers at the mayhem.

Han Yoo-joo, Han-gyeol’s elegant and refined first love, makes a reappearance in the meantime. Yoo-joo’s homecoming from overseas instantly rekindles old scars and repressed emotions. She also wants to amend Choi Han-Seong, Han-Gyeol’s kind cousin and a talented music producer, so she returns to more than Han-gyeol. When she reappears in his life unexpectedly, Han-Seong, who is still hurt by her previous abandonment, is in a dispute. Here, the complex triangle formed by Han-Gyeol, Yoo-joo, and Han-Seong begins to take shape, adding high levels of stress.

Han-gyeol’s grandma assigns him a challenging duty upon his return to reality: renovating a run-down café that has all but been forgotten. “Why should I care about coffee when I have no interest in business?” is the first thing Han-gyeol asks. But slowly, a gleam of resolve emerges, driven by Eun-chan’s energy. He makes the bold decision to give the café a motif that only gorgeous young men would work there, giving it the feel of a “Coffee Prince.” Assuming Eun-chan to be a male, Han-gyeol names her as one of his first “princes,” thus setting the stage for innumerable misunderstandings and heartwarming moments.

Eun-chan meets Han-seong at a wine bar near the end of the episode. He is immediately recognizable to her as the owner of a dog she has seen before, and they had a very brief interaction, but if nothing else it was cordial enough to suggest a potential relationship in the future. This interaction connects Eun-chan in an indirect way with Han-gyeol’s cousin which ensures that their lives will become even more entangled from here on out.

Episode 2: Brewing Conflicts

Go Eun-chan, a tomboyish part-timer, and Choi Han-gyeol have an odd relationship that is further explored in this episode. Dongin Foods Heir Han-Gyeol, despite his prosperity and laid-back lifestyle, is trying to avoid his grandmother’s constant blind-date invitation. On the other hand, Eun-chan is a young woman who has a strong work ethic that is sometimes confused for a boy. She does many things to help her younger sister and her widowed mother. They meet when Han-gyeol entices her to play his “fake boyfriend” in an effort to ruin his blind dates on the promise of her money and his freedom.

Initially a simple trick, it soon becomes a show. Eun-chan appears at a fancy restaurant as Han-gyeol’s overbearing companion, even pretending to kiss him to frighten him away. In anger, the unfortunate woman walks off, and Han-gyeol smirks at his triumph. But Eun-chan is embarrassed because it was her first kiss. She is cruelly teased by Han-gyeol, who jokes that it was his “first time too… with a guy.” As the pair performs more often, their comic chemistry is solidified as each show gets funnier and more wild than the last.

The hilarity is heightened when Han-gyeol unintentionally becomes inebriated after exchanging drinks with Eun-chan. She pulls him to her part-time work at the taekwondo studio since he is too inebriated to walk. Children have amused themselves by tying him up with belts when he wakes up in total embarrassment. For a man who is obsessed with his appearance, this is the stuff of nightmares. It completely amuses Eun-chan, who can’t stop laughing at his expense.

Following then, the story shifts to Choi Han-seong, Han-gyeol’s benevolent cousin and skilled music producer. Eun-chan and him have a deep conversation about forgiveness when they cross paths again. In light of his former lover’s recent comeback, Han-seong’s comments hint at his own hardship. Han Yoo-Joo is a talented lady artist. She had betrayed him with another man. Their reunion is full of concern. Yoo-joo admits that her romance is over and asks for another chance. Even though Han-Seong is still broken, he gives in to his old feelings and they share an emotional kiss. But regret returned in the morning when Han-Seong advised Yoo-joo not to come back, shocking her but making her vow to never give up on him again.

Meanwhile, a glimpse of Eun-chan’s world begins to appear to Han-gyeol. He sees how she works hard, maintains a loving but messy home, and makes sacrifices for her family after his crazy night in her world. He sees a boyish appearance, but underneath that, a woman is fighting for her life. But Eun-chan keeps working hard, looking for unpaid wages, taking on tasks that are way beyond her age, and managing family budgets.

The decisive moment is when the strong grandmother of Han-Gyeol gives her the task of reviving a dilapidated cafe. Despite its initial reluctance, Han-Gyeol begins to experiment with a novel idea: hiring all attractive youth to work in cafes to attract customers. Meanwhile, the shaky reunion between Han-Seong and Yoo-joo takes a dramatic turn, causing rejection and unresolved injury. A sub -cosmetry that more significant changes are imminent because the episode 2 comes to a conclusion, waiting for the dusty doors of the cafe to be opened and relationships are already entangled in pain and misunderstanding.

Also Read : Top 2 Dramas of Gong yoo.