Synopsis & Review

Coffee and books, my two fave things in one K-drama! Heaven! Coffee and books, need I say more? But alas I can't contain myself in raving and raving about Coffee House! Cause there's more to Coffee House than just coffee and books

Coffee House, which stars Kang Ji Hwan of Hong Gil Dong fame, Park Si Yeon of My Girl and Han Eun Jung of the idol group T-Ara, is a story about a dense and not quite employed Kang Seung Yeon who was offered a secretarial job under the very talented yet eccentric and elusive author Lee Jin Soo, who is contracted under a publishing company owned and managed by Seo Eun Young. Inexperienced Seung Yeon found the job not rewarding since Jin Soo only gave her menial tasks like sharpening 10 pencils, hand-dripping coffee and summarizing a huge tome about fossils. To add insult to injury, Jin Soo didn't even appreciate the sharpened pencils and coffee. He throws the pencils at the trash bin and makes his own coffee for his high standards can't accept Seung Yeon's amateurish attempts. When Seung Yeon learned that Jin Soo only offered the job because a common friend wouldn't accept Jin Soo's payment unless she was offered the job, Seung Yeon vowed that she can't continue doing a job that is offered out of pity. She then challenged Jin Soo that she can be a pro and can make him do what she wants!


The task to being a pro is no straight path for Seung Yeon. Aside from practicing to get the right technique in sharpening a pencil and dripping coffee that are up to Jin Soo's level of standard, she has to be Jin Soo's guinea pig and undergo a series of silly if not humiliating tasks for the author's next book. From hula hooping from one part of the workshop to another part just to answer a phone call, to painting the wall with her multi-colored foot, to going inside a travelling bag just so Jin Soo will know if a chopped body parts can really fit inside, to catching a wild cat! She even went beyond mere secretarial works to helping Jin Soo sleep by tracking three small noises in the neighborhood at four in the morning.


With such devotion, she'll end up being his girlfriend, right? Wrong! Well, maybe slightly right. She acted as Jin Soo's girlfriend because Jin Soo's love is engaged to be married to his senior. Jin Soo was once married but is scarred with his wife's death; he didn't notice that he was falling for his frienemy (friend-nemesis) Seo Eun Young, the publisher, who also happens to be his wife's friend as well. They got comfortable with the publisher-author relationship that when they are punched with the idea of being a couple, they both got scared and presented a stoic persona. The complicated sometimes antagonistic yet affectionate relationship between Jin Soo and Eun Young makes one to long for their bantering to go on and on and for their love for each other not be destroyed by the totally dense and over-confident Han Ji Won, Eun Young fiancee/ex- fiancee.


So, who ends with Jin Soo? That's the beauty of this drama. The viewers are kept hanging on who ends up with Jin Soo. Who is the female protagonist and who is the female antagonist? The line separating the two is vague and there's really no female antagonist. You'll be rooting for both of them, not knowing who to choose for Jin Soo for you just knew either one of them is the best choice! There are 18 episodes and up to the 16th episode, I still haven't had a clue who ultimately ends up with Jin Soo.

The cast are all simply adorable and is very effective in their roles. The characters are flawed, oh yes, who isn't in real life, but they are adorable with not just their charms but with their imperfections, as well. And these characters are beautifully portrayed by the talented cast. Kang Ji-hwan made me swoon! That devilish grin… charming! As a famous author of bestseller mystery novels, he played the eccentricities of authors to the letter. The unpredictability, the swing moods, the maddeningly but not irritating cheeky grins, the brainy almost insane way of thinking, his glib and flippant ways to cover up a dark emotion, his wisecracks to remain in control, all mixed up to be this character that is full of personality! Did I say he's also devious? He's that and more! With the way his brains think of insane solutions to simple scenarios and even pranks are just genius! Now enters Park Si Yeon, the actress whose devilish ways in the drama are just endearing. I didn't expect her to be so cheeky and so perfect for the role because her character and acting in My Girl I just simply hate! lol… But she changed my opinion of her and made her character as a successful and confident businesswoman very cute and adorable to me! Her fashion style in the drama is top notch too! Her bewildered looks, devious grins, perfect English, maddening ways, high energy level and confidence nailed the character!


Another actress that I didn't expect to showcase great acting is T-ara's Han Eun-jung. For a noob well not quite cuz she has acted on her younger days, I didn't expect her to be so effective as a dense and immature 25-year old Kang Seung Yeon. I like the way that she has this natural air that made you like the character more. She exuded a persona that wants you to cheer for her to do her best, even the silliest of tasks. You want to root for her to get the guy too, if not Jin Soo, then café manager Dong Wook played by Park Jae-jung. Either of the two guys is complimentary for her perky ways if only Jin Soo returns her affections or if only she feels something romantic towards Dong Wook!

I just love how the story doesn't have a bad guy or girl, and even if there is different love triangles formed, there's not a feeling of me, the viewer, hating the characters. Well, with the exception of Jung Woong-In's character Han Ji Woon, who I really dislike the absurdly high confidence and super dense attitude who forces his bold and eew presence upon people. But you also adore his ways, his facial expressions and funny mannerisms! Does that make any sense? That's for you to find out by watching, right? Lol

Added to that are the characters of Seung Yeon's family, the publishing staff and the cafe crew. You just end up loving them all, especially Seung Yeon's grandma who is a typical grandmother with her nurturing ways, but has this uncanny way of making you do want you don't want to do. Seung Yeon's dad and brother are adorable too. Even if they're not overly ambitious but they have this protectiveness towards Seung Yeon that endears them to any loving daughter. The way they beat the heck out of Seung Yeon's cheater ex with the dried fish, watermelon and seaweeds supposedly prepared for the offering dinner for Seung Yeon's mom is hilarious! Another funny family moment is when they had fun feeding/stealing their lettuce-wrapped meats from one another.

Cliches are abundant in the drama but you'll be surprised on how they incorporate these cliches and twisted it to come up with a fresh plot and a good laugh! The cliche of slipping in the bathroom floor and Jin Soo seeing Eun Young with all her naked glory, you've seen this already, right? Right. It's a My Girl scene between Gong Chan and Yoo Rin but what is different in this drama is that Jin Soo un-embarrassingly and cheekily helped Eun Young to wear clothes. Another cliche is when Jin Soo spotted Seung Yeon naked and he looked, oh yes, really looked! But he screamed, or it could be squeaked in a girlish manner! There's also the cliche of interrupting a wedding because Jin Soo wanted to steal Eun Young from his sunbae Ji Woon, but did it happen? No! A twist is made to make both parties not end in embarrassment.

Funny scenes are abundant too with lots of bathroom-based humor like when Seung Yeon locked herself inside their café's restroom but ended up using it when the locksmith arrived. Awkward yet funny! Or when after blowing the candles, Eun Young used the restroom to blow off some of her uneasiness being with Jin Soo, thinking it's the female restroom but became more awkward when Jin Soo pointed the urinal!


And the kisses?! Absolutely giddy feeling! The chemistry between Ji Soo and Eun Young is so evident it sizzles! The phone booth kiss is full of a longing in Eun Young's side that you can feel the love but that Jin Soo is not yet ready but is quite stunned. I especially like the train kiss! If a man runs miles, well, not quite miles, to get to a train that is about to takeoff, grabs the girl and kiss her passionately, who will not swoon to oblivion! I did! Lol


Obviously, I haven't even nicked what the drama is all about with its complex characters and various nuances but I just want to end this review by saying, I enjoyed every each episode! A lot! Need I say more?! Yes! I like the directing a lot and how the story unfolds in different ways. The time skips showcased two sides - the funny side with its comic flair showcasing memories that exudes hilarity and happy moments and the dark side with its monochromatic darkness showcasing bleak and sad memories. There are even the split images showing the two views or two characters' reactions with a changing image sizes denoting who wins and losses the argument. There's also the literal clock ticking while Seung Yeon talks fast to air her opinion in just mere seconds. [Thanks javabeans for pointing out these cool directions.] Subtle story telling by giving the visuals and not just the lines.


My take? Two thumbs up and a MUST see!

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