Coffee Prince: Eighth Cup

119 July 24, 2007January 24, 2016

by javabeans

I really like where they’re taking this story. I’m so pleased to discover that they’ve taken what could so easily have been a bit of fluff — cotton candy entertainment — and somehow made it thoughtful, even poignant at times.

In other kdramas, I frequently get frustrated at some of the obvious plot manipulations that could be so easily resolved with one honest conversation (I know I’m not the only one yelling at my computer screen, “Just tell her already!” or “Woman, how can you not know?!”). But here, I find myself feeling the reality of these people’s quandaries and why they feel the way they do… Particularly so in this episode.

SONG OF THE DAY

웅산 / Woong (or Oong, or Ung) San – “아무말 말아요” (Don’t say a word). Female jazzy-blues singer, similar in style to Madeleine Peyroux, with a vocal quality that kinda reminds me of Rachael Yamagata.
[ zShare download ]

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EPISODE 8 SUMMARY

As Eun Chan and Han Gyul kiss, Han Gyul closes his eyes for a moment… before he pushes Eun Chan away, alarmed. Eun Chan’s unbothered — she says the kiss worked in reviving his energy. She reminds him of his blind dates, how Han Gyul kissed Eun Chan in exuberance. Han Gyul blusters in denial, and Eun Chan mutters, “So why’d you close your eyes then?” and makes a face imitating him.

But thankfully, that doesn’t ruin anything between them, and they drink together outside. Eun Chan makes kissy noises to annoy Han Gyul until he threatens her into stopping.

Eun Chan: “How Han Gyul-ian of you. Do you know what that means? To preserve appearances, you won’t admit you’re going through a hard time when you are. You can’t say you like something when you do.”

Han Gyul wonders how to act around his grandmother, and Eun Chan relates a story about her father, who was sick for a long time before passing away. She’d lay beside him in bed while he slept, or go to him when she got scolded by her mother. The day he died, as she was leaving for school, she thought: “When I come home from school, dad might not be here.”

Eun Chan tests the waters by asking Han Gyul, “What if I were a girl?,” and he looks at her curiously. “If I were a girl, could we date?” Han Gyul answers it’s a good thing she isn’t; if a girl like her pestered him to date, it would be a headache.

Han Gyul tells her his time for playing around has passed: “I’ll have to get married, so I should meet a good woman that my grandmother and mother would like.” Eun Chan figures that means a daughter of some corporate family, and Han Gyul says that’s the kind his grandmother likes.

Talking it over with Eun Sae, Eun Chan wonders if she should just reveal that she’s a girl. She says, “The other day at work, I had this thought: Even if I could just be by his side, that would be nice. Then I wouldn’t have anything more to wish for.”

Eun Sae lays out her two options: Either she tell him the truth, or forget about having a romantic relationship and just go on acting as a male to be near him.

Eun Chan tags along on Han Gyul’s visit to his grandmother. While playing Go Stop, Eun Chan sees grandmother and grandson conspiring, and accuses them of scamming. Although the grandmother acts like she’s annoyed, she likes not being treated specially because of her illness, and Eun Chan does just that.

Also visiting are Han Sung and Yu Ju, and because I’m feeling a little more generous to Yu Ju these days, I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt in this scene. Yu Ju marvels at Eun Chan’s ability to be comfortable around everyone, and Han Sung answers that Eun Chan treats everyone well — if he had the opportunity, he could do anything he put his mind to: “He’s a unique guy.”

Yu Ju offers her shoulder to lean on for comfort, but Han Gyul prefers her lap. He lies down, admitting how bad he feels for not spending more time with his grandmother.

However, Eun Chan and Han Sung see the scene, and Eun Chan feels the blow of seeing them together. Han Sung looks over and reads the expression on her face.

Driving back to work, Eun Chan is pissy and short-tempered, causing Han Gyul to wonder what’s with her. She uses Han Sung as the reason to vent her own hurt, saying he’s really got some nerve laying in the lap of another woman, knowing she’s his cousin’s girlfriend.

The mood thus soured, Eun Chan arrives at the cafe in an awful mood. Alone in the dressing room, she wipes away angry tears:

“I even kissed him. I went to the hospital with him. I made him laugh. And still, it’s her?”

Yu Ju asks Han Sung what she was like in her twenties (which I guess means she’s in her thirties), and he tells her: “Busy, dizzying, hurried. It was like something was always chasing you, but you didn’t know what.” Eun Chan makes Yu Ju think of her own younger days, wondering why she wasn’t as lively and exuberant.

Understanding the subtext of this conversation, Han Sung assures her, “She’s cute and pretty, but that’s all.” Yu Ju half-seriously tells him she’s not going to let it slide anymore. (As in, he’s paying Eun Chan a lot of attention, and she wants to be understanding, but there’s a limit.)

At work, Min Yub swears to Sun Ki that he’ll keep his secret (about his devotion to his former love), and Sun Ki, warming to him, asks if he wants to know another one. He’s actually Japanese (later we find out he’s half-Korean). Min Yub feels so grateful to be trusted with a secret that he wants to give something in exchange… so he whispers one of his own to Sun Ki: Eun Chan’s really a girl.

Eun Chan is still feeling upset with Han Gyul, and avoids him while working. Since she won’t speak to him, Han Gyul tries to engage her attention by giving her tasks, but no matter what he says or how he provokes her, she makes no response. Finally he brings up the subject directly.

Her comments about his behavior toward Yu Ju must have connected with his conscience, because he stumbles over his words as he explains: “The thing about me and my cousin’s girlfriend… well, about me and Han Yu Ju… so we used to… now, we’re…” But Eun Chan just walks off.

Eun Sae goes on an audition amongst some truly terrible acts, and although they like her telegenic appearance (but what’s with the phallic wand?), her singing is pretty awful. She sings the Korean remake of Blondie’s “Maria” from 200 Pound Beauty and cracks on the chorus.

Finally, Han Gyul takes Eun Chan aside to ask what’s wrong. She says it’s nothing, but he has too much to worry about — just say it: “What’s the problem?” And without missing a beat, Eun Chan tells him: “I like you.” That stops him short, and she repeats: “I like you. But that can’t happen, right? Since we’re both men.”

Han Gyul tries to brush it off as a joke, but she continues: “That’s why I’m trying to get over you. So just leave me alone.”

While in the hospital, Han Gyul sees a sign for psychiatry and consults with a doctor. He answers no to the questions of whether he’s ever wanted to be a woman, or use makeup to look like one. But the doctor, who’s clearly unhinged, doesn’t listen to his response and jumps to the conclusion that he’s attracted to all men, and gives him a few days’ worth of medication. Ah, Korea, aren’t we progressive. They revised the DSM-III in the ’70s, you know.

Min Yub presents Eun Sae with a bouquet of flowers, but she’s in a foul mood due to her failed audition, and is feeling no desire to be nice. She insults Min Yub, saying she hates ignorant guys like him, and when he won’t leave her alone, she throws his flowers to the ground. Aw.

That night, Eun Chan tells Eun Sae it really seems it can’t work with Han Gyul, but she still likes him. Eun Sae tells her to get over it, rather than being strung along. Hearing Eun Sae’s choked voice, Eun Chan comforts her sister, who cries over her failed audition.

DK (I assume) arrives at Yu Ju’s gallery to recruit her services for a restaurant he plans to open. He wants her to design everything.

At work, Sun Ki looks pointedly at Eun Chan’s chest and asks how she managed to flatten it. Eun Chan realizes Min Yub has told, and goes to give him a piece of her mind. He’s feeling depressed over Eun Sae (Ha Rim offers to help him win her over), but their confrontation is cut short by Han Gyul, who orders them to stop disturbing customers and get back to work. Eun Chan retorts that Han Gyul’s being more disruptive with his yelling, and he talks to her sternly — but as he’s finally gotten Eun Chan to talk to him again, he smiles to himself.

Han Gyul asks her if she’s gotten over her feelings for him, and she answers that she’s almost done. She’ll let him know when it’s complete.

At Han Sung’s house, playing around with the instruments, Han Sung notices that Eun Chan looks good today. She answers that she’s found that it’s better to follow your heart, even if it’s difficult. (I infer that she’s talking about confessing her feelings for Han Gyul.)

She compares Han Sung to Santa (“Whenever I see you, it’s like I’m getting a Christmas present”), and they play “Heart and Soul” together on the piano, side by side.

Bringing Eun Chan along as he takes his grandmother for dessert, Han Gyul watches as they get along. He promises his grandmother he’ll work hard to succeed.

Meanwhile, in a park at night, a couple of thugs harass Eun Sae. Look closely and you’ll recognize them.

Eun Sae isn’t intimidated, and snaps a photo to send to the police. Alarmed that their simple plan to make Min Yub look good is going awry, Ha Rim and Sun Ki chase Eun Sae with the aim of getting her phone. That freaks her out, and seeing her reaction, Min Yub bursts in and goes overboard in retaliating against her attackers. As a result, though, Eun Sae is both thankful and impressed, which makes Min Yub adorably happy.

At Han Sung’s house, he plays another song for Eun Chan, and it looks like he’s starting — has been, over the last episode or two — to see her in a new light…

Shocked at his kiss, Eun Chan pushes him aside and runs out, running into Yu Ju in the front yard. Yu Ju goes in the house, reads Han Sung’s troubled expression, and tells him simply, “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

The next day, Eun Chan asks Ha Rim if he’s kissed before, and if people really do it so easily. Ha Rim jumps to the conclusion that Eun Chan has found a girlfriend and tells Han Gyul, saying they should all help Eun Chan along. Han Gyul tells Eun Chan to bring her by the cafe, then hurriedly goes off into the empty kitchen to take some of the doctor’s medication.

Like Eun Chan recalled doing with her sick father, Han Gyul visits his grandmother and lies beside her as she sleeps. On his way out, his father calls him over for a drink, and tells him to enter the company. He’s set aside a job in marketing for him. Han Gyul finally stands up to him, saying his father doesn’t know what Han Gyul wants. He’ll do as he promised his grandmother — in three months, he’ll return to New York.

His father sneers at his interest in making toys, and Han Gyul notes that whatever he does, his father gives him only silence: “If you were going to neglect me like that, you should never have taken me in.” (More on this below.)

Han Gyul calls Eun Chan over to lift his spirits, and tells her the story of his youth. He was born of an affair his father had, and his mother, being kind and generous-hearted, took him in as her own son. (His birth mother is dead.) He found out one day when he came home early from school and overheard the adults talking. His first thought was that he had to leave without revealing that he knew, and thus he lived till now… But today, the truth finally came out, and he regrets it.

After Han Gyul passes out from drinking, Eun Chan carries him in on her back, dropping him on his bed, his arm strewn across her torso. Lying next to him, she stares at his face, his eyes closed, for a long moment before getting up — but his arm suddenly tightens and pushes her back down.

Han Gyul asks, “You’re gay, aren’t you?”

Eun Chan tries to get up again, and he pushes her back down again. He continues: “But I’m not. So stop trying to tempt me.”

She mutters that he’s the one who called her over, and one more time, she tries to get up, and one more time, he pushes her down: “Let’s be sworn brothers.”

Eun Chan tosses his arm off, gets up, and sits at a distance while Han Gyul alludes to a story about sworn brothers who are closer than blood brothers. Understanding his meaning, Eun Chan says, “So that means… we wouldn’t have to separate till we die, then.”

Han Gyul: “Call me hyung from now on.” He suggests her getting an earring or something to be a mark of proof of their brotherhood.

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She shrugs him off, but the mood lightens as Low-End Project’s song “연애를 망친 건… 바로 나라는 걸 알았다” (which translates loosely to “I know I’m why the romance failed”) plays as Han Gyul chases Eun Chan around, telling her to call him hyung, until she finally does.

Eun Chan’s voiceover: “And so, even if it was as a younger brother, I wanted to be by his side.”

Han Gyul’s voiceover: “And so, even it it was as an older brother, I wanted to keep him by my side.”

Some additional thoughts:

I particularly like — love? — this latest development. I think someone mentioned how one wonderful thing about the relationship between Han Gyul and Eun Chan is that the friendship component is just as important to Han Gyul as the gay aspect. After wrestling with his own emotions, he’s concluded that he values Eun Chan too much to lose her. He showed that in Episode 7 a little, but Episode 8 really seals the deal, because regardless of the nature of the relationship, they want to be with each other. Even if that bars anything romantic (and they both clearly feel something romantic).

I don’t think it’s necessarily a homophobic reaction for him to arrive at this decision that he’s not gay. (Someone else might feel it is, and I can understand that.) Despite having feelings for Eun Chan, when he saw the doctor, none of those conditions applied to him, and he knows he’s not attracted to men in general.

This also further highlights Eun Chan’s dilemma. Even if she wants more from him, she now has more to lose. There’s a special closeness that comes from male bonding (and female, too, for that matter), and even if she were able to win him as a lover, she’d lose him as a hyung.

119

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1 icechocolate

July 24, 2007 at 7:39 PM

Yipiiii... I'm the first one. thanks a lot!!!!

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2 hua

July 24, 2007 at 7:41 PM

Hi Javabeans! Thanks for another awesome summary! There's something I've been meaning to ask but keep forgetting. In Japanese, there's a feminine and masculine form of "I", so in gender-bendar manga/drama/etc. they always note that the female character pretending to be male (or rarely, vice versa) is speaking with the masculine form of "I". For example, this was noted in the currently airing JDrama Hana Kimi. I was wondering if there's also such a gender distinction in the Korean language, and if so, whether EC speaks in the masculine form in addition to her other boyish mannerisms. Thanks!
For jiangzemin & javabeans: the ZHBBS torrent for epi07 of CP had a special OST compilation that's along the same idea as what you had. I will post the list of songs here once I figure out how to convert some of the unicode gibberish into Korean...

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3 Endianend

July 24, 2007 at 7:42 PM

Thank you so much! You're amazing work is greatly appreciated!

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4 Juls

July 24, 2007 at 7:43 PM

Oh Yay! First to reply. First off kamsahmnida! thank you so much. you really fast and quick with your summaries. Since you summaries are so detailed I read them while watching the unsubbed episodes. It helps until the subs come out. Once more thank you for taking your time to help us non koreans out there who love Coffee Prince:)
Juls

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5 Juls

July 24, 2007 at 7:45 PM

Woops:) So I'm not the first...:)

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6 Aivoxora

July 24, 2007 at 7:49 PM

YOu don't know how much joy I am in when I see the "seventh cup" !!!! I LOVE YOU ....... and this drama ofcourse

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7 kat

July 24, 2007 at 7:50 PM

kkkk, i'm da first one 2 read this
wow, it's really sw33t that she doesn't want 2 reveal her gender just yet coz she doesn't want to lose her brother/their male2male friendship.
and HS kissed her!! Knew this was coming.
This episode is up on youtube so check it out!
CP is so good that each episode seems 2 b so short. I keep wantin more!!!
xoxo

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8 kat

July 24, 2007 at 7:52 PM

no, i'm actually not da first 1. T_T

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9 Zoooooey

July 24, 2007 at 7:53 PM

You're the best, javabeans!
I am kind of disappointed about how their relationship turned out. Even though they want to stay by each other's side and become hyungs, it's gonna be awkward later in the drama. But then, it's only better for them for now =) I can't wait until ep 9 and 10 comes out!!

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10 Zoooooey

July 24, 2007 at 7:55 PM

wow, we were all waiting for ur good summaries LOL (I thought I was #1 too, haha)

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11 Javabeans

July 24, 2007 at 7:58 PM

hua, korean does use gender-specific language, but there's no gender-specific word for "I" or "you" like the Japanese have boku/ore. Thus in the beginning, Eun Chan isn't specifically acting or talking as a male but she's still mistaken as such.

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12 len

July 24, 2007 at 7:59 PM

i thought i will be the first one to post a comment. anyway, i have been waiting for your summary. i am already watching the first 3 parts of episode 8 from youtube... i have no clue at all of what they are saying 'coz i am not korean but still i'm enjoying the drama. thanks a lot for the hardwork. good you are are not a fan of HARRY POTTER or else you will be busy reading the book.

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13 bambimolestors

July 24, 2007 at 8:02 PM

thank u again for the quick summary. you are the greatest!!!!!
i love this show! amazing plot development!! cant wait for next week...woohoooooo

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14 naze

July 24, 2007 at 8:06 PM

thanks a lot! ur the best! really appreaciate your summaries and the uploads on the movie scenes! the drama sure is getting more exciting!

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15 jennyo

July 24, 2007 at 8:15 PM

You are the best. Thanks a lot

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16

July 24, 2007 at 8:24 PM

There isn't a gender specific term for "I" or "me," but there are special terms for brother and sister depending on sex. This was an issue in a previous episode when Eun-chan asked to call Yu-ju "unni" versus "noona." Hyung is also pretty big in this ep which is distinct from oppa.

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17

July 24, 2007 at 8:25 PM

Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I love reading your summaries and a better understanding of what's going on in the episodes until the subs are released.

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18 jiangzemin

July 24, 2007 at 8:29 PM

to hua and canyayasis and javabeans:
thanks for the help in compiling! i've started a spreadsheet and that list hua mentioned will be great for figuring out what we need. i'll post a link to the spreadsheet once there's more songs on the list.
and my email is [email protected] if anyone needs to reach me. thanks again!

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19 its_trish

July 24, 2007 at 8:34 PM

I can't wait to watch this episode! Unfortunately my term paper comes first.. but your summary came before that!
Thanks, your avid reader over here ^^

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20 Si

July 24, 2007 at 8:35 PM

Yaoiness!!!!!! Ok, fine, not really. But its still really hot. Eun Chan does look like a pretty guy, and Han Gyul is a pretty guy. Muaha! Now I shall stop my pervyness ^_^.

But anyways, I really appreciate the fact that they didn't reveal to Han Gyul that Eun Chan was a girl to go the "safe" route. Its so much more interesting this way. I'm curious to see if Han Gyul has really resolved this issue (im betting not, tee hee).

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21 you&meagainsttheworld

July 24, 2007 at 8:40 PM

OMG, thanks javabeans! They are certainly right, you are very insightful. Thanks for explaining it so articulately... oh gosh, i really am hopeless romantic... but this is even better, the substance of this drama is really good=) Can't wait for next week.. argh! Thanks a lot! Watching the videos and reading your summaries will keep me smiling the whole week. Thanks.

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22 Sharon

July 24, 2007 at 8:43 PM

Haha... I didn't realize it as Ha Rim and Sun Ki until you pointed it out! I mean, I thought it was fishy that Min Yup was waiting in the bushes, but I thought that was his usual stalker behavior. lol

Thanks for the summary! Even though I've already seen it and understood it, somehow it's fun to just read your summary again. Or it could be just that I'm looking for excuses to procrastinate more. Either way, love your summaries. {^-^}

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23

July 24, 2007 at 8:45 PM

I really enjoy your summaries and especially the personal comments you include. they are very insightfull. I think the writer and director have done an outstanding job with the story thus far. they didn't make "gay" the issue. underneath it all, it is about love, pure and simple. sexual orientation is a different twist from your average story about rich guy poor girl not being able to get together due to family and circumstances. both HK and EC have their relationship at stake. for EC, i don't think it is a matter of simple confession at this point. Confession would bring pain to HK, possible termination of any association between the two. From EC's persepective, she has two options at this point: confess and potentially have a romantic relationship OR go on as is with the current relationship. A current relationship albeit painful is better than a potential romantic relationship. For HK, it is not a simple matter of following his heart. How would his family react, a grandmother and mother who expect him to marry a GIRL and bring home a daughter in law. Even if though he now realizes that he is not attracted to other men, just EC, and therefore not gay. Still, the big issue remains, he is attracted to EC. I think the voice over towards the end of episode 8 said it very poignantly ----

Eun Chan’s voiceover: “And so, even if it was as a younger brother, I wanted to be by his side.”

Han Gyul’s voiceover: “And so, even it it was as an older brother, I wanted to keep him by my side.” (credit: dramabeans)

I think it would be too painful to for HK to be just "brothers". It is like saying to the girl you like "let's be friends". You can't be friends or in this case "brotherly" to someone you are so obviously attracted to, physically (the hug, the kisses) and emotionally (calling EC over for comfort).
At some point, i think, HK will confess to EC that this "brotherly" thing isn't working. Now whether he finds out from EC or someone else would be interesting. I don't know if it is less painful to find out from EC herself or a second hand account. Remember his birth details were kept from him. He got a second hand account of it. Now this.
I wonder if granny passes away which brings some persepective for him---- life is too short to be living without love.

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24 docmitasha

July 24, 2007 at 8:45 PM

I'm so pleased with this episode, Javabeans! Like I said last time, I love that their friendship is being given importance, that makes the characters so likeable and more real to me. I can understand a fond friendship so much better than fairytale romance, and I can relate so much better to a properly built relationship which starts and grows with bonding (which may/may not lead to "other" relationships ;)), and so I love the writers of the show for doing that. I'm also loving that they're still not shying away from facing the gay issue head on, while demonstrating the silliness of "treating" Han Kyul's "symptoms." And they're emphasizing that there's so much deeper than just physical attraction in what they're feeling, because I think Eun Chan's feelings strengthen more and more as she sees more of who Han Kyul really is.
Love the music too, one of the best OSTs I've heard so far. And someone else mentioned how it speaks to YEH's acting prowess that you see EC and not the actress playing a guy: SO TRUE. I'm bowled over. This is my first time seeing her, and before I thought it was just the hype that made YEH popular, but now I happily admit that I admire her as an actress. She's good, and she makes EC both a vulnerable "boy" who's unsure of what to do and a strong woman trying to make sure she follows her heart, without giving any of the goody-two-shoes or suffering-sacrificer vibe.
I hope CP keeps goin' this good way, and doesn't fall off its quality because of any last minute directing rush!

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25 Marzy

July 24, 2007 at 8:46 PM

i love love love how they are making this drama go along. like u mentioned in your comments, the way the writers are making it no overboard but a more insightful and more meaningful story. their relationship is precious to both, they dont want to loose each other but also they like each other a lot that they would do more than the norm to keep that. i dont think HG is homophobic either, but it is a shock to him that EC affects him that way if he is a guy he has never had other inklings of it before. Lol, is it gonna be weird if a girl calls a guy hyung? I can see a new trend. Joke... :P

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26 jyotsna

July 24, 2007 at 8:46 PM

I've been waiting for hours!!!! Thanks!!!

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27 jennyo

July 24, 2007 at 8:51 PM

I think that when he actually finds out that EC is a GIRL and not a GUY, its going to be through someone else. That way he is going to be mad at her and tell her that: How could she do that knowing how he felt about her, making him suffer like that.

I think its going to happen like that, what do you guys think???

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28 rozramen

July 24, 2007 at 8:53 PM

this drama getting better and better. thanks to you of course as yours are the most liveliest summary ever...anyway, just wondering if you're gonna do the summary for Bad Couple's Finale as I've been waiting for that. Or, is it just me?

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29 hua

July 24, 2007 at 8:54 PM

So sorry for the double post! It wasn't showing up after I submitted it the first time. Please delete the duplicate post, Javabeans, and sorry for the inconvenience! =(

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30 Fiona

July 24, 2007 at 8:57 PM

my heartbeat races in anticipation/nervousness everytime i refresh your page!! but really, thank you so much for your summaries, i always look forward to mondays and tuesdays for these episode summaries...

but what does DSM-III mean?

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31 Manja

July 24, 2007 at 8:59 PM

You're so cool and thanks such a detail summaries loving it so much.

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32 jennyo

July 24, 2007 at 9:00 PM

Its a handbook for mental health professionals that lists different categories of mental disorder and the criteria for diagnosing them. And the III, its because its the Third Edition
Source _wikipedia.org

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33 Javabeans

July 24, 2007 at 9:02 PM

Fiona, in the 1970s, the DSM-III (diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders) removed homosexuality from their list of mental diseases.

hua, thanks for tracking down that list!

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34 Bamidele

July 24, 2007 at 9:04 PM

This is going to the top of my list of kdramas if they keep doing such a fantastic job with this drama. Seriously, the script is excellent so far, even with all the cliches they've made the story and the characters original. I cannot wait for next week, I hope by episode 12 or 13 he find out and we move onto a new arc of what happens next!!1

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35 jiangzemin

July 24, 2007 at 9:04 PM

the story's getting so good but what a cliffhanger with the other characters. so much potential awkwardness in the next episode.

i kind of felt for han sung this episode. i don't know, he gets this great feedback from the kid the whole time (she confesses she likes him, he's like a xmas present to her, blah blah) and yet when he kisses her, she's shocked as if he molested her and runs away. so alright, that was a reality check --- eun chan doesn't feel the same way he does but then, yu ju sees the whole fiasco too! han sung is totally in hot water now. personally, i think han sung seems like a more interesting person to be with than han gyul. but oh well, at least han gyul has a great relationship with eun chan and they're cute together.

there was something odd though -- han gyul is defying the family thing to be a toy designer but is toeing the line on marriage to the appropriate girl? that seemed a little inconsistent.

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36 yelibean

July 24, 2007 at 9:06 PM

Thanks!

I saw the RAW version and was in desperate need of your summary :D

I have a question though....is Ha Rim supposed to be gay? I am assuming he IS...but i am not sure...I'm a little confused about that..haha...anyone know?

He always calls her "My Chan"....and how "cute" she is and so on...at first i thought he was just kidding around...but now i am not so sure...i know that he doesn't necessarily have feelings for her....but i am not so sure if that is supposed to be some kind of indication that he is gay....

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37 Javabeans

July 24, 2007 at 9:07 PM

jiangzemin -- han gyul wants to work with toys and actively doesn't want to work in the company. thus the friction. he doesn't currently have a woman, though, so he's more willing to be open-minded in finding one his grandmother and mother would approve of.

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38 Jessica

July 24, 2007 at 9:11 PM

I'm of the opinion that a person's sexuality is not that malleable.

(Love is another issue, I'm talking about arousal)

I feel that on some level, Han Gyul "senses" that Eun Chan is a girl, and that's why he's able to be "aroused" by her.

I remember reading that pheromones are gender-specific and so perhaps that's one explanation as to why Han Gyul might react that way to Eun Chan.

*heehee... of course I realize this is a drama and his actions are based on the writers, but I guess I'm just trying to find a logical/plausible explanation for this... if that even exists :)

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39 noemi

July 24, 2007 at 9:15 PM

thank you so much for the summary

i love the way they turned out.....
i was reminded of myself and my relationship with my guy friends...
as pointed out by javabeans... there is what we call bonding between male
and female....... now they entering the phase friendship over love
i am not a tomboy , but i act "kind tough" like a guy..... although unlike EC i have not been mistakenly called a guy... i gues due to my stubborness and independence, i don't rely on girly stuffs like wearing skirts and blouse.. have to have accesories .. (but then again we have metrosexual guys ryt)
most of the times i wear jeans and loose shirt...
but my similarity with EC , i tend to bond with Guys rather than with girls... i guess due to the nature of being the eldest and "breadwinner " in the family , it comes naturally that soft facade wont work...
sometimes when me and friends drink and have fun.. i often remind them... hey... i'm still a girl.... hehehe..

you can tell in my comments i'm still a girl by heart....
so what's my point that i have to tell my life story?....
i bond with my male friends and treat me like a brother too... but naturally opposites attract and they confess affection for me too..
but luckily even though my heart and a friend gets hurt because of crossing the line of friendship.... the bond of being friends and treating each other at the same level helped us and we reamined very close friends till now...
which makes me think what's gonna happen between HK and EC..
my only hope is
irregardless of how soon HK finds out EC is a girl, i hope they will not do the dramatic break up scenes that are seen in almost all dramas... whatever type it is...
i hope the bond that HK and EC that has been established will not be ruined by the simple fact that they love each other...
let's not forget the fact that aside from the supposed male bond ... they are connected by the love for each other
sorry my comment is so long, but like javabeans this series have made me really addicted 100% !

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40 coffee lover

July 24, 2007 at 9:20 PM

couldn't even leave the house without having read this summary.. :)) enjoyed it, as always! :) and now I'm off to school.. :)) hope you're as happy as you have made everyone who's reading your summary now.. :)

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41 Fiona

July 24, 2007 at 9:21 PM

thanks javabeans and jennyo for the clear up!

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42 apple

July 24, 2007 at 9:27 PM

thank you, thank you, thank you...... ^^
once again, you are awesome.

cant wait till next week.

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43 nicole

July 24, 2007 at 9:31 PM

thanks so much for this!!! =D this made me really happy! I totally love your comments and i love this drama...it's easily becoming one of my favorite dramas!!!

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44 Pilo

July 24, 2007 at 9:44 PM

Thank you for bringing us summaries of the episodes. I, too, love how the series is turning out. They approach 'gayness' as a subject this is rarely seen in dramas. And male bonding/skinship is so fun to watch, rather than the bitter tension seen in love-interest triangles of two couples. Thanks again!

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45 hua

July 24, 2007 at 8:51 PM

jiangzemin & javabeans: here's the info as promised (sorry but I couldn't figure out some):
What Javabeans already posted
Natalie Cole - 'This Will Be' (An Everlasting Love)
The Wannadies - 'You and Me Song'
Casker - 'Mocha' ~~on official OST~~
As One - 'White Love Story' ~~on official OST~~
Maximilian Hecker - 'I'll Be a Virgin, I�ll Be a Mountain'
Texas - 'Getaway'
Low-End Project - 연애를 망친 건... 바로 나라는 걸 알았다 (I know I'm why the romance failed)
Others from the unofficial OST (ZHBBS)
Take That - Back For Good
May - Belle Epoque
Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode
Dave Koz - Cuban Hideaway
Depapepe - いい日だったね
Depapepe - Start
Free TEMPO - Immaterial White
Kula Shaker - Hush
Mika - Lollipop
Milva - Tango Italiano
The Mongoose - Pink Piano Punk Star
The Mongoose - Pintos
Tearliner - Regretto
티어라이너(Tearliner) - Novaless (Feat. Min-Young)
티어라이너(Tearliner) - Young Racer
The Melody - Good Bye
??? - �??? ?? ??�
Fanny Pink - 11월
??(???) - �??? ??�
Toy - a song from their Fermata album
??(???) - �??? ??�
??? ?? - �????� (the vinyl song that made EC think of her dad)

There's also a "Go Go Chan" and a "I Need Some Money" in the ZHBBS unofficial ost, but both are essentially just "Go Go Chan", which is on the official OST. There's also an odd ball instrumental piece I couldn't re-encode: ????????? - ??????, along with a few others.

Apparently others are also trying to track the music behind Coffee Prince: http://www.wretch.cc/blog/losewin&article_id=17844928 (really well done, with screencaps & song titles). It�s only up to episode 4 though. It cites the original source as http://dcgung.u.to/ but since I can�t read Korean I don�t know which post it is. Maybe it�s been updated past episode 4? Oh, and HERE's the link to the ZHBBS torrent. It's the file titled "????????????OST.zip" in case you can't read Chinese. =) Hope this helps!

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46 April

July 24, 2007 at 10:05 PM

this is getting intresting now..
i love how theyve developed there relationships..
and how theyve resolved it ..
FOR NOW...
sooner or later the feelings eun chan and han gyul have for eachother will only get in between there "brotherhood"...
nunusually i also like han sung and eun chan...
the way they developed there relationship from crush friendship into crush but the other way aorund is intresting..
i seem to like both guys for her amzingly..
cus usually i never do...
cant wait for the next episode!
thanx so much!

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47 mokinukes

July 24, 2007 at 10:36 PM

i enjoyed reading this. thank you. wow 8th episode already? we're half-way through the drama. im excited to find out how will han gyul discover eun chan's secret.

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48 nhetski

July 24, 2007 at 10:51 PM

thanks javabeans! i agree with your comments above..

i like how they have turned this drama into something with more "grit". it's not just another rom-com drama but actually deals with reality and how relationships (family, romance, friends) work.. or not.. and still keeps the funny and sweet parts so a lot of people are still tuning in (and are not bored)..

i salute the writers for their brilliance and the cast for their portrayal!

and of course the fans for embracing a "hyped" drama like this :)