Coffee Prince: Fourteenth Cup

by javabeans

Cuuuuuuute.

I’m also no longer worried about the issue of familial opposition. Do I expect drama? Of course. But will it be the heart-wrenching kind? If it is, of course I’ll take it, but I’m not concerned, because Han Gyul isn’t a rebellious adolescent. He’s a mature, thoughtful, decisive 30-year-old man who’s lost enough in his life to know when something’s not worth giving up.

SONG OF THE DAY

Instant Romantic Floor – “Luv Punch” (radio edit) [ zShare download ]

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EPISODE 14 SUMMARY

Min Yub has been taking after Ha Rim’s playboy tendencies, which Ha Rim mentions in Eun Chan’s presence. Min Yub takes Ha Rim aside to prevent Eun Chan from hearing about it, and voices his concern about the new girl, who keeps asking for him to buy her things. At least Eun Sae would buy him things in return, but this new girl seems to just want to accept gifts.

But it’s too late, and Eun Chan has heard enough to figure out that Min Yub’s cheating around on Eun Sae. She gives him a thorough piece of her mind — she thought he was a nice guy, but from now on, he’d better not mess with her sister.

Han Gyul reports the cafe’s finances to his grandmother and takes the opportunity to show his affection after the previous episode’s rocky family issues. He’s managed to triple the sales, as promised, but when asked about his plans to leave, Han Gyul asks his grandmother, “Should I not go?”

He also meets with his father to discuss the possibility of franchising Coffee Prince. His father asks when he plans to leave, and Han Gyul answers that he’s thinking it over. His father gives him some advice: “You don’t get that many chances in life. Think about what it is you really want.”

He arrives at the cafe as Eun Chan’s busy studying about different coffee beans. She’s distracted enough that he can’t command her attention, so he vies for her notice like a little boy, and steals her notes.

They head over to have dinner with Han Sung and Yu Ju, and Han Gyul observes her familiarity with Terry with some jealousy — how often did she come by for the dog to know her so well? Eun Chan estimates it at 120 or 130 times — and at his surprised reaction, she reminds him that Han Sung’s house was on her milk delivery route. Still, Han Gyul sputters and scolds the dog, accusing it of being male (which it is); he warns Terry not to get too close to Eun Chan.

While Eun Chan and Han Sung tend to the barbecue, Yu Ju and Han Gyul talk inside. Yu Ju notices how Han Gyul’s changed toward her: “You know, your feelings for me left a long while ago.” She points out that if he’d truly liked her, he would have pursued her regardless of Han Sung, but he didn’t:

Yu Ju: “But you loved Eun Chan even thinking she was a guy. I’ve been thinking about what I was to you, and I figured I was—”
Han Gyul: “A habit?”
Yu Ju: “Yeah. An empty habit without substance. The feelings inside had disappeared long ago, with only its façade left intact and standing. You should be really thankful to Eun Chan, for bringing life to an empty shell.”

 
The foursome make a toast to being happy and not fighting, and immediately, Han Gyul starts to pick on Eun Chan playfully. She picks up her wineglass and clinks his, toasting again (“No fighting”) rather than responding to his teasing.

Playfulness leads to bickering between Yu Ju and Han Sung, which somewhat alarms Eun Chan, who thinks they’re having a real fight. (It starts when Yu Ju asks Han Gyul how he found out about Eun Chan being a girl, and Han Gyul warns everyone not to bring up her “lying incident,” since they were all in on it together. Han Sung counters that a “lying incident” is better than a “betrayal incident,” to which Yu Ju retorts that she’s not the only one who did the betraying. They start nitpicking about who’s more at fault, until Han Gyul breaks it up, saying Eun Chan will think they’re being serious.)

Han Sung: “Hey, Choi Han Gyul, you watch your mouth too. Don’t let me catch you calling Yu Ju ‘dangshin’ [affectionate term for ‘you’] anymore. It makes me feel bad, you know.”
Yu Ju: “You too, don’t call Eun Chan ‘that cute kid’ either, it makes me feel bad too.”
Han Gyul [to Eun Chan]: “Hey, don’t call him ajusshi either. It makes me feel bad.”

Adult Child – “Star” ::

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As Eun Chan drinks more wine, Han Gyul pats her on the head affectionately — he is too giddy being with Eun Chan and it is a-dor-a-ble.

On their drive home, Eun Chan wonders if they’ll ever reach a point like Han Sung and Yu Ju, acting like they’re fighting one moment, laughing the next.

Ha Rim talks to Sun Ki about his situation with that woman, and here’s where we are with that story: Sun Ki met the woman when she worked for his father’s waffle place. He was in love with her silently for three years before confessing, while she had an abusive husband and a child. One snowy night, someone knocked on his door, and it was her, barefooted and lost in shock. Her drunk husband had beaten her, and she was huddled over, trembling. Just then, the husband came, drunk and furious, and beat Sun Ki so hard he fractured three ribs. Ha Rim can’t believe Sun Ki didn’t fight back, but Sun Ki says, “It was obvious that if I hit back, it would harm her more later.”

So the woman fled to Korea to escape her husband, and Sun Ki came to follow her. Ha Rim: “But you said that woman doesn’t like you. What are you gonna do about that?” Sun Ki: “I can be happy just being able to see her, do you get that?” Ha Rim, of course, does not.

Eun Sae hears that Min Yub is cheating around on her and makes the swift decision to cut him out of her life. Eun Chan’s mother hears Mr. Gu’s sick and brings him porridge — and when he tells her he’s decided to get over his feelings for her, you can see from her fidgeting that she’s disappointed. It’s funny, actually, that both ladies are guilty of taking their men for granted. However, the moment Eun Chan’s mother extends the teeniest hint that she’s not uninterested, Mr. Gu perks right up. (He apologizes for being so clinging and annoying, and being so talkative when she says she finds it irritating. But then, she concedes that she likes talkative guys more than silent ones.)

Sondre Lerche – “Once In a While” ::

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Yu Ju’s initial reaction to finding out she’s pregnant is alarm, but she accepts it rather quickly, and I’m vastly relieved that they didn’t decide to drag out her pregnancy story as a source of artificial drama. Aside from being a forced cliché, it’s refreshing to have things play out in a way that isn’t overblown or exaggerated, and still prove to be dramatically interesting. This is something that can be said of Coffee Prince on the whole, actually.

She goes into a baby-clothing store while Han Sung talks on the phone, and sends him a text message with the simple note: “We’re going to have a baby,” with an attached photo of her ultrasound. Han Sung mouths to her excitedly, “Really?” Yu Ju mouths back, cradling a baby doll, “Shh, it’s sleeping.”

While out on a delivery run, Han Gyul drops by home to change clothes, and brings Eun Chan to see his grandmother and mother. Eun Chan keeps his grandmother company while Han Gyul has a moment with his mother.

Han Gyul tells her he first knew of his birth mother years ago, when he found out his adopted mother was observing his birth mother’s death memorial rites. He asks why she did that (it’s a courtesy above and beyond the expectations for an adoptive mother), and she answers, “She gave birth to you. How could I ignore it?” She tells Han Gyul that from now on, he should participate, and bow in respect to his birth mother (the concern is that it would be disrespectful to his adopted mother if he observed rites for his birth mother, but she’s telling him it’s okay). She says it’s a chance for her to be proud that she raised the woman’s son well.

In Han Gyul’s room, Han Gyul unnerves Eun Chan by staring at her intensely and saying he likes the feeling of being alone with his girlfriend in his room while the adults are outside. Uncomfortable at the romantic tension, Eun Chan defuses the situation by pushing him aside playrfully.

 
Although Han Gyul’s mother and grandmother treat Eun Chan nicely still thinking she’s a boy, they startle when Han Gyul informs them she’s a girl. After the initial moment of denial, Han Gyul’s grandmother sees the way Han Gyul is looking after Eun Chan, and demands to know if they’re dating. Han Gyul holds Eun Chan’s hand and answers that they are.

His grandmother has a huge fit, yelling at him for having lost his mind. He rejected all those girls she’d arranged him to meet, and for this? She accuses Eun Chan of affixing herself to Han Gyul to pursue his money, and Han Gyul rises to Eun Chan’s defense, telling his grandmother she’s being harsh. She yells at Han Gyul: “You! Get this thing out of here immediately!” If he’s going to date a girl like Eun Chan, he’d better pack his things and leave for the States immediately, to which Han Gyul responds that he may not leave anyway. He takes Eun Chan by the hand and leads her away, while his grandmother sputters in fury.

Han Gyul can’t believe his grandmother’s strong words, but Eun Chan actually defends her, saying he overreacted by yelling back: “Mothers and grandmothers are naturally like that. Why? Because they think, my son is the best.”

Still, she does feel bad, and says his grandmother was really harsh. She asks why he said he might not leave for New York, and he answers that he’s thinking it over. Eun Chan: “Is it because of me?” Han Gyul: “Hey, do you think I’m a guy who gives up a dream because of a girl?” Eun Chan suggests that while he’s thinking it over, he might as well give her a piggyback ride. After all, she’s carried him a bunch of times already. (Purely on a superficial level, I’ve never seen a guy carry a girl so effortlessly before. It’s strange. And cute.)

Aquibird – “Different World” ::

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Han Gyul looks over his letter inviting him to be a designer at the toy company… and folds it into a paper airplane, sending it sailing over the roof and down into the street below. (Song: Low-End Project’s “연애를 망친 건… 바로 나라는 걸 알았다,” posted on song page under episode 8.)

Han Sung marvels over the ultrasound picture, trying to identify every little part. Yu Ju asks how he likes it, and he answers that he feels the baby is a gift from god, but he’s also nervous. Yu Ju feels the same, explaining that at first she wondered if she could bring a life into the world, but when she asked herself if she could give it up, she couldn’t. Han Sung tells her, “Yu Ju, thanks for making me a father.” Yu Ju thanks Han Sung, too.

He asks if they should marry. Of course, they could raise the child without being married, but what would they tell him or her when asked why his parents weren’t married, or why they didn’t live together? Yu Ju asks what he would tell the child, and Han Sung replies: “I only have one answer. Ask your mother, I don’t know.”

Han Gyul’s mother and grandmother arrive at the cafe without warning to grill Eun Chan alone while Han Gyul’s meeting his father to discuss franchising options. Grandma asks if they’ve promised to marry, and Eun Chan responds: “Is that what you were worried about? Please don’t worry, I’m not even dreaming about marriage yet.” She’s a little young to be thinking of that, and for the moment, they’re happy dating.

Then, Grandma demands to know if she’s after Han Gyul’s money. Because Han Gyul is so soft-hearted, he was probably swayed by pity, and it’s better to cut things off now: “How much money will it take?”

Eun Chan: “Grandmother, although I like having money, I’m not stupid enough to marry for money. And I do like him, but it’s possible we could break up after dating a while.”
Mother: “You could break up?”
Grandma: “Where’d he find a thing like this?… Tell me, are all youngsters like you? Is it that easy to date and break up?”
Eun Chan: “I’m not saying it’s easy, but if he goes to America, I won’t be able to see him for a while. What I mean is that I don’t know what will happen. Right now, separating is an idea I hate to death, but you both want us to split up. Even so, if I can’t change my mind, how can I break things off? Right now, I can’t do that—”
Han Gyul: “I can’t either.”

Out of nowhere, Han Gyul appears, solemn-faced and firm.

Taking his family aside, Han Gyul announces that he’s not going to New York. When asked if it’s because of Eun Chan, he answers, “I can’t say that it’s not.” Grandma says no matter what, Eun Chan won’t do, but Han Gyul reasons, “You’d say that about whomever I brought to see you.”

“You’re both getting too far ahead of yourselves. I’m not thinking along those lines, but if you talk like tthat, it makes me want to get married right away. Mom, don’t you know my personality? I won’t listen to you. If you tell me not to do something, I do it more, so it’s better if you just leave me be.”

Meanwhile, Eun Sae exacts her revenge on the thick-headed Min Yub, who’s a bit drunk on his recent success with the ladies. Or lady. Eun Sae tells him in a down-spirited, saddened tone that she realized too late how much Min Yub meant to her. He likes hearing it, of course, and you can see he’d go back to her in a heartbeat, but Eun Sae continues that she wanted to see him one last time for a formal farewell. With that, she plants a kiss on him, then walks away, leaving him all a-flutter. Keke. Yes, she can be a brat, but Min Yub kind of had this one coming.

Han Gyul: “What did you tell my grandmother?”
Eun Chan: “I said not to worry, that it’s possible we could end up breaking up.”
Han Gyul: “You sound like someone who’s decided to break up with me.”
Eun Chan: “Then what should I have said in that situation? That I’d never break up, that I’d definitely marry you? It’s not like I want to make her collapse. I sure acted out a drama today. Why are they acting like that? I’m pretty valued in my family, you know. Are you so impressive? Still, I guess this might be the last time, since after you leave for New York—”
Han Gyul: “I’m not going.”

Surprised, she asks why not, and he notes her seeming lack of enthusiasm. Does she want him to go? She answers no, but she just worries that he decided only because of her:

Han Gyul: “It’s not because of you, it’s because of me. Because of the me that loves you. I don’t want to go to the US and whine and moan about how much I miss you — that’s humiliating. It’s better if I don’t go.”

Eun Chan: “You’re really not going because of me?”
Han Gyul: “Yeah.”
Eun Chan: “Really, really? Because of me? Because you love me?”

 
Ha Rim interrupts, and they both unceremoniously tell him to get lost.

 
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