Coffee House: Page 18 (Final)
by javabeans
I enjoyed this finale. Finale episodes are tricky things. You have to wrap up the story, but not in such a rushed way that it feels crammed, like the drama ran out of time. We as the audience usually need some time to come down from the emotional climax, and a drama that cuts off too soon after that leaves us feeling shafted. On the other hand, you can’t leave so little for the last episode that it feels like an epilogue instead, with random scenes filling out the time after the final conflict is resolved.
This episode settled the major conflicts and gave us some nice character moments, and wrapped things up on an upbeat note. That’s pretty good for a finale, I’d say.
SONG OF THE DAY
Lala Sweet – “Good Bye” [ Download ]
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LAST PAGE RECAP
Seung-yeon hears about the wedding fiasco soon afterward; having heeded Jin-soo’s request not to go to the wedding, she calls Dong-wook to ask if he could give the cash gift on her behalf, which she’ll repay later. (By and large, cash is given at Korean weddings rather than registry items.) Dong-wook tells her that it will be unnecessary, and explains what happened.
At the wedding hall, the scammy publisher (Mr. Yoon) is carried out on a stretcher while police take stock of the mess of a banquet hall. The mothers are in a fit over Jin-soo’s behavior, Ji-won is aggravated, and Eun-young looks at the damage in dazed shock. Her employees wonder what to do, guessing that even though they aren’t Jin-soo’s reps anymore, perhaps they ought to step in.
Finally, Eun-young comes out of her reverie, and her warring emotions solidify into one: anger.
She bursts out in a fury, swearing at Jin-soo, calling him all the names she used to throw at him (bastard, son of a bitch). She storms out of the hall and out the building, but her anger gets pushed aside at the sight of Jin-soo being escorted into a police car in handcuffs.
She rushes up to the car window and looks at him in shock and dismay. Jin-soo has been wearing a grim expression on his face, but when he turns to see her looking in, he gives her his trademark smile. The car pulls away and he’s taken to the station, leaving Eun-young (and the wedding party and the swarm of reporters) reeling.
Now Eun-young snaps into action and heads straight to her office to work on handling the aftermath. She scoffs at Jin-soo’s promise to find her a way out if she wasn’t certain, because as far as she’s concerned his solution is hardly better than the problem.
Ji-won also understands Jin-soo’s motivation, although he believes that Eun-young doesn’t know. He’s surprised to find that she has left the wedding hall, and I wonder if this is the moment when the shoe drops for him — that even when her wedding has been ruined, she dives back into work.
Jin-soo is locked up in jail for the night while a barrage of news stories emerges on the internet and television. He reads the latest reports from his cell phone. Thanks to the wedding cameras, the whole attack is caught on video and from multiple angles.
Seung-yeon arrives at the jail in shock, not understanding why he would have acted so out of character. His image is completely trashed and this could really affect his career. What drove him to it? She has enough faith in his character — bless her heart! — that she knows there must be a greater reason, and strives to make sense of it.
Jin-soo plays his role to the hilt, and goes along with Seung-yeon’s assumptions. For instance, she asks if this happened because he needs money — there are rumors that he racked up gambling debts — and that led him to deal with Yoon. Jin-soo sighs, laying it on thick and acting saddened to have lost her respect. He does need money, and he turns into “this kind of person” (as in profligate) when he’s not writing.
Seizing upon an idea, he says that there’s one way for him to dig himself out of this mess, and that’s to write a book. That’ll bring him income to pay off his debt and settle with Yoon. Alas, he doesn’t have a suitable topic — where to get one? If only he knew a great, refreshing story that he could whip up into a book. Seung-yeon understands what he’s getting at — he’s hardly being subtle, mumbling things like “Galapagos” — but is loath to give in to his implied request.
Finally, she very reluctantly gives in and tells him he can take her idea… to which he bursts out that she’s crazy. Why would he steal her idea? Clearly he was just having a bit of fun at her expense. What else is new?
After consulting with her lawyer, Eun-young visits the police station to talk with Jin-soo, who is still in custody. The lawyer takes an optimistic approach to this, but Eun-young is still angry with Jin-soo and gives him the harsh version. His future holds three possibilities: he’ll have to face ejection from the literary world, or write pulp novels for Yoon forever, or declare bankruptcy.
Even the attorney finds that excessive, although the issue of his gambling debts IS a problem. At this, Jin-soo finally gets reveals his plan by giving him a card. He says that he has been building up a case against publisher Yoon’s mistreatment of new writers, and his lawyer has all the information. Jin-soo requests that the lawyer drag out the case as slowly as possible, since the guy could stand to be mired in legal troubles for a while (and Jin-soo isn’t in a desperate rush to clear his own name).
This news stuns the other two — if he was operating on noble motives, then why let his name get tarnished? Why attack the man as he did? Jin-soo looks at Eun-young as he offers up the vague explanation: “I’m a bastard and an asshole.”
Eun-young asks for privacy, then tells Jin-soo to explain in plain words. So he does:
(1) He wanted to block a wedding that she wasn’t sure about, (2) but he didn’t want to turn her into the bad guy, (3) plus he felt he should be responsible for the whole chaos, (4) but it would hurt her if he ruined himself too much, so he found himself an out. (5) Still, if he needed a scapegoat at least it should be someone who deserved it, (6) and because she made him do something he’s never once done before, (7) “I love you.”
Seung-yeon goes to Eun-young’s office, but finds Ji-won there instead. He invites her to sit down with a drink, in a darker mood than usual. Now that the crap has hit the fan, he explains the situation and tells Seung-yeon that he had told Jin-soo to leave. She doesn’t understand why he would do that until he clarifies that Jin-soo bought the ring intending to give it to Eun-young.
That’s a shock to Seung-yeon, who had guessed nothing of the kind. Ji-won continues talking, more to himself than to her, as he asks if she thinks Eun-young will leave him. He thinks she will. Even though she treated him well, “I was happy, but strangely I felt uneasy.”
A family interlude shows us that Dad has now moved his courtship into full gear, and the dry-cleaner ajumma is introduced to the family, as is her daughter. All goes well until Seung-chul comes home, and he’s immediately miffed, which cracks me up. Aw, the little boy is acting even littler!
Seung-chul pouts in his room alone with his mobile game console, and balks when the little girl (Min-ji from Oh My Lady, you may recall) joins him. He’s not at all inclined to share, until she calls him oppa — and that one word, as we know, holds the power to turn surly attitudes sweet. In no time the two are playing the game together, Seung-chul’d earlier enmity forgotten.
(There’s absolutely no romantic hint in the word oppa in this case, but it still has an effect — it turns him into the protector, the man. For Seung-chul, who’s always been the baby of the family, this is a role that flatters his vanity. Oh, boys.)
By the time Eun-young returns to her office, Ji-won has finished the entire bottle of wine and has sunk into a depressed mood. He senses that she has something to say, and they don’t have to say it in words to know what’s coming.
In fact, Eun-young doesn’t speak at all while Ji-won breaks down in tears. Tears form in her eyes, too; she feels bad to witness his pain, but she can’t tell him he’s wrong, either.
The next time Eun-young visits Jin-soo at the police station, he’s looking rougher for wear. He brushes it off as a slight fight in the jail, but she knows right away what really happened — Ji-won. Jin-soo tells her that he let himself be pummeled, since he knows he earned it.
Eun-young comes with a contract, which Jin-soo reads through. Two parts are yet undetermined (number of books and date of completion), so he volunteers the information. Should he agree to 30 books? That’ll take up the next 60 years. He can have the first book ready on Christmas Eve, which should give them both time to “settle matters.”
Jin-soo speaks in terms of their business partnership, but it also serves double-duty for their personal lives. He signs the contract, and then she signs. He says that at the very least, they will have this relationship for the rest of their lives.
But he means that as a minimum, not as the whole: Jin-soo offers his hand for a shake, and when they do, he turns her hand over and slides the ring on. He says this is to commemorate their contract, but since the contract is tied to their relationship, again it has a dual meaning.
He tells Eun-young that he will spend the time until then writing the book. Christmas Eve, then, becomes their new start.
Next, Jin-soo drops by Seung-yeon’s family cafe, which stuns her; she hadn’t known he’d gotten out of jail. She guesses that his departure is imminent, because she sensed he would drop by once before leaving. He’s a little impressed that she knows him so well, and comments that she’s gotten more perceptive.
Tears form in her eyes, but she tries to ignore them as she tells him things worked well for him and congratulates him. She adds that like he said, she’s more perceptive now, and that lets him know that she’s aware of his relationship with Eun-young.
He looks sorry to see her fighting back her tears and says he’s sorry, which she tries to laugh off even as the tears start falling in earnest.
Jin-soo is a little uncertain how to react, so he sits there quietly while Seung-yeon cries. It’s a lovely beat, actually, and there are a few other moments in the episode that echo it. I like the idea that there’s something important going on here, but that the characters need to just sit there and let it be while the emotion works its way out.
When finally Seung-yeon stops crying, it’s an hour later, and she thanks him for sitting with her. Jin-soo remembers that he has something for her, and hands it to her. He jokes that if she’s on track to publishing her book at the age of 40, this is to cut five years from the timeline.
It turns out to be an open ticket to the Galapagos Islands, valid for the next year. Jin-soo says, “I’m not telling you to confirm the things you’ve imagined. When you face reality, another world will open up that is on a different level from what you thought of at your desk. Grab that. Then you can cut out five years.”
Seung-yeon is moved, but Jin-soo keeps up his teasing tone as he prods, “What do you think? Don’t you respect me? You respect me the most in the whole world, don’t you?” She answers simply, “Yes. You did the right thing. You protected what you wanted to protected, and paid the cost. I think you did what was right.”
He smiles. “You’re the only one who would say I did the right thing.” She smiles back, and says with her customary hyperbole, “Aren’t I the best secretary of all time?”
Jin-soo answers, “You’re right. You’re the best ever. Although I’ve only ever had one.”
As Seung-yeon watches Jin-soo drive away, she thinks, “I’ll remember that day, that moment, forever. It was when my life turned over its Page One.”
The seasons pass until we land in the winter. It’s snowing outside, and it’s Christmas Eve. At the radio station, Seung-yeon has been promoted to main writer, and she’s about to set off on a trip — to the Galapagos.
At the publishing company, Eun-young takes a meeting with some business contacts who have heard she is on her way to meet Jin-soo today. They’ve heard rumors that Jin-soo’s fallen off the wagon, and while they aren’t sure if the stories are true, they urge her to get him on his feet and make sure he’s not gambling away.
At the Kang home, the dry-cleaner ajumma has become part of the household, as has her daughter. Dong-wook’s arrival raises no eyebrows so it appears they’re used to seeing him around, although it isn’t clear whether he and Seung-yeon have officially resumed dating.
Dong-wook is here to drive Seung-yeon to the airport, and she’s scrambling to pack in time to make it in time. Finally, she’s off…
…and we pick up in some unnamed tropical locale.
Jin-soo sits in a summery paradise, working on his writing, which is where Eun-young finds him. She wears his ring, and mouths to him, “Merry Christmas.”
In the intervening months, Ji-won has grown harder and more irritable, judging from the way he addresses his new colleagues when he transfers to a new office. Being jilted has left him in a perpetual bad mood, and he resents little things like having to go meet his new colleague rather than having the colleague come to him.
That is, until he actually meets her, and finds that she’s an attractive blonde woman named Julia.
Immediately the old Ji-won is back, cheesy salute and all. He turns on the charm (well, his version of what passes for charm), and when he hears that Julia has no holiday plans — she’s new to Korea and hasn’t made friends yet — he offers his company. They end up having flirty drinks, to assure us that Eun-young’s departure will not be an eternal source of misery for Ji-won.
As Seung-yeon settles into her plane seat, she thinks, “I may not know where you are right now, but I know who you’re with. Today is the first day that the lifetime contract for Lee Jin-soo and Seo Eun-young goes into effect, and the two of you will be reuniting right now.”
And then she thinks what they’re up to “privately”: “Today is your wedding anniversary, and this is your honeymoon.”
As the episode heads to a close, we’re given a bit of closure to the rest of the cast, such as Dong-wook and the cafe family. Dong-wook finally promotes the guy who’s been begging to be manager of Page One, and also promotes the other two as co-managers. (Poor fourth employee is left unpromoted, but you can’t feel too bad because he’s always been scolded for slacking.)
Life goes on for the Kang family, the publishing company, the radio station employees, and the screen fills up with old clips from previous episodes…
…then pulls back to show us that all this has comprised “Page 1.”
The camera slides over from the frame to show us that now it’s time to move on to Page 2. And Page 3, and 4, and 5.
COMMENTS
The Jin-soo/Eun-young relationship resolved pretty neatly and relied on a few fallback devices, but given what they were dealing with I’m generally satisfied with how it worked out. Jin-soo’s wacky wedding interruption shows a complete reversal of his character from the beginning of the drama, which is significant. Early on, he has to suffer through undesirable circumstances because he can’t stand to have other people thinking badly of him. By the last episode, he doesn’t care what the world thinks of him, and actually perpetuates a more negative image than he deserves. The only opinion he cares about is Eun-young’s, and it doesn’t bother him to be made into a public scandal.
Y’all know how I feel about time-skips in finale episodes — it’s a lazy way to resolve tensions because duh, time heals wounds, but what about the ones the DRAMA inflicted upon the characters?. Still, I’m more accepting of them in a drama that has used the time-skip throughout the series, not just in a final episode, as Coffee House has done.
It doesn’t work as well for the supporting characters as it does for the main ones (I’ll get to them in a minute), however, because those feel tacked on. I don’t have any reason to buy that Dong-wook and Seung-yeon are now in a relationship because all drama long, she has been indifferent to him (romantically). I know that it’s supposed to be a nice way to give us the warm fuzzies at the end, but it hasn’t earned them.
Ji-won’s romance at the end is also supposed to soften the blow of losing Eun-young, but it feels like a cop-out because I don’t think the drama adequately resolved their relationship. If it was going to be as simple as her leaving him, what was the point of showing the family bits, and having her so torn? You can make some attempts at explanation by saying that ultimately Ji-won hasn’t changed and that Eun-young wasn’t his end-all, be-all. Or that Eun-young’s love for Jin-soo was so strong that it trumped the other things. I just think that if a drama dug this hole for its characters, it should show a plausible way for them to have gotten out of it, rather than fast-forwarding to where the pain is dulled.
But at least the time leap works for our main couple, and that’s the one that matters, right? At first I wondered why it was necessary at all, because it seemed like Jin-soo and Eun-young had made their decision at the police station. It also recalled the train station parting two years ago, so why repeat the moment?
The key difference is that Jin-soo never gave Eun-young a bottom line in the past; he told her how he felt and they left the door open for the future, but they both had very different ideas of what that meant. So when Eun-young is facing her wedding to Ji-won, her lament is that Jin-soo never gave her hope before, and she moved on with her life. This time, he gives her a hard date and a promise.
I liked the Affair to Remember vibe of his plan; there’s an old-school sort of charm to it. Minus the crippling accident, of course. (The couple falls in love but isn’t ready to make a commitment yet, so they agree separate while they get their affairs in order — they’re both in relationships — and meet in six months’ time.) In this case it gives Eun-young the time to settle her broken engagement, while it gives Jin-soo time to write his book and prepare for their “lifetime contract.” Which, by the way, is a cute way to tie the whole business-or-friendship question.
All in all, this was a refreshing drama that flirted with unconventional setups, and I appreciated it for that. I admit to getting a little fatigued toward the end, but I also think that the antagonistic fan wars may have had more to do with that than the drama itself. For some reason this drama set off some short fuses with people, and I hope that in this last post at least, we can remain respectful of those who disagree with our opinions.
Ultimately I’d say that this drama most benefited Park Shi-yeon, who has managed to show that she has improved dramatically over the years. More significantly, this role stretched her range and showed peopel that she doesn’t always have to play the femme fatale — which is a character that she fits in appearance but not at all in temperament. I hope she gets a lot more fun dramatic roles in the future that allow her to depart from the sexy, sophisticated image.
It was also a solid platform for Ham Eun-jung, who I had issues with for overacting but I think generally held her own. Kang Ji-hwan has had bigger hits and I daresay he’ll be bummed at the lowish ratings, but he’s way too talented not to get meatier roles in the future.
Till then!
RELATED POSTS
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- Elle’s interview with Coffee House team
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Tags: Coffee House, Ham Eun-jung, Jung Woong-in, Kang Ji-hwan, Park Shi-yeon
Interview with Kim Yoo-jung
Hello Dramabeans series
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101 Kayt
August 6, 2010 at 4:59 PM
@ 97:
It's ok, you need to laugh more instead of hating, so go ahead!!! It's good for your health!!!
I am not ashamed either!
There is nothing new I that I have a lot of typos since English is never my first language btw. But it's not equal with dumb, uneducated, close-minded and rude if you are still confused ^^
Hope this is simple enough for you
Happy Friday!!!
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102 Jane
August 7, 2010 at 9:54 AM
lol, Ran, that's why some people are disappointed with the very inevitable ending.
It's like baking a mixture of sand and water and getting upset that you don't get a brownie 30 minutes later. They should have seen it coming.
All in all, I enjoyed this drama.
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103 pipit
August 7, 2010 at 9:55 AM
Jin Soo part eight (The End)
Being handcuffed and hauled to the prison under flashing lights might be the worst nightmare of famous people. But he who used to shy away from any publicity doesn't really mind being the centre of attention as that's exactly what he wnts to achieve. With this kind of news Eun Young's wedding cancellation wouldn't be making any front page cover. People are going to be too busy talking and speculating about him.
He only felt a little bit guilty when Eun Young came rushing out and gave him 'are you out of your mind look' right before the police car took him down to their station. Spending the night in jail like a common criminal isn't that bad either. But seeing the things they put on the net about him has put a damper on his mood. Do they have to put all those ugly pictures in every site? He looks horrible. Not that he really cares but he still wants to look at least rather decent if not heroic when he's throwing those punches. He has an image that needs to be preserved after all.
As if on cue that's when his former secretary comes.
The whole world is pointing their collective fingers at him. But SY seems to be more bewildered than actually understanding what's really happening. She can't seem to believe he really did what he did and struggles to find a justification. Not an easy job to do with those ugly pictures, bad press and malicious rumors which are spreading like wild fire.
And then she chose to believe the gambling debt rumor that he owed some people a large amount of money! How could she even think that rumor is true? She was his secretary for six months! And she said she respected him! He knows she's far from smart but really!
It's not his fault for wanting to see how foolish and gullible she really is after that. Who told her to believe that outrageous rumor? But when she bought his absurd lamentation of not having enough money and needing her Galapago's plot to get himself out of his trouble and decided to give him the said plot he became upset.
How could she give her Galapagos's plot away when he already told her never to give it up. Not even when someone offers her a large amount of money. And how could she believe everythinh he told her so easily? Particularly the part that he's so helpless that he needs her help to get out of this mess. There's no way he would come to her for a way out for she could barely think for herself. And this is not a simple matter which could be solved by using her plot. This whole mess is way beyond her capacity and capability.
But her wounded expression, teary eyes and question of 'why he behaved that way' told him that his anger had hurt her feelings. Ah....silly girl. She's too simple to understand the way his mind works. She has no idea that her stupidity and gullibility has upset him because he's quite proud of her improvement and achievement and that he's actually looking forward to reading her book somewhere in the very distance future.
When the person who could help him and more than capable enough to deal with any mess he has created comes to visit him he knows that she'll handle things like she always does. Thoroughly, efficiently and effectively. And ruthlessly when the occasion calls for it.
But she doesn't look like she's willing to help despite the fact that she brings her lawyer along with her. She's seething with rage and has been glaring at him from the moment he enter this room. He has no doubt that she had called him every name she could think of.
When she details the consequences of his action she paints such grim pictures of his future which tells him why she's so angry. Her anger isn't really because he ruined her wedding but mostly because he's destroyed himself!
So he reveals the fact that he's prepared his own safety net just in case. The lawyer looked surprise. So did Eun Young. But not for long as she quickly understood what it meant. He knows what Eun Young will do when he told her lawyer he did what he did because he's a bastard and an asshole. But he's still a little bit scared when she tells her lawyer to leave them alone.
He's been counting on the fact that her anger won't last long and once her anger subside her very strong sense of honor would come to the surface and safe him this moment. The whole world might be clueless of the reason behind his action, but the three of them know why he did what he did. Eun Young could no longer pretend that she wants to marry JW when she knows that he knows.
And after seeing what he did for her she'll know that for him there's nothing more important in this world than her. She who always doubts his sincerity and love for her would undertand his action much better than a thousand declaration of eternal love.
Yet knowing that she told him to say why he did what he did in plain words. Not that he blames her. She deserves to hear it all after all these years. After what he put her through. After all his lies. So he tells her.
He told her that he did it because he didn't want her to marry JW not when she wasn't even sure whether she would be happy. The wedding must be stopped because it'll be her death sentence if she didn't love JW. But he understood she couldn't stop the wedding herself, so he did it for her it was his fault after all that she decided to marry JW.
That's why he ruined her wedding like that. He couldn't just grab her hand and took her away for that would definitely ruined her and he didn't want that to happen. And loving him as much as she did he knew that she would also be hurt if he had completely ruined himself.
So he needed a justification for his horrible act. And he found his guy. He wasn't sorry that he beat that bastard. Not even when his action was captured by the cameras and released for the whole world to see with him described as a crazy, drug induced, gambling addict.
It's his way of showing her that he's being completely honest with her. He's declaring his feelings for her in front of the whole world which he never did before. It's his way of saying he loves her more than anything. He did what he did because he really loves her.
Silence meets his declaration. No I love you too. No sigh of happiness. No excited giggles. No joyous laughter. She just sits there quietly. Focusing her whole attension on him. There's only a slight movement at the corner of her mouth which indicates her feelings. But her beautiful eyes say it all. They shines with so much love that he feels he could sit there just like that for eternity.
He knows his fight is over. It's her turn now. And she'll do her share of fighting for their happines. She might be willing to pretend that she's happy with her marriage for the sake of everyone else, but that was because she thought they had no future together. Always a sensible person - she's very practical and logical to a fault - she's willing to make an attempt to create another future with another man. But now that she knows how much he really loves her.....
Eun Young might be a softie but she doesn't get where she is by being soft. She's where she's because she's able to make a tough decision. Now that she knows she's making a huge mistake he has no doubt she'll rectify it.
There's no way his logical and sensible Eun Young will decide to continue her wedding after she knows for sure that she'll regret her decision for the rest of her life. There's no way she'll choose JW over him after she knows how much he loves her. JW might be hurt for awhile, but she knows that he Lee Jin Soo wouldn't be able to live without her. And besides she loves him too.
Poor JW. He actually feels sorry for the guy. But the one who's deeply and irrevocably in love with Eun Young is him not JW. The one who can't live without her is him not JW. JW will move on to another beautiful woman as soon as one who appeals to him crosses his path, but he, Lee Jin Soo would never be able to forget Eun Young nor love another woman for the rest of his life.
So when JW came and vented his anger at him he took it without a fight. He had no idea what Eun Young said to JW or how she delivered her decision but she did it. He's too happy to be bothered by just a few beating although besides delivering punches JW was also throwing some threats his way.
But when Eun Young heard that she came to his defense and said JW was hurt and it's his pain which drove him to say the things he said. That he's actually a good person. It's the first time he heard her saying how good JW really is. It surprises him a little because when it comes to JW they are of the same opinion. But then again if JW is really that bad Eun Young would never consider marrying him in the first place. Or loved him once. Nor would he ever introduce him to Eun Young.
But that's all in the past. The past doesn't really matter anymore. It's time for their future!
Their contract used to be his only security. When he thought they couldn't be together the knowledge that they were bound legally by their contract it helped to ease his mind. This time around he'll make sure that this one is going to bind them for a life time.
When she teases him that he shouldn't be that enthusiastic because from now on she's going to keep a very close eye on him, he feels like he's just won a lottery. The time he takes her hand in his and slides a ring into her finger he finally understands why people are so keen on doing this kind of silly gesture.
Silly it may be but it does represent a lifetime commitment which he promises and gives to Eun Young. And her acceptance of the ring represents her own commitment to him. Her smile when he tells her to come to him on the Christmas Eve makes him wish he could fast forward the time. For the very first time he feels this kind of happiness. An unadulterated one.
He used to be happy whenever he's close to her but his happiness was also accompanied by pain. But this new happiness is so heady so surreal. So heavenly.
With that kind of feelings he comes to say goodbye to his former secretary completely forgetting that she once said that she likes him. But when she congratulates him for his life time contract while trying not to cry he belatedly remembers and apologises. When she cries her heart out he feels really sorry for her but there's nothing he could do to ease her pain.
SY has to deal with it herself and he suspects she could deal with it much better than what her cry depicts. He's not saying that he doesn't believe her when she told him that she likes him. She might like him. Perhaps loves him too. But her love isn't the kind of love that he feels toward Eun Young. He doesn't know whether SY is capable of experiencing that kind of love or whether she'll ever find someone who's capable of making her feel that way. But at the moment she's not at that point yet.
So he let her cry and slowly sips the coffee she's made for him. Her coffee is no longer that bad but it sill doesn't suit his taste. But he's going to finish it to let her know that despite her imperfection he's willing to acknowledge her effort and improvement. And that means he values her as a person. As someone who is important enough to be respected. And when he gives her the return ticket to Galapagos it's to tell her that he has high hope for her and that he trusts her to be able to fulfill his high expectation of her.
In return his very loyal former secretary tells him that she thinks he's done the right thing in his fight for love. Even with his rather loose sense of right and wrong he knows that what he did wan't completely right. But it's nice to know that there's someone who'll alwyas think good of him no matter what.
So when she asks whether she's the best secretary that he's ever had he doesn't need time to think answer it. She's definitely the best secretary that he's ever had. For he's only had one secretary. But, yes, she really is the best. He couldn't imagine anyone else in her place. Just like he couldn't imagine any woman replacing Eun Young's place in his heart.
As always just the thought of her brings that unadulterated happiness in spades. He doesn't know what are the good deeds that he's done that makes him deserve her. But he's eternally gratefu"
On the day of their rendezvous he doesn't even hear or see her coming but somehow he could feel her presence. And when he sees her standing there all smiling his heart sings with joy and he knows that from that moment on he'll have a new life. A very different one from what he'd experienced before.
This is definitely not 'A Dark Start' for everywhere he looks all that he can see is this wonderful bright light that points him into her direction. And no matter what happens in the future he knows one thing for sure. They will be together forever. Through the good and bad times. Together. Always.
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mmeuh
August 7, 2010 at 2:17 PM
Thank you for finishing it! I really enjoyed reading it ^^ gonna save and read again in the future!
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nina
August 8, 2010 at 2:30 AM
Pipit, it's been quite a joy to read all the detailed episode commentaries through Jin Soo's POV... looking back over some of the previous entries, you've been really quite intuitive about why Jin Soo does the things he does, which almost nobody else picked up on...
I used to look forward to these 'parts' as much as the drama/recap itself, hee! I'll be sure to drop in on your blog from time to time to see if you do more of such stuff...
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pipit
August 8, 2010 at 8:35 AM
Thanks Nina ^-^
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104 pipit
August 7, 2010 at 5:47 PM
@ Ran
Thanks for liking it. It's my pleasure ^-^
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105 Hannelora
August 8, 2010 at 6:42 AM
@Kayt
Thanks for explaining more details about SY in comparison with EY. I enjoy a lot, especially with your 7 reasons, haha, look like JS's.
I did not realize his shy face when he put clothes to EY. i will have a look again in this ep. Haha, it it interesting!!!
@pipit
Could you please give me your blog link? I will have a look your post about JS when you have time to finish it.
Thanks for updating the rest part.
I feel touched while reading
(1) How poor SY is. She is never the same level as EY & JS
(2) JS knows how happy he is, the first time in his life...
(3) SY's coffee does not meet his taste forever.
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pipit
August 8, 2010 at 8:46 AM
I think you could just click my name to go to my blog. But if that doesn't work you could go to: http://www.sharingtotheworldblogspot.com/
I'll start the rewriting of Jin Soo's story next month when I have a few days off.
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Hannelora
August 9, 2010 at 12:08 AM
Thanks a lot, pipit.
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Hannelora
August 9, 2010 at 12:13 AM
I tried to click your name or the link you gave me. Unfortunately it does not work. Maybe some technical problems happen in this website. Does it work usually normally ?
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pipit
August 9, 2010 at 7:33 PM
Oops my mistake. Can't believe I make another typos!
It should be:
http://www.sharingtotheworld.blogspot.com/
106 Hannelora
August 8, 2010 at 6:48 AM
@Kayt
I do agree with you that SY does not truely love JS. It is just a misunderstanding feeling towards the one who she admires, who is higher than her in some levels,...
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Hannelora
August 9, 2010 at 2:43 AM
I had a look the scene again. haha, he smiles slightly in ep. 5 after putting the clothes for EY. it was super cute!!!!
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107 Kavitha Ravi
August 8, 2010 at 8:41 AM
funny how all i wanted was a happy ending for all the characters and when i got it i wasnt happy at all :( for some reason the ending was a bit lacking for me...maybe as with most dramas CH jus fizzled out in the end??
but overall the serial delivered some good laughs and a set of amazingly relateble characters! esp js and ey...
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108 S@lly
August 8, 2010 at 9:26 PM
I skipped to the ending to see who ends up with who. I'm kinda surprised jin soo and eun young ended up together because the drama is so focused on both seung yeon and jin soo that I thought they'd be a couple. Not really satisfied with the ending, but the drama was great though.
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109 Hannelora
August 10, 2010 at 1:39 PM
Thanks, pipit. It works now.
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110 carole2970
August 13, 2010 at 12:28 AM
Thank you so much for your 1-18 recaps and posting interviews!!!
I really enjoy them!!!
Eunsoo forever~
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111 jen
August 13, 2010 at 5:55 PM
i loveed this drama and watched every single episode. fell in love with all the characters.
I got pretty disappointed how it turned out when Jin Soo came back after two years, but also satisfied about the happy ending. Yayyy!!
thanks for the recapp.
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112 Dorian
August 14, 2010 at 12:23 PM
Wow...I finished watching the entire Coffee House series in about almost a week and definitely loved it. It was my third venture into K-Drama land and a much needed break after watching Bad Guy which left me really unhappy about the way it ended after all the buildup and pseudo attention to detail throughout the series.
Normally I hate cheesy shows, but the way this show initially started was so cute & funny that I couldn't help but love it. I have to agree, the initial portrayal of Seung-Yon was really annoying to me...they really amped up the fact that she was naive and unexperienced - so much so that it was hard to take her as a serious love interest/potential for Jin-Soo. I mean seriously, she was dressed in such a sloppy/childish way in addition to her overacting that I was definitely doing some eye rolling during the initial episodes. Her transformation though was great...it was so much more believable to see her being somewhat polished - although late to work.
Coffee House got "heavy" at just the right time, so that it wasn't labeled (in my book) as a silly show from start to finish. The only other thing that made me go o_0 was Jin-Soo's new look. Why did he have to dye his hair that horrid blondish-brown color? And the earring too?! No...he could have been cocky and transformed without those two details. But in all, Coffee House was a great show...
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113 Lilian
August 19, 2010 at 4:49 AM
I would say that the biggest effect this drama had on me was making me into a fan of Kang Ji Hwan and Park Shi Yeon. I have never watched Kang Ji hwan before....shocking but true! I will definitely look out for his projects in future =)
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114 moochi2000
August 28, 2010 at 10:01 PM
the last episode was not as good as the other one's. but most dramas don't end that well anyways. i'm glad the drama ended with the pairing that i wanted. i actually like all the characters, so i thought all the casts did a good job. i also fell in love with the music too =3
before watching the last episode i would put this in my top 3 kdramas, but after the ending, it will remain in my top 10 =p lol.
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115 Brenda
October 26, 2010 at 11:19 PM
Ah, i finally finished the drama which i only started a few days ago. It was totally different from what i expected it to be. I didn't think i'd like it all that much but i did watch it for Kang Ji-hwan.
But then when i started watching it, i couldn't stop and it got addictive. I presume the fan wars are between which girl should end up with jin soo? i was adament, almost overly confident in the first half of the series that he was going to end up with Seung Yeon (at moments they were convincing together as i kept thinking that they would be "good" for each other) but i kept rooting for Eun Young and kept focusing my attention on their relationship. i am thrilled at their moment and that they ended up together, they are perfect and it especially makes me happy because it isn't what i expected (i mean who doesn't expect the "opposites" to get together - the cute happy go lucky girl able to melt the lead mans heart?)
Great drama ^^ Park Si Yeon was amazing, i fell for her almost instantanously compared to the only previous drama i've watched her in (my girl), i also have to look out for more Kang Ji Hwan roles! i didn't think he could top his role in hong gil dong but he sure has skill and charm :) thanks heaps for the recaps! it cleared up alot of things i got confused about and also made me happy that others shared my enjoyment of the series! :D
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116 jen
November 3, 2010 at 5:05 PM
I <3 this drammmma :) i cant believe this doesn't have more than 200 comments dammn it
btw, has anyone heard of a taiwanese drama called Peach Girl? If you have... is it anyy good?
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Jane
November 6, 2010 at 10:32 AM
The chemistry between the leads is quite amazing and that's like the only good thing about Peach Girl. So watch at your own risk. The evil second lead girl is just over the top and almost makes watching the drama unbearable. I pretty much just fast forwarded through the middle episodes. Overall, I enjoyed the parts I watched because of the leads but it's not something I would recommend.
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117 Abdul
December 5, 2010 at 12:56 PM
I didn't like the ending. I hope I don't get shot. -_-Everyone has their opinions and mine was that, all series long I thought that JS would end up with SY. The funny parts of the drama were so hilarious that it kept me going. Mind you I didn't skip a single episode or scene.
However... the whole will he/wont he/will she/wont she/does he/does she... kind of dragged on.
*sigh* I really wished JS and SY ended up together but oh well. However I have to say. I am empressed with how this drama can keep light moments even until the end. Example the "oppa" moment and the wedding crash with the "AJAAJAJAJJAA". That would have to be the best part of the drama for me.
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118 Peachy
December 11, 2010 at 2:28 PM
I really enjoyed this drama. I especially love the ending. I fell inlove with the couple. They had so much chemistry. Good Job Park Shi-yeon and Kang Ji-hwan. I hope they can have another drama together. Cheers!
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Soo Ae
May 10, 2011 at 6:18 AM
I agree too! I loved the ending and I thought it was a great way to tie the series
However, if it had ended the other way then I would be ok with it too!
Why are so many people obsessed with their OTPs? We watch dramas not write them LOL!
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119
December 12, 2010 at 4:43 AM
omg drama was a complete wast of my time, rooting for jin soo and Seung yeon the whole way through! hate Eun Young !!!!!
i want my time and bandwidth back!!!!!!
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120 mousekewitz
March 28, 2011 at 1:28 AM
agree with loveydovey.. the ending is unsatisfied. but this is the Korean drama pattern. It has always paired up the 2 main role. Always the same for each series.
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121 Lara
July 20, 2011 at 2:56 PM
Its probably me, but I lost interest after the 10th episode. I generally like to have somebody to root for in these types of dramas. Here there was absolutely no chemistry between any of the characters to really make me care. By the time the end came, I was like, don't care if the grandmother got together with Jin soo! To sum it up, forgettable and without any moments to care about.
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122 nitnotz
January 25, 2012 at 3:33 AM
hehehe. maybe too late 2sent comment. coz i just wanna try wacth this drama in this year (2012). but... when am all ready watch ep 12 suddenly curious and search for finale episode by resume. and aaarggg ... i find ur site here. its broken my heart. hahaha,so, the Boss/writer's heart is only for his friend/ his boss, not for his secretary, aahh,,, i think will not continue watchin >_< i never watchin sad ending (for me) like this before.... huhuhu, am sure, but this drama is great!
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123 Anne
January 31, 2012 at 2:24 AM
Just finished watch Coffee House, why I felt this couple doesn't hook me ? really, I try so hard to like Jin_Soo and Eun_Young but I can't. When finally they become together I feel it's almost incest, and so unbelievable. I know they have history and blah blah blah, but...... still, it's not enough to make me believe.
This drama is the first drama that I felt no way out for our hero, cause if Jin Soo with Seung-yeon it's not right either. So for me Coffee House is stuck drama for me. it's too bad, I love Kang Ji Hwan in Hong Gil Dong.
And I just saw the rating was low... so I think I almost right.
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124 Ay
March 23, 2012 at 10:13 AM
Thank you Javabeans for the recap! Enjoyed it and enjoyed your thoughts on it as well. Btw, was it just me or was it really true that at the end, where Jin-soo was sitting on the floor and Eun-young smiled at him from outside the window, the house for that scene was the same house used for Full House. I'm quite sure of it though...
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125 Gasenadi
April 11, 2012 at 12:20 PM
Gracias, jb and gf for the recaps. Enjoyed the comments also, especially amg1 and pipit. Thanks for the insights.
I loved CH way back in the early days of my kdrama addiction, before knowing dramabeans and recaps existed. The ending intrigued me and got me thinking. Upon reflection, I thought it was brilliant and completely in keeping with what you would expect a best-selling author to conjure up so as to facilitate a happy ending for his "heroine", and a life-time contract/committment for himself.
Oh! And I haven't laughed so hard at the shipping wars EVER! Sooo hilarious. Much needed after sobbing over my Bad Guy.
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126 Radhika
July 26, 2012 at 3:30 PM
This drama was just amazing!! I am soooooo glad tht i watched this drama cause initially i wasnt going to watch bcuz of the low ratings. I was suffering from withdrawal symptoms when this drama was over^^
What can I say – the cast was amazing, soundtrack is awesome, the pace was just perfect, I never got bored once and was totally into it, loved the time shifting between past and present (smt new not found in kdramas), it was very realistic and I was totally living the moments with the leads! Really impressed with PSY – she did an amazing job and is my new favourite now;) She can literally express every emotion thru her eyes and body language! Just amazing acting and to add I loved her wardrobe and makeup!;);) BRAVO!
KJH was amazing like always<3 And the chemistry btw PSY and KJH was just mind blowing! At first when I started watching this drama I assumed HEJ and KJH were going to end up together. But as the drama progressed, I found tht PSY & KJH had this huge history with their yearning and love for each other. This made me love this drama even more!! I loved their chemistry and found it amazing how they changed awkwardness to laughter; how they both yearned for each other but were best friends tht always supported each other n wished happiness for the other. I was vouching for PSY to end up with KJH all the way thru and was shocked to find a lot of people didn’t like that and wanted HEJ & KJH together. I also loved how KJH character progressed: from a person tht had a huge burden on him and was unable to move on from his past to a person who fought for PSY in the end. Lastly, HEJ was did a really good job of portraying this cute young girl who finds KJH to be her idol and ofcourse starts loving him. But I personally think HEJ didn’t love him but rather idealized him so much tht she thought she loved him! which u cud say is love in a way? .. I feel tht KJH knew tht HEJ was always so impressed n influenced by him but I was just happy that not once was he swayed by her. He just always thought of her as a good person who understands him and yah I agree HEJ did play a very important role in changing KJH. But what KJH had with PSY was very deep, too intense and cud never be broken. I really liked the script -- it was strong and full of intense emotion! Also there are many unforgetful moments in CH that make this drama even more beautiful --- my fav scenes are: when KJH discovers the picture tht PSY had thrown in garbage; the epic kiss scene in the telephone booth; when KJH runs with all his might to see PSY when he hears she is back after missing for 4 days; the fight scene btw KJH and JWI; scene where KJH & PSY talk on the phone while looking at each other b4 KJH leaves to US (ep12); the scene where the ring falls out of KJH’s pocket; KJH speech in ep16 where he wishes PSY “always be happy”; and ofcourse the last ep when HEJ earnestly cries in front of KJH n he says nothing but understands everything while sipping coffee and many more!
Overall – all I can say is I just LOVED this drama; very satisfying ending and found it addicting! Its definitely a MUST WATCH!!
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127 kat
February 11, 2014 at 4:46 PM
Dong-wook was SO SO attractive, I kept rooting for him in more scenes, even with my beloved KJH in this drama too (which is enough to say I loved it). I was so sad that SY was basically indifferent to him the whole movie, and he could've had a much more developed backstory & been much more utilized supporting character IMO. Actor should be given a romantic lead, because so pretty. But overall, I loved CH, so quirky and cute, although I could've so done without the last bit of tacked on SY and JS romance option, obviously he was supposed to end up with EY and SY was his secretary/younger, so obviously not a good pairing all along - I loved their dynamic as a secretary/boss maybe even developed into big brother/younger sister thing, wish the writers didn't indulge that romance angle in the last bit of the series.
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128 salt n' pepper
October 23, 2014 at 11:26 PM
I'm commenting way too late but I just happened to stumble upon this drama again last week. I'm currently watching The Greatest Marriage and I was intrigued by Park Si Yeon (okay, partly because of her performance, but also partly because she just looks so effin' gorgeous all the time!!) so I decided to check out her other works. I've seen her in My Girl before and I remember I hated her in that but that was a long time ago so I don't remember much about how I perceived her then. I also watched Nice Guy but ended up dropping it somewhere in the first half of the series because the whole amnesia plot ticked me off. I've always found Park Si Yeon pretty but I didn't have much of a reaction towards her acting.
Boy am I glad that I watched Coffee House. I had this drama stacked in my hard drive before because I wanted to see Eunjung in a drama but I remember fastforwarding to the last episode and finding out she doesn't end up with KJH so I dropped my plans of watching this. It was only when I started watching this drama again this time around that I remembered PSY would be the end-game and since I'm watching this for a different reason now, I had reason to go on watching. Hahaha. I'm glad I decided to watch this now that I have a positive image of PSY from The Greatest Marriage because I was able to appreciate her character and performance here so much more than I would have had years ago.
The drama started off pretty slow for me. I loved PSY and KJH's scenes but I thought Eunjung overacted a bit in the beginning. I wasn't a fan of her typical deer-in-the-headlights K-drama female lead character. She got better as the drama went on though so no complaints here. Park Si Yeon, on the other hand, I LOVED from the get-go. She is so different here compared to her other femme fatale, vicious 2nd lead roles and I AM LOVING IT!!! This drama converted me from a casual appreciate-or of PSY into a fan. :) I hope she decides to take more dramas like this. Her character now in TGM isn't bubbly and cute like Eunyoung but so far she's strong, confident, successful, bitchy yet relatable at the same time. I wish that scandal ban would get lifted soon so we can see her get back her footing on the main stations after a high-profile drama like Nice Guy. I'm happy that she has a leading role in a drama now but I'm eager to see her on the big 3 networks again soon.
Ooops, this is turning out into a love confession for Park Si Yeon. It's okay, her portrayal as Eunyoung in this drama deserves it. :))
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salt n' pepper
October 23, 2014 at 11:37 PM
Also, can I just say that I am loving the OTP's relationship in this drama? It reminds me somewhat of this Taiwanese drama that I like, "In Time With You". I like the bestfriends-turned-into-lovers storyline, LOL. I started watching 9 Ends 2 Outs which has a similar storyline but I've put if off first for the time being because the first few episodes it didn't grabbed my attention.
I like simple yet well-made dramas like this. The dramas that I end up loving aren't the ones with complicated plots and flashy, high-budget scenes but shows with organic, realistic, and fleshed-out relationships and dynamics between the characters. I love me some cute, heartwarming stories like this one. CH got a bit heavy towards the middle but I think it got heavy at a right time. Besides, I was already full invested in the JS-EY pairing that I just had to go on watching. :))
Two thumbs up from me for this drama!
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salt n' pepper
October 23, 2014 at 11:38 PM
*didn't grab my attention
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salt n' pepper
October 23, 2014 at 11:40 PM
*first few episodes didn't grab my attention.
Oops, typo.
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129 dramabird
October 16, 2015 at 4:12 PM
I'm going voting crazy!
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