The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince

The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (Hangul: 커피프린스 1호점; RR: Keopipeurinseu 1 Hojeom; also known as Coffee Prince) is a 2007 South Korean television drama, starring Yoon Eun-hye, Gong Yoo, Lee Sun-kyun, and Chae Jung-an. Based on the novel of the same name written by Lee Sun-mi, the hit series aired on MBC from July 2 to August 28, 2007 for 17 episodes.

The drama is an unlikely romance between a tomboyish woman, who dresses like a man in order to get work, and a young food empire mogul. It contains homoerotic elements, because the man does not initially know of the tomboy's true gender.

Plot

The exterior of The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince in Hongdae, Mapo-gu, Seoul in 2012

Choi Han-gyul (Gong Yoo) is a third generation scion of a food chaebol. He has never had a job and does not care for responsibility. Han-gyul is hung up on his first love, Han Yoo-joo (Chae Jung-an), and certainly doesn't want to get married despite his family's requests. On the other hand, Go Eun-chan (Yoon Eun-hye) is a 24-year-old tomboy who is often mistaken for a guy. She takes up every job possible: Taekwondo teacher, waitress, food delivery, and has the responsibility of taking care of her childish, spendthrift mother and trouble-making younger sister. When Han-gyul and Eun-chan meet, he, not knowing that she is a girl, decides to hire her to pretend to be his gay lover so that he can escape the blind dates arranged by his grandmother.

Meanwhile, Han-gyul's cousin, Choi Han-seong (Lee Sun-kyun), is an established music producer and his ex-girlfriend, Han Yoo-joo, is a famous artist who studied in New York. The two were lovers for about 8 years, but their relationship ended when Yoo-joo left Han-seong for another man. Two years after they separate, their paths cross again when she returns to Seoul. Han-seong is initially angry at her, but he succumbs to his lingering feelings and they start to date again.

After getting an ultimatum from his grandmother, Han-gyul takes over a rundown old coffee shop, later renamed "Coffee Prince," to prove that he's capable, both to his grandmother and to Yoo-joo. In order to attract female customers, he only hires good-looking male employees. Eun-chan, desperate for money, continues to hide her gender to get a job at Coffee Prince.

Eun-chan also become friends with Han-seong, and she is initially attracted to him because of his kindness. Han-seong also enjoys spending time with her, and an impulsive kiss that he gives her causes him and Yoo-joo to break up for a short time.

Soon, feelings start to develop between Eun-chan and Han-gyul. Because he's unaware that she is a woman, he starts to question his sexuality and is thrown into turmoil. When he discovers her secret, he feels hurt and betrayed. However, he eventually forgives her and they begin to date. They face strong opposition from his family due to her family’s lower status, but when Han-gyul's grandmother meets Eun-chan, she is impressed by her independence and ambition. She helps pay for Eun-chan to study in Italy to become a barista. After two years of a long-distance relationship, a more stylish Eun-chan returns to Korea and Han-gyul.