Dating Agency: Cyrano (연애조작단; 시라노) is a 2013 South Korean television series which aired from May 27, 2013 to July 16, 2013. The series is about a dating agency that orchestrates romantic scenarios for paying clients, all in an effort to raise enough money to save an old theater.
Dating Agency: Cyrano, which was based on the 2010 Korean movie Cyrano Agency itself based on the French play Cyrano de Bergerac, is the 4th installment of tvN's 'Oh Boy!' Project series. This drama series features star-studded line ups of flower boy leading men. The previous entries in this series are Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Shut Up Flower Boy Band, and Flower Boy Next Door.
Main Characters
- Seo Byunghoon or Leader (played by Lee Jonghyuk) - The Stoic former genius theater director who served as Cyrano's "president" after the former president (his best friend Do-il) died. He started the Dating Agency in order to save the Cyrano theater as Cyrano's old president had a debt.
- Cha Seungpyo or Master (played by Lee Chunhee) - Owner of the restaurant next-door to the Dating Agency. Served as Minyoung's master and cooking teacher.
- Gong Minyoung or Gong Stone (played by Choi Sooyoung) - The Love Goddess who Thinks Like a Romance Novel. Will consider sabotaging the mission for the sake of the clients. Joined the Dating Agency after she got fired from her old job. At first, she was hesistant to join since she believed that the Dating Agency are manipulators, but that's exactly the same thing that happens at her old job.
- Moojin (played by Hong Jonghyun) - The Quiet One. The engineer who is the brains behind all the high-tech gadgets used by the agency in the field. He's also responsible for the high-tech van
◊ with all the gizmos which is used to spy on the clients and the targets. Always seen playing with a silver Rubik's cube. - Do Ahrang (played by Jo Yoonwoo) - The adorable Nice Guy. A 19-year-old high schooler who dreams of becoming a theater actor.
Secondary Characters
- Lee Minshik (played by Bae Seongwoo) and Go Youngdal (played by Kim Minkyo) - Seungpyo's loan shark goons, who intimidate Byunghoon into paying his debt. The Tagalong Kids who later become the Dating Agency's prominent actors.
- Hyeri (played by Ha Yeonjoo) - A Genki Girl waitress at Seungpyo's restaurant whose charms made The Stoic Moojin fall for her.
- Yoon Yiseol (played by Kim Junghwa) - Byunghoon's first love from high school. Was engaged to Do-il (who got into a car accident and died).
- Go Do-il (played by Lee Minwoo) - Byunghoon's deceased best friend who was also Yiseol's lover. One of the co-founders of the Cyrano Theater Troupe (along with Byunghoon and Yiseol).
The Other Wiki has a list of the clients and the targets.
List of Tropes appearing in Dating Agency: Cyrano. Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD.
- The Ace - Leader Byunghoon as a stage director. He is still very well-known in his former school, as shown in episode 3.
- Affectionate Nickname:
- "Gong Stone" for Gong Minyoung.
- And after all these years, Yiseol still refers to Byunghoon as "Seo Il Rok", as per the Stage Name below. Aww.
- The Apprentice: Minyoung to Korea's #1 Chef runner-up Dokgo Mi-jin.
- Born Unlucky: Creepy client Bong Soon-ah.
- Subverted in Byunghoon's case, since he only has "20 consecutive unlucky days" every 431 days.
- Cannot Spit It Out: Leader/Seo Il Rok in his school, was not able to confess his love for his "Watson", Yoon Yiseol. This is true after they've met again presumably a decade later. Eventually he mans up and admits it though.
- The Casanova: Ahrang. Breaking hearts is all part of the job.
- Catchphrase
- "Yes chef!" - Whenever Minyoung's cooking with someone.
- "Bingo" for Moojin.
- "WHAT?"
- Caught on Tape: Ahrang when he was kissing the agency's client Ray's love interest Sekyung.
- Justified since there are cameras EVERYWHERE.
- Cherubic Choir: Background music while Moojin takes off his shades in slow motion to charm Mi-jin.
- Creepy Doll: Byunghoon's old marionettes which are displayed in their headquarters.
- Cute Bookworm: The client Joonhyuk's love interest Jae-in is a cute librarian.
- Dead Partner: The fireman's best friend from episode 11.
- Death of the Hypotenuse: Subverted by the fact that Yiseol did not have another relationship after Do-il's death, although she has admitted to Byunghoon that she loves him.
- Derailing Love Interests: Exactly what happened in the agency's client Ray's case, when it was revealed that his love interest Sekyung was actually in love with the Dating Agency employee Ahrang.
- Dialogue ReversalByunghoon: You will regret it for the rest of your life if you lose someone like him (Master).Minyoung: You will regret it for the rest of your life if you lose someone like me.
- Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Byunghoon to Minyoung when she found out that he also had his heart broken when he was a teen.
- Dying for Symbolism: During episode 8, Byunghoon dreams of himself drowning to death. It turns out that it symbolizes the start of his unlucky period.
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Their client Bong Soo-ah who looks like she was straight out of The Ring. She works in a haunted house, after all.
- Epic Fail
- Minyoung tripping three times in a row in one single episode.
- Minyoung toppling over a smoke bomb inside the Dating Agency's van...
- Evil Debt Collectors: Min-shik and Young-dal are not really evil but they're Seungpyo's Loan Shark goons as it was Seungpyo's money which was used for the agency. They even had temporary stints as employees of the Dating Agency.
- Fangirls: A plethora of them for Ray (played by Lee Taemin).
- Gadgeteer Genius: Moojin. One of his best inventions is revealed in episode 9.
- Get-Rich-Quick Scheme: The Dating Agency was formed by Byunghoon in order to raise enough money to save the old Cyrano theater.
- Glory Days: Byunghoon's tenure as a genius theater director.
- Happy Place: Ahrang's tent◊note at the agency. Filled with teddy bears.
- Home Base: For the Dating Agency, it's the abandoned theater originally from Do-il.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Darin and Mijin. Mijin is not very tiny but Darin is really, really tall.
- Humiliation Conga: As seen in the Epic Fail entry above, Minyoung tripping three times in a row. In one episode.
- And the entirety of what's happening during Byunghoon's unlucky period.
- Impossible Mission: In Choi Darin's case, since the girl he likes hates him a lot. However, nothing's impossible to the Dating Agency with a "100% success rate".
- IronyByunghoon: You're going to get struck by lightning if you don't sleep at home.Minyoung: Lightning my ass![ A really loud growl of thunder follows afterwards.]
- Lady Killer In Love: Ahrang, after target Sekyung confessed to him.
- Leitmotif: One of the most recognizable ones is In The Same Storm by Big Baby Driver.
- Love at First Punch: The baker Darin fell in love with not-so-nice rival girl Mijin because he's the "M" in S&M.
- Love Confession: The clients and/or targets, of course.
- And Seungpyo / Master to Minyoung. His first confession got him friendzoned so he pretended that it was only a joke.
- Love Hurts: As seen in the love triangles formed in the show.
- We have Ray - Sekyung - Ahrang;
- Byunghoon - Yiseol - Do-il;
- and Byunghoon - Minyoung - Seungpyo.
- The Matchmakers: The main role of the Dating Agency.
- Nice Guy:
- Ahrang who gave up his first love for the sake of the client.
- And young Byunghoon who didn't confess to his first love for the sake of his best friend.
- Not So Stoic: Throughout the show, Moojin gradually begins to open up and talk a little more.
- Not What It Looks Like: Minyoung and Byunghoon once posed as a couple◊ for the sake of the mission.
- Old Flame: Yiseol to Byunghoon, because Nice Guys Finish Last.
- Older Than He Looks: Seungpyo is still quite the looker.
- Pragmatic Adaptation: The show based on the 2010 movie Cyrano Agency.
- Pretty Boy: Moojin and Ahrang, to the point that Teen Idol Ray's manager tried to scout them but they both declined.
- Psychotic Smirk: Hawaiian Shirt Guy. ALL THE TIME.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Seungpyo decided to sabotage and conquer the Dating Agency since he believes that Byunghoon was responsible for his brother's death (and because Byunghoon's getting in the way of the Seungpyo-Minyong couple).
- Scenery Porn: The painting which served as a backdrop in Byunghoon's play, which was his love interest Yiseol's handiwork.
- Seamless Spontaneous Lie: Usually by Byunghoon, who can come up with a lie on the spot. His stoic disposition helps a lot, and he was a genius stage director, after all.
- Secretly Dying: The nurse in the nurse-fireman arc.
- She Is Not My Girlfriend: And old man once mistook Byunghoon and Minyoung as lovers. But of course, they're just co-workers. Or are they?Byunghoon: She (Minyoung)'s just a kid.Minyoung: And he (Byunghoon)'s an old man.
- Shout-Out:
- To SNSD. The actress (Choi Sooyoung) who plays Minyoung is a member of that Girl Group, after all.
- In episode 3, the music video for Dream Girl by SHINee was being played on a TV set in Ray's classroom.
- The show's title itself is a shout-out to the play Cyrano de Bergerac. Both Byunghoon (in a flashback) and Ahrang were seen reading a Cyrano De Bergerac book.
- It was also shown in a flashback that Byunghoon and his colleaguesnote staged a production of this play at their school.
- Stage Name: Seo Il Rok for Seo Byunghoon, a reference to his childhood nickname, Sherlock. He is known for his Holmes-like accurate analyses.
- The Stoic: "The Robot" Moojin... have you seen him smile? Perhaps it only happens rarely.
- Teen Idol: Yang Hoyeol / Ray, played by Lee Taemin of SHINee fame.
- Those Two Guys: Seungpyo's goons do have names: Minshik and Youngdal.
- Through Her Stomach: Seungpyo in his failed confession to Minyoung. He said that he will cook for her everyday.
- Van in Black: The Dating Agency's van. Sometimes serves as a Base on Wheels.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: The Dating Agency manipulates people's minds in the name of love, and even Minyoung herself hated all these manipulations. Keep in mind that they're actually the protagonists.
- You Watch Too Much X:
- Minyoung things Byunghoon watches too many dramas.
"Do you think I could do a sudden U-turn just like in dramas?" - Minyoung to Byunghoon.- Minyoung once tried to open an envelope using kettle steam. Just like in the movies.
