Line #40 Series/TheFirstShopOfCoffeePrince


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/coffee_prince.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:(from left) Choi Han Kyul, Hong Gae Sik, Go Eun Chan, Jin Ha Rim, Noh Sun Ki, Hwang Min Yeop]]
3	->''"I’ll say this just once, so listen to me. I like you. Whether you’re a man, or an alien...I don’t care anymore. I tried getting rid of my feelings, but I couldn't. So let’s go, as far as we can go."''
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5	Based on a novel of the same name, ''The First Shop of Coffee Prince'' is a Korean drama that aired in 2007. Go Eun Chan (played by Yoon Eun-hye) is a tomboyish girl working multiple jobs to support her mother and sister. Choi Han Kyul (played by Creator/GongYoo) is the charming son of a wealthy family, and has never held a job in his life. The two meet by chance and Han Kyul assumes Eun Chan is a boy (and a thief). He ends up hiring her to pose as his "gay lover" when he goes on blind dates set up by his mother and grandmother. His grandmother decides to take a different approach - he has to take over management of a failing coffee house the family owns. If he can triple her investment in three months, she will leave him alone to live his life as he chooses. Otherwise, he will have to submit to the blind dates and eventually settle down.
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7	Han Kyul decides the shop needs a gimmick, so he renames it "Coffee Prince" and hires four "[[PrettyBoy princes]]" -- including Eun Chan -- to work there and attract female customers. Han Kyul finds himself falling for Eun Chan, which is all well and good except for the fact he still thinks she's a guy, and he's straight. For her part Eun Chan is afraid that a) she'll lose the job at Coffee Prince if Han Kyul finds out she's a girl, and later b) he'll be upset if he finds out she's been lying, even as their connection deepens. Which adds up to fighting, misplaced emotions, longing looks, and misunderstandings. Add the secondary couple, who both characters dabble with emotionally, and you have everything kdramas are known for.
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9	It's not without its cheesy or clunky moments, but almost everything - the performances, the writing, the music - make this drama more entertaining, more endearing, and more satisfying than most.
10	----
11	!!'"The First Tropes of Coffee Prince":
12	* BeautifulDreamer:
13	** {{Subverted}} when Eun Chan sees Han Kyul sleeping at the coffee shop in the morning. At first, she admires him a moment, but then starts blowing on his face for no adequately explained reason.
14	** But played straight when ''Han Kyul'' sees ''Eun Chan'' sleeping, whereby him [[SweetOnPollyOliver stroking her face and whatnot]]. He snaps out of it before it [[DudeShesLikeInAComa goes farther than that]].
15	** It happens ''again'', after they've become [[spoiler: "sworn brothers"]], and Han Kyul, like a repeat offender, [[InnocentInnuendo gets more detailed in his touching...]] [[DudeShesLikeInAComa Like aligning his body with hers and stroking her hand.]]
16	* TheBeard: Han Kyul hires Eun Chan to pretend to be his gay lover, so his mother will stop setting him up on dates with women.
17	* BetaCouple: Han Sung and Yoo-Joo
18	* {{Bifauxnen}}: Eun Chan
19	* TheBigDamnKiss: There are a ton of small kisses, but the one that really stands out is the "tackle kiss" where Eun jumps on top of her boss, and makes passionate kissing with her legs around his waist and pushing him into walls and other obstacles.
20	* BigEater: Also Eun Chan
21	* CannotSpitItOut: Eun Chan just ''can't'' spit it out to Han Kyul that she's a girl, but [[spoiler:seems perfectly fine with confessing her love for him, which results with him [[{{Gayngst}} tormenting himself]] over his own feelings.]]
22	* TheCasanova: Ha Rim
23	* CommitmentIssues: Eun Chan
24	* DisappearedDad: Eun Chan's father
25	* DramaticIrony: Han Kyul hires a ''woman'' unknowingly to pretend to be his gay lover, so his mother will stop setting him up on dates with women. You can't get much more ironic than that.
26	* DubNameChange: In the Filipino dub.
27	* EiffelTowerEffect: Namsam Tower can easily be seen from Han Kyul's home.
28	* EffortlessAmazonianLift: Eun Chan carries her guy Han Kyul on her back.
29	* FiveManBandConcert: {{Deconstructed}}. The Coffee Prince shop staff gives a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDzx974YZNk concert]] as a publicity stunt. It ends up being all percussion because they don't know how to play any instrument. Min Yeop is the [=DJ=] and presenter and describes his fellow coworkers as mister Hong, the handsome Han Kyul, TheDitz Eun Chan, the vain Ha Rim, and the waffle Sun Ki.
30	* {{Gayngst}}: Han Kyul. There's nearly a ''whole episode'' dedicated to him [[SweetOnPollyOliver losing his mind over his feelings for]] [[SweetPollyOliver Eun Chan]]. Of course, him [[IfItsYouItsOkay coming to terms]] with his [[SingleTargetSexuality homosexuality]] is not needed because, well, she's a girl, but he doesn't know that...
31	* HappilyAdopted: [[spoiler: Han Kyul]]
32	* [[{{Tsundere}} Hot And Cold]]: Han Kyul.
33	* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Each episode is called a cup, starting with First Cup, then Second Cup, and ending with Final (17th) Cup.
34	* IfItsYouItsOkay: [[spoiler: Han Kyul tells Eun Chan, "I like you. Whether you're a man, or an alien... I don't care anymore."]]
35	* IntertwinedFingers: Between Eun Chan and Han Kyul
36	* LoveTriangle: Almost a LoveDodecahedron with the two cousins crunching on the same two girls.
37	* MakeoverMontage: Eun Chan gets one when Han Seong helps her get ready for Yoo Joo's art exhibit.
38	* MeetCute: Eun Chan and Han Kyul first meet when she delivers food to his apartment, just as he gets out of the shower. [[SweetPollyOliver Since he assumes she's a boy]], he doesn't bother covering up. She spends quite a bit of time gawking as he sits down and dries his feet, until he notices her gawking. She's so flustered she runs out without getting payment for the food.
39	* MrFanservice: The Coffee Princes, especially "Hottie" Han Kyul and "Waffle" Sun Ki, become this in-universe after Eun Sae makes a [[ViralMarketing sexy music video]] of them.
40	* NeverMessWithGranny: Especially Han Kyul's!
41	* NobodyPoops: {{Averted}}, big time, seeing as there's a lot of peeing in Eun Chan's presence, much to her horror.
42	** Also, in the very first episode her little sister is sitting on the toilet with the door open. And Han Kyul suffers from constipation in the fifth one.
43	* PaperThinDisguise: How can Han Kyul continue to miss that Eun Chan is a woman?
44	* ParentalMarriageVeto: As the ApronMatron, Grandma Choi tries to do this to [[spoiler: Han Kyul and Eun Chan. She is outvoted, however, by every other member of her family.]]
45	* PiggybackCute: Eun Chan carries Han Kyul after he drinks too much soju. Later, reciprocated.
46	* PromotionToParent: Eun Chan's dad died, so she helps to support her mom and sister by working several jobs. She's also rather protective of her sister.
47	* RamenSlurp: Just watch Eun Chan eat...
48	* SheCleansUpNicely: YMMV, but arguably Eun Chan [[InvertedTrope looks worse]] when she dresses up. Although it's played straight, staircase and all, with her makeover for Yoo Joo's art show.
49	* SlapSlapKiss: Considering how often [[spoiler: Eun Chan and Han Kyul]] bicker and hit each other before they kiss, it's practically their form of foreplay.
50	* SorryImGay: Han Kyul hires Eun Chan to pretend to be his gay lover and show up during the dates his mother has set him up on.
51	* StupidSexyFlanders: Well, Eun Chan isn't really male, but Han Kyul doesn't know that, so the effect on him is the same.
52	* SweetOnPollyOliver
53	* SweetPollyOliver
54	* UmbrellaOfTogetherness: Eun Chan and Han Seong share an umbrella during a rainstorm. Very sweet scene as Eun Chan both confesses her attraction and tells him she's letting him go.

Context Series / TheFirstShopOfCoffeePrince