Main Cast
Yoon Eun Hye as Go Eun Chan
Gong Yoo as Choi Han Kyul
Lee Sun Gyun as Choi Han Sung
Chae Jung Ahn as Han Yoo Joo

Synopsis
Go Eun Chan is the sole breadwinner of the Go family since her father passed away. She took on many jobs, like tae-kwan-do instructor, milk sender and ramen sender. Choi Han Kyul is the errant grandson of the chairman of a big food company. He returned to Korea after a stint in US as a toy designer and his grandmother wants him to settle down, so she arranged many blind dates for him. After Eun Chan bumped into Han Kyul and was mistaken for a boy because of her boyish looks, Han Kyul decided to hire Eun Chan to be his gay lover in order to avoid the arranged dates. Desperately in need of money, Eun Chan had no choice but to accept.

Han Kyul's grandmother was furious because of Han Kyul's unsuccessful blind dates. So she came up with another plan, which is to help her friend, Mr Hong, manage his Prince Coffeeship. Han Kyul initially rejected because it was a rundown coffeeshop, but after his grandmother cut off his finances, he accepted. Han Kyul renovated the coffeeshop and employed 4 staff: Eun Chan, No Sun Ki, Jin Ha Rim and Hwang Min Yeop.
Under Han Kyul's leadership, with Mr Hong's excellent coffee and the staff's good service, the business flourished.

Eun Chan gotta know Choi Han Sung, a producer during her milk sending trips. She began to hold a torch for him secretly and they became close friends after a number of drink and talk sessions. However, Han Sung already had a 9-year girlfriend, Han Yoo Joo, an artist, so Eun Chan just treated like a big brother after that. Meanwhile, Eun Chan slowly fell in love with Han Kyul and vice versa too, but Han Kyul has thought that she is a boy, so he was confused. Eun Chan struggled to tell him the truth because she was afraid of his reaction.

My Take
Now I know why many people like this show. I thought this is one of the better shows with a good plot. I also quite like how the show portray the various love lifes of the employees in the Coffeeshop, especially Hwang Min Yeop and Eun Chan's Sister.

Broadcast Period:
02 Jul 2007 to 27 Aug 2007

OST :
http://asiandramamama.blogspot.com/2007/12/coffee-prince-ost.html

Cast
Lee Joon Ki as Lee Soo Hyun
Nam Sang Mi as Seo Ji Woo
Jung Kyung Ho as Kang Min Ki

Synopsis
The drama starts with a fast action car chase which ended with Lee Soo Hyun’s car falling into the sea. While Soo Hyun sinks into the sea, the drama brings us back to his childhood….As a child, Soo Hyun lived in Thailand with his CID-mother, who specialises in investigation of “Green Clan”, a secret society which killed her husband. Soo Hyun had a carefree childhood and had a good friend, Ah Li. Unknown to Soo Hyun, Ah Li’s father is one of the senior members of Green Clan. Soo Hyun then witnessed the murder of his mother at the hands of Ah Li’s father (he didn’t know because the murderer was wearing a mask, he only remembered the tattoo on his hand), then he became adopted by Kang Joong Ho (his mother’s good friend) and brought to Korea. On the other hand, Ah Li’s mother eloped with Suh Young Kil because the latter leaked Green Clan’s secrets to the police, and was given a new identity, Suh Ji Woo.

Fast forwarded, both Soo Hyun and Kang Min Ki (his adoptive father’s son) grew up to become NIS (Intelligence unit in Korea) agents. Through playboy Min Ki, Soo Hyun and Ji Woo are accidentally reunited and fell in love. However, their love is shortlived when Soo Hyun met his mother’s murderer (Ji Woo’s real father) during one of NIS mission and was sacked by NIS when he attempted to kill him. Soo Hyun was then secretly re-employed by NIS to become an undercover in Green Clan, and NIS staged an accident to fake his death.

Soo Hyun assumed the identity of Kay in Green Clan and gained the trust of Ji Woo’s real father. Unfortunately, he lost his memory in the car crash (which was shown at the start of the drama) and became a real gangster. Joong Ho attempted to revive Soo Hyun’s memory but to no avail and he died instead. Soo Hyun regained his memory with the help of Jung Hak Soo, senior NIS agent and only other person in the world who knew about his undercover status. Soo Hyun then slowly planned to seek revenge on his mother’s murderer and Ji Woo tried to stop him.

My Take
This is a very intense show, although it’s pretty fun to see the NIS missions where they use tracking devices and other high tech stuff. I didn’t mention an important character in the synopsis above…He is Soo Hyun’s mother’s friend, an ex-NIS agent specialised in snooping around. He is the catalyst of the show and also guardian angel to Soo Hyun and Min Ki. Not only did he provide important reports to both of them, gives them guidance, he also goes all out to protect both of them. In the end, he sacrificed his life to save Soo Hyun. Hmm....I'm still trying to find his name :P

I’ve been watching lots of intense shows, cannot take it anymore….The next show I watch must be a funny one !

Cast:
Gong Hyo Jin as Lee Young Shin
Jang Hyuk as Min Ki Seo
Seo Shin Ae as Lee Bom
Shin Sung Rok as Choi Suk Hyun

Synopsis
Min Ki Seo was an outstanding but arrogant doctor in Seoul. Contrastingly, his girlfriend is a nice doctor in the countryside, but she has terminal cancer and had a last wish to apologise to a little girl whom was infected by HIV due to her carelessness. Unfortunately, she died before she can say sorry, but she managed to give the big bear to the little girl. Min Ki Seo was devastated and quite his job and joined his mother's company. His mother put him under Choi Suk Hyun's mentorship, and together their first task is to find a good place on Blue Island (Suk Hyun's hometown) to develop a resort. On Blue Island, Ki Seo coincidentally met Lee Young Shin and stayed at her home.

Young Shin, is a single mother caring for her daughter Lee Bom, the girl who had HIV, and her grandfather who has Alzheimer's. Although in hardship, she is warm, positive and taught Lee Bom well. She taught her to refuse help from anyone when Lee Bom is hurt, to prevent anyone from coming into contact with her blood. The worst moment was when the whole village knew Lee Bom has HIV and wanted to throw them out. Lee Bom was initially bewildered on why her friends shunned her, but after she knew she has HIV, she closed herself to the outside world, afraid of passing the disease to her family and friends. She even ran away from home, but luckily was found by Suk Hyun, her real father.

Ki Seo grew closer to the family while experiencing the hardships with them. Slowly he fell in love with Young Shin and was converted to a warm and caring person.

My Take
It's a pretty heartwarming story. I was crying when I watched a few episodes, especially the part when Lee Bom fell down and Young Shin instructed her to clean her own blood. Having a child of my own, I can imagine Young Shin's anguish, but admire her determination to live well while she can.

Personally, I feel that this story centers more on family and social issues, rather than on the romance between Young Shin and Ki Seo. Their romance seems to be "by-the-way" developed. This is an excellent drama with a refreshing perspective, with great acting even from the extended cast, especially Seo Shin Ae (Lee Bom) and Shin Goo (Young Shin's grandfather).

According to PopSeoul, this drama unexpectedly clinched the highest viewership during the period it was aired, as compared to Witch Amusement and The Devil. See the report here.

Period Aired
21 Mar 2007 - 10 May 2007

Cast
Lee Yo Won as Bong Dal Hee
Lee Bum Soo as Ahn Joong Geun
Oh Yoon Ah as Jo Moon Kyung
Kim Min Joon As Lee Geon Wook

Synopsis
Together with 3 other houseman, Bong Dal Hee started her first year residency doctor in Seoul. Her passion for her patients were clearly reflected, even though she accidentally caused the death of one of her patients. 2 of the top surgeons in the hospital Dr. Lee Geon Wook and Dr Ahn Jong Geun slowly got attracted to her because of her passion, but it was Dr Lee, a divorcee, whom Dal Hee initially loves. However Dr Lee could not get over the relationship with his previous wife Dr Jo Moon Kyung, and their 6-year-old son (although he found that the son was fathered by someone else), so Dal Hee let him go. Slowly, Dr Ahn, her mentor in the hospital, and Dal Hee grew fond of each other after both of them gave each other support to overcome their crises in their lives and in their careers.

There are many short stories in this drama, such as the politics among its management, the childhood of Dr Ahn and Dr Lee, the near-infection of Dr Ahn, the death of a little boy, the attack on Bang Dal Hee, the little stories of the other resident doctors, and the grand finale of the near-death of Dal Hee.

Dal Hee has a congenital heart disease and she had 2 implant operations before she joined as a resident. Her condition worsened after she unknowingly caught an infection during an attack on her by a prisoner. She did not tell Dr Ahn, even though he is a cardiac specialist and he repeatedly ask her to go for ultrascan. Dr Ahn was shocked by her condition after she fainted on the job. He operated on her, supported and encouraged her to become a doctor again.

My Take
This drama is very much like Grey's Anatomy. It's fast moving, realistic and touching. After I did some research on the net, I found out that this drama had one of the highest budget of all Korean dramas because it showcases real equipment and instruments. This is also a drama which korean doctors like to watch and recommend. I am touched by the doctors' dedication and passion, and their love lifes. Initially I was very put off by Dr Ahn, because he was arrogant, self-opinionated and loud. But as the drama moves on, I find that he and Dal Hee were the most dedicated doctors. I must admit that like a lot of fans, I'm being charmed by Dr Ahn. Aired during the same period with Dal Ja's Spring and Goong S, it achieved the highest viewership. It's currently on my number one list of drama which I'll like to watch again.

Year Aired
2007

Cast

Han Ga In as Ma Yoo Hee
Jae Hee as Chae Moo Ryong
Jun Hye Bin as Nam Seung Mi
Kim Jeong Hoon as Yoo Joon Ha
Dennis Oh as Johnny

Synopsis

The drama started off with Ma Yoo Hee being potrayed as a Witch. The Managing Director of an advertising company under her father's conglomorate, she is cold, sacarstic, and no-nonsense. This was because her father treated her like a boy and her mother walked out of the family, so she did not receive love since young. Notorious for her quirky behaviour, nobody wants to be her housekeeper. It was then she employed Chae Moo Ryong, an ex-medical student but turned aspiring chef. Moo Ryong agreed to work as her housekeeper and love consultant, to pay off his debt for crashing into her expensive car. At the same time, it was a relief for Moo Ryong, who didn't have a place to stay (because his brother got married and they run out of rooms).

Through his childhood girlfriend Sung Mi, Moo Ryong managed to secure a position as a junior chef under Johnny, a world-reknown chef who came to Korea. His culinary skills flourished under Johnny's guidance, and at the same time, Yoo Hee's looks and confidence in love flourished under's Moo Ryoung's excellent makeover.

Yoo Hee' new image attracted both her old friend Johnny and her first love Joon Ha, a doctor who returned from overseas. Despite Johnny's revelation, Yoo Hee rejected him. But Joon Ha was pretty successful in winning Yoo Hee's love. Unknowingly to Moo Ryoung, he has also fallen for Yoo Hee.

Just before Yoo Hee's and Joon Ha's engagement, Moo Ryong found that Joon Ha had been wooing Yoo Hee under her father's instruction because her father did not want Yoo Hee to fall in love with himself. He was furious and revealed it to Yoo Hee. She wanted to call off the wedding, but Joon Ha met with an accident and hurt his right hand and could not practise surgery anymore. Despite finding out that the injury is fake later, Yoo Hee decided to be back be Joon Ha in order not to disappoint her dad.

However, Yoo Hee decided to live for herself at the moment when they were taking their vows and ran off with Moo Ryoung.

My Take

I liked this show in the beginning, until it kinda become draggy towards the middle. I also find some parts of the story to be unrealistic. Especially the part about Moo Ryoung giving up so many opportunities to be a top Chef, just to be with Yoo Hee. He left in the middle of a competition to run to Yoo Hee's wedding. He turned down a top French Chef's invitation to understudy him, and he also gave up the chance to work with Johnny in New York. It's a surprise that Yoo Hee loves such an emotional man who doesn't care for his career. Oh well, maybe because she is rich, so it doesn't matter.

Period Aired
21/3/2007 to 10/5/2007

Cast

Lee Ji Hoon as Hwang Dong Gyu
Lee Da Hae as Lee Soo Ha
Ha Suk Jin as Hwang Chan Min

Synopsis

Lee Soo Ha is the clan granddaughter of the Jae Ahn Lee clan and owner of the clan house Hwa Ahn Tang. Being a century-old building, Hwa Ahn Tang is breaking apart soon and yet there were no funds to repair it because the clan elders re-allocated the funds to somewhere else. Therefore Soo Ha's main task is to find sources of money to sponsor the repairs.

Hwang Dong Gyu is the first grandson of the president of TOP Group. The president is trying to buy Hwa Ahn Tang because he was once a servant there wants to retire there. Dong Gyu tried to gain Soo Ha's trust and he was also well-liked by the servants in Hwa Ahn Tang. However, Hwang Chan Min, Dong Gyu's playboy cousin, became attracted to Soo Ha and started to woo her. Dong Gyu, knowing his cousin's playboy character tried to fend him off Soo Ha, and yet in process fell for Soo Ha too. The president then had a great plan: whoever can get Soo Ha's hand in marriage will be able to inherit his business, because he would then be able to retire in Hwa Ahn Tang.

Chan Min became agressive in business and came up with various plots to sabotage Dong Gyu. He succeeded and Dong Gyu became demoted from the General Manager to manager of a loss-making dumpling subsidiary. Soo Ha helped Chan Min to experiment and introduce a new dumpling which tasted just like those made in Hwa Ahn Tang, which boosted the sales of the product, and touched the president.

My Take

This is a great after-dinner show. Straightforward plots and some parts offer much comical relief. Even the OST is comical!

Period Aired
19/03/2007 to 08/03/2007

Cast
Chae Rim as Oh Dal Ja
Lee Min Ki as Kang Tae Bong
Lee Hyun Woo as Uhm Gi Joong

Synopsis

This story is similar to My Lovely Sam Soon's Storyline. About a thirty-something year old lady and her thoughts, life and love. Dal Ja is a producer of a shopping channel and she met Kang Tae Bong, a 27-year old man an ex-lawyer who aspired to be a chef. Dal Ja hired Tae Bong to be her boyfriend, and eventually Tae Bong developed feelings for her, but Dal Ja had her eyes on Uhm Gi Joong, a successful divorcee. Originally, Gi Joong did not notice her, but eventually, he was attracted to her but by then, Dal Ja found herself falling in love with Tae Bong.

My Take
Quite like this show when I was watching it. Love the OST, the handsome Lee Min Ki, and the charming Lee Hyun Woo. However, the plot was similar to My Lovely Sam Soon so the novelty has worn off. I watched this show in May, and posted this in June and found that I've forgotten most of the story ! Maybe not so impressionable.

OST

Youtube

http://208.65.153.251/profile_videos?user=bangooXDD&p=r&page=3

Year Aired : 2007