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Coffee House (2010)
Coffee House
커피하우스
(May – Jul 2010)
who’s in it
Kang JiHwan (Hong Gil Dong, Be Strong, Geumsoon!)
Park SiYeon (Story of a Man, My Girl)
Ham EunJung (member of idol group T-ara)
Jung WoongIn (Last Scandal of my Life)
what’s it about
Kang JiHwan is obsessive compulsive (a neurosis that has found quite some popularity among kdrama leads of late), selfish, eccentric and socially blunt. Basically, he’s a douchebag. He also happens to be a novelist, and of the genius variety, which is how he is able to function as an antisocial meanie with very few consequences. Park SiYeon is the cool, collected president of a successful publishing company…cool and collected unless she’s dealing with Kang JiHwan, of course. Lately, she’s had enough of his self-important ways and decides to quit the management of his difficult brand of literary genius. Unfortunately, this writer’s got a golden new story idea simmering in his brain and so she grudgingly agrees to keep him on for one more book.
Things get more complicated when cute Ham EunJung, of popular idol girl group T-ara (in real life), gets hired on as Kang JiHwan’s pencil-sharpening, java-making secretary. At about the same time, as if Kang JiHwan’s ego isn’t enough for poor Park SiYeon, another quirky and self-involved man blows back into her life—her ex! And he wants her back—and this weirdo is played winningly by Jung WoongIn.
These four odd people bumble and stumble forward…and seemingly head for some much needed personal growth and, naturally, that irksome thing called love.
commitment
18 episodes
network
SBS
wildcard factor
I think Kang JiHwan was the wildcard for this one, as this entire show was really all about his character and, let’s not be coy, his character only. It was about one man’s [in]ability to exist in his own skin because of the demons of his past...and Kang’s ability to convince you that this guy’s hang ups were worth caring about for 18 episodes will probably be the selling point of this drama for you as a viewer. What I’m saying is, depending on how much you like Kang JiHwan as an actor will likely play a crucial part with your ability to connect with him.
The character he played was not an unsympathetic character, but he wasn’t the easiest to love either. I personally have no problem with Kang as an actor but neither would I consider myself a huge fan, so I watched his take on this eccentric role with a critical eye. Did it work? Was it a realistic caricature of an egoist? While I believe there were some occasional misses in the way he read some of the more emotional scenes, overall, Kang JiHwan did an exceptional job with a really complicated and risky character. A written part that could really have come across too ostracizing to be a good protagonist (notable failure that comes to mind is last year’s He Who Can’t Marry where Ji JinHee played an icy cool eccentric that never managed to connect with me on an emotional level). As for Kang The Actor, I actually know a drama fan who couldn’t get very far with this one because she didn’t like Kang or his portrayal of Writer Lee. She thought he was, in a word, annoying. That was unfortunate because she missed a really good show. Having written all of that, perhaps this is a futile worry on my part as Kang JiHwan is a much beloved actor so maybe he’s not a wildcard at all but a sure thing.
So in that case, if Kang JiHwan is not a worry factor for you, how about his leading ladies? A show like this, romance is important…or I should say, the lack of a procedural romance might play a part in how much you [dis]like it. The unconventional nature of the way the love lines developed may end up being the wildcard for you. I hate to borrow a now overused term from the zealous fans of a vampire series that-does-not-need-to-be-named, but I’m going to do it anyway—depending on whether or not you’re on Team EunJung or Team SiYeon, this drama may piss you off.
This one has the potential to create a great divide of opinions.
first impressions
The general feeling of the show was lively, like a cool spring breeze on a hot summer day. The characters felt original and well-casted and showed some interesting facets of their strange personalities early on in the drama. Ham EunJung was as spunky as her short, bristly hair and Park SiYeon was an endearing mix of sophistication yet goofy. Initially, the strength of the show appeared to lie with the female roles.
What concerned me about Kang JiHwan and Jung WoongIn after the first few episodes was the danger of their overly eccentric characters to become too distancing and cold for any real emotional connection. In the effort to paint them callously amusing and quirky, could they lose their humanity? Will they manage to stay sympathetic? Instead of the man wearing the suit, will the suit drown out the shape of the man?
Both Kang JiHwan and Jung WoongIn were capable actors, so it wasn’t so much their ability to deliver that caused me pause, but the direction of the drama as a whole. I liked the characters and the actors playing them, yes, but I wasn’t impressed with the story or language/writing of the show. After a few episodes, I was left with a feeling of...hovering expectation.
I only hoped the story was allowed to move out of the shallow end of the pool, and if failing to reach any substantial depth, at least be able to find an enjoyable, light-hearted middle wading area for some talented and attractive people to show their ability to charm (without overly pandering to silliness and ridiculousness). I’ve been satisfied if a loosie goosie plot simply stayed out of the way long enough for me to enjoy pretty people being goofy and fun.
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