Coffee House: Page 8
by javabeans
A picture says a thousand words, doesn’t it?
I could tell from the way the Episode 7 recap went that the fan fervor would increase for this episode, which surely delivered. Aside from the laughs and the chemistry between the actors, one thing I’m really loving about this drama is the loaded conversations — there are a few really interesting passages of dialogue that play a lot with text/subtext and nuance, which I always enjoy.
SONG OF THE DAY
LillSoo – “그대의 Rain” (Your rain) [ Download ]
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PAGE 8 RECAP
Later that morning, Eun-young wakes up and thinks back to the dawn hours, when she had woken up to see Jin-soo deep in thought by the window. All he had said was for her to go back to sleep, but she had sensed the change in his attitude — serious, pensive — and comes out of the room wondering how Jin-soo will act now, in the light of day.
But he acts totally normal, chatting easily like nothing happened, and Eun-young looks disappointed. Like she’s bummed out at herself for expecting anything more.
When she heads to the bathroom, Jin-soo makes it a point to wait until she’s out of earshot to turn on some music. Whether he’s setting the mood or not, it’s a conscious move that tells us he’s aware of the change that Eun-young sensed, and that he’s purposely putting on his nonchalant front. As for Eun-young, she sighs to herself for bothering to come here to check on him.
Over breakfast, Jin-soo chuckles at his memory of last night’s movie outing and prods Eun-young to guess who Dong-wook likes. She guesses everyone else first (the cafe employees, her employee Hyun-joo) before landing on Seung-yeon, and marvels at the unexpected pairing. He jokes that if he’d interfered the date a little more, he probably would have been killed.
Having revised her opinion of the secretary, Eun-young gives her due credit — although she doesn’t seem to be especially sharp, she’s determined. With more development, Seung-yeon could become quite useful the more he continues to use her. But Jin-soo says that he can’t do that, because “I’m going to leave.”
This brings a serious note to the conversation as he says that he’s worked hard and written diligently for the past two years, so he wants to disappear for the next two. He feels he’s been here too long and wants to get away; they can always re-sign their contract at a later date. Eun-young’s sharp, and asks if that’s why he has thrown himself into his writing now — to finish quickly and get out of here. Jin-soo teases that yup, he wants to go far away to escape her nagging, but she doesn’t find it funny; he assures her it was a joke, but she corrects him — it’s the truth disguised as a joke.
Jin-soo promises he’ll stick around until the manuscript is done, and even agrees to do the TV interview, just this once. However, Eun-young sees that he’s keeping his gaze away from her, and she prods him to look at her.
Eun-young asks, “Did I dream last night? You’re the same person, but how can the look in your eyes be so different?” He knows exactly what she means but he throws humor up as a shield and makes exaggerated faces to keep the tone light.
Sigh! There he goes, pulling a Troy from Reality Bites. I hear Eun-young’s frustration with this, having known a few of those boys in my day. He’s using flippant jokes as a defense mechanism, and it’s clear that he’s desperately trying to avoid any sort of genuine emotion to protect himself, and Eun-young is the only one who sees that and can call him on it. But even though she understands, she’s disappointed at his response. Like he thinks it’s just not worth the trouble to be honest.
That feeling grows during their drive in to work, and she gets sick of his glib veneer. She calls him hopeless, but not in an endearing way — it’s in an “I’m so upset that you’re actually beyond hope” sort of way. Pulling over to the side of the road, she tells him to get out of the car, frustrated with herself as much as with him for thinking that things might be different this time.
Jin-soo starts the long walk to the office, where Seung-yeon waits at the door. He gives her a key with the excuse that it’s inconvenient for him to always open the door for her, but she appreciates the gesture.
Jin-soo asks Seung-yeon how “ice cream” went last night, said in a knowing tone since he’s really asking about her date. She doesn’t get it, of course, and says he should have come along, to which he laughs, “I can’t risk my life over ice cream.” He muses to himself about her curious appeal — he could kind of let Do-sang slide, but now Dong-wook as well? She looks at him questioningly, not quite able to hear and not understanding what he means anyway.
While checking some camera footage, Jin-soo finds something odd and instructs Seung-yeon to take a look, then leans over her shoulder to peer at the screen. The sudden proximity sends her nerves all a-jitter and she hunches away from him nervously. When he again leans close while she’s making his coffee, she lurches and exclaims wildly that he should stay at a distance, and complains how he’s always hovering.
This is all to cover up her uncomfortable budding attraction, but Jin-soo misinterprets her snappishness for rebellion. Offended that his employee is now putting on airs and daring to talk back to him, he gets mad right back and scolds her for taking advantage of his lax attitude. Lol.
In the safety of the bathroom, Seung-yeon scolds herself for suddenly losing control of her hormones, reminding herself that this is her workplace.
Ji-won drops by the cafe hoping that Disapproving Grandpa has gone by now. However, the employee informs him that Grandpa is sitting right outside, then calls out to get the old man’s attention. Ji-won reacts hilariously, saying furtively, “Don’t call him!” and ducking out of sight. But the employee then moves aside and points down at him, telling Grandpa, “Ji-won hyung is here.” Hehe. Ji-won forces a nervous laugh, bows respectfully, then turns to leave. (And almost runs into Jin-soo on his Segway. He’d like to give him a piece of his mind, but he’s too eager to get away from the dreaded Gramps.)
Grandpa recognizes Jin-soo and requests a chat with him. He dislikes Ji-won’s constant lurking around his granddaughter and asks Jin-soo to do something about it to get him away from her. It’ll be a temporary fix, because Grandpa figures that the ultimate solution is to marry her off — perhaps he should start sending Eun-young on blind dates. Mention of this dims Jin-soo’s smile a bit.
Eun-young joins them in the cafe, where Grandpa asks if she met that guy she was supposed to be set up with. She sends a quick look Jin-soo’s way before smiling it off.
When Jin-soo comes back to the office, Seung-yeon hands him the phone, awkwardly holding the receiver as far from her body as possible to keep Jin-soo at a distance. The call is from Eun-young, and he asks if she’s going on blind dates now, telling her that they don’t suit her. She jokes that he probably thinks she’s more suited to being a forever-single cat lady.
Eun-young is calling to give him her answer to his breakfast proposal regarding his future plans. She recognizes that he’ll leave no matter what she says, and from a business standpoint he’s too valuable for her to just cut ties. She adopts a philosophical tone — it’s not ideal for him to go off for months or years, but he’s bound to pop back up bearing a new book. As far as hypothetical situations go, it’s neither the best- nor worst-case scenario.
This is her way of saying she’ll accept his decision as his publisher. Jin-soo asks for her opinion from a different perspective — meaning, not as his publisher but as a person. She says matter-of-factly, “I told you earlier, the person Lee Jin-soo is a lost cause.” And hangs up.
Spurred by Grandpa’s request (and maybe some of his own personal motivations), Jin-soo gives Seung-yeon an assignment — to write her very first synopsis for a story. Her task is to work out possible ways to get rid of Ji-won from Eun-young’s life for good.
Seung-yeon is taken by surprise, since writing scenarios is hardly something she’s good at, but Jin-soo insists that he’s giving her the opportunity to develop her skills. Even Seung-yeon is smart enough to know that that’s a crock of bull, and retorts that the only reason he’s telling her to do it is because he doesn’t know the answer himself.
He gives her an hour, after which she comes up with the idea to set Ji-won up with a new love interest. But she hasn’t thought out the particulars, and Jin-soo ruthlessly pokes holes into her idea — who? Where would they find her? What would she be like? How would they find someone even more impressive than Eun-young herself?
As he points out each flaw, Seung-yeon’s half of the split screen starts slowly shrinking, to match her falling spirits. Jin-soo sends her back for another pass, and this time she takes more care, interviewing Hyun-joo to ask about Ji-won’s past relationships. Eventually she ditches that idea and tries out a couple new theories.
The first involves a fortune-teller she knows, who can be persuaded to read Eun-young and Ji-won’s couple fortunes and declare them a disastrous match. This is such an obvious line of thinking that Jin-soo declares it completely lame. As he again criticizes her lack of imagination, her split-screen box starts shrinking again. Aw.
She retorts that HE ought to give it a try, to which he replies that this is HER homework — he’s purposely not giving her the answer just so she can practice. Seung-yeon calls him out for the lame excuse, pointing out that he’s foisting this off on her because he doesn’t have a better solution, and this time his box starts to shrink. Haha! (I love the shrinking screen motif, because it’s so simple and yet says so much.)
Her last idea is to get someone to act as Eun-young’s new boyfriend. Jin-soo starts to ask about the particulars, ready to shoot them down: What would it entail? Who would be the boyfriend? By now she’s lost confidence in all her ideas and blurts that he should be the one to play the boyfriend.
She points out that it would be believable, and if Ji-won saw it with his own eyes, he’d have to accept it. Jin-soo asks what would serve as “proof” of the romance, and she mumbles, “Stuff that dating people do.” He asks if this would require “a bed scene,” to which she nervously says no.
Jin-soo sends her back for more thinking, and Seung-yeon brainstorms various scenarios, like getting them drunk and “proving the romance” with a grand public display of affection.
Eun-young sees her name scribbled all over Seung-yeon’s notebook and peers over curiously. Seung-yeon tries to cover it up and explain that this is just an exercise — absolutely imaginary, with no intention of real-life implementation! — while Eun-young ponders why Jin-soo would make her the subject of study.
Reading over the list, Eun-young muses that No. 1 (setting Ji-won up with a new woman) is something she’d have done ages ago if it were possible. On to No. 2 — but that won’t be convincing because their parents already had them go to a fortune-teller when they were engaged, and the forecast was positive.
Now for No. 3 — having Jin-soo pose as her boyfriend. Seung-yeon hurriedly explains that it was just a stupid idea, but Eun-young looks at her with interested eyes: “Now this, I like,” she declares. It has a high possibility of working — how can they work with this?
Eun-young dives into the scenario, thinking of a way to engineer a scenario that is so natural that Ji-won would fall for it. Uneasily, Seung-yeon is forced to sit with her as Eun-young lays out the details: Ji-won has a habit of looking in on her office from his window, so they’ll set this scene in her office. She also figures that a kiss scene is necessary — using a kiss that is convincing even from a distance.
Even more unsettling to Seung-yeon is Eun-young’s decision to keep it secret from Jin-soo, because he wouldn’t cooperate if he knew. Eun-young makes her pinky-swear to it, then praises her for her idea. Afterward, Seung-yeon looks at her promise-pinky in dismay, as though thinking, “Oh, what have I gotten myself into?”
That evening, Seung-yeon waits nervously for the hour of doom, aka 8pm, when Eun-young will put her plan into motion. Jin-soo gets the call requesting his presence in her office, and Seung-yeon bites her tongue anxiously, wanting to warn him but afraid to ruin the plan. (I can see her hesitation, because this is another exercise in loyalty. In an earlier episode, she had decided to stick with Jin-soo no matter what, but the last time they did that we sorta came to the conclusion that Jin-soo’s escape from the interview was childish and caused more damage than it solved.)
Good thing for her she realizes that this time she doesn’t have to go either to Eun-young or Jin-soo, because there’s a Door No. 3. She races next door to Ji-won’s office, intending to stop him from seeing anything.
Eun-young greets Jin-soo with a suspiciously bright smile and a glass of wine. He immediately knows that something is up, although he can’t pinpoint what she’s planning. At first she enjoys leaving him in the dark while she toys with his hair and touches his face, before she tells him through clenched teeth that Ji-won’s watching.
She also calls him out for dismissing Seung-yeon’s idea, because she thinks it’s a great plan — it’s the most realistic and has the highest probability for success. He was just letting his personal distaste for playing the boyfriend color his opinion of the idea itself.
Seung-yeon races into Ji-won’s office, ready to distract him from the scene at the window, but as it happens she’s too late. He is already looking over in shock while Eun-young moves even closer and starts to slowly unbutton Jin-soo’s shirt.
While keeping up the appearance of being locked in a romantic moment, Eun-young tells Jin-soo that she worked out this scenario with Seung-yeon, and they planned out the script for the evening. He asks nervously how far she’s going to go — “You want to keep going? How far?”
All this time, Jin-soo has been a little nervous and uncertain, but at her confirmation that there will be a kiss scene involved, his mouth quirks up in a self-assured smile and he challenges her to show him what she’s got. Eun-young moves in, pushes him back onto her desk, and leans over him.
I love the spectators’ response to this — they both recoil in shock, and Ji-won finally notices that Seung-yeon is in his office. He asks what she’s doing here, but she’s so stunned that she just presses her face to the window dumbly. Ji-won does the same. (Seung-yeon knows that Eun-young is faking this, but she assumes that Jin-soo is unaware of her motives and is reacting accordingly.)
There’s a hilarious pause while Eun-young is leaning over Jin-soo’s torso, practically on top of him, and he tells her to go on. She mutters, “You want me to do it? I pushed you, so you should do it [kiss].” Jin-soo: “What are you talking about?”
This pause has the effect of killing the mood — not that the mood was romantic, per se, but it has been charged with tension as they both waited to see what the other would do. Eun-young’s expression had gone from teasing to questioning, and at his terse response she now becomes serious.
With some anger creeping in, Eun-young tells Jin-soo not to mess around with her life: “You do all these things that I don’t ask for, and then you don’t do what I do ask for. I’m not thankful at all. If you have even a little thought for me, you’d do what I wanted you to. Don’t keep doing things I don’t ask you to do. When did I ever ask you to help me?”
Ooh, banjun. I love when scenes suddenly turn on their heads, and that’s what happens here. The comic uncertainty and jokey tension dissipates entirely, and Jin-soo asks, “So what is it you want from me? A convincing, magnificent kiss?” Their exchange is loaded with meaning — not about the words at all but in the way they say them.
Eun-young (Duh, exactly): “Yeah.”
Jin-soo (challenging): “Yeah?”
Eun-young (matter-of-fact): “Yeah.”
Jin-soo (very interested) “Yeah…”
However, Eun-young’s confidence seems to falter, and her gaze wavers uncertainly, like she’s about to back down and give up on her crazy scheme. Which is when Jin-soo decides, “Then let’s do it my way. I don’t like this way.”
Ji-won and Seung-yeon watch in horror and disbelief as Jin-soo leaps up and clears off all the papers from her desk. Moving with decisive assertiveness, Jin-soo flips around their stances, lowering Eun-young onto the tabletop and leaning down over her, one of her legs bent and raised up by his waist.
Then, Jin-soo gets up to face the window, where he looks tauntingly at Ji-won. He reaches toward his waistline… and pulls out his belt… and pulls the blinds shut. HAHAHAHA.
As soon as he pulls the blinds closed, he’s back to his old self. Putting his belt back on, he points out that it’s more powerful to leave them to their imaginations. Eun-young, however, is just as shocked by his sudden romantic fake-out and takes some moments to recover from its effects.
Ji-won and Seung-yeon are both so stricken by the events that they stagger from the window in a daze.
Jin-soo suggests heading out for something to eat. Eun-young, now recovering her composure, tells him that he’s right and wise — he’s more logical than her. “I understand,” she tells him. She’s referring to his tactic, but it also mirrors her perception of their emotional paths as well — he puts on a good show and comes out of it totally unmoved, while she can’t be that detached.
Jin-soo points out that no matter how worked up she gets over something, she’s always able to return to her original state. Eun-young forces a smile and agrees — that’s her, all right. Coolly, she turns down his dinner invitation, and he heads back to his office.
Once he’s gone, though, Eun-young lies back down on her desk, still feeling all that pent-up anticipation.
When Jin-soo gets back to the office, he tsks-tsks over the silly plan Seung-yeon had worked out with Eun-young. Seung-yeon realizes that this means he was aware that the whole thing was faked, which means that his part was also just as faked. (Her shock came from thinking that Eun-young had made an advance as an act, which he reciprocated in reality.) This is a thought that vastly relieves her — until she recalls with frustration that she shouldn’t feel relieved about that, as he is her boss and et cetera.
A few nights later, Seung-yeon is working at her family’s coffee shop when Dong-wook comes by. He’s happy to see her through the window, but his path is blocked by her curious family, and he has to endure a brief interrogation before he can head inside, answering questions about his family situation. Grandma likes him, although Dad has a few reservations. (Grandma points out that his reservations are unfounded, since Dong-wook is no worse off than Dad himself.)
I wonder if it’s worth noting that Dong-wook appears to be getting sloppier (outside of work) while Eun-young continues to get sharper — her hair is smooth and straight, and her dressing style is becoming more put-together.
Seung-yeon hasn’t been to the office in three days, because Jin-soo had been busy writing and told her not to come until he called. Dong-wook perks up, as this means she has lots of free time, and just as he starts to ask her to a movie, she gets a phone call that cuts him off.
Seung-yeon answers eagerly, hoping it’s Jin-soo calling her back to work, but it turns out to be Hyun-joo. The publishing office is cluttered with birthday presents, and they were hoping she would take them up to Jin-soo’s place. Seung-yeon had been under the mistaken belief that Jin-soo’s “real” birthday was months later and that this was only his “profile birthday.” Of course, it turns out that Jin-soo had lied — she’d been going on and on about throwing him a party, so he picked a different date to shut her up.
Dong-wook tries to ask Eun-young out again, but now she’s distracted by this news, and barely hears him. She decides that the day isn’t over yet, so there’s still time to plan some birthday events. I love that her reasoning isn’t (only) to celebrate his birthday, but to get back at him for lying to her in the first place. Hee. She’s learning!
At the store, she picks up an array of party supplies, choosing items that will most annoy Jin-soo, and heads over with her items of torture. However, Jin-soo looks out the window to see her walking up bearing her festive atrocities, and decides to sneak out before she gets there. He drops by a local convenience store to pick up some snacks, then makes a phone call.
Seung-yeon now has an apartment key so she lets herself in and starts to decorate. When she answers the phone, it’s Jin-soo demanding that she remove every little balloon and party favor immediately. If there’s anything left when he gets back, he’ll fire her. She protests (and despite her desire for a little “revenge,” she really does mean the best), but she senses he means it and glumly starts to collect the decorations.
Jin-soo steps out of the phone booth just as a sudden downpour starts. Without an umbrella and with no particular place to be, he retreats back into the glass booth and pops a beer. Happy birthday to me.
A knock on the glass draws his attention — it’s Eun-young, standing just outside.
She is on her way in, having had a few drinks herself, in celebration of signing a new contract. She tells him to come with her, since she’s got an umbrella, so Jin-soo grabs his plastic bag and starts to leave, but the contents spill out and beer cans fall to the ground.
He kneels to pick them up, while she comments on the oddity of him drinking alone in a phone booth on his birthday, especially considering that he’s a star author with crowds of fans. He thought she’d forgotten his birthday, to which she responds that since he’d prefer that she forget, she has to act the part to oblige him.
Jin-soo likes that about her, in contrast to his dense secretary who insisted on going out to prepare him a birthday party. Eun-young points out that Seung-yeon’s the normal one — it’s Jin-soo who’s abnormal. Eun-young adds that in going out of her way to suit him, that has turned her into another abnormal one: “I can’t buy a present for a friend on his birthday, or tell him congratulations.”
Jin-soo replies that he doesn’t need words of congratulations, “But a present is good. Just give me a present.” He’s happy with that, just as long as it doesn’t come with a birthday card.
At that, Eun-young’s gaze changes — she stares at him more intently as he continues to chat. Then, without warning, she drops her umbrella, steps inside the phone booth, and moves in for a kiss.
COMMENTS
I have gotten questions about a Coffee House novel, which appears to be a different case from Coffee Prince or Personal Taste, where the drama was adapted from a previously published book. It looks like the Coffee House novel — or I’d call it novelization — was published after the drama began to air, and one of the writers is the same writer of the drama. Based on a few reader reviews, the characters are the same but the storyline is a little different. So I wouldn’t go around worrying about what happens in the book version.
However, if you are curious, here are the chapter titles. (Highlight to read; I’m keeping them hidden for those who wish to avoid the spoilers.)
CHAPTERS
1. Meeting at Palace Coffee
2. My enemy, my treasure
3. Love’s emergency landing
4. I’ll become a pro secretary!
5. The Jang Dong-gun and Go So-young of the publishing world
6. Dreams can’t come true
7. 척하면 착!
(This is the thing that Jin-soo tells Seung-yeon, and I don’t have a good direct translation for it. It basically means that if he gives the signal, she should know what to do immediately.)
8. This is Jeju Island
9. Things that change, things that don’t change
10. Ten-year friendship
11. Goodbye, Palace Coffee
Epilogue
END CHAPTERS
It’s funny how I’ve never warmed to Park Shi-yeon before, and suddenly love her. Even after she improved mightily in La Dolce Vita and Story of a Man (as well as several movie projects), she was no longer bad but I still didn’t connect with her. But I find her absolutely endearing, adorable, and winning in Coffee House, and I love her chemistry with Kang Ji-hwan. She banters, teases, taunts, holds herself confidently, and even manages to show glimpses of uncertainty and vulnerability, all with a natural charm.
It’s partly that she’s improved, but also that this role really shows her off to her best advantage. I wonder if she’s one of those actresses whose perceived image and persona are quite different from her real personality, and therefore when she acts in roles that require her to be haughty or glamorous (which is how most people see her), it doesn’t work as well because there’s a disconnect in the acting. But I love her as this character.
As for the chemistry? Off the charts. How hot was that last kiss, huh? But not only that, I particularly dug the fake-out scene, because there were a lot of different layers operating there. There’s the outward “show” to convince Ji-won that they’re romantically involved, and their facade with each other that this is all just a ploy, and that they’re cool and unperturbed by the act. Then there’s a tinge of hope (for instance, in the way Eun-young looks to him when she wants him to kiss her), and then the flash of contained disappointment (when he doesn’t kiss her). I didn’t think this pair would be so well-matched at the beginning of the drama, but I’m a big fan now. And if THIS episode didn’t convince you… well, then, I guess nothing ever will?
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Tags: Coffee House, Ham Eun-jung, Jung Woong-in, Kang Ji-hwan, Park Shi-yeon
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51 fromdblock
June 11, 2010 at 3:21 AM
@ 34 bippa
LOL at your comment! :D
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52 cty
June 11, 2010 at 3:22 AM
i like EY and JS..hope they end up together
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53 sumee
June 11, 2010 at 3:23 AM
Squeee..I love football...but currently I just now developed a little dislike ...i mean comeon June 28 ?????????
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54 K-Drama Princess
June 11, 2010 at 3:30 AM
i would really be dissapointed if JS will end up with SY... I love JS with EY...
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55 Simmy
June 11, 2010 at 3:32 AM
So after studying it much more (ahem, purely for research), he really seems to kiss back, not just stand there. does anyone else see this, or am I imagining it because I want to? lol.
Seriously though, if you are perverted, I mean, dedicated enough, watch them closely and after the 'nose adjust' and just before she pulls away, he totally seems to be about to get into it...
How am I going to make it 3 weeks?! Someone needs to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!
oh. my. feeeeelings!
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56 LeyLey
June 11, 2010 at 4:13 AM
I thought the kiss was hot (duh) - but I think JS made it hot. Haha. He knows how to react to the kiss properly - not awkwardly, which usually happens when someone is being kissed in a kdrama.
I've only warmed up to EY just a wee bit less than you guys. But that's just me. :) I admit, SY is annoying sometimes - but she's really endearing, too.
Anyway, I wonder what happens in the next 8 (are there 8 more?) episodes. I don't see any more conflict to resolve.. if JS and EY do end up together, nobody can stop them, right? The ex-wife angle isn't really being focused on that much anymore. I don't think that's a major problem in the long run. Unless something else comes up...
P.S. Do you think SY witnesses the kiss? Or not..? I don't know what to expect with this drama anymore! XD
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57 Kay
June 11, 2010 at 4:14 AM
@ 55: Please reading the previous commenst to find out ( this ep and the last page in the earlier Ep)
Enjoy
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58 Simmy
June 11, 2010 at 4:15 AM
sorry to spam up this board (I'll try to reign it in for the next 3 weeks), but anyone know where I can find the novelization? or more info on it? google is not helping much.
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59 Kay
June 11, 2010 at 4:27 AM
@ 56:
I believe he took a big part to make that gentle, but intense and hot kiss ( but he 's her senior, isn't he?)
And Idk either... I am sure SY will go out and look for him ( to give the umbrella) but if she could catch the scene or not. I doubt it ( this drama is messing everything around.... and I actually like it ^^ )
She may just see them together in the phonebooth and wonder what 's going on
But if she saw it, how do you think she will react to it? I dont she will be at heart-broken level yet? Maybe uncomfortable and stressful?!?!
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60 Snikki
June 11, 2010 at 4:34 AM
OMG! I am in love with this drama! I have never been this invested in a couple since Coffee Prince. I replayed that kiss several times and favorited a fan-made video on Youtube, which I've never done before. The thought of this two makes me smile...a lot...by myself, people around me must think I'm crazy.
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61 Glads
June 11, 2010 at 4:40 AM
I have to say, I am loving this drama. It really is refreshing. It's a nice blend of serious and humor which I love. Tugs at the heartstrings, yet I can't help laughing hysterically in some parts. It would seriously be the most perfect drama I've watched so far, if only for the girl who plays Eun-young. I wish that they had picked another actor. I remember her from My Girl and though I can't really comment on her acting, there is just something about her that makes me just shy away from her instinctly. I don't know what it is, but I look at her and the way she talks and think - two faced. Which is unfortunate because I think she's doing the character great justice. I just have a hard time warming up to her. Which makes it a little hard for me to want her to succeed. How bad is that? Anyways, can't wait for the next episode and am looking very forward to the final episode, if only to find out who he ends up with or does not end up with. Great recaps jb. They always help clear away any misunderstandings I have with the language. :D
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62 maria
June 11, 2010 at 4:43 AM
javabeans,
just out of curiosity--- you've discussed in previous recaps already how the ship wars can get ugly, and that we all need to just let it unfold and chill (paraphrased, obvs LOL) frankly, i'm not even sure anymore that the end will actually serve up a final pairing set-up thingymajiggy for us kids.. they might go the open ended way, or the the-characters-have-grown-and-that's-the-point way... i don't know.
but just based on your expert opinion and years and years of drama watching and blogging your kdrama obsession (lol, intended)-- and if everyone would please stand down and you think no one will actually put a gun to your head for this--- who do you think is most likely to end up together? what's your (not ship) THEORY? :)
please? i have an inkling, but i might be confusing it with shipping. heheheh :D
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63 maria
June 11, 2010 at 4:58 AM
@ambs:
haha, that's awesome, if you already have the kiss on your ipod--- i can tell that however which way the love pairing goes, you're gonna be taking that 5 week trip to the remote carribean islands and you're gonna be watching that little scene over and ovvveerr and ooooovveeerr :D hahah good luck on your trip, btw! i personally really admire that you're doing what you're doing. all the best to you! (yeah, i was lurking the ep7 comments hehehe) :)
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64 heejung
June 11, 2010 at 4:59 AM
argh! this is the first time that i've liked a pairing besides the canon. which makes me sad, because that detracts from the overall enjoyability of this otherwise very fun drama. :(
i absolutely despised PSY in Story of a man, and that hate carried over to this i think. I do agree that she acts the part very well, but I am just not feeling it. I still hope for a seungyeon-jinsoo thing, although that is pretty much improbable at this point.
on the other hand... HOW CUTE IS DONG-WOOK?!!?! he is so freakin cute!!! i love him <3
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65 soysauce
June 11, 2010 at 5:47 AM
I've been checking/refreshing this site since yesterday, waiting for this recap after the ever so anticipating "hot scene" at the end of this episode that was talked about wildly in Episode 7 recap, so THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS!!!!
I haven't seen this episode, but I saw the kiss scene, and it was SOMETHING. It wasn't like those typical k-drama kisses where they're just face to face. There's so much to read into with that last scene, and the moment is breathtaking. It was so sudden, but the after effect is tremendous. He absolutely DID kissed back, and it looked like he was savoring that moment, and wanted more, and that solidified his feelings for her. aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh, what a great scene. TOTALLY LOVE IT!
June 28th....as for the moment, I'm gonna take the World Cup in with all my heart and have a BLAST.
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66 kaishino
June 11, 2010 at 6:07 AM
I am disappointed with the episode 8 I'd rather stay with JS SY there are better together
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67 Houstontwin
June 11, 2010 at 6:10 AM
Regarding that gaze after the kiss...
Do you remember the scene a couple of episodes ago when EY bursts into the hotel room and revives JS from his drug/alcohol induced stupor. She slaps him really hard on the face and SLOWLY, SLOWLY he opens his eyes, returns to reality and tears start to fall.
I don't think that it is a coincidence that JS once again slowly opens his eyes. The question is: What reality is he now perceiving? Is he free to love EY?
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68 Lahlita
June 11, 2010 at 6:29 AM
@ 62 maria -- Noooooo, don't ask that! Javabeans, pleeease don't! I'm loving going along for the ride with everyone, but once the recapper says what she thinks will happen at the end, then my view is colored, whether or not the prediction comes to pass. I admit to this cognitive deficiency. It's a failing of mine, but with this rare treasure of a drama that keeps us all guessing, and highlights other things besides ships, I want to keep moving blind.
Stuff I loved:
-- The "seduction" scene with the libretango in the background. Jin-soo pulling out his belt slooowly (damn, Kang Ji-hwan is sexy). Seung-yeon and Ji-won about to have seizures at the window. Oh Mah Gah. Is it possible to laugh to death? I didn't laugh to death, obviously, but I thought I was going to.
-- The split-screens with Seung-yeon and Jin-soo. I loved how she nailed him at the end and his square shrunk like deflated manhood. That's right, boy! You got pwned. Take it!
-- The text/subtext of the conversations. I love listening to what the characters in this drama DON'T say. Really good writing, this.
-- The KISS. And everyone here has done a lovely job of recapping The Kiss blow-by-blow (you pervs ;) ), so I'll leave that alone.
Stuff I didn't love:
-- I loved all of it. :-D
@ Houstontwin -- Wow, you've done it again! How DO you noticed this stuff??? I didn't connect the whole Jin-soo-slowly-opens-his-eyes moment which follows Eun-young giving him a shock in both episodes. It may be nothing, but I do think it's symbolic. You? Are good.
@ Carinne -- this is totally random, and forgive me, but this is the second or third time I've noticed your "Pahehe" and I gotta say, that is the most adorable laughter onomatopoeia I've ever seen. We've established that your father is adorable, and apparently the cute runs in the family.
@ m a r a -- Don't wait for someone else to jump in. I love your posts and I want to hear what you think. What does Jin-soo bring to the two ladies? What makes HIM worthy of them? Why shouldn't Seung-yeon leave his crazy butt behind and learn to be a pro from Dong-wook instead? Dong-wook knows coffee, her family owns a coffee shop, he's SO into her; she doesn't need Jin-soo (I'm not ragging on Jin-soo; I really like him). And as for Eun-young, we'll, for years she has been ill-used and then some. Why shouldn't she ditch Jin-soo for the cute match that her grandfather is setting her up with, and find other friends and writers? Please explain me it.
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69 Miaka-chan
June 11, 2010 at 6:32 AM
I must said again ....
For to be SY/JS shipper, i must to protect them with my analyses. [like in soompi] lol
The kiss between EY/JS was HOT!! I'm agree with you but in the same time the idea for EY/JS be a couple is from SY. SY said to him if he become a real ''boyfriend'' with EY, JW would not be after her again. The kiss was from the synopsy story by SY. So if the kiss was only a act for JW stay away from EY....we never know until episode 9.
Again, JS don't care anymore about the scandal in a sense..because he going away from EY for two years .....
During the 2 years, anything can change.
I will keep write what i write in soompi tread ^^
Because the EY Mvs and SY Mvs.
Go to search the translation from each Mvs and you will know that EY love JS and also JS. But he change and she will let him go.....She didn't though that someone other than her will understand him like her ....She said the love between JS and her is too heavy to assumed. Isn't because the past catch them? Because the ex-wife dead? Dunno but we should wait...
SY Mvs ...she ask JS if he hear her heartbeat, she going to wait him with a smile, and she going to hide her feeling with a lie to him. She know he can't forget about his first love but she will wait until he come back.
Again be SY/JS couple favorite, the more faster is the kiss between EY/JS couple is more good for all possibility from SY/JS couple.
Also as mentionned from someone from Soompi, it's can be like a SY write a story. If she really write a story, the episode 12 must to be the changement and become a new serie. If in her story, she want EY/JS end together but in a reality isn't like that.
BTW i'm not fan for T-ara but i do lover her act in CH. For PSY, i do ''hate'' her from My Girl ...i do also start to like her characters but not like SY characters ^^
About the novel, yes like mentonned earler, don't worry about it.
M a r a said already it's from the serie the novel was made. I'm happy to hear about it because we still don't know the OTP from CH ^^
SY/JS Hwaiting !!
ps: Don't want hateful comment come after my post. thank!!
Also thank for reading. Let's keep watch Coffee House.
That only my analyse and comment so don't feel hate me for to write that.
Again excellent recap Java!! thank !! ^^
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70 m a r a
June 11, 2010 at 6:34 AM
@ maria
regardless of the existence of a book, it's understandable why people are inclined to believe this is the couple to be at the show's end. i'm not shipping, but the last 2 episodes have truly built up on the jin soo and eunyoung story---the romantic angst. (the groundwork for romantic tension has also been set up with seungyeon, but it's one-sided for the time being and in the form of a schoolgirl crush. at the moment, she's still trying to sort out her growing feelings, but now, we're also starting to see her become part of the love triangle. i believe episodes 9, 10 & possibly 11 are paving the way to the miniseries form of storytelling from sitcom.)
in addition, when the cast had their press conference last week, i think they had just wrapped up episode 8. kang ji hwan mentioned that he felt eunyeoung was a blessing and jin soo's soulmate. hwan added that the 2 characters' relationship might gradually take on a romantic meaning; however, he couldn't say anymore than that as they had yet to talk to the scenarist about the rest of the episodes. so, book or no book, we're still left uncertain about the pairings. but after filming episodes 7 & 8, i can understand why he and a lot of viewers might feel that way about eunyeoung.
for now, i'm just enjoying the show as it is and trusting the director when he said that their letting the show self-develop.
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71 m a r a
June 11, 2010 at 6:44 AM
@ lahlita,
k, i just woke up, so, let me gather my thoughts together. i want to deliver some thoughtful views, so, let me get some things done this morning, and i promise to give you my answers later ;) i hope they'll be convincing because i'm essentially justifying the current jin soo, who's had a case of arrested development (for years now), for two, strong yet vulnerable female characters. that's a toughie. it's like trying to justify why it would be healthy to cage a baby with mosquitoes. hehe. ok, that's a little hyperbolic, but JS isn't quite a tangible character; he's certainly unique.
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72 m a r a
June 11, 2010 at 7:21 AM
before i take care of my morning duties, i just wanted to add a few things ...
the scene where jin soo briefly wonders what dong wa and dong wook see in seungyeon could be a foreshadowing in their relationship. he will eventually come to have an answer for his question; he'll understand why she can be a catch to the male species. whether he appreciates her in a platonic or romantic way is yet to be seen, but since this is a feel-good drama, i expect that even a hardheaded, arrogant jin soo will come to acknowledge her charming traits. he's pretty similar to the male lead in "the man who can't get married." they're both rather arrogant, have peculiarities, and are very set in their ways. that character had shed some hardness off him and at last, cherished the positive that the people around him offered.
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73 Dara
June 11, 2010 at 7:21 AM
I love this drama so far. Love JW and SY faces during the faked out kiss, hilarious. Great chemistry between JS and EY. As the drama has already established enough info or both EY and SY, I do hope from next episode there will be more progress about EY and JS past relationship and what's not been said between them? It will come to a certain point where the drama can keep the viewers guessing before losing its charms.
I'm still not sure whether there will be any pairing at all at the end. But, as long as the drama keeps its well pace and ending with reasonable, light-hearted feel for each character , I 'm fine with that and willing to go along. I have to say great acting from all leading actors/actresses in this episode.
Thanks JB for your enjoyable recap, hats off to your last sentence ( been reading lots of harsh comments between both shippers so far), you are brave.
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74 labchick
June 11, 2010 at 7:36 AM
I thought I def wanted to see JS with SY, but now I'm swayed...especially after that kiss and the tango scene. KJH!!! why don't you just move to the states, preferably the east coast?
With such ambiguity in the lead pairing, I keep wondering if they're going to pull something like "Sliding doors," where there are two parallel storylines?
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75 whatsupalisa
June 11, 2010 at 8:09 AM
AHH! I REALLY WANT PARK SHI YEON AND KANG JI HWAN TO END UP TOGETHER!
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76 Miaka-chan
June 11, 2010 at 8:16 AM
@ starletbang
a simple question with no offence at all
would you hate Coffee House if it's EunJung and Kang Ji Hwan end together ?
for myself i would not hating if Park Shi Yeon and Kang Ji Hwan end together
but i prefer Eun Jung and Kang Ji Hwan end together because there are my personal favorite couple ^^
I will continue to watch until the last episode for Coffee House because you never know if you going to stay like EY/JS couple until the end. Same thing for myself, if something bad happen in SY/JS couple ....i dunno if i'm going to stay with this couple until the end BUT i will keep watch COFFEE HOUSE until the end ...
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77 houstontwin
June 11, 2010 at 8:36 AM
DW PREDICTION
A bit of DW's background was revealed in Page 8: He is fatherless and an only child. We are surely meant to feel compassion for his circumstances. I am certain that he will be evolving into a much more signficant character and rival to JS. Several comments have mentioned that the actor playing DW would have been expected to take on a leading role. I predict that when the plot "shifts" in episode 12, DW wiil step forward as a central player.
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78 m a r a
June 11, 2010 at 8:58 AM
@ 77 houstontwin
it's only an opinion, but i don't think there will necessarily be a plot shift in episode 12. i mean, of course, there might be more complications in the story, but from my understanding of the director's and kang ji hwan's explanations, the whole show has been treated like a sitcom, but by episode 12, it'll have a vibe of a miniseries. regarding episode 12, it's not exactly about what story will unfold but how it will be told.
i definitely share your sentiment about dong wook. from my understanding, this actor has earned leading man status, and thus, many have expressed surprise that he has taken on a seemingly minor role. like you, i am inclined to believe that he is slowly being established as a key player. unless the actor's like johnny depp, who seems to take on random roles for the challenge. or it could be the chance to work with certain people or simply being involved in a unique show. it could be anything, but i adore him so much and his courtship of seungyeon.
about the kiss, one has to admit it is hot. whether you're a shipper or non-shipper, a pro-eunyoung or pro-seungyeon, you have to admit that kiss was out of this world. ;) because if that had been seungyeon instead of eunyoung, i'm sure that scene would have elicited the same excitement in me. it's just too romantic. now, if it had been dong wook and seungyeon, well, that would be even better :D
now, my answer to lahlita coming up ...
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79 winnie
June 11, 2010 at 9:03 AM
My favorite scene was definitely the conversation between EY and JS in the phone booth. A detail that caught my eye was JS's smile after EY commented on JS drinking alone on his birthday. It could be that he was also amused at the fact, but I saw it as him being pleasantly surprised that EY remembered his birthday since he thought she had forgotten.
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80 Jin Ari
June 11, 2010 at 9:09 AM
thanks for the recap.
i liked this episode. it seems that we are getting somewhere at last.
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81 Angelina
June 11, 2010 at 9:25 AM
Just to confirm how many eps are there for CH? All the while I thought it's just 16 but I read from somewhere else that there are 12 eps remaining, so a total of 20? I can't bear watching 12 more eps because there could change ALOT of things TT TT
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82 Fan
June 11, 2010 at 9:30 AM
Hi all,
@ 68
Lol Perv? Guilty as charged! :) (Don't make me tell you how many times I've seen the kiss scene... and Every Single Time I still can't breathe when he opens his eyes... and then I hyperventilate afterward to compensate. ;)))) )
@ 36
What does JS bring to EY?
When I think about what EY sees in JS,
I think of him saluting her smartly as he segways away
I see KJH's charm oozing from JS as he walks and talks and laughs and jokes and specially when he cries
I see him and her sitting on the chair (him on the arm) joking
I see them two of kidding around during college (flash back)
I see them plotting together to get rid of JW wickedly
I see him brilliantly misleading JW into thinking that they had sex on a desk in her office in full sight of his office (Lol!)
I see them glumly listening to JW talk about North Korea(Gods... how dense can this man be!?) and mutter about their bad taste in their youth
I see her reading exactly why JS has a new clueless assistant and why he pretends to fire her
I see him coming back to spend the night at the hospital to watch over her but nonchalantly ask if there's food
I see him tuck her into bed, and sit there watching her all night long until dawn
I see him coming back to check on her when he hears how she's cried at work
I see her face when she looks at him in the ambulance- her awareness of his vulnerability
I remember the song saying that she pulled through hard times because he needed her
I see him kissing her like there's no moment but now and look at her afterward like he's never seen anything so amazing in his life
I guess my point is that it's not just about what each person brings into a relationship, sometimes love just is. :)
And I think there's a whole lot of love here that just defies the idea of "value-add".
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83 jeankaycee
June 11, 2010 at 9:40 AM
hi javabeans!!!!
you did it again! great recap for coffee house! this episode really step up regarding the EY and JS pairing, and im loving it!!!! too bad the next episode will not be shown this week and need to wait longer!
anyways, i do hope their kiss would be the start of something more!!!
cant wait for the next episode!!!
thanks gain jb!
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84 Fan
June 11, 2010 at 9:47 AM
In defense of shipperdom
:)
Shipping's not getting as much love around here, and I'd be the first to confess, I'm a shipper, so hardly a neutral third party here.
Though I'd argue a few things
Shipping is an old idea. The earliest reference to the word in my experience is in the 80's with Mulder and Scully from X-files. And that was an amazing shipper-community. Even to this day they write fan fic, and keep the love alive! Gotta love devotion like that!
Shipping is in itself not a bad idea. Sure there are people who get angry and destructive over it- but then some religious fanatics can give religion a tough name but religion itself may not be to blame. Shipping can be fun and creative. Witness the torrents of lovely MVs, fanfics, captions, photoshopped pictures, funny or touching or gushing or silly comments to come from shipperdom! I'm sure we've all laughed once or twice (even cried once or twice) at something wonderful coming from shippers of some show at some point in our lives.
Bottomline- shippers of the world do not be ashamed, yours is a proud old tradition. Be gentle, be kind, be happy, be polite, but "Do not go quiet into this good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light!"
:)
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85 labchick
June 11, 2010 at 9:54 AM
@ 84...I completely agree!!! In fact, I doubt this drama would as entertaining without all the shipping going on.
P.S. Its prolly better to keep Scully and Mulder out of this, cause I think the writers just destroyed that dream.
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86 Snikki
June 11, 2010 at 10:26 AM
@82 Fan
Wow! Your enumeration of JS/EY r'ship gave me goosebumps, I love how you described each one. If the drama confuses me down the road, and the (my) OTP shifts or something, I'll come back to this recap and reread your comment. :-)
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87 bita
June 11, 2010 at 10:29 AM
Hi Javabeans
First of all, Thanks for the recaps. There's something I'm curious about,
Honestly, I'm a JS/SY shipper and this episode really disappointed me, but since I've watched previous episodes without English subs, I wonder if there is any chance for JS/SY pairing ?
If there is a chance I continue to watch the drama, else ...
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88 bjharm
June 11, 2010 at 10:35 AM
he doesn't deserve either of the girls..very good point. Right now he is still emotional stunted as a person, though from flash backs he wasn't all that great a person to start with. That is his weird personality was there even before the death of his wife..accident or suicide .. and may indeed have been the reason for it.. the not knowing and self blame lead him to his own self destruction, only to be saved by Eun-young. Indeed if is wasn't so funny he wouldn't be be all that likeable at all..lol
Come to think of it that is the trouble with 90% of the male characters in comedy/romance..they all basically jerks with a nice guy hiding away for the cute girl to bring out, with this one it a nice guy and a jerk hiding away behind his smile...
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89 m a r a
June 11, 2010 at 10:39 AM
@ lahlita,
how is a kink-suffused man worthy of either woman? his shortcomings abound that it makes it so hard to justify his worth. haha. that's a difficult topic.
if i were jin soo appealing my case to seungyeon, what would i say to her … hmm. this is going to be cheesy and a bit unintelligible. haha.
"be with me because together we have fun. you make me laugh … we both make each other laugh. i have been hardened by years of tethered sadness and guilt, but with your freshness and innocence, i can see myself being in joyful moments with you. i can be good for you because while i'm helping you realize your potential, i'm actually learning from you. i am moved that you have been able to chip away parts of my hard shell. with you by my side, i can be a better person. and inspite of my eccentricities, you have been determined to stick by me, and i admire that about you. i know i may seem cold at times, but in my own roundabout way, i care for you."
ugh. that's sappy. haha. i can't imagine a gifted writer like jin soo would dole out cliched mush. he would have managed with more eloquent words. i had to put myself in his shoes because i found myself reverting back to what makes them a good pair instead of adhering to the topic at hand: what makes him worthy of her. it's really not easy to do because we've reached the end of episode 8, and his arrogant and stubborn nature has extended thus far. we've yet to see a clear worth of his character.
now, if i were jin soo appealing my case to eunyoung, how would i win her over? more sap talk :P
"be with me because i am a source of comfort to you, as you have been to me. we've known each other long enough to be on the same wavelength; we know about and have shared things with each other that possibly nobody can ever understand. i will be your protector, and you know i will go to great lengths to be one, as i have been determined to shield you from ji won upon his return. i know i have been a terrible employee and friend and have not accorded you much of the respect you deserve, but because of your strength, i have survived this long. because of your strength, i can be strong, too. we've weathered difficulties, but we've also had moments of fun. so, through hardships and joy, i can see us enduring. i can see us healing and growing more from our past. and with the recent changes in you, i have also begun experiencing changes in me."
it may have been slightly easier to justify him to eunyoung because the writer has made a substantial exploration of their relationship in the most recent episodes.
i'm afraid i didn't deliver so well. sorry, lahlita. ugh. and i'm gagging for having spewed such cheesy lines. haha.
on a better day, i think i could have done much better.
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90 maria
June 11, 2010 at 10:42 AM
@lahlita
lol i do have that difficiency too, maybe that's why i set the parameters so clearly-- THEORY, not ship. but i guess, all reason and logic and compartmentalizing aside, i AM on a ship too and a part of me just needs to know... just in case i need to prepare my ship (read: self) for a blow. but then again, a HUGE part of me is really just insanely curious. we've never had an opportunity for this before, a chance to put preference and blatant plot mongering aside and put our kdrama wisdom in play.. people on here are SO smart, i find myself whiling away hooouurs and hoouurs of my day just reading what ya'll have to say. if people are up for it, i welcome the debate-- the beauty is: i would still be happy if none of our projections make it to final cut. the show has totally earned my trust. that's mostly why i'm so lax about asking: whatever 'spoilers' we come up with are just all probably gonna get spun silly when it all plays out.and that's cool too.so whaddya say? up for a battle of kdrama dorks?;)
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91 m a r a
June 11, 2010 at 10:48 AM
@ labchick,
i am not opposed to a "sliding doors" solution, as it would satisfy either shipper. how the writer and director would arrive to that kind of solution might be an interesting exploration. there are a lot of creative possibilities :)
@ fan,
love your posts. you've made interesting justifications for why jin soo's worthy of eunyoung's love and trust.
and i also have to strongly agree with you on the whole shipping thing. it is fun, and it makes for interesting discussions. i just think that at times, people go overboard with their opinions. there are ways to express preference without resorting to demeaning remarks.
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92 jojo
June 11, 2010 at 10:49 AM
Thanks for the recap JB. As I was watching the telephone booth scene I was yelling: "Get in the booth! Get in the booth!" So, I guess I'm rooting for EY/JS. To me, SY is what my aunt used to call a "flibbertigibbet." Hope Coffee House is NOT extended to 20 episodes. No good can come of this. Anyway, isn't KJH committed to a musical?
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93 Miaka-chan
June 11, 2010 at 10:55 AM
Coffee House must have 16-18 episodes like someone write in soompi. I though is 20 episodes but if you count until ''I'm the legend'' start so August 2 ...that mean 20 episodes but we going to miss 4 episodes ...so dunno ..
if it's still 16 episodes ...we have a half Coffee House done
so everything can still change for SY/JS couple
SY/JS HWAITING
and run to FMA manga finally ending !!! so dramatic and cute
Ed/AL rulez......
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94 maria
June 11, 2010 at 10:56 AM
@ m a r a
you know, to be very straighforward, i do have my ship too. as javabeans has said, the show has done a proper job of making both legs stand credibly on their own and so, i havw gotten emotionally invested in a particular pairing. i agree that the emotional history makes me inclined to believe that it will be ey-js in the end. i come from a school of kdramathat puts stock in how characters EARN the love, the partnership they're getting and the checklist is basically checking itself with ey-js. sy is a viable candidate, to be sure. i can see how she is refreshing and a breath of fresh air for him, but seriously--- no other story is being built for dong wook. kdrama precedent tells me that a charcter only gets plot that's pertinent. if nothing else but his eagerness to get to know sy pops up in the next epis (which we'll have to wait til june28 for. argh. still not over it lol) then i shall believe that it's because sy IS his story. weak point? hehehe feel free to debate, add, destroy, if u will. :)
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95 Fan
June 11, 2010 at 10:56 AM
I'd add to my previous post (sorry for the spam, should have noticed this gap before I posted!) by oddly quoting a scientist, Henri Poincaré, about, oddly, science. :)
"Le savant n’étudie pas la nature parce que cela est utile ; il l’étudie parce qu’il y prend plaisir et il y prend plaisir parce qu’elle est belle."
"The scientist does not study nature because it is useful to do so. He studies it because he takes pleasure in it, and he takes pleasure in it because it is beautiful."
Wordy, I apologize, but for me the answer whether to life, the universe and everything (42!), or , why would one person love another? Not because there is a point or a use or a function, but "...because it is beautiful" ;)
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96 maria
June 11, 2010 at 11:00 AM
^sorry to triple post haha! i just wanted to add that the storytelling also allows me to entertain a more open-ended theory... i can see this ending like there's PROMISE for a certain pairing, but no actual expression of it.. i can see how the story's also progressing in ays that show how they're growing THROUGH each other as much as maybe FOR each other too.
either way, i am so invested. in whom?? in all of them! hahahaha!!!;)
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97 kls
June 11, 2010 at 11:01 AM
"I wonder if she’s one of those actresses whose perceived image and persona are quite different from her real personality, and therefore when she acts in roles that require her to be haughty or glamorous (which is how most people see her), it doesn’t work as well because there’s a disconnect in the acting."
JB, I think you're right. I watched her on Family Outing when she was there. She was actually quiet, sensitive, quirky and rather cute. Although, I feel they didn't give her enough time to truly show her personality, but from what I did see, she isn't the glam, haughty person that she's perceived to be, I think her demeanor in this show is more in line with what I saw on Family Outing.
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98 Stinkerbelle
June 11, 2010 at 11:09 AM
Noooo!!! not the kissing scene. i was hoping JS and SEY would get together. I'm still holding on to that hope. JS is certainty a character. Thanks for recapping. It certainty makes my day at work go much faster!
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99 Lahlita
June 11, 2010 at 11:19 AM
@ 89 m a r a -- When I'm done laughing, I'll respond coherently. I think your snarky asides were the best part of that post. God, that was so funny. You need to write for Harlequin or Lifetime or something. :-D Poor Jin-soo. He needs friends. Or at least some serious people-skills.
@ Fan -- I like your posts. You make a good case for shipping. In order to not retype, I'll just lazily copy what I wrote on the last recap.
"It makes perfect sense to have preferred characters and ships. People have preferences; our opinions and interpretations are a product of our life experiences, and we usually identify with one character or another based on said experiences. That’s fine. It makes for interesting discussion. The problem arises when a viewer sees a certain relationship-endgame as the primary valuable element of a drama. Then one’s scope narrows to viewing the entire drama through a romantic pairing bias. Suddenly other elements like characterization, personal journeys, back-stories, family interactions, all interactions … everything gets bent, played-up, twisted or discarded to justify a certain bias. And when that happens, there’s little chance of constructive debate, because instead of sharing and discussing together, we all end up talking past each other, giving shout-outs to people who want the same pairing we do while combing through scenes trying to prove “the other side” wrong with different interpretations."
As @ maria said, we have some really smart people on here who have wonderful things to say, and I love reading what you all write. There is a way to express a preference respectfully and still give credit to the drama as a whole. A few recaps back, the comments sections were hijacked by almost vicious alliances to certain pairs, and it was really bemusing. That no longer seems to be the case, though, so I'm pleased as punch. I'll admit, it's easy for me because I'm so in love with all of the characters, so for the first time ever I'm fine with whatever happens as long as the story continue to be awesome. Go, writers!
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100 m a r a
June 11, 2010 at 11:27 AM
@ maria,
thumbs up. having seen all 8 episodes, logically speaking, it makes sense why it would be JS and EY. early bets would probably say it is them.
and you're probably right about dong wook. clearly, his story revolves around SY, but whether the two will get together or not, who knows. i still hope he'll have a more fleshed out character in the later episodes, but maybe he won't. and as i've said before, if i had to ship for a couple, i'd ship for this two.
without being influenced by the existence of the book, i believe anything can still happen. by the way, it appears only one person has claimed to have looked at the book's ending, but how reliable is that person's claim? it was all hearsay that somebody read that a korean went to the bookstore to check out the book. if more than just one person have gotten a hold of the book and read it, then, i may back up the finality. otherwise, it's still anything goes. if i understood korean, i'd order it and have it shipped overnight just to determine whether the claim about the ending is solid as widely spread. if i learned the pairings now, it'd have just taken away the thrill of tuning into this show. i really enjoy the uncertainty.
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