Coffee Prince: Twelfth Cup

Awwww. They made up. It’s pretty freaking adorable, even I have to admit. I’m always on the alert for this show veering into too-cuteness, but for the most part they keep it respectable. Even the mopey, indie-rock-style songs that accompany every emotional montage on this show don’t bother me that much. All they have to do is cut to that dog and I’m like, fine, Coffee Prince. You win.

So, we’re about two-thirds of the way through this series – there are 17 episodes (or “cups”, if you like) – and the cat’s out of the bag. Everyone knows Eun-Chan is a girl, but is everyone happy? Fun-loving Ha-Rim suddenly got all uptight and righteous as soon as he found out he and Han-Gyul were being deceived. Clearly he’s had the hots for him/her all along. As for Han-Gyul, don’t you think he’d be relieved to find out that the person he’s in love with isn’t a guy after all, and he’s not gay? Instead, he spends an entire episode storming around, furious because Eun-Chan was dishonest and “didn’t believe in him”. I’ve noticed this happens in a lot of K-Dramas – characters get really upset when they find out they’ve been lied to in any way, even when the truth ends up being more convenient for them. I don’t know if this reflects Korean society so much as a need to keep the plot going for a few more episodes. (Actually, when I think about it, this happens in pretty much any drama series.)

Fortunately, they didn’t waste too much time with this non-conflict. Han-Gyul gets over it, Eun-Chan comes back to work, and the whole gang turns into a bunch of giggly schoolgirls. My favorite part was when Sun-Ki (ohh, I can’t get enough of that guy) asked Ha-Rim which “package” he thought Eun-Chan liked the best. Also, the “sweet and sour chicken” text message they wanted to send Han-Gyul was pretty awesome. I don’t know if the subtitles on these are consistent, but the ones shown on the version I saw were pretty classic all around.

What’s up with Han-Sung chasing after that lousy flake Yoo-Joo? What, she disappeared? Good! Maybe she fell into the black hole of her self-absorption. Jesus. I shouldn’t judge – I’ve certainly seen this kind of thing happen in real life enough times – but that guy needs to give it UP. He had the right idea trying to cheat on her with Eun-Chan. At least his dog is dependable.