Coffee Prince (2007)

Amor mas allá de lo convencional, que no te puedes perder

Jamás creí que esta serie iba a contar sobre un amor tan profundo que supera los géneros.
Lo otro que me encantó de esta serie es que no pasa nada muy terrible, ni un accidente, ni una muerte, ni una traición que te haga odiar a los protagonistas o a un villano. Es una serie muy linda, solo para disfrutarla.
Gong Yoo es una delicia te lo quieres comer poco a poco para disfrutarlo mas, jajajaja
Viendo muchas series coreanas se valorar cuando una historia es diferente, y poder ver una serie donde el protagonista heterosexual, se enamora de un chico, que no sabe que es mujer, sufre mucho por eso, pero al final, cede sus creencias por amor, y se enamora y acepta su amor a pesar de todo lo que sus amigos y familia puedan decir. El que diga que eso no es amor, no sabe lo que dice. Me encanto que trataran este tema. Cada vez que pasaba algo y para mi me decía esta mujer si es tonta, porque no le dice, volvía a mi y decía los que escribieron esto quieren demostrar que el verdadero amor esta mas allá del genero sexual, y por eso lo llevan al extremo, aunque a veces sentía que lo estiraban mucho, entendía claramente que es lo que querían mostrar. Y agradezco poder ver esto.
También me gusto mucho la historia de amor de la otra pareja, a veces un poco frustrante, igual muy real, y super entendible, los tiempos de cada uno.
Ver a Gong Yoo, joven, después de enamorarme de él en Goblin, me pareció muy lindo aunque me encanta como a madurado. Su look de mujeriego que en el fondo nunca lo fue y siempre estuvo enamorado de la novia del primo, y que jamas se propaso. Me derritió.
Nunca espere que esta serie tan light tuviera un tema de fondo tan profundo, la recomiendo 100%

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¡Una maravilla!

No quiero hacer esto muy largo, vamos a dejarlo en una “recomendación exprés”, yo solo quiero darles ganas de ver la serie.

La historia gira entorno a Eun Chan (una chica bastante masculina desesperada por conseguir un trabajo para ayudar a su familia) y Han Kyul (un millonario al que su abuela amenaza con desheredar a menos que logre sacar adelante un café que se cae a pedazos). Por cosas de la vida se conocen y ella termina trabajando para él, el problema está en que en el café solo pueden trabajar hombres… y es que Han Kyul no tiene ni idea de que Eun Chan es una mujer.

¿El plot les suena? Sí, se hizo mil quinientas veces, PERO NO ASÍ. ¿Podemos hablar de que es una serie de 2007 y retrata a la perfección los conflictos internos de un hombre que se creyó heterosexual durante toda su vida hasta que conoce a ese “alguien”? ¡LOCURA TOTAL!
Sí, gente, él desconoce por completo que Eun Chan es una chica hasta mucho después de ya estar completamente enamorado… así que prepárense para sufrir junto a Han Kyul, porque van a sufrir, eso se los puedo asegurar. Sus conflictos internos están tan bien y son tan reales que no puedo hacer más que sacarme el sombrero. Y en esa área (tal vez no puedo decirlo sobre otras) deja un mensaje muy, muy, bueno. Además, los actores tienen una química que no les puedo explicar, #JustSaying.

Puede que lo que más me guste de la serie sea eso (que igual es el eje central), pero los personajes secundarios también son espectaculares (y tienen sus propias subtramas que están muy bien llevadas), el trabajo de los actores es fantástico, las motivaciones de la prota están bien justificadas (independientemente de que estemos de acuerdo con lo que hace o no) y las cosas cierran bien por todos lados.

Punto a considerar: La relación por ahí les parece tóxica porque ella está mintiendo todo el tiempo, pero si se centran en el conflicto interno de él... MARAVILLA.
Creo que es uno de los doramas con mejor representación LGBT que vi, real (porque quieran o no decir lo contrario, el prota masculino es bisexual).

¡TIENEN QUE DARLE UNA OPORTUNIDAD!?

IG de reseñas cortas: @altoplottwist

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Un clásico maravilloso que aguanta el tiempo!

Maravilloso clásico!!! Acabo de ver esta semana esta maravilla de kdrama, Hace dos años que veo dramas y no me había decidido aún por ver un kdrama antiguo. Lo más viejito que había visto es Healer (que me encantó). Me daba cosita la estética, los peinados, que la historia no me enganchara, tonterías!! Demasiado he tardado en decidirme, me estaba perdiendo una gran historia, con increibles actuaciones y un guión que mantiene el interés a lo largo de los capítulos. Al team de chicos Coffe Prince me los comería todos, son una monada y me han sacado muchísimas risas!! Soy fan de Gong Yoo (para mi Goblin es lo más perfecto que se puede encontrar en un drama), y aquí no decepciona para nada. Su personaje es encantador, super tierno y además está guapísimo. La FL lo hace supremo. Las escenas cómicas de ellos dos son hilarantes, buenísimas pero cuando la cosa se pone dramática, saben como sacarte las lágrimas!!!! La música es muy bonita, la escenografía perfecta para la historia. UN 10!! No os la perdáis.
Gracias a VIKI por ponerla disponible en España, hice la petición hace muy pocos días y lo han hecho realidad!!!! En Netflix también está pero solo con la opción de inglés en el idioma.

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Coffe prince reseña

Este drama a pesar de tener unos años ya a día de hoy sigue siendo maravilloso lo mires por donde lo mires. Puede que la historia en si sea algo digamos anticuada, contiene el típico que recurso que se usaba mucho antes la verdad. Pero funciona muy bien en este caso, las actuaciones son de 10 la verdad y hay una obvia química entre los protagonistas. Yo reconozco que tengo mi debilidad por mi dios supremo xD Gong yoo. Creo que la historia está bien contada, las escenas de besos son de morirse y está todo bien hilado. En general me pareció un demás excelente, no le puse el 10 porque este género no es de mis favoritos pero me gano sin duda. La recomiendo, es un clásico que hay que verse.

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I'm so much in agreement with every word written in Jeanie's review that I had to go back and change most of mine in order not to write a useless review full of repetitions of what had already been expressed so well.



On my part, I can say Coffee Prince made me reconcile with Korean dramas. If I have to tell the whole, bitter truth, for some time I thought Korean could only produce melodramas, with round eyes girls pouting and arrogant dudes raising perfectly trimmed eyebrows. Until I landed on this drama.

Everything about it felt so real, by the middle I wasn't a simple viewer anymore: I was part of that group of friends. The kind of alchemy they created on screen is rarely found in dramas, because in most cases one is reminded that these people are acting. But Coffee Prince feels like they are having fun together. It reminded me of a dinner with my friends, or camping out with them.

There's a delicious special at the end of the drama, which shows some behind the scene bloopers and interviews. And it's amazing, because either the special looks like integral part of the drama, or the whole drama is like a behind the scene: the interaction between the actors stays the same. Even the make up and clothes are everyday things, not a catwalk display.



And I absolutely loved the way the issue homosexuality was treated. I loved that Han Gyul was tormented by the thought of being gay, but that he was even more so in finding out that she was a woman. Because love, betrayal and trust are universal feelings and have no connection whatsoever with gender.



The music deserves a mention too. Coffee Prince has an outstanding OST, very unusual and difficult to put into a precise musical category. Some pieces have a jazz undertone which I personally loved.



I've read some people complaining about the pace of this drama, saying nothing major happens. But a work of art, be it a movie, a drama, a novel or a cartoon isn't made only of events. It's made of style too, of images, silences, scenery, words. Thousands of love stories have been written and shown in dramas. What makes this one a delightful watch, is the ability of actors and direction to make us connect and "live" this sweet love story with the characters.

Therefore, I'm ready to recommend this show to everyone.

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Why I think Coffee Prince is magical...and it's still one of the best Kdramas I've ever watched:

Let's face it, the reality of a girl passing herself as a man and almost everyone around her believing it is a bit farfetched. That is the basis for this drama. All of the orbiting comedy, drama, angst and love circles around this unlikely scenario. How this drama pulls it off and makes it possible for you to suspend disbelief is that every other situation in this drama is grounded in an everyday reality.

Eun Chan is the eldest daughter of a family with no father. She has to take care of her mother and younger school age sister. She is a tomboy and added to that, she has no real money to further her education which would have made it possible for her to seek better employment. She works constantly. From sun up until late into the night she goes and goes. Delivering milk, teaching kids Tae Kwando, delivering food, sewing dolls eyes, shelling chestnuts and on and on. She doesn't have the luxury of dressing up, being a pretty girl who can buy clothes, shoes and make up. This back story for Eun Chan grounds that unbelievable idea of people thinking she is a boy in a reality the audience can get behind.

From that starting point Coffee Prince continues its excellent storytelling. Eun Chan isn't looking for love, she is only trying to survive. When she meets Choi Han Gyul her whole world begins to tilt on its axis. Because the writer and actors do such a wonderful job with their characters, it sucked me right in from start to finish. Coffee Prince isn't about high angst and melo. Its dramatic tension is about the budding of a deep love, the fear of telling the truth, the question of whether love knows gender and mostly, forgiveness. This drama worked for me because somehow the director, writer and actors made me feel like a comfortable spectator in every scene, witnessing the story unfolding.

I cannot emphasize enough how well done and addicting this story is all the way through. The side characters of this drama were just as delightful as the leads and that doesn't happen often. Watch out that you don't fall in love with Lee Sun Gyun as Choi Han Seong! This show had a 1 episode extension which prolonged the end just a little bit but didn't drag it down. (17 Episodes total) Thank goodness this drama seemed very well plotted out all along the way.

Gong Yoo and Yoo Eun Hye are wonderful and have amazing chemistry. And not just them...It is a rare thing when any drama or movie comes along and somehow the whole cast seems magically fit for one another. Whether it be lovers, family or friends...this drama truly has that quality.

The music in Coffee Prince is eclectic and fun. The set designs are lovely...even Gae Sik Ahjussi's disgusting apartment! Some of these sets have become tourist spots in Korea you can still visit today.

If you haven't ridden the fun, funny, touching and magical ride that is Coffee Prince, please jump on board. It's worth every minute...I promise. Even after my 5th watch I still find things I adore about this show.

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Romantic comedies aren’t usually my cup of java, but Coffee Prince is everything a rom-com should be: sweet, funny, and sexy. If you can get past the silliness of the mistaken identity premise, you’ll be rewarded with a show full of carefully observed human moments, played out by an eclectic, engaging ensemble cast. The poor girl/rich guy love story may not be especially original, but it’s told with a great deal of heart and refreshingly little artifice. The characters come across as fleshed-out human beings instead of walking plot devices and the show understands how to create scenes of real emotional impact without heaping on the melodrama or resorting to cheap dramatic tricks. It’s also genuinely hilarious, with a central couple whose on-screen chemistry is off the charts.

Coffee Prince is hardly an undiscovered gem, but like the best coffee shops, it’s a warm, inviting place to pass the time. It gently reminds that life’s small pleasures should be noticed and savored, and that choosing love, for a person, a profession, or a place, is worth whatever heartache or stigma may tag along.

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I honestly forgot, or more didn't realize, what a gem this drama is! I just finished rewatching it, and now that I'm seven years older than when I first watched this I can appreciate this drama a lot more. It's always on that list of "must watch dramas" when you talk to someone who's asking around for good dramas, and for good reasons.

Story is the typical girl looks like boy, uses that to "trick" certain people, gets closer to the male lead..the same old stuff back in the last decade. What made this drama different then most was the fact that the lead actor was unaware of her gender and was a poor guy thinking he was confused. That to me, was one of my favorite aspects of this entire drama. This ended up being a romantic comedy without going too overboard on the comedy (in my opinion). The relationships formed naturally on screen between the leads and between all the side characters. There were some slow parts in this drama but for 17 episodes, I thought things moved fairly quickly. This story just has side stories for most of their other characters.

Cast. UGH. I completely forgot how much I loved this cast! Gong Yoo and Eun Hye are seriously a match made in heaven. Their on screen chemistry was simply undeniable. From when they met until the very end, all of their scenes together were pure perfection. Their acting was so perfect it seemed real and I haven't been able to find a Korean drama where two actors grab my attention like these two.
All of the side character actors were just as perfect. The cafe workers (rip Lee Eon), all the family members and others were casted perfectly. Everyone just seemed to mesh extremely well together.

Music, honestly was never a favorite of mine. Though the whole "la la la lala" song would get stuck in my head for days, there was nothing really special about the music used.

As stated, I have rewatched this drama and believe me, in time so will others. It's just that type of drama where you wouldn't mind watching it from beginning to the end again. I always recommend this drama to new drama watchers and I think I always will. It's a feel good drama and it's also up on Netflix for the time being so if you have it, watch it!

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It took me a while to get into this drama as I felt that it dragged in its early episodes. But as I went through viewing it, there is no doubt that this is a CLASSIC DRAMA. The First Shop of the Coffee Prince provides refreshing themes about homosexuality, self-sacrifice, hard work,dreams,ambition,success,emotional and psychological issues that one may face in life. Yoon Eun Hye, playing the tomboyish Eun Chan, played her role extremely well. Her chemistry with Goong Yoo, who played the confused Choi Han Kyul,is commendable too. Their chemistry was excellent.

When Han-gyul finally allows himself to love Eun-chan regardless of gender (episode 10) it is the best moment of the drama and truly touching. <3

Gender confusion is nothing new, but in too many cases, people have a tendency to overdo it-- drawing things out and overdramatizing it for either hyberbolic comedy, or ridiculous melodrama. Thankfully, Coffee Prince uses at least a bit of discretion and ends up as a fun romantic story that tries to take a more reasoned look at gender roles. It challenges the idea that strength and responsibility are masculine traits and really does a good job at poking fun at gender stereotypes. The men tend to be very faithful, nurturing, and rather bashful, while the women tend to be strong, willful, and intelligent.
In addition to the gender-bending, there is a very touching examination of a heterosexual man being forced to examine his own sexuality as he realizes he is attracted to someone he believes in another man.

Each character has a story, and each story is touched on. This gives the sense that the show is not a one dimensional storyline, it has depth. And then as far as scenery goes, it is beautiful. I love the backdrop of Seoul, the mountain tops wreathed in mist... the artistic touch at Coffee Prince... You can see the stark difference in Eun-chan's home and Han-gyul's apartment.

I really wish they will make a part two for Coffee Prince because it was so well made. A big applause to the creator of this magnificent drama.

Makes me want to drink coffee, too!

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It is rare I give this kind of ranking to this kind of drama.
I usually give this iper good reviews to drama that have a historical plot, or actions, or fantasy in them.
But Coffee Prince is my exception.

With this drama I was able to know a lot of good actors: Gong Yoo became one of my favourites. So the first good thing of this drama are the actors indeed. Everyone did a very good job. She was just perfect, sometimes I just forgot she was a girl!
He too was perfect in his role, the cold but childish guy who can be mature too.
The chemistry between them was nice too.
Even the other characters are perfect: from the owner of the shop, to her family, to the waffle guy and so on. Everyone, just perfect in their roles.
They acted very naturally.

Also the script was natural.
The story is simple and realistic, even the fact everyone thinks she is a guy doesn't sounds so 'unrealistic', and the dialogues develop naturally.
Like in everyday life.

I loved also the way Han Kyul accepts his love towards someone who he thinks is a guy, I think this drama was awesome also because of the meaning in it; "it doesn't matter if you are a boy or an alien because I love you."

The music is something I just love. Every episode is full of korean and english songs that makes you feel sad, good, relaxed.
I just LOVE this OST, it has something different from every other drama.

I rewatched this something like ten times, and I never got bored.

I absolutely reccomend this, it is a good drama, I can't find nothing to complain, so if you want to watch something not too much 'difficult' just fall in love with this one.

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Glorifies dysfunction, abuse, and harassment.

This was the most dysfunctional, twisted, depressing “romance” that I’ve ever had the displeasure of watching. I should have dropped it but I kept holding out hope that it would improve. It didn’t.

I know I’m in the vast minority but I honestly don’t care. The more I watched this, the more depressed and angry I became. Not a single couple in here had true love. Every single one is going to continue in their dysfunction. The “happy endings” are an illusion. None of those couples are going to stay happy or stay together. It’s impossible given their immense character flaws.

Characters should have flaws, and they can even have horrible ones, but they should improve over the course of the story and none of these characters did. They were all either abusive or abused and fully intended to stay that way. Not one of them knew how to respect the other’s wishes or accept “no” for an answer.

CHARACTERS

Eun Chan
She was immature and selfish. Yes, she worked hard, but she also quit the moment it got emotionally difficult. She got angry over the stupidest “offenses,” and demanded respect that she hadn’t earned. She had no thought for how she made the people around her feel. That’s not carefree - it’s thoughtless and disrespectful.

Childish and child-like are not the same thing. Childish is thinking and behaving like a child. It’s not something an adult should do. She had no filter. That’s childish. She threw tantrums and couldn’t control her emotions. That’s childish. Those are not admirable qualities in an adult. Her perpetual optimism, her innocence, and her ability to take joy from the small things in life - that’s childlike and those are good qualities.

I was fine with gender bending at first but she took it way too far for entirely selfish reasons, but at least the show acknowledged that. I give it points for that. What she did was not okay. But I won’t harp on this since it’s the one thing they got right in the show.

Then she was happy that Han Gyul gave up his dream for her but she was unwilling to return the favor. This sort of reverse sexism is not okay either. There’s absolutely no reason she couldn’t study and become a barista while also getting married. There’s nothing bad about relying on someone else, especially in today’s economy. No, she shouldn’t become a princess and sit back and let him do and pay for everything, but she doesn’t have to be completely independent either. She only wanted to be independent for herself, for her own selfish reasons. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to be a burden to him, it was because she wanted the security of being self-sufficient. She didn’t want to feel scared or guilty again like she did after her father died. Being independent for those reasons wouldn’t be bad except that she did it with no regard for Han Gyul’s feelings.

Her complete cluelessness about sexuality and the sexual desires of men is, unfortunately, a common theme in Asian dramas. Are Asian women really that clueless? Do they really have no idea what they’re doing to men when they refuse a man’s advances so vehemently? Do they really feel no sexual desire themselves? I can’t believe that’s true and I really hate that women are depicted that way in nearly every drama. I can forgive it in the historical dramas but not the modern ones.

Han Gyul
He was abusive - physically and verbally. Only fourth-graders tease and belittle their crushes. Emotionally mature adults don’t. It’s completely inexcusable that he verbally abused her in front of other employees and customers. Not only was it disrespectful toward her, it was a poor example for his employees, and thoughtless toward the customers and how it might make them feel hearing that.

It’s commendable that he was willing to love Eun Chan despite the fact that he thought she was a guy, but if he’s not genuinely gay, then that probably would have lasted only until the clothes came off. Sexuality isn’t something you change just because you decide to. Making it seem like he could is belittling to homosexuals who genuinely struggle with being unable to change their sexuality even if they want to.

That he kept hitting on a girl who was a) taken, and b) had sort of made her feelings clear, was not okay. It was another instance of a character not taking “no” for an answer.

I give him props for not giving into his grandmother’s unreasonable demand that he break up with Eun Chan. I also like that he didn’t act like a typical rich brat-prince. He didn’t understand the value of money to those who don’t have it, but he also didn’t flaunt his wealth or act like poor people were lesser beings. He was clueless about the personal lives of his employees but this is a flaw that he did seem to correct over time. He worked hard at the cafe and didn’t sit back doing nothing just because he was the rich owner.

He probably grew more than any other character in the show.

Yoo Joo
Ugh, what a hot mess. She couldn’t decide wtf she wanted. She walked in the gray with Han Gyul, knowingly toying with both Han Gyul’s and Han Sung’s feelings, and unwittingly with Eun Chan’s. She had left Han Sung for DK, then left DK for Han Sung, but stayed friends with DK despite the obvious insecurity this caused Han Sung. She did only what she wanted with no regard for others’ feelings whatsoever.

She was materialistic and admittedly selfish. She was also childish and annoying. But, she was kind to Eun Chan most of the time, even after Han Sung “cheated” on her with Eun Chan, which was admirable.

But, she stayed confused throughout the entire series. When it seemed she’d figured herself out and proposed to Han Sung, then she started resenting the restrictions of the relationship and the pregnancy, and went on an all-night binge with her friends, again, with no regard for Han Sung’s feelings or the welfare of her unborn child. She made no progress as a character whatsoever.

Han Sung
He was as much a hot mess as his girlfriend and only changed because he was forced to. He didn’t really get over Eun Chan. She rejected him. Threatened with losing Yoo Joo on the heels of losing Eun Chan was too much for him. It wasn’t that he loved Yoo Joo that much, but more than he just couldn’t handle being alone. He couldn’t fully accept Yoo Joo as she was, but couldn’t live without her. That’s not love. That’s codependence.

Min Yeop
He was a doormat that couldn’t take “no” for an answer. He was also manipulative, but that’s because Ha Rim taught him to be that way. “Angel” treated Min Yeop like sh*t and while he stood up for himself briefly, it was only to get her back and then he went back to putting up with her crap.

I don’t like to disparage other cultures but the trend of playing hard-to-get in Asian cultures is detrimental and dangerous. “Angel” made it very clear that Min Yeop’s advances were unwanted but he didn’t stop. Having him succeed in getting her through such methods only perpetuates this harmful trend. Because of this, men don’t know when “no” really means “no.”

Sun Gi
Hot af and I loved that he spoke Japanese when he was angry, but he also didn’t know how to take “no” for an answer to such a stalker degree that he drove his ex into hiding. Twice! That’s restraining order level of harassment. It is not okay.

“Angel”
She was a straight up bratty b*tch and everyone let her be that way. She cared for absolutely no one but herself and saw others for only what they could do for her. She “fell for” Min Yeop only after he stopped pursuing her and once she wrapped him around her finger again, she proceeded to continue to treat him like sh*t. She was a despicable human being.

Grandmother
One of the only characters to have a redemption arc. She started out as a horrible person, despising Eun Chan because of her social status and her appearance. Thankfully, she was able to eventually see past that and respect and like Eun Chan for who she really was.

Eun Chan’s Mother
By far, the most grounded and balanced of the characters. She knew her flaws and worked to fix them. She knew her limitations and stayed with them. She knew her responsibilities and performed them. She kept her priorities straight.

STORY
This is a true slice-of-life series. There was no plot or throughline whatsoever. All the tension came from petty arguments between the characters. It was depressing and infuriating.

OVERALL
Yes, it had a happy ending but it was anticlimactic and for me, unrealistic. Or rather, too realistic. All of these relationships are ones that we often encounter in real life and maybe that’s what most people like about it but it’s precisely what I hate about it. If I wanted the crap of real life, I’d walk out my front door. When I engage in fiction, I want something better than real life. It doesn’t have to be Disney perfect but this was just a futile story. Like I said at the beginning - all of these couples are going to continue to have problems. They’re not going to be happy.

I did not enjoy watching this. I don’t recommend it. It glorifies dysfunction, abuse, and harassment.

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There are a LOT of gender-bender/girls in pants titles in Dramaland, and I love just about all of them, but if I had to pick my favorite it is definitely Coffee Prince. Aside from the obvious awesome set up and favorite tropes this drama plays to, what cemented my love for this thing is the fact that the series wasn’t afraid to actively utilize the subject of homosexuality for the plot. Most of the time this trend makes me feel a bit uncomfortable because it’s often handled in a very badly done way, or for the purposes of comedy that falls flat. Not the case for Coffee Prince. Why? Well, the answer might be considered a spoiler, but the fact is the script writers don’t just toy with making the hero briefly question his sexuality, but that this is a huge point of conflict for the plot that resolves itself in one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever frackin’ witnessed. I also adore the fact that heroine opens the drama as a tomboy AND closes the drama as a tomboy, that she doesn’t magically get femininized just because she’s got a guy. The script handles the issue of homosexuality and gender roles in a very respectful manner. Add in the glorious sexual tension between the two characters (notice that’s becoming a recurring theme in my recommendations) and this ranks really high in my favorite dramas, no question!

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