The BEST episodes of Coffee Prince
Every episode of Coffee Prince ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Coffee Prince!
Han-kyul is a smart young man who hates to be tied down to one career in his life. Abhorring the idea of joining the family business, he is ordered by his grandmother to manage a cafe. Unable to disobey his grandmother, he reluctantly takes over the responsibility of running a cafe and begins to immerse himself in the gourmet coffee business. One day, he meets Eun-chan, whom he mistakes as a boy, and learns the meaning of true love...
#1 - Twelfth Cup
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 8/7/2007
With half its work force gone (Eun-chan fired, Hong walked out in protest, and Han-kyul left in a daze), customer service and product appeal at the coffee shop suffers. Han-sung, try as he might, can neither talk, plead nor shout Yoo-joo out of leaving for America. Later learning that she never boarded the plane leaves him wondering where she's completely disappeared to. And it takes a rip to repair the tear between Eun-chan and Han-kyul.
#2 - First Cup
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/2/2007
Eun-chan supports her family by working two jobs; as Taekwondo instructor and food delivering girl. While making a delivery, she meets Han-gyeol. Han-gyeol is the grandson of chairwoman Bang of Dongin Foods, a company that has a thriving coffee business. Han-gyeol is a smart young man but he is fiercely independent and abhors the thought of being tied down by one career in his life. Sporting a short haircut, Eun-chan looks like a guy instead of a girl. Meanwhile, Chairwoman Bang arranges blind dates for her grandson Han-gyeol to see him settle down.
#3 - Tenth Cup
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 7/31/2007
Meeting accidentally, Eun-chan and Han-sung repair their friendship. As Han-sung still can't decide what to say about Yoo-joo leaving for America, Yoo-joo points out that he doesn't even know he has another love interest (Eun-chan). Seeing that all is not well, Ha-rim takes an active interest in Han-kyul's well-being and chides Eun-chan for her apparent lack of concern over the situation. When misspoken words finally reveal to Ha-rim that Eun-chan is a girl and that he's the last of the employees to know, he's angered at their allowing Han-kyul to suffer (for which he is restrained from interfering). Han-kyul finally reaches a breaking point about Eun-chan. Meanwhile, Sun-ki finds and follows young No-eul home to learn where his mom (love-interest Yuko) is living, and Min-yeop gets to play hard-to-get when Eun-sae finally starts returning is calls.
#4 - Final Cup
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 8/27/2007
Tears flow as the day comes for Eun-chan's departure to Italy, with the Coffee Princes each saying goodbye in their own way. Yoo-joo's sudden collapse brings Han-sung swiftly to her side and to the hospital. Two years later, Hong runs across the woman who once jilted him, Han-sung and Yoo-joo celebrate their anniversary together, the "princes" seem apt to settle in with romantic interests of their own, Eun-chan informs Han-kyul that she's won a scholarship that'll keep her out of Korea for another year, and Coffee Princess (Han-kyul's second coffee shop) approaches its debut.
#5 - Sixth Cup
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/17/2007
Though elegantly dressed for the occasion, Eun-chan fears being recognized by both Yoo-joo and Han-kyul at Yoo-joo's art exhibit. Seeing Han-sung with Yoo-joo prompts Eun-chan to recognize their attachment and get over her crush on him. As both want to remain friends, Yoo-joo stumbles upon Eun-chan's secret. Business at the coffee shop picks up when a home-spun commercial made from footage at the orchard hits the Internet, making stars of shop personnel. Concurrently, Han-kyul finds himself becoming attracted to Eun-chan. Still believing she's a boy, he begins questioning the legitimacy of his feelings (while enjoying putting Eun-chan to task at work). Han-kyul devises a simple test to confirm his sexual orientation, testing it on another (to his satisfaction) before applying it to Eun-chan.
#6 - Eleventh Cup
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 8/6/2007
The secret of Eun-chan's true gender finally comes out to Han-kyul, made worse by his being the last to know among all his peers. As Eun-chan feared, it changes their relationship, with Han-kyul, once again, avoiding the shop. Meanwhile, as Yoo-joo prepares to leave for America, Han-sung (too little too late) finally asks her to stay and/or wait for him, refusing to accept that her departure is entirely due to his behavior. Han-kyul's mom, oblivious to all this, considers revealing a truth about her son's past.
#7 - Seventh Cup
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/23/2007
Han-kyul wants to believe his attraction test succeeds with Eun-chan but knows in his heart that he remains drawn to "a boy.' The sexual tension still makes for strained relationships at work till a blow up occurs and Eun-chan storms off, fired. As both Han-kyul and Eun-chan wonder if and how their working relationship can be mended, their co-workers wonder about this as well. Meanwhile, spending time with Eun-chan puts a further strain on Han-sung's relationship with Yoo-joo, and Min-yeop's spying on Sun-ki reveals Sun-ki's unrequited desire to reconnect with a former love interest.
#8 - Forteenth Cup
Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 8/14/2007
As Eun-chan intently studies under Hong to become a certified barista, she expresses an interest in visiting Han-kyul's family under her true gender. Her introduction as a girl goes down poorly, with Han-kyul's mom and grandmother now looking upon her as a hermaphroditic freak scheming for their family wealth, putting full blame upon her for Han-kyul's recent decision to stay in Korea. Meanwhile, taking dating advice from Ha-rim goes ill for Min-yeop when Eun-sae finally learns he's been seeing other girls. She pays him back with a calculated break-up to bring him to heel. Also, a positive result on a medical test impacts Yoo-joo and Han-sung's relationship.
#9 - Sixteenth Cup
Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 8/21/2007
As Han-kyul's grandmother recovers from collapsing at Han-sung's wedding, she sees a glimmer of something appreciable in Eun-chan. Calling to meet her proves timely for Han-kyul and Eun-chan as they have gone at odds over when to marry - now or in five years. Han-kyul's grandmother offers Eun-chan the chance to study abroad and become a certified barista, but when Eun-chan considers not going, her own mother (whose interest in Mr. Ku has grown) formally releases Eun-chan from all restraints to her family, leaving Han-kyul alone in hating the idea of her two-year absence. Meanwhile, Han-sang has issues with Yoo-joo's drinking, Eun-sae decides whether to accept Min-yeop or not (at his urging), Yuko pulls up stakes, and "player" Ha-rim starts getting played.
#10 - Second Cup
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/3/2007
Hyan Gyul still thinking she's a man, asks Eun Chan to pretend to be his "gay lover". She agrees to only show up on his blind dates. Hyan Gyul's grandmother owns a coffee shop and she forces him to visit it with here, and then she reveals his new assignment.
#11 - Fifth Cup
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 7/16/2007
When Ha-rim is discovered using the coffee shop as a place to stay, Eun-chan suggests rooming at Hong's instead. Hong doesn't mind, and Sun-ki, hearing of this arrangement, joins in for a place to stay as well, but the boys find Hong's non-hygienic habits less than acceptable. Han-kyul irritates Eun-chan by allowing Min-yeop to quit without an adequate explanation; Han-sung invites Eun-chan to attend the opening of an art exhibit with him (as a girl); and, since business is slow, Hong leads the group out on a team-building excursion, committing everyone to manual labor.
#12 - Third Cup
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/9/2007
Choi Han-kyul finds out just how serious his grandmother is about his running a run-down coffee shop when she takes away his car and sells his apartment. Still, it takes Go Eun-chan, reeling from her taekwondo school being taken away, for Han-kyul to finally start taking his predicament seriously. With college girls in town, Han-kyul sees success for the shop through hiring only adorable guys (with Eun-chan being the first). Through pure chance, Hwang Min-yeop also gets hired while coming to have it out with Eun-chan. With renovations under way, a mistakenly steep supply order may undermine the enterprise before its doors even open.
#13 - Thirteenth Cup
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 8/13/2007
Looming distantly, Han-kyul's forthcoming New York trip forces Eun-chan and him (each with differing responsibilities) to consider how to have it affect their relationship (whether to stay together or separate). Eun-sae, already bothered by Min-yeop no longer at her constant beck-and-call, finds further irritation in hearing of no wedding plans in her sister's immediate future (as it means no material benefits coming her way from a wealthy brother-in-law). In the meantime, Han-kyul debates internally about drawing a line against shop workers still treating Eun-chan as one of the guys (a menial to boss around); but, overhearing Ha-rim giving Eun-chan a sex education lesson makes up his mind in a hurry (to which the guys react with playfulness). Much to Han-sung's relief, the mystery of Yoo-joo's whereabouts comes to an end, and Han-kyul's Grandma decides it's high time to inform Han-kyul about his true origin before his father, once again, leaves Korea.
#14 - Ninth Cup
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 7/30/2007
Eun-chan agrees with Han-kyul's proposal to be brothers. All but Ha-rim (and Han-kyul) at the coffee shop know Eun-chan is a girl at this point, which Sun-ki uses to blackmail her into cleaning Hong's pigsty of a dwelling. Eventually, Han-kyul realizes his feelings run deeply for Eun-chan, but a loving relationship with another guy isn't something he can accept. Meanwhile, as Yoo-joo tries to determine what to do about Han-sung (who isn't being forthright about his incident with Eun-chan), Min-yeop confronts Sun-ki about his lack of regard for Eun-sae. In addition, the arrival of businessman Lee Myung-jae to Korea prompts Han-kyul's family to close ranks around a family secret.
#15 - Eighth Cup
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 7/24/2007
Melancholic at learning of his grandmother's terminal condition, Han-kyul uses his hospital visit to also seek psychiatric advice about his unnatural attraction to the "boy" Eun-chan and starts medication therapy. Eun-chan finds Han-kyul's closeness with Yoo-joo disturbing, not just for personal reasons but as it seems an affront to Yoo-joo's relationship with Han-sung. Han-sung, however, will commit an impromptu act that puts all his relationships at risk. While Min-yeop plots a way to get Eun-sae's cold regard turned in his favor, he shares Eun-chan's secret with Sun-ki. After having a disagreeable chat with his father, Han-kyul finally decides upon the relationship he must have with Eun-chan.
#16 - Fourth Cup
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 7/10/2007
As Coffee Prince heads toward its grand opening, Min-yeop finally confesses to the over-abundant order for which Eun-chan had taken blame and received Han-kyul's severe scoldings. Noh Sun-ki hires on as their waffle maker, and the grand opening receives a huge turnout; however, day #2 is a different story. With no customers, and the staff drifting off to watch Min-yeop and Eun-chan engage in challenges, Han-kyul disciplines his crew through a one-on-two basketball game. Han-sung comes to know that others think of Eun-chan as a boy but promises not to tell.
#17 - Fifteenth Cup
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 8/20/2007
As an older member of Han-kyul's family begins to warm up to Eun-chan, Han-kyul and Eun-chan butt heads over Eun-chan's repayment plan and engagement length issues; Han-sung gets a proposal of marriage from a pregnant woman; Ha-rim seems to have snagged a girl; and, while Eun-sae wonders why she hasn't seen any effects from kissing Min-yeop, Mr. Ku's plan to win over Eun-sae's mother by ignoring her appears to be working.