Recap Korean Drama "Café Minamdang" Episode 2

Cafe Minamdang (미남당) is a mystery-drama-comedy TV series directed by Ko Jae-hyun and written by Park Hye-jin, the series is based on the book Minamdang: Sagun Soochub written by Jung Jae-han. Cafe Minamdang episode 2 has a runtime of 63 minutes.

The series, created by Park Hye-jin, Ko Jae-hyun and Yun Ra-young, takes over KBS2’s Monday-Tuesday 9.30 PM KST slot previously occupied by Bloody Heart. The series stars Seo In-guk, Oh Yeon-seo, Kwak Si-yang, Kang Mi-na, Kwon Soo-hyun and Baek Seo-hoo, alongside other cast members.

 

– Cafe Minamdang Episode 2 Recap Contains Major Spoilers –

After the very over-the-top chase sequence from the last episode, Jae-hui throws a pair of sneakers at Han-jun and runs off, making him promise to catch her at all costs.

The next day, Jae-hui investigates Shin Gyeong-ho and is adamant to find out a way to catch him. On the other hand, Han-jun promises to exonerate him in any which way possible. He goes to Gyeong-ho’s house and starts an exorcism in the name of a dead woman possessing him. It’s actually really funny watching him dancing around chaotically and calling Gyeong-ho names!

Still From Cafe Minamdang Episode 2

 

Two hours before this incident, Han-jun was deep in thought regarding whether Gyeong-ho was actually responsible for the woman’s murder a year ago. As we go through his deductions of whether his alibi sticks with the facts – it’s actually amazing watching him break down what he knows to come to a conclusion. I also enjoyed the way that they showcased his thoughts; it’s very hands-on.

Anyway, he promises Min-gyeong that this is the last time he will save her husband and asks him to never get into such a mess again. When he agrees, he asks him to get his car and dashcam before the police get it. As Jae-hui talks about finding Gyeong-ho’s car in the police station, they get a call that the car has been found. It’s a clever plan by Han-jun who has found a way to fool the police and get his client out.

 

It is here we meet Prosecutor Chao Do-won, the only person who can get them a search and seizure warrant against a conglomerate. Do-won, meanwhile, seems like someone who’d fit right into this eclectic setting – everyone is afraid of how much he speaks!

Still From Cafe Minamdang Episode 2

 

When Jae-hui asks for Do-won’s help, he readily agrees and Jae-hui and her team get down to business. Unbeknownst to her, however, Han-jun is also making his way to get the car and revels in the happiness of fooling the police department.

As Jae-hui and her colleagues watch the dashcam footage and celebrate their sure-shot victory against Gyeong-ho, things seem to be looking up for her. She arrests Gyeong-ho based on the footage but Han-jun taunts her to find better evidence because his client is going to be released soon.

In disbelief, Jae-hui asks him why he would help someone when he himself was the one who reported the crime in the first place. She’s shocked at his shamelessness for trying to protect anyone with money and promises to go to the bottom of this. Just then, Han-jun mentions that he knows that she’s the stalker from the other night, leaving Jae-hui speechless.

He goes off on a tangent about her being head over heels for him but she shuts that down quickly with a kick to the leg. In the meantime, Hye-jun goes to talk to Jung Cheong-gi, the internal inspector of the National Police Agency. Turns out, he buried Gyeong-ho’s case from last year and the promise of a huge sum of money for this case has his ears perked up.

 

 

At the police station, Jae-hui’s questioning is cut short when Han-jun comes to the station and calls their evidence being obtained using illegal means. He asks them to check the CCTV footage and after going through the logs, it is determined that they got the evidence a minute earlier than the warrant. Without much choice, Jae-hui must let Gyeong-ho go.

After sending his client off, Han-jun gets a lecture from Jae-hui, who tells him that the man who is in the hospital right now has a family with an infant and he would’ve been all right already had he been taken to the hospital on time. She asks him whether he was the one who sent them the evidence and he accepts that he did.

Still From Cafe Minamdang Episode 2

 

Angry at being set up, Jae-hui has a flashback to her past at karate class when Han-jun was her senior. As she realises how much he has changed, he flips him on the ground as he did to her so many years ago, and tells him to shape up and that, as an ex-cop, he should know better. She walks off after telling him that she will arrest him herself if he doesn’t stop this.

After much melodrama and bickering, Jae-hui and the gang agree with renewed enthusiasm to catch their suspect. Meanwhile, Han-jun feels a little guilty for getting Jae-hui in trouble, which means he will have to be indebted to her.

As all avenues start to close around Jae-hui since no one really wants to talk to her, Han-jun’s guilt eats at him and he agrees to hand over all the evidence to Jae-hui. They concoct a plan to get Gyeong-ho’s trusted aid to open his mouth in one way or another and go off on their quest.

Cafe Minamdang Episode 2 Ending

Still From Cafe Minamdang Episode 2

 

Jae-hui finds a way inside his house afterwards and discovers their murder board. She is overwhelmed when she sees her brother Han Jae-jeong’s face on the board and she wonders what Han-jun is up to. In the middle of nosing around, Han-jun comes home but he’s too self-absorbed to notice her… or maybe he just likes the show. The latter would be very much on par with him!

Obviously, though, her phone starts buzzing in her pocket just as he’s about to leave the closet and right when he’s about to open the door, Jae-hui pounces on him with a bag to put over his head.

 

In the epilogue, a young Jae-hui gives policeman Han-jun a congratulatory gift which reeks of her crush on him. However, the surprise incoming of his girlfriend, who calls her a boy, disappoints her and as she walks away, Jae-jeong, who calls her Jang-mi, takes his sister out to eat.

Cafe Minamdang Episode 2 Review

Still From Cafe Minamdang Episode 2

 

There’s something to be said about shows with a narcissistic lead with a mysterious past that can captivate the audience as much as Cafe Minamdang’s Nam Han-jun. Our protagonist, regardless of his terrible flaws, is just so watchable and mysterious that you can’t help but back him up. You don’t back up some of his more heartless deeds, but you definitely will find yourself excusing them.

With another absolutely chaotic episode out of the way, Cafe Minamdang has promised to be a wholesome, entertaining and a rather gripping watch. The moments when it showcases its mysteries to us is delicious, especially when Han-jun goes into a zone picking apart the crimes that he has been presented with. The upbeat music and the very colourful and tasteful wardrobe add a layer of character to him and makes him totally watchable.

On the other hand, Jae-hui is presented to be the cool, calculative cop who doesn’t really give any crap about anyone. Oh Yeon-seo presents her in that exact way although I do wonder how she grapples with enemies with her long hair flying around. I can’t imagine the number of knots I’d have to brush out afterwards.

But I digress.

All in all, Cafe Minamdang episode 2 is watchable and enjoyable and is for anyone who just wants an absolutely no-brainer entertainment which is sometimes just a little bit serious!