A few questions from the opening episodes of Cafe Minamdang were answered in its second week.
The wacky characters that suit up to unconventional extra service for VVIPs taking the fortune-reading business of Cafe Minamdang are surely giving sufficient reasons to follow their journey.
It won’t be long and Jae-hui would realize she’s not asking the right questions. As the world seems smaller for her and Han-jun, chances are the goal they both have might make them join forces.
abbyinhallyuland watches Cafe Minamdang on Netflix
Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 |
Cafe Minamdang Episodes 3 & 4 Highlights
Last week, we met shaman-extraordinaire Nam Han-jun. A former profiler, he has since become a shaman famous for his work.
But his seer abilities apparently come from his uncanny deduction skills. With his sister’s genius in hacking skills and his friend with excellent brawling strength helping him with the cases he handles; his plans are always flawlessly executed.
In the process of helping out his client; Han-jun reconnects with Detective Han Jae-hui. She is the sister of a former friend whom he used to dote on and even had a judo sparring.
Young Jae-hui aspired to become a cop because of Han-jun’s initial advice and as a perfect example to her young mind.
However, when Jae-hui and her team chased after Gyeong-ho; Han-jun’s smarts beat them by orchestrating a premeditated trap that ultimately released Gyeong-ho for his recent misdemeanor.
Confronting Han-jun for changing from what she previously remembered him, subsequently nags on his consciousness. That leads him to plan a ploy to punish Gyeong-ho with Police Inspector Jung Cheon-gi, as the foreseen trap.
“Did you get your powers while serving prison time?”
Team Minamdang sets forth on their latest mission by getting access to Chief Jung’s cellphone. They stage an agreement with Madame Lee Min-gyeong by providing evidence against Shin Gyeong-ho. Unknown to them, Gyeong-ho’s secretary also captured the scene with a camera.
Using her body to knock out Han-jun, Jae-hui escapes the house. She receives a phone call from Prosecutor and she promises to treat him to a meal.
Eager to meet Han-jun, Jae-hui uses Detective Han’s reservation to meet the famed shaman so she can speak with him. She chronicles how they were previously acquainted. Thinking her senior has a crush on Han-jun, he hurriedly brings her inside.
While Detective Han receives Han-jun’s reading on his abysmal love life, Jae-hui rolls her eyes unbelieving of Han-jun’s shaman schemes.
Straightforwardly, she points out that he’s using his profiling skills for the readings he’s giving to his clients.
“It’s true that you need more than just willpower to run a business.”
A flashback to the beginning of Han-jun’s shaman business is revealed.
Fresh from prison, her sister Hye-jun picks him up after resigning from her job at NIS. They head to where Su-cheol runs his failing businesses.
When a customer walks in and right away changes her mind because of the untidy office, Han-jun who previously heard her phone conversation blurted her woe.
Thinking Han-jun is the shaman and not Su-cheol, the customer pleads to be helped with her situation. Utilizing Hye-jun’s skills, their first successful case was sealed.
For their first venture, Team Minamdang solved a bullying case. They were able to track a loan shark business that connives with bullies.
Just in time, they saved the customer’s son and also brings Na-dan, an inventor, to Suk-cheol’s lair.
Getting the idea of opening a fortune-telling business from the case, Han-jun and Suk-cheol agree to earn money so they can seek redemption for how they were both framed.
Hye-jun joined after getting a full-fledged liberation agreement from her brother. They also agree to open a cafe as a front for the fortune-reading business.
“So how do we fight using these? Ahh! Let’s pray that they drop dead!”
As soon as Chief Jung caught the bait, Team Minamdang follows his meeting with Gyeong-ho. Behind them, Jae-hui and Prosecutor Cha also head to where they were going.
Reaching the designated place, Han-jun and Su-cheol don’t have tools to use because their group’s maknae brought the bag with shaman items.
Adding to their trouble are security officers who approached them. Going one-for-all-all-for-one, they knocked out the officers in the most hilarious way.
Meanwhile, Chief Jung is pleading for his life as Gyeong-ho is about to kill him. Dividing and conquering their tasks; Han-jun and Su-cheol go to where Chief Jung is pretending to perform a shamanic rite. Hye-jun and Na-dan take advantage of Gyeong-ho who is high on drugs and subdue him.
Meeting the senior who framed them three years ago, Han-jun and Su-cheol finally, will get their redemption.
“I want to catch the culprit more than anyone else! Why would I do that?”
A flashback from three years ago reveals details about the death of Jae-hui’s brother, Prosecutor Han. Chief Jung orchestrates the crime and pins it on Han-jun who was then a profiler.
He blames his profiling led to the death of the prosecutor which Han-jun denies. The wily chief insists that Han-jun and Su-cheol connive to let the murderer of Prosecutor Han escape the murder scene. Knowing he and Su-cheol are framed to take the blame, Chief Jung affirmed his suspicion.
Back at present time, the two friends have the upper hand. They convince Chief Jung to reveal the man behind the frame-up and he reveals it to be the corrupt superintendent who was demoted.
When they go to Superintendent Lim’s house after the call Chief Jung placed, an ambulance is on its way to the hospital to take the superintendent
At the police station, Gyeong-ho’s secretary presented herself to reveal the truth about what happened. Per Han-jun’s instruction, she also was the tipper of her boss’s drug activity in his villa.
Team Minamdang also hands Chief Jung to the police since he won’t be of any help after the confirmation that Superintendent Lim died.
“What I want to know is why you’re acting like a superhero?”
Figuring out the connection between Superintendent Lim and Gopuri, Han-jun asked Madame Shin to look for that link.
Out of the blue, Madame Lee also proposed marriage to him along with a prenuptial agreement for the reason that he gave her the freedom she longed for all her life.
Han-jun bluntly refuses and urges her to proceed with an emancipated life of her own. Later, the money he got from her was given to the motorcycle victim of Gyeong-ho.
Jae-hui also witnesses what happened.
Han-jun then proceeds to visit the columbarium where Prosecutor Han rests and apologizes for still not being able to catch the killer.
He also implores his help to help his sister find peace about what happened. Seeing Jae-hui stalking Cafe Minamdang, his intended surprise backfired as he got punched by Jae-hui.
Finally, he clarifies that his client is Madame Lee and not Shin Gyeong-ho.
Cafe Minamdang Episodes 3 & 4 Musings
No matter how clumsy and spontaneous they are, Team Minamdang in action is delightfully entertaining. Bouts of laughter moments are sprinkled in every episode.
In particular, I live for the bromance of Seo In Guk and Kwak Si Yang whose brotherhood really amuses the narrative.
On that note, I am yet to gravitate to Oh Yeon-seo’s character. I hope sooner I will. The storytelling of Cafe Minamdang honestly can be a bit confusing.
Fortunately, the entertaining characters make you overlook it and the witty lines of the screenplay, too.
Moving forward, since week 2 gave clarity to everything and also completed the character connections, we hope it would be more smooth sailing.
This episode sheds light on the end game of the main characters. That is to find the culprit who killed Prosecutor Han.
From the looks of it, we were briefly acquainted with him. Along with this culminating conflict, the series also plans to take on side stories.
In the waning part of the fourth episode, the new case to be worked on by Team Minamdang was introduced.
If you are in for a quirky crime-busting adventure, make sure to book Cafe Minamdang on your Monday-Tuesday watch list!
Photos: KBS Drama | People Story
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