This Netflix K-Drama Cafe Minamdang season 1, episode 1 recap contains spoilers.
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NOTE TO EDITOR: PUBLISHABLE.
Minamdang Cafe recap of season 1, episode 1 – the premiere explained
We start with a flashy entry into the MK Noble Hotel of suave shaman, Nam Han-joon, who seems in high demand. It is a sharp dresser, in keeping with the refined decor of the establishment itself, who is looking for a general manager. But the candidate being interviewed, who at first glance appears to be a good fit, is urged to back down on the fortune teller’s orders, as he sees the man as someone with unresolved issues thanks to the fact that he once wrongfully dismissed a worker. The following scenes show this process repeating itself, with Han-joon successfully reading the personas of future managers to the point that he knows just what they look like if they’re worth hiring.
However, a candidate fascinates Han-joon, so much that he leaves the office, he watches the interview process to check the “strange energy” he feels face to face. There, the charismatic shaman performs an intriguing ritual in an attempt to examine what might be going wrong, only for him to realize that the problem is not with the man sitting in the seat, but rather with the man. one of the people who are part of the recruitment. crew. Thus, he demands the sacking of Ko Ju-won, who sexually harassed someone enough to drive him to suicide, and that the hotel issue an apology before the press finds out. Impressed, the foreign candidate stands up, applauds and asks who this shaman is, the answer being that he is the “wonder of Yonghae-dong”.
Next, we’re greeted with some sort of advertisement stating how good Nam Han-joon is, the demand he has, and the myriad of tasks he’s capable of helping. Then we cut to the confident man getting ready for the opening of his cafe, with his green suit that he kept on a strict diet so he could rip off the day’s outfit. But such a whimsical lifestyle isn’t shared by brother Nam Hye-jun, the NIS worker he lives with, even though the shaman workers seem to love what they do, and the amorous fans waiting to the exterior adhere to this idea of luxury.
Beneath the lavish, modern cafe is where the real lucrative business takes place, as we soon see a VVIP client drop in for a date with the shaman in his extravagant office. Exploiting his problems, which we discover thanks to the fortune teller using his brother NIS, in addition to a private investigation by Soo-cheol, to obtain information on his clients before meetings, the beggar client falls into the trap. . It also pays off for the client, of course, as the man is able to catch his runaway ex-wife, but we’re left to assume that any work Han-joon does comes at a high cost.
As two cops celebrate the famed shaman’s brilliance, a daily horoscope suggests their new recruit could cause unexpected trouble. It seems amusing at first, with the two men’s grievances being purely based on the rookie wearing leather, but a nugget is left in the middle of the comedy that much of the work these cops are able to do goes on. by the rather sleazy, anonymous dealings of Han-joon and his associates when they leave a call informing them that Ko Ju-won is trying to get to China.
Watching the new recruit handle the escape plan that Ko Ju-won had hatched, Han-joon replays the footage, exclaiming that this person is his style. He even revisits the case when he’s at work, looking at an article thoroughly impressed with the work done. Although this is a man who, regardless of his view of the rights and wrongs of the world, still wants to make sure he gets his share, a point proven by the fact that he reminds the sister of the deceased woman injured by Ju-won to pay when leaving their date.
Back at the police station, we find that the new recruit is anything but, as she reveals she’s been transferred, and is Lt. Han Jae-hui, the “ghost of Yongjin Police Station.” So instead of being below the two workmen who just treated her like a rookie, she’s actually their rather notorious team leader, ready to guide them, and the real novice waiting to salute the unit. back.
After the story involving the busting of a drug cartel, which gave Jae-hui his name, is regaled, along with his famous willingness to persist in business, we see the foursome prepare to begin their first case, one involving a missing person who has been eerily silent. And, despite Du-jin’s grievances about employing such a person, his boss tells him to hold on, watch Jae-hui, and get rid of her when the time is right so they can move up. the job ladders together.
While going through some of the criminal records at her home near the Minamdang cafe, Jae-hui discovers that an assault case she wants to solve bears an uncanny resemblance to one involving an officer, who appears to be Han-joon, who was imprisoned for having fabricated evidence. Meanwhile, the irritated shaman finds herself called by a client, who wonders why her husband came home stoned, covered in blood and worried. He tells the worried woman to check the situation, then continues to do so while the “spirit” checks the situation. Away from the phone, Han-joon confesses that he worries about what could have been done.
As the group continues to inquire about what S&H Group Vice President Shin Gyeong-ho might have done, looking at his recorded dashcam footage for evidence, they see he caused the death. potential of a motorcyclist when racing one of his sports. cars with a woman. Yet, instead of doing anything serious, they decide to “play the game” a bit first because his wife is a VVIP client, to inform their client that she will pay if it’s not taken care of.
In time, the group goes in search of the corpse, realizing it is in a memorial park and recognizing their need to find it before Gyeong-ho’s secretary can after a shrewd deduction. What follows is a bizarre scene of zombie misinterpretation, prayer, and rescuing the man hit by the motorbike, ending with a tip-off to the Major Crimes Division about what happened.
Walking to the crime scene, Jae-hui instantly recognizes Han-joon as the same person from the ancient crime she wishes to investigate further, while he interprets her gaze as a sign of affection. When the two meet, it’s clear suspicion is aroused, as the famed sleuth seems curious as to how a shaman could have known about the matter in such detail.
Seeking to take care of the hit-and-run case, the Major Crimes Division tries to postpone work on a potentially important task, while Du-jin warns his boss that people have a vested interest in what’s going on. she does, and that she shouldn’t stand out too much. Undeterred, Jae-hui takes on the approval challenge and prepares her team to begin work.
The end
Later, Han-joon’s group discovers the team that took the hit-and-run case, but find themselves interrupted by the appearance of someone nicknamed “Looney”. And, as they search for her, we see that it’s actually Jae-hui, who’s been rummaging through the Shaman’s belongings in hopes of finding something suspicious. A comedic chase scene ensues, which ends the episode as the detective manages to impressively climb to the top of a roof, confronted by a smug Han-joon.
In the epilogue, we see some context as to why Jae-hui has a vested interest in the case involving Han-joon in his old role as a policeman, as flashbacks show the first running to see a corpse, and the second slumped crying in his office.
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The Cafe Minamdang Season 1 Episode 1 Recap – Premiere Explained appeared first on Ready Steady Cut.
