Coffee Prince Ep. 3-4

In these episodes of Coffee Prince, you can clearly see just how powerful Han Kyul's grandmother is and how powerless Han Kyul is. She controls all of the money and even threatens to take away Han Kyul's car and apartment if he does not take over management of the coffee house that she owns. He does not take her serious until she has his car towed and has a real estate agent with prospective buyers come to his apartment. This dynamic is interesting considering the fact that Korea, like many east Asian countries, is a patriarchal society. Even Han Kyul's parents cannot do anything without the grandmother's approval. No one dares to challenge her authority except for Han Kyul.
Han Kyul's mother and grandmother are two very different types of women. While his mother is usually quiet and and stays at home, his grandmother is very outspoken and remains very active within the family business. The grandmother also does not hesitate to hit Han Kyul or scold his mother for his behavior.
When it comes to the men in this drama, Han Kyul and Hwang Min Yeop appear tough until they are around the women whom they are attracted to. They instantly become silly. Furthermore, what is interesting about Min Yeop's character is the fact that he is physically the biggest character, but he is also the dumbest and mentally weakest character. He barely stood up and took the blame for making the mistake on the order for coffee beans. He was willing to let Eun Chan take all the blame. He is also wierd when he gets drunk. He seems to have a slight attraction to the new guy that is in charge of the menu due to his somewhat feminine appearance. The point is: so far, more strong women are shown on this drama than strong men. I am sure that this will lead to some interesting views on gender roles in regard to South Korean society.