It’s been quite a while already since this lovely couple passed through our screens. For those who want to relive some moments during an afternoon in Seoul, we came up with a small itinerary. It walks you through Hongdae and eight locations of Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo 역도요정 김복주 (tvN, 2016-17). All those places are — with one exception — restaurants or cafés; so keep this in mind to plan a perfect small break, lunch or dinner.
If you have only a limited amount of time for your visit, we highly recommend going to Café Blüte and/or Green Cloud Café. Both were featured in a number of dramas and Café Blüte’s new plant-filled interior looks very inviting.
Starting point: Hongik University [홍대입구역], Line 2, Exit 9.
From here on, you can walk in a sort of circle; the filming locations below are lined up clock-wise.
Eight stops and spots
Hongik Sootbul Kalbi
Jung Joon-Hyung (Nam Joo-Hyuk) brings Kim Bok-Joo (Lee Sung-Kyung) here to cheer her up in episode 7. Hongik Sootbul Kalbi [장가네곱창] was also featured in Jealousy Incarnate (2016).
Caffeine Planet
Outside of Caffeine Planet [카페인플래닛] is where Jung Nan-Hee (Cho Hye-Jung) sobers up and Bok-Joo (Lee Sung-Kyung) and Lee Sun-Ok (Lee Joo-Young) cool down after they got in a brawl with some men in a restaurant two buildings up the street in episode 3.
Super Star Oden Noodles
Kim Bok-Joo (Lee Sung-Kyung) stops at Super Star Oden Noodles [슈퍼스타오뎅우동] to eat oden aka fish cake in episode 8 while being with Jung Joon-Hyung (Nam Joo-Hyuk) who had just stood her up and tries to make up with her. Cranky Bok-Joo is back here in episode 13 brought here by Joon-Hyung to get rid of her hunger.
Green Cloud Coffee Shop
Kim Bok-Joo (Lee Sung-Kyung) meets up at Green Cloud Coffee Shop [그린클라우드커피] with Jung Joon-Hyung’s (Nam Joo-Hyuk) brother Jung Jae-Yi (Lee Jae-Yoon) in episode 15 to find out if he knows more about his whereabouts. This café is an K-Drama evergreen. You have for sure seen it’s interior concrete stairs a multiple times.
Allatorre
Jo Tae-Kwon (Ji Il-Joo) invites Song Shi-Ho (Kyung Soo-Jin) to Italian restaurant Allatorre [알라또레] in episode 10. He clearly has a crush on her for a long time and is worried for her health.
Stalight Café
Kim Bok-Joo (Lee Sung-Kyung) and Jung Joon-Hyung (Nam Joo-Hyuk) walk through Wausan-ro 22-gil [와우산로22길] — also known as Hongdae Mural Street/Alley [홍대벽화거리] — when he brings her home in episode 11. She tells him that her crush on his brother slowly fades away and he is jealous of her co-worker and kicks a light pole.
Cafe Blüte
Kim Bok-Joo (Lee Sung-Kyung) is asked by her crush Jung Jae-Yi (Lee Jae-Yoon) to meet at Cafe Blüte [까페 블뤼테] in episode 10 because he wants to apologize to her; it’s a total mortifying moment for her and she leaves as quick as possible. Café Blüte was formerly Four Seasons House and Yoon’s Color and was featured in many K-Dramas.
The Kitchen Special One
The probably most awkward dinner in 2016 K-Dramaland took place at The Kitchen Special One [더 키친 스페셜 원]. Yes, right. The one when Jung Joon-Hyung (Nam Joo-Hyuk) proposes to get dinner together with Kim Bok-Joo (Lee Sung-Kyung) and his brother Jung Jae-Yi (Lee Jae-Yoon) who still thinks that Bok-Joo is a cellist. This happens in episode 3.