Somebody make this plot happen!! Pronto!!
Lee Jong Won will always be the hot barista for me. And he has the voice for it.
And Han Ji Min can pull off the noona talking to a bot lovingly :)

JUNG SO MIN is looking for love in all the wrong places. Her AI bot, Theodore, is a corny, cliche riddled wreck but compliments everything she says - - which is her only self-esteem boost in her boring office work life.

CHAE JONG HYEOP was a NEET kid living in his parents basement until they kicked him out when they sold the building to a developer. CHAE, being shy, anti-social and awkward, found that social media gave him anonymous cover to protect his fragile ego. He started with freelance customer service work (which he hated). Broke, he wanders into a coffee shop run by HAN DO GWON who received the his wife’s failing business in their divorce settlement. He needs help. CHAE needs money. He becomes a trainee at minimum wage despite the fact coffee smells make him sick and he is awkward around people. It is fine because there are so few customers CHAE has time to surf the web for other work. He finds an ad for an AI dating company that scans his face for an avatar. But after being paid, he is told he could make more money being a real time bot. Thinking the cafe will close soon, he takes it and his nights are filled with “bad” desperate video dates with lonely women.

When JUNG wanders into the cafe, she likes the emptiness of the place. She orders a latte which is terribly made by CHAE but she accepts his apology as he explains it is his first job. JUNG starts to search for a distraction when she finds the AI dating service. She signs up and CHAE is shocked with a ping notification on his phone. It is JUNG requesting a date. CHAE looks at her and panics. He can’t chat up her when she is looking at him. The first encounter at the cafe is mostly silence on his part as JUNG merely recalls her gloomy social life. When the timer expires the session, JUNG leaves but returns almost daily for a bad cup of coffee and an AI session.

During her visits, HAN begins to take an interest in her. It makes CHAE jealous, but there is nothing he can do since he has no confidence to ask her out “for real.” But HAN’s bad pick up lines and lack of charm turns JUNG off. Worried that JUNG will not return, CHAE goes outside and stops her . . . and apologizes for his bosses behavior. She agrees to come back.

Later, she confides in him (as he stands in silence) that she has fallen for a fake guy which is very unhealthy. He nods aggressively when she says she will break up with the bot and find a “real, nice guy.” He continues to nod aggressively until he nearly concusses himself.

CHAE asks HAN for dating advice. HAN knows he likes JUNG so he gives him the exact opposite advice: tell her you were her “fake” boyfriend and listened to all her stories knowing you were making money off her troubles. When CHAE confessed to JUNG, she storms out very hurt (HAN in back snickering at the fall-out). CHAE is devastated; he quits.

A month later, CHAE signs up as a client in the AI dating app. He is connected to a bot that looks like JUNG. Boldly, he asks the...

As long as the barista guy is Jung hae in I'm watching. He did so well in his past noona romance. And my mans makes me believe he is irrevocably in love when ever he looks at the female leads.

That last paragraph sent me 🤣🤣
Up to right before it I was surprised Mary was giving us a straightforward script, and then that! 😂😂

I dislike one-sided knowledge, information? What is it called I wonder? in love stories.

I would prefer the barista not know the truth either. And both of them start to get inklings and doubts at the same rate. Him talking like the bot or better yet mentioning fake bots, and her talking about what she has talked with the bot... Both starting to fall for each other and both feeling extremely embarrassed/scared to ask/tell the truth. Hmmm... yes, that would be lovely.

And PLEASE let a slew of hot hot ahjussis make cameo appearances as the blind dates!!🤩🤩

My dream casting? Jeon Mi Do and Jun.

But I don't know if their rl age gap would be too much on screen...

If so, Jeon Mi Do and Yoo Seung Ho would also be a couple to make me swoon!

Another great couple would be Shin Hyun Bin and Kwak Dong Yeon!

Oh boy, do I ever want to see this drama!

I haven't been posting for these as much because I feel like I can never quite think of who I would want. But then I remembered that Hong Kyung exists and now I will accept no substitutes for the ML in this drama! His pairing? How about Sooyoung? They have enough of an age gap to count as a noona romance, but no so much that it will generate an annoying amount of angst and I think she would do well.

As for blind date cameos, definitely Yoon Park, but also let's get Joo Won, and I think it would be funny to have her irl partner Jung Kyung-ho show up as another!

I was about say go back in time to cast the leads from What's Up Fox but why not bring them back at their present ages, romance doesn't disappear after 39.

If Mi-kyung is the FL, we can choose a very young bartender among the thirty-somethings.
Otherwise, I find it hard to name someone very young ... the only one that comes to my mind is Moon, and he is v e r y young. I believe the ML better be older than 15.

Leads: Seo Kang Joon (already has experience being not-human) and Song Ha Yoon (already has an experience bonding with machines/AI) LOL

Coffee shop:
Choi Hyun Wook: part timer that doesn't get paid enough for cleaning all of his boss' disasters.
Kim Seul Gi and Kwang Dong Yeon: regulars. This couple goes to the cafe only to see the FL's dates fail and gossip about it.
Lee Do Hyun: ML's dongsaeng. Goes there to "study" aka. see his hyung fail in love.
Lee Jae Wook: goes there to "study" with his bestie. aka. has a crush in his friend's hyung.
Yoon Eun Hye: FL's bestie. The only one that actually goes for the coffee. She's so used to seeing her friend fail in love, she doesn't care anymore.

Dates:
Choi Daniel aka. I can't cut my nails because my mom is on vacation.
Seo In Guk aka. my name is Louie and I spend the money I don't have on expensive stuff.
Gong Yoo aka. I know I'm all that. I'm out of your league... also, I'm not breaking my neck trying to look at your face.
Kim Ji Seok aka. I was an idol in the past and I can't get over that.
Ha Seok Jin aka. who are you?
Lee Sang Yeob aka. I'm actually a decent guy.

I feel like this premise calls for an actor that who has that “warmth” and “easygoing” aura to them, and atm, I can think of a few:
Jung Hae In, Park Seo Joon, Park Bo Gum, Jo Jung Seok

As for the FL, someone who gives off that really simply, clean, unpretentious and introvert feel:
Jung So Min, Ko Sung Hee, Han Ji Min, and Won Jin Ah

seriously, pitch this to someone RIGHT NOW lol