Antique on AllMovie

Sexual tension and unsolved mystery are in the air at an upscale bakeshop in this romantic comedy-drama from South Korean director Min Kyu-dong. Footloose playboy Jin-hyeok (Ju Ji-hun) decides it's time he went into business, and persuades his wealthy family to bankroll an upscale pastry shop by explaining, "all the customers are girls." But Jin-hyeok's plans on meeting the fair sex change a bit when he hires former schoolmate Seon-woo (Kim Jae-wook) as his head chef. Seon-woo learned his craft in France from gifted baker Jean-Baptiste (Andy Gillet); Seon-woo was his lover as well as his pupil, and the delicately handsome man has a reputation for attracting men who never imagined themselves to be gay. Though Jim-hyeok needs a man of Seon-woo's talents, he has a reputation for casual homophobia and is troubled by the chef's obvious desire for him, having rejected his advances in the past. Yang Ki-beom (Yu Ah-in), a former boxer, becomes so entranced with Seon-woo that he begs to be hired on as his assistant and devotes himself to his new culinary career as he moons over his new boss. And Su-yeong (Choi Ji-ho), Jin-hyeok's bodyguard, becomes a frequent presence at the shop as the men behind the counters discover Jin-hyeok's reasons for opening the shop may not have been as simple as they imagined. Aentikeu: Seoyang Goldong Yanggwaja Jeom (aka Antique) was based on a Japanese manga by Fumi Yoshinaga which was an especially popular installment in the "Boys Love" line, focusing on stories of gay male romance for teenage female readers.