Cats on the Roof
South Korean television series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cats on the Roof[1] (Korean: 옥탑방 고양이; RR: Oktapbang goyangi; lit. 'Rooftop Room Cat') is a 2003 South Korean television series starring Kim Rae-won, Jeong Da-bin, Choi Jung-yoon and Lee Hyun-woo.[2] It aired on MBC from June 2 to July 22, 2003 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 16 episodes.
- Attic Cat
- Cat on the Roof
- Cat in the Rooftop Flat
- Rooftop Romance
| Cats on the Roof | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster | |
| Also known as |
|
| Hangul | 옥탑방 고양이 |
| Hanja | 屋塔房 고양이 |
| RR | Oktapbang goyangi |
| MR | Okt'appang koyangi |
| Written by |
|
| Story by | Kim Yu-ri |
| Directed by | Kim Sa-hyun |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation |
| Release | June 2 – July 22, 2003 |
A comedy with light touches of drama about friendship, love and cohabitation, the series is loosely based on a web novel written by Kim Yu-ri.[3][4] It was a hit, receiving an average viewership rating of 26.3% and a peak rating of 37.3%.
Overview
Kyung-min, a law student, is in desperate straits, so he decides to take it upon himself to help Hye-ryun's poor friend, Jung-eun. This is the beginning of an extremely volatile friendship that somehow ends with the two of them living together under one roof, or to be more specific, living in a room on top of the roof of an old building.
This romantic setting provides the backdrop for this unlikely love story. Kyung-min's bratty ways clash with Jung-eun's simple living, as he steadily takes advantage of her kindness and good nature.
Cast
- Kim Rae-won as Lee Kyung-min
- Jeong Da-bin as Nam Jung-eun
- Choi Jung-yoon as Na Hye-ryun
- Lee Hyun-woo as Yoo Dong-joon
- Jang Yong as Nam Sang-sik, Jung-eun's father
- Kim Ja-ok as Kim Soon-deok, Jung-eun's mother
- Bong Tae-gyu as Nam Jung-woo, Jung-eun's younger brother
- Kim Mu-saeng as Lee Pil-deuk, Kyung-min's grandfather
- Kang Boo-ja as Lee Kyung-hee, Kyung-min's grandmother
- Kim Chang-sook as Hye-ryun's mother
- Cha Joo-ik as Kyung-min's aunt
- Kim Tae-hyun as Joon-ho, Kyung-min's college friend
- Seo Hyun
Production
Cats on the Roof was adapted from a web novel on the female-oriented web portal Miclub.[5] Min Hyo-jung and Goo Sun-kyung co-wrote the series; it was the first miniseries both had penned.[6] At the time of its announcement, Kim Rae-won had been cast as the male lead, but the female lead had not yet been chosen.[5][7] It reportedly ran into troubles with casting;[8] an Ilgan Sports article in April stated that Han Eun-jung would play alongside Kim as the female lead,[9] but by May Jeong Da-bin was said to have taken the role.[10]
An additional episode was arranged to air a week after the drama's planned ending, but it was cancelled due to scheduling conflicts with Kim Rae-won.[11] Additionally, the ending was changed last minute—originally, Jung Da-bin's character, Jeong-eun, would visit Kyung-min, Kim's character, after three years spent studying abroad. On the morning before the last episode's airing, the script was modified so that Jeong-eun would not study abroad and instead live with Kyung-min.[12]
Theatre adaptation
It was adapted into a stage play of the same title in 2010, with Lee Sun-ho and Hwang Bo-ra in the leading roles.[13]