Cats on the Roof

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.

Cats on the Roof
Promotional poster
Also known as	Attic Cat Cat on the Roof Cat in the Rooftop Flat Rooftop Romance
Written by	Min Hyo-jung Goo Sun-kyung
Story by	Kim Yu-ri
Directed by	Kim Sa-hyun
Starring	Kim Rae-won Jeong Da-bin
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 (2003-06-02) – July 22, 2003 (2003-07-22)

Cats on the Roof
Hangul	옥탑방 고양이
Hanja	屋塔房 고양이
Revised Romanization	Oktapbang Goyangi
McCune–Reischauer	Okt'appang Koyangi

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]