Attic Cat (2003, MBC miniseries)

Kim Rae Won fever can be felt everywhere in Korea after Attic Cat was broadcast on TV. Indeed, he has started received more advertising offers and his clothing and dress style which is copied from his role in Attic Cat have become popular among teenagers.

Kim Rae Won is Kyung Min, a law student who is taking his final year exams to become a prosecutor. His only aim in life seems to be wooing the beautiful Hye Ryun (played by Choi Yoon Jin), who has a striking resemblance to his dead mother. Due to a twist of luck, he realizes that Jeong Eun, played by Jung Da Bin, is a good friend of Hye Ryun, and he steps up to make a good impression on Jeong Eun, even agreeing to pay for her rent at the "ok tap bang" (rooftop house), hoping that he might score some brownie points in front of Hye Ryun. Unfortunately, he runs into some bad debts and gets chased by loan sharks. In the end, he moves into the attic roof house which he rented for Jeong Eun. Feelings grew between them although he is convinced that it is a pure platonic friendship between them.

Jeong Eun, on the other hand is a high school graduate trying to look for a job. She is optimistic about life even though she might be poor. When her family moves to another city, she decides to stay in Seoul and rents the "ok tap bang" which Kyung Min helped pay for the rent. Her spirited character also draws her boss's (Lee Hyun Woo) attention. The story becomes more complicated when her boss happens to be the guy that Hye Ryun likes. You can expect a tassle of attention seeking and backstabbing events.

The funny scenarios start when Jeong Eun and Kyung Min, who are living together, always have constant fights. When the situation gets out of hand, Jeong Eun will chase Kyung Min out of the house and Kyung Min will pack his things and leave. However, Kyung Min always returns and the two of them will compromise eventually. At some point, you wonder how many of such quarrels will have to go on before the plot takes a twist.

When things go wrong after Kyung Min's grandparents and Jeong Eun's family finds out about their cohabitation, a twist of events occurs which sees Jeong Eun leaving for England eventually.

Overall, Attic Cat (which is loosely based on an internet novel) is a fun and enjoyable drama to watch, and it has great onscreen chemistry between the two leads, Kim Rae Won and Jung Da Bin. Kim Rae Won proves himself as a potential upcoming actor in this drama. Jung Da Bin also proves her ability, after only appearing in minor roles before. The most wooden performance comes from Lee Hyun Woo. Acting as Hye Ryun's "oppa" (big brother, or older male friend), his performance never goes beyond the few facial expressions that he carries. (Review by Kit Lim)

source:koreanfilm.org