Air Date: March 21 – May 24, 2012

Episodes: 20

Where to Watch: Viki

Genre: Historical Rom-Com

Starring: Park Yoo Chun and Han Ji Min

While still reeling from the murder of his wife, a Joseon Crown Prince suddenly finds himself and three of his officials transported to a rooftop apartment in modern day Korea.  And as he begins to meet the present day doppelgangers from his past, including a very much alive, modern version of the Crown Princess, he is sure he has been brought to the future to solve the mystery of who killed his wife and why.

But that isn’t the only mystery he needs to solve.  It seems his own modern day doppelganger has mysteriously disappeared under suspicious circumstances.  Now he hopes to find out the truth of what happened to both victims and return everything to its proper place.   But things become complicated when the Prince finds himself developing feelings for another present day woman.  And they will both be surprised to discover that they also have a connection in the past.

Yong Tae Yong is an artist with no concern for inheriting the family business.  But when Kak decides to take his place, he realizes that going to the company will help him keep an eye on everyone.  And he quickly sees that his cousin has eagerly stepped into Tae Yong’s position and may have a lot more to do with Tae Yong’s disappearance than Tae Mu admits.  Park Yoo Chun is a charming actor and I thought he was fun in this role,  He manages to pull off the haughty royal and the humble artist nicely.  

Boo Yong is resilient and optimistic.  Despite all she has been through, she continues to see the best in people and is always willing to lend a helping hand.  So she is slow to realize that her sister is not at all who she pretends to be.  But as time goes on, the more she hears about Tae Yong’s version of the Crown Princesses, the more she sees the obvious differences in their personalities.  Han Ji Min has a bright personality that makes her a good match for these sweet, rom-com kind of roles.  I think she brings just enough sass without giving up the youthful innocence required for this kind of leading lady.  

While Se Na was a horribly toxic person, I loved that Boo Yong’s relationship with her stepmom was genuine and sincere.  Of course, it would have been nice if her mother had seen behind Se Na’s lies and selfishness, but at least she never willingly took Se Na’s side against Boo Yong.  I enjoyed the few scenes this pair were able to share.  

So often, kdramas choose to stereotype older people as being narrow-minded and out of touch.  It was nice to see Tae Yong’s grandmother be so willing to hear his wishes and try to honor them.  Even though she had valid reasons to want Tae Yong to take over the family business, she allowed him to go abroad, study art, and live in some tiny apartment across town.  Sure, she did get a bit more heavy handed when she realized Tae Yong might have romantic feelings for Boo Yong, but the fact that she let them live together at all seems like nothing short of a miracle.  

I was distracted by how sporadic the connection was between the past and present.  Tae Yong makes several decisions based on people or events in the past.  But yet, there were so many important characters totally missing from the past timeline.  Like you would think Tae Yong’s grandmother would have existed in both worlds.  or what about Tae Mu’s father.  And why were there no modern versions of the court officials?  The crossover between the two times just seemed too random.  

I went into this drama assuming it was a historical drama.  I mean, I knew time-travel was an element, but I thought they would at least spend a bit more time in the past.  For so much of the story to hinge on the Princess’ death, you would have thought we could see more of her and the events leading up to it.  I enjoyed when the final episode finally went back, but I would have like more glimpses along the way.  

Oh, this ending.  In modern times, Tae Mu is finally arrested.  And See Na agrees to donate part of her kidney to save Boo Yong’s life.  Then she turns herself in to pay for everything she has done.  Knowing their time is limited, Tae Yong and Boo Yong decide to hold a simple wedding with their friends.  All in all, that part wraps up quite neatly.

Tae Yong and all his friends are transported back to their own time person by person.  Once there, we get to see the unveiling of what really happened to the Princess.  It turns out that Tae Mu is behind this one too, as Se Na’s father intends to make Tae Mu the King by killing Tae Yong.  He tells his daughter to poison the Prince, but in this new version, Boo Yong steps in to save both the Princess and Prince, leading to her death this time.  But Se Na is sent into exile for her crimes. 

This leaves Tae Yong all alone, having lost both women he ever loved.  Now, he only has his buddies to keep him company.  But we do see he and the modern day Boo Yong exchange notes in the hiding place he showed her at the palace.  

If seemed like a depressing way to leave our hero.  And I kept hoping against all logic, that we would still get a happy ending.  Instead, we got a vague “you decide” the ending that felt like a cop-out hiding a sad ending under all the layers.  But lets unravel it. 

Back in the future, we see Boo Yong get a note on the postcard Tae Yong had drawn, telling her to meet him.  When she goes,  Tae Yong appears in front of her.  But is this modern Tae Yong or Joseon Tae Yong?  She tells him she has been waiting for him, hinting it could be the Joseon version. But the voice over has him saying that even if 300 years have passed, he would still love her, as if he is still waiting. 

While some may hold out for the idea that Tae Yong has actually returned, I feel like that closing sentence makes it pretty clear.  So I guess the good news is that the modern versions, possibly with the Prince’s memories, do get a happy ending.  But poor Prince Kak is left alone with only his broken heart.  Maybe some consider that a happy ending, but I personally didn’t love it!

‘Rooftop Prince’ is a time-travel rom-com with a touch of murder mystery.  To say this one is a historical drama seems a bit misleading since very little of the drama actually occurs in the Joseon period.  The secondary cast has a fun chemistry and although the drama is 20 episodes, it is a pretty light, easy watch. 

I feel like it’s important to remember that this drama is from 2012, and it does show its age at times.  Don’t expect the smooth camera angles and complex plots of modern dramas.  It does get pretty melodramatic at times, with some fairly ridiculous story elements.  It also gave us an open ending that left way more to my imagination than I would have liked.     I give “Rooftop Prince’ a 7 out of 10 ramen.

 🍜 🍜 🍜 🍜 🍜 🍜 🍜