Ji Sung's "Apartment" surpasses the premiere ratings of his previous work 'Kang (Chairman)'..Starting at 4.6% viewership

*This content was translated by AI.

"Apartment" has surpassed the first-episode viewership of its predecessor, "New Employee Kang (Chairman)".

The first episode of JTBC's new Saturday-Sunday drama "Apartment" (script by Kim Yoon-young, directed by Cho Yong-won), which premiered on the 11th, recorded a peak per-minute rating of 6.3% in the capital area and an average of 4.9% in the capital region and 4.6% nationwide based on Nielsen Korea. It made a swift start, immediately ranking first among non-terrestrial broadcasters from its premiere. Notably, it achieved higher viewership than the first episode of "New Employee Kang (Chairman)", the previous hit drama, which had recorded 3.8%.

In the first episode of "Apartment," Park Hae-kang (played by Ji Sung), who ran a private gambling den HK business in Gangnam like a corporation, fell victim to the abuse of power and then plunged into a new arena: the massive "True Value State" apartment complex with 9,800 units, in an effort to secure his father figure Park Yong-man (played by Jung Jin-young) from detention. The process unfolded at a brisk pace.

In the drama, Park Hae-kang appeared as a ruthless character who operated an illegal gambling den under strict security and relentlessly extorted money from debtors. However, the reality of Park Hae-kang, who was once glamorous, was not easy. He endured humiliation by handing over luxury bags and concert tickets he had secured through a department store blitz to high-ranking police officials, accompanying them on mountain hikes to serve them 9-tier bento boxes, and providing dessert boxes filled with bribes. At the same time, while carefully caring for Yong-man like a father, he revealed his strong sense of brotherhood by telling Yong-man, who was worried about the operation of the illegal private gambling den, that he still needed to earn more for his younger siblings.

Kang Ha-ri (played by Ha Yoon-kyung) worked as a legal office consultant while taking on role-playing part-time jobs to make up for her high lawyer's salary, unable to tell her older sister Kang Ha-jeong (played by Ryu Hyun-kyung), who had supported her, that she had failed the bar exam. Jang Suk-jin (played by Moon So-ri) raised objections to having apartment floor repair costs covered by the long-term maintenance fund, putting employees of the GwanLisa Office in a difficult position. Meanwhile, Lee Chung-won (played by Park Byung-eun) drew attention with his considerate gesture of giving snacks to the GwanLisa Office staff. However, he soon appeared as a member of "One Club," where Chief of the Ministry of Justice, Prosecutor General, Supreme Court Justice, and newspaper publishers poured huge sums of money to create Mo Yeo (President). He also drew attention with his fierce demeanor by demanding a 10 billion won membership fee from the National Police Agency chief who wanted to join "One Club."

After hearing the National Police Agency chief's story, the head of the National Police Agency investigation department threatened Hae-kang to raise 10 billion won and immediately seized and searched his gambling den the next day. He also arrested Hae-kang's subordinates Kim Kyung-nam (played by Jung Soon-won), Jang Je-gil (played by Hwang Hee), and Keun-dungi (played by Kim Gyu-won), tightening the noose around Hae-kang. When Yong-man was even arrested, Hae-kang knelt before the department head and handed over a bag containing all his assets, but the department head turned away coldly. In the detention center visiting room, Park Yong-man told Hae-kang, "Don't try to get me out. I've done my duty as a son enough," leaving Hae-kang in tears.

Released Kim Kyung-nam, Jang Je-gil, and Keun-dungi returned to his side, sticking to their loyalty until the end despite Hae-kang's pleas for them to find their own paths. To raise 10 billion won to save his brother, Hae-kang collected outstanding receivables he had hidden with his younger siblings and even sold his home, but the amount was far short. Ultimately, driven by the determination to recover wedding gifts he had previously given out, he planned a tear-jerking "fake wedding." At this point, Ha-ri, who arrived thinking it was a part-time job as a wedding guest, ended up becoming Hae-kang's fake bride for 5 million won and then agreed to pose for a kissing photo with him for an additional 2 million won, causing a commotion.

However, even after trying every possible method, the amount was still far short of 10 billion won. Hae-kang caught up with a former apartment manager nicknamed "Lizard," who had fled while leaving behind unpaid receivables. Through Lizard, he learned that there could be a massive hidden sum of money within the 9,800-unit True Value Apartment complex. As fireworks filled the night sky, Hae-kang's ambitious expression, exclaiming, "Can we make 10 billion won?" capped off the ending, building anticipation for the next episode to its peak.

Meanwhile, the second episode of "Apartment" will air on July 12 at 10:30 p.m.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.