Rosé's 'Apartment' Followed... Will Ji-sung's 'Apartment' Also Explode? Tops All Japanese Terrestrial TV Programs

*This content was translated by AI.

'Apartment' star Ji-sung has vowed to secure 10 billion won in viewership, announcing a record-breaking HYBE-led fake family fraud scheme.

In the second episode of JTBC's new Saturday-Sunday drama 'Apartment' (script by Kim Yoon-young, directed by Jo Yong-won, produced by SLL and Red Nine Pictures), aired on the 12th, Park Hae-kang (Ji-sung) stakes his life in a three-month deadline race to become the 'Apartment President' to rescue Park Yong-man (Jung Jin-young) from prison. To utilize the unique warm family frame characteristic of apartments, he strikes a secret 10 billion won deal with Kang Ha-ri (Ha Yoon-kyung), forming an unimaginable 'fake family.'

In the drama, after interrogating Dora-mae (Kim Won-hae), a former apartment manager wanted by police, Park Hae-kang discovers that the long-term maintenance fund accumulated within the apartment complex reaches a staggering 17.8 billion won. To rescue Yong-man from prison within three months and secure startup funds for his younger siblings, Hae-kang decides to become the head of the residents' representative council, which has legal access to management fees, and begins plotting. Especially through flashbacks of Hae-kang returning after meeting Yong-man, it is revealed that when Yong-man was transferred due to his father's debts, he had secretly kept a promissory note from his childhood brother Ha-kang to protect him from his father, revealing the reason why Ha-kang is obsessed with this dangerous 17.8 billion won scheme.

However, Ha-kang, who intended to submit an application as a self-made candidate for the representative position, hit a massive wall at the government office. He realized that in the apartment ecosystem built on trust primarily among families raising children or three generations living together, a single male household could never be elected. Ha-kang implemented a thorough strategy revision and made the bold decision to recruit Kang Ha-ri from a past fake wedding photo as his wife.

Coincidentally, Hae-kang appeared before Ha-ri, who had been fired after delivering a scathing full-swing double slap to a persistent sexual harasser at a law firm, and made the unprecedented offer: "I will pay you 10 billion won if you play the role of my wife for three months." Needing a large sum immediately to repay her sister Kang Ha-jeong (Ryu Hyun-kyung) for her ten years of dedication, Ha-ri, after deep deliberation, shouted "Deal!" completing one pillar of the fake family. Following this, starting with Dora-mae who accepted incentives such as gambling debt forgiveness and survival guarantees, along with reliable former organization members Kim Kyung-nam (Jung Soon-won), Jang Je-gil (Hwang Hee), Keun-dungi (Kim Gyu-won), and Kim Kyung-buk (Kim Han-kyul), the seven-year-old son of Kim Kyung-nam who joined after being tempted by a proposal for an English kindergarten, the seven-member 'fake family' gathered. Under the studio lights, they awkwardly lifted the corners of their mouths, finally completing the world's most suspicious family photo. Following this, with Hae-kang's resolute narration "I will win. I will definitely win!" playing in the background, a 'solemn walking ending' unfolded where the fake families walked confidently across the apartment complex like a scene from a movie, raising expectations to the highest level for the dramatic residents' representative council election that will fully kick off from the third episode.

Additionally, in this broadcast, Lee Chung-won (Park Byung-eun)'s cruel and elegant true nature was unveiled. Chung-won used the overwhelming wealth of The Penthouse residents and a legion of lawyers as weapons to perfectly educate the arrogant 'Parking Lot Villain' who blocked the parking lot entrance, becoming an object of admiration for all residents. However, upon learning that the Parking Lot Villain had secretly punctured his car tires, he displayed a chilling demeanor by tying him in front of a golf course screen and making shots, then spewed madness saying, "This apartment is mine, and anyone who touches what's mine in my territory will be killed." Chung-won's overwhelming dual faces sent shivers down viewers' spines, dramatically announcing the arrival of a record-breaking villain.

Meanwhile, in this broadcast, the cunning side of Seo Kang-won (Baek Hyun-jin), president of the True Value residents' representative council, was depicted, drawing attention. When Kang Ha-jeong, who works at the government office, told Seo Kang-won during a private meeting, "I will quit that job," Seo Kang-won responded with a despicable smile, saying, "It might be better if my younger sister doesn't know about that matter." As Kang Ha-jeong turned pale and said, "I will keep my mouth shut for the rest of my life," it sparked curiosity about what exactly was done to frighten Kang Ha-jeong.

The second episode of 'Apartment' aired on this day recorded a Nielsen viewership rating of 5.8% in the Seoul Capital Area and 5.4% nationwide on average. With a performance nearly 1 percentage point higher than the first episode, it not only set a new record for its own highest viewership but also maintained the number one spot among all programs on non-broadcast terrestrial TV channels on Sundays.

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*This content was translated by AI.