[E-Daily Reporter Byung-ho Jang ] JTBC’s new Saturday-Sunday drama “Apartment,” starring actor Ji Sung, debuted with a nationwide viewership rating in the 4% range. The story unfolds rapidly as a former gambling den owner—who must raise 10 billion won to save a man he regards as a father figure—sets his sights on a large apartment complex as the new stage for his criminal activities.

According to Nielsen Korea on the 12th, the first episode of “Apartment,” which premiered the previous day, recorded a 4.6% rating nationwide among paid households and a 4.9% rating in the Seoul metropolitan area. The peak viewership rating in Bundang, Seoul Metropolitan Area, reached 6.3%. It ranked first among non-terrestrial broadcast programs in its time slot and surpassed the 3.8% viewership rating of its predecessor, “New Employee Chairman Kang,” during its premiere.

The episode depicted the story of Park Hae-gang (played by Ji Sung), who ran an illegal gambling den called HK Trading in Gangnam but lost everything due to police abuse of power. He then turned his attention to “True Value State,” a 9,800-unit apartment complex, in an effort to save Park Yong-man (played by Jung Jin-young).

Park Hae-gang is a man who runs his gambling den like a corporation, with strict security and debt collection. However, he was also in a position where he had to curry favor with high-ranking police officials by giving them luxury handbags, concert tickets, and cash. To Park Yong-man, who was worried about the illegal business, he showed exceptional loyalty, saying he needed to earn more money for the sake of his younger siblings who were working with him.

Kang Ha-ri (played by Ha Yoon-kyung) hid the fact that she had failed the bar exam from her older sister, Kang Ha-jeong (played by Ryu Hyun-kyung), while juggling a consultation job at a law firm and a part-time role-playing gig. Jang Suk-jin (played by Moon So-ri) raised concerns about the management of apartment maintenance fees, and Lee Chung-won (played by Park Byung-eun)—who initially appeared to be a friendly resident—revealed a surprising twist: he was a key figure in “One Club,” a secret organization where figures from politics, government, and the legal profession were working together to make someone president.

Acting on orders from the National Police Agency Commissioner—who had been snubbed by Lee Chung-won—the head of the investigation division demanded 10 billion won from Park Hae-gang. The next day, the gambling den was raided, and following the arrests of Kim Kyung-nam (played by Jeong Sun-won), Jang Je-gil (played by Hwang Hee), and “Big Dung” (played by Kim Kyu-won), Park Yong-man was also taken into custody.

Park Hae-gang knelt before the head of the investigation division with all his remaining assets, but the response he received was that he must raise 10 billion won within three months if he wanted to get Park Yong-man out. In the visiting room, Park Yong-man told Park Hae-gang not to go to such lengths to save him, saying, “You’ve been a good enough son to me,” which brought Park Hae-gang to tears.

Despite Park Hae-gang’s plea for his released colleagues to go their separate ways, they gathered around him once more. They collected outstanding debts and even sold their homes, but the amount fell far short of the target. Park Hae-gang went so far as to stage a fake wedding to recover wedding gifts he had given in the past, and Kang Ha-ri, who had come to play the role of a guest, ended up stepping in as the bride in exchange for additional payment—marking the beginning of her entanglement with Park Hae-gang.

The episode concluded with Park Hae-gang hearing from “Lizard,” a former apartment manager, that there was a loophole within True Value State that would allow him to embezzle a massive sum of money. Gazing at the fireworks in the night sky, he asked, “You mean I can pocket 10 billion won?” foreshadowing the start of his full-scale operation.

Episode 2 of “Apartment” will air on the 12th at 10:30 p.m.