JTBC's 'Apartment' hits No. 1 with 6% viewership rating in 4 episodes

JTBC's weekend drama 'Apartment' is shaking up the weekend television landscape with a surging viewership rating. After breaking the 6% mark in just 4 episodes, the series has accelerated its success by claiming the number one spot across all channels in its time slot.

The 6th episode of 'Apartment,' which aired on the 26th of last month, recorded the highest viewership rating across all channels, including terrestrial broadcasters, in its time slot thanks to its tight progression, the cast's dense acting, and sophisticated directing.

The response has been fervent both domestically and globally.

Immediately following its release, the drama climbed to No. 1 on Netflix's 'Republic of Korea TOP10 Series.' It further proved its popularity by ranking high in the TV/OTT buzzworthiness rankings of Fundex, a K-content popularity research agency.

'Apartment' is a grounded human drama about Park Hae-gang (Jisung), a former gang boss who enters the election for the chairperson of the residents' representative meeting over a massive long-term repair reserve fund, joining forces with residents to uncover corruption within the complex.

The stable acting ensemble centered around Jisung and the fast-paced progression are driving the upward trend by pulling viewers into the story.

In particular, Bek Hyunjin's presence has heightened the drama's tension.

Bek Hyunjin plays Seo Gang-won, the former chairperson of the residents' representative meeting, portraying a multi-dimensional character struggling to survive after losing power.

After losing the chairperson position to Park Hae-gang, he is shown persuasively navigating an emotional line between downfall and obsession—from kneeling before Lee Chung-won (Park Byeong-eun) to beg for a chance, to attempting to regroup his influence by exploiting the weaknesses of the representatives to seek revenge.

In episode 6, he stood against every agenda pushed by Park Hae-gang until the end, but ultimately faced downfall as past corruption regarding heating costs was revealed.

The episode left a strong impression on viewers with a shocking ending, where Seo Gang-won, who lost consciousness following an attack by an enraged Lee Chung-won, was depicted alongside the location where saplings were planted, effectively implying his death.

Meanwhile, in the 7th episode to be broadcast on the 1st, a full-scale psychological battle between Jisung and Park Byeong-eun has been teased.

Previously, while tracking the missing long-term repair reserve fund, Park Hae-gang captured evidence of corruption involving the management office and Taesan Construction, and subsequently made an unexpected move by visiting Lee Chung-won directly to propose, "I will work under you."

In the released stills, the two men sit facing each other in a dark chairperson's office, creating tense friction as they exchange sharp smiles and cold stares.

Park Hae-gang makes a meaningful proposal, while Lee Chung-won counters with a piercing gaze as if trying to see through his true intentions.

Attention is focused on whether the two, whose interests are intertwined over the long-term repair reserve fund, will choose a dangerous alliance or engage in another psychological war using each other.

The production team reported that Jisung and Park Byeong-eun showed excellent chemistry on set. It is said that as soon as rehearsals began, they became perfectly immersed in their characters to create tension, but after filming ended, they maintained a friendly atmosphere by looking after one another.