The Apartment Job (2026) 아파트
Directed by Jo Yong-won, starring Ji Sung as Park Hae-gang, Ha Yoon-kyung as Kang Ha-ri, Park Byung-eun as Lee Chung-won, and Moon So-ri as Jang Suk-jin.
Watched 21 - 27 August 2026 — 12 episodes (NETFLIX)
Why did I choose this drama? — I love Ji Sung! So when this show was announced, I put it immediately on my watchlist. I watched parts of episode 1 already, of the fake wedding, and liked it but I had my doubts as to whether the humour would be over the top. I was afraid it wasn't going to be any good. But seeing a trusted fellow blogger giving this a good review and rating, I decided to give it a try.
What's it about? — Park Hae-gang is a former gangster who is in need of 10 billion won, in order to save Yong-man, a man who is like a father to him. He runs for Residents' Association President of a luxury apartment complex, True Value, to get his hands on the building's repair reserve fund. To win the election, he stands a better chance as a family man, so he assembles a fake family. Of course, getting his hands on the repair reserve fund is no easy task and he gets opposition from the current president and his supporters. He also has to deal with the CEO of a construction company tied to True Value. In the process, despite his initial ill intentions, he not only exposes corruption within the apartment complex but also improves the living conditions for the tenants and home owners of True Value.
Overall thoughts — What a fun watch this was! I love the fake found-family theme! It made for heartfelt moments, like the surprise birthday party for Park Hae-gang. I was never bored. The pacing was good and the show throws in enough thrills to keep the viewer fully engaged. I have to say that there was some overemphasising of the family theme, especially by Hae-gang. We got the picture by now. But the family theme is what makes this show so great. At times there is a screwball comedy feel because of this chaotic bunch. The series also shows a strong community sense among those who live at True Value.
Male lead — Ji Sung gives a good and convincing performance as Park Hae-gang. His character is shady, business-wise, but he has his heart in the right place and he's just a very likeable main character. I love his relationship with his father figure, Yong-man, which shows that found family can be stronger than a blood connection. I like Ji Sung doing comedy. The actor is close to 50 and looks very good. I didn't like his messy hair at the start of the show (duly noted and addressed by the female lead) and I'm glad he changed it to the nonchalant hairstyle.
Female lead — I loved Ha Yoon-kyung (Soo-yeon 'Spring Sunshine' from Extraordinary Attorney Woo) as Kang Ha-ri, who works full-time as a free law consultant and is doing stand-in jobs on the side. Being part of an ensemble cast, I was glad Ha Yoon-kyung's role was quite prominent. I love Ha-ri's lively personality and how she uses her wits and know-how. I like her interactions with the kid as well as her relationship with her sister.
Romance & chemistry — I had read beforehand this show hasn't a real romance. Yet, just being in a fake marriage (Ha-ri being paid by Hae-gang to pose as his bride) means we will enter territory where hints, suggestions and romantic tension will likely play a part. Who needs full-blown romance anyway? And sure enough, there are some little hints, and when Ha-ri and Hae-gang are getting a closer bond, the other family members like to tease them with being a romantic couple. There are some close proximity scenes with gazes and confused behaviour, e.g. the elevator scene in episode 7. The scene from episode 5 where Ha-ri and Hae-gang participate in a four-legged race with Gyeong-buk on his school's sports day, with them tripping and falling on the floor and with Ha-ri ending on top of Hae-gang, was probably the closest we came to full-blown romantic tension. I thought Hae-gang and Ha-ri had good chemistry.
Villain/antagonist — Park Byung-eun as Lee Chung-won is a crazy and charismatic villain. He is unhinged, sadistic and dangerous. But strangely enough, he's also funny. He has great chemistry with Ji Sung / Park Hae-gang. Chung-won's eventual downfall was very welcome.
Supporting characters — Shout-out to Moon So-ri (from When Life Gives You Tangerines) as Jang Suk-jin, a tenant of True Value and the neighbourhood's busybody. She's terrific, and her performance is full of energy. At first her character is close to annoying. I can understand she stays annoying for some, but not for me — I just really like the actress. Jang Suk-jin is also funny and trustworthy, and has a strong moral compass. She becomes Park Hae-gang's confidante and stays on his side. Members of Hae-gang's extended fake family are: Kim Won-hae (one of my fave character actors) as Hwang In-sik/ "Lizard", Hwang Hee (he played with Ji Sung in Doctor John) as Je-gil, Jung Soon-won (he played with Ji Sung in Connection) as Gyeong-nam, Kim Kyu-won as "Big Guy", and Kim Han-gyeol as Kim Gyeong-buk (the son of Gyeong-nam; can we talk about how incredibly cute he is?). I love how not only Jang Suk-jin but also other people living at True Value eventually cooperate to bring the villain down (like the 4 mothers).
Final episode — The ending doesn't hold many surprises. The villain gets caught and the fake family gets dismantled. Even the time lapse is predictable with everyone coming together again. But the show delivered and lived up to its initial promise: a fun, lighthearted experience with a likeable cast. The writers leave the relationship of Ha-ri and Hae-gang open (you really have to have a wild imagination to see romance blossom here, especially since the time lapse was 3 years and they hadn't seen each other at all!), but Gyeong-nam and Kang Ha-jeong (Kang Ha-ri's sister who has opened a bakery) seem to get their romance.
Highlighted scene — I was thinking of a scene to highlight and couldn't come up with one immediately. Then the scene from ep. 11 came to mind, where Lizard gets stabbed, saving Park Hae-gang, and is feigning his injury. His fake family thinks he's badly hurt. Yet he's not bleeding, saved by a manual tugged under his jacket, and he's touched that they are all worried about him. Love this moment!
OST — I like the upbeat music.
Recommended? — Yes! It's not reinventing the genre but it's a fun watch and only 12 episodes short.
(Screenshot by me.)