[SC Scene] "Jisung Is in the Realm of the Gods" ... Can the Acting Legends in 'Apartment' Break Through Ratings with Their House Prices? (Overall)

[Sportschosun Baek Ji-eun] Can Jisung's 'Apartment Heist' succeed?

JTBC's new Saturday-Sunday drama 'Apartment' held an online production presentation on the afternoon of the 10th. Director Cho Yong-won, Jisung, Ha Yoon-kyung, Park Byung-eun, and Moon So-ri attended the event.

'Apartment' is a human drama grounded in everyday life. It follows Park Hae-gang, the former boss of the Oasis Gang, who runs for the residents' association president election to seize hidden money in an apartment complex and works with residents to expose corruption.

Jisung plays Park Hae-gang, a man who tries to become the residents' association president in order to raise 10 billion won in seed money to save Yong-man, a father-like figure. He introduced the character by saying, "Park Hae-gang grew up without parents. The only person who reached out to him was Yong-man, and he steps forward to save his brother. But in the apartment, he comes to see what real life looks like and learns about a brighter world."

He added, "This is not a serious crime drama. What felt fresh was that it deals with things that can happen in everyday life, inside a large apartment complex. I also liked the idea of building a fake family and working as a team. Our goal is to show that the world we live in is this warm."

He then joked, "There aren't many action scenes in our work. The director doesn't really like action scenes, and he said he'd cut anything that wasn't fun. So I threw myself into it even harder so I wouldn't get edited out."

About Ha Yoon-kyung, who played his fake wife, he said, "Ha Yoon-kyung really became Hari herself and did such a good job as my fake wife that I could lean on her. Our chemistry grew stronger with each episode. By the end of filming, I had grown attached to her, and I almost cried."

Ha Yoon-kyung, who takes on her first lead role in 'Apartment' after appearing in 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' and 'Undercover Miss Hong,' said, "At first, I thought I just had to do well myself, but the senior actors were so good that I was able to let go of the pressure and enjoy filming."

Park Byung-eun, who plays Lee Chung-won, the money-obsessed 'demolition king,' said, "Lee Chung-won was forced out of his home and grew up in hardship under a single mother, so he has ambition and greed. He was different from a typical villain. I felt sad when acting out scenes where I hurt someone. It was interesting to express such complex emotions, and this is truly a work I am grateful for." Moon So-ri, who plays Jang Sook-jin, a former Miss Korea surrounded by rumors, said, "I joined gladly because the cast includes so many great actors I had long wanted to work with. Since she is someone who throws herself into everything, it was hard to keep the energy up."

Director Cho was confident, saying, "Jisung gave credibility to a character with many turning points, and Ha Yoon-kyung was Hari herself. Park Byung-eun perfectly pulled off the villain with his offbeat performance, and Moon So-ri's physical transformation is a major point to watch, to the extent that I thought, 'It's over' the moment she walked in."

The actors also expressed special respect for Jisung, the drama's lead.

Ha Yoon-kyung recalled, "While I was filming an independent film, my agency's CEO gave me the script and said the lead was Jisung. The moment I heard that, I thought, 'Will I really get to act with Jisung sunbae?' and got excited. But the script was so fun. It was a big celebration at my house. My mother is a huge fan of Jisung sunbae and had watched all of his works, so she was thrilled and said, 'My daughter has become a celebrity.'"

Park Byung-eun praised him, saying, "Working with Jisung was the best. Jisung is in the realm of the gods when it comes to consideration, acting passion, and attitude. Even though he was sleep-deprived and physically exhausted, he would still read the script or take care of the children as if they were his own family. He seemed like someone who had created the ideal image of an actor. Despite how hard it was, he never once frowned or raised his voice. He even gave me his phone number. I was so thrilled and happy."

'Apartment' premieres on the 11th. It will then air every Saturday at 10:40 p.m. and Sunday at 10:30 p.m.

Baek Ji-eun, Sportschosun, silk781220@sportschosun.com