Ji Sung on Playing a Reformed Boss in JTBC Drama 'The Apartment Job'

Actor Ji Sung is stepping into the role of a former gang boss with a soft heart in JTBC's new weekend drama "The Apartment Job." He described the character as a lonely fighter who finally learns what family looks like.

JTBC held an online press conference for "The Apartment Job" on July 10. Director Jo Yong-won joined actors Ji Sung, Ha Yoon-kyung, Park Byung-eun, and Moon So-ri at the event.

The show follows Park Hae-kang, a former boss of the Oasis gang played by Ji Sung, who runs for chief of an apartment residents' council. His real goal is to get his hands on money hidden inside the building. Along the way, he ends up tackling corruption with the people who live there.

Park Hae-kang needs 10 billion won to save Yong-man, a father figure to him. Becoming the head of the residents' council is his way in.

"He is a kid who grew up without parents. That made him lonely, and the one thing he was good at was taekwondo," Ji Sung said. "Yong-man was the only person who ever reached out to him."

He added that the story turns once Park Hae-kang moves into the building. "He steps in to save Yong-man, but inside that apartment he sees what real life and a real family look like, and he learns from it. Hae-kang, who used to see the world only as a threat, gets to see a brighter side of it. He is kind, cool, and quietly sexy too."

Ji Sung said the tone of the project drew him in. "What pulled me in was that it is not a serious crime story. It is fun and satisfying, and it is a team-play drama where they build a fake family and pull off a plan together."

He also shared what he hopes the show leaves behind. "I wanted to show that the world we live in can be this warm," he said.

The role also came with heavy action work. "If the script said Park Hae-kang overpowers his opponent, that was a full day of shooting," he said. "The director does not like action scenes. He told us he would cut anything that was not fun. The hard part was figuring out how to make sure a scene did not get cut."

"The Apartment Job" premieres July 11 at 10:40 p.m. KST on JTBC.