The Apartment Job Episode 1 Recap: What Makes Suk-jin So Suspicious About Choi?

Directed by Jo Yong-won, Netflix’s “The Apartment Job” tells the story of loan shark Park Hae-gang, who owns an investment firm and often gives out loans under its wing “HK Investments.” He always manages to recover interests from his clients no matter where they run and hide. Despite running a company, his primary revenue comes from the secret casino below his office building, operated by the Oasis gang. Years ago, Yong-man – who is now a retired CEO – led the gang and took Hae-gang under his wing. While Hae-gang runs the casino to make more money, he is unaware that the apartment complex near the office has billions sitting in its reserve fund.

Spoilers Ahead

What Makes Suk-jin So Suspicious About Choi?

Since residential secretary Mr. Choi and president Gang-won know that nobody has the access to the apartment’s long-term reserve fund, they want to fraudulently multiply it by inflating maintenance costs. Office worker Ha-jeong knows all about this so Choi bribes her to keep her mouth shut and take her help to inflate the financial records. Former beauty pageant winner Suk-jin, who’s a resident, finds it suspicious when Choi requests millions just to repair a floor and confronts him. You can see how scared Choi is – afraid that Suk-jin will catch him – but still manages to deflect her with a technical excuse since he is a seasoned liar. Suk-jin cares about her money a lot and is knowledgeable about the maintenance costs, which explains why she is so suspicious of Choi’s demand. However, Suk-jin is powerless because Choi won’t crack unless she charges with solid evidence or pressures him by involving law enforcement.

Why Does Hae-gang Love Yong-man So Much?

Hae-gang is not Yong-man’s biological son but he loves him like his own father because years ago, the old man was the only one who took care of him. When Yong-man was the leader of the Oasis Gang, Hae-gang’s father was in dire financial need because he owed millions to them. It was Yong-man who brought Hae-gang up since he considered him his own son. As years went by and Hae-gang became the leader, he still did not stop himself from considering Yong-man to be his boss. Hae-gang proves his loyalty towards Yong-man by funding his medical care and treating the former boss with utmost respect. He is fiercely devoted to Yong-man because he thinks of him as the father he never had.

What Makes Hae-gang To Be Terrified Of Ju-gwon?

When businessman Chung-won demands ten billion won from Police commissioner Ju-gwon to let him join the exclusive political power group known as The One Club, it leaves the latter in a tough spot. Since Ju-gwon knows all about Hae-gang’s shady dealings and the secret casino in the basement, he pressures him for money. Hae-gang does not get scared because he deals with the police every now and then as officers come to collect their cuts. He refuses to pay such a massive amount to Ju-gwon and drives him out of his office. It bruises Ju-gwon’s ego and he sends investigation teams to arrest Hae-gang’s trusted circle on fake charges. Hae-gang gets extremely scared as the police freeze all their bank accounts, harass his friends and even take Yong-man into custody because of his criminal past. Ju-gwon deliberately arrests Yong-man because of his criminal past, thus exploiting Hae-gang’s deep bond with the former Oasis gang leader to force his hand. Hae-gang feels helpless because of Yong-man’s situation since he doesn’t deserve to be jailed at this age.

Why Does Hae-gang Arrange A Sham Wedding With Ha-ri?

Hae-gang wants to pay Ju-gwon as soon as possible and stages a grand wedding with a woman named Ha-ri because that’s an easy way to raise some money through gifts. Since the police have already frozen the bank accounts, Hae-gang cannot get money out of the casino because that will expose his money laundering scheme. After the investigation has started, Hae-gang can no longer depend on his trusted companions, Big Guy, Jae-gil and Gyeong-nam because they are all locked up. For him, the best way to get out of this situation is by paying Ju-gwon as soon as possible and for that, a marriage is the best option. However Hae-gang does not feel relieved even after paying a few billions to Ju-gwon because he refuses to let Yong-man go until he receives the remaining amount. 

Law student Ha-ri is a professional role player who is ready to pose as anyone if the pay is good. Since she doesn’t have a strong financial background and often depends on her sister Ha-jeong for money, Ha-ri is desperate to earn her own, which has pushed her to do this part-time gig. It is frustrating to see how people at her office mistreat her just because she is not a qualified lawyer and makes her work at the basement for free. Ha-ri is so desperate for money that she agrees to play Hae-gang’s wife when he offers her millions, just to be there for the ceremony. However, Ha-ri gets scared on the wedding day upon noticing gang members but still carries on a happy face because of the massive payout. Once the wedding ends, Ha-ri and Hae-gang soon fall out after she expresses her distress regarding the environment. 

Why Do Big Guy, Jae-gil And Gyeong-nam Refuse To Leave Hae-gang?

Big Guy, Jae-gil and Gyeong-nam are trusted employees who have been a part of the Oasis Gang for so long that they cannot even think about leaving. When Hae-gang is in trouble and desperately needs money, he pays them off and gives them a chance to restart their lives. However, the three of them refuse to leave his side because of their loyalty to him. They cannot walk out on Hae-gang because throughout all these years, he has looked after their needs and provided them with fat cheques. Even though all three of them have enough funds to be independent and search for work elsewhere, they treat Hae-gang like family and refuse to leave his side. They also want to see their beloved boss get out of trouble and help him catch Lizard, a notorious scammer who reveals that he has embezzled a lot of money from different owners in the area. After Hae-gang threatens to kill Lizard if he doesn’t settle the casino bills, the latter plants the seed of siphoning billions from the apartment long term reserve funds. It comes as a surprise for Hae-gang because he has never thought that an apartment complex could have this amount of money in the reserve.

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