JTBC’s The Apartment Job saw a small ratings decline with its latest episode, even as the drama remained No. 1 in its time slot across all channels.

According to Nielsen Korea, episode 9 of The Apartment Job, which aired on August 8, recorded an average nationwide rating of 4.7% and 4.6% in the Seoul metropolitan area.

The nationwide figure was down from the previous episode’s 5.4%. However, it was still 0.3 percentage points higher than episode 7, which recorded 4.4%. The Seoul metropolitan rating also increased by 0.6 percentage points compared to the previous Saturday broadcast.

Despite the mixed movement, The Apartment Job ranked first in its time slot among all channels, including public broadcasters.

The latest episode followed Park Hae Kang, played by Ji Sung, as he continued investigating the truth behind a secret ledger while facing growing pressure from Lee Choong Won, played by Park Byung Eun.

Without revealing too many spoilers, Hae Kang also became involved in exposing concerns surrounding construction at the apartment complex’s kindergarten. His decision created another confrontation with people who wanted the issue kept quiet.

Tension also grew between Hae Kang and Kang Ha Ri, played by Ha Yoon Kyung, after questions were raised about his true reason for entering the apartment complex.

Ha Ri confronted him after hearing new claims, while Hae Kang responded, “You also pretended to be my wife because you needed money.”

Their conflict eventually softened after more of Hae Kang’s motives were explained, but questions surrounding him remained.

The episode ended with Hae Kang facing his biggest crisis yet when police arrived over allegations involving 17.8 billion won in apartment reserve funds.

As officers moved to take him into custody, Hae Kang remained calm while those around him reacted with concern, leaving viewers wondering how he will respond to the accusations.

With the drama falling from 5.4% to 4.7% nationwide but still holding first place in its time slot, attention is now focused on whether The Apartment Job can rebound with episode 10, airing August 9.