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Imagine Waking Up To Find A Stranger Wearing Your Face, Living Your Life, Spending Your Money!
That's the waking nightmare at the centre of Mousetrap, Netflix's newest South Korean Mystery Thriller, and it's already got people hooked days after release. If you're hunting for the latest South Korean drama to obsess over this week, here's everything you need to know before you press play.
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Movie Details |
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Movie Name |
Mousetrap |
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Release Date |
28 August 2026 |
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OTT Platform |
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Total Episodes |
10 |
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Lead cast |
Ryu Jun-yeol, Sul Kyung-gu, and Lee Kyu-hyung |
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Language |
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Genre |
Mystery Thriller / Psychological drama |
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Director |
Kim Hong-sun |
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Writer |
Lee Jae-gon |
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Rating |
6.9/10 |
What Is The Story Of Netflix's Mousetrap?
Mousetrap follows Je Moon-jae, a reclusive novelist who hasn't left his high-rise Seoul apartment in years. Crippling social anxiety keeps him locked inside a life of strict routine, so much so that he doesn't even use his real name professionally and has handed control of nearly everything, his finances, his paperwork, his entire existence, to one trusted childhood friend. He basically doesn't exist on paper. And that, it turns out, makes him the perfect target.
One ordinary day, his fingerprint stops unlocking his own phone. His friend vanishes without a trace. His bank account is empty and his apartment has already been sold, all supposedly authorised by him. Someone calling himself "the Rat" has stolen not just his name and money, but his actual face too.
With no way left to prove who he really is, Moon-jae is forced to team up with a ruthless loan shark named No-ja, the same man the impostor borrowed a fortune from, to hunt down the Rat and take his life back.
Interestingly, the show borrows from an old Korean folk tale that says a rat who eats a person's clipped fingernails can transform into that very person, and that eerie premise runs through the entire series, including its opening scene.
South Korean Drama Mousetrap Cast
Ryu Jun-yeol as Je Moon-jae - the anxious, reclusive novelist whose entire identity gets stolen overnight
Sul Kyung-gu as No-ja, "The Rat" - a calm but dangerous loan shark and private investigator who reluctantly joins the hunt
Lee Kyoo-hyung as Detective Park Soon-yong - the police detective pulled into the increasingly tangled case
Kim Sung-oh, Moo Jin-sung and Hyeon Bong-sik round out the supporting cast in key roles
Mousetrap is directed by Kim Hong-sun, known for Money Heist: Korea and The Guest, with the screenplay written by Lee Jae-gon. The series is based on the webtoon Field Mouse (Deuljwi) by Ludvico, and runs for 10 episodes, each around 50 to 55 minutes long.
Also Read: 6 Latest Korean Drama Releases You Need To Binge Now
Mousetrap Review
Early reactions to this South Korean Mystery Thriller have been largely positive, though not without a few caveats. Critics are unanimous on one thing, Ryu Jun-yeol's performance as a man whose entire sense of self gets ripped apart is genuinely one of the best of his career, and his tense, combustible dynamic with Sul Kyung-gu's No-ja is being called the real engine of the show.
Where the reviews start to differ is pacing. Several critics have pointed out that the first half of Mousetrap is tightly wound and genuinely gripping, but the back stretch of the ten-episode run tends to slow down, occasionally mistaking complexity for depth.
A few reviewers have gone as far as comparing the show's themes of jealousy, privilege and stolen identity to a mix of Saltburn and Sugar, calling it a smart concept that doesn't always stick the landing pacing-wise. That said, most agree the psychological tension, the paranoid mood, and the final act's moral twist make it worth sticking around for, even if you have to push through a slower middle stretch.
Also Read: Best Korean Movie About Serial Killer (Must Watch List)
Why This South Korean Mystery Thriller Is Getting Attention
Part of what's fuelling the buzz around Mousetrap is director Kim Hong-sun's track record, and Netflix's history of turning gripping Korean concepts into global phenomena, Squid Game being the obvious example everyone keeps bringing up.
The show also taps into something unsettlingly relatable: the fear of losing access to your own phone, bank account or identity, just dialled up to a terrifying extreme. That grounded horror, mixed with genre elements of crime and psychological thriller, is exactly why so many viewers are calling it one of the most original entries in the Latest South Korean Drama lineup this year.
Mousetrap Release Date & OTT Platform
Mousetrap premiered on Netflix worldwide on August 28, 2026, with all ten episodes dropping at once for a full binge. It's streaming exclusively on Netflix, making it easily accessible wherever you're watching from.
Should You Watch This South Korean Mystery Thriller Drama?
If you enjoy dark, paranoid thrillers built around strong lead performances and a genuinely unsettling premise, Mousetrap is worth the ten-episode commitment.
It's not a fast, easy binge, the back half asks for patience, but Ryu Jun-yeol and Sul Kyung-gu's performances alone carry it through the slower stretches. If you're after something quick and breezy, this probably isn't it, but if you like your thrillers slow-burning and morally messy, it delivers.
With a genuinely unnerving premise and two powerhouse performances at its core, Mousetrap has earned its spot as one of the standout entries in this year's Latest South Korean Drama slate, even if its ten episodes ask a little more patience than expected.
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