Have you just finished the mind-bending South Korean thriller Mousetrap on Netflix and found yourself piecing together its intricate finale? You’re not alone. This 10-episode series, adapted from Ludovico’s 2017 Kakao Webtoon Field Mouse, plunges viewers into a chilling game of ‘identity laundering’ that will leave you questioning everything. Directed by Kim Hong-sun (Project Wolf Hunting) and penned by Lee Jae-gon (A Model Family), Mousetrap masterfully weaves a narrative of stolen identities, forgotten pasts, and profound deception. But who truly is ‘The Rat,’ and what drives their sinister agenda? Let’s untangle the threads of this complex mystery.
Warning: Major spoilers for Mousetrap ahead.
What is Mousetrap About?
At its core, Mousetrap introduces us to Je Moon-jae (portrayed by Reply 1988 star Ryu Jun-yeol), a reclusive novelist whose quiet life is shattered when his entire identity is stolen by a mysterious doppelgänger known only as “The Rat.” This moniker draws from a haunting Korean folktale: a cautionary tale warning children that if a mouse consumes their discarded fingernail clippings, it can assume their likeness. Moon-jae, isolated since the tragic death of his parents, lives in a luxurious Seoul apartment, his only link to the outside world being his accountant friend, Son Su-hyeon (Moo Jin-sung).
His world quickly unravels as he loses access to his bank accounts and phone, realizing his identity has been thoroughly hijacked. With the police hot on his heels, his unlikely ally becomes a formidable loan shark named No-ja (Sul Kyung-gu). Meanwhile, the hardened Detective Park Sun-yong (Lee Kyu-hyung) receives an anonymous tip about a body in the Han River, a lead that implicates No-ja, who is himself being pursued by the ruthless identity fraud ring boss, Park Seung-gyu (Kim Sung-oh). Thus begins a relentless and convoluted chase where trust is a luxury no one can afford.
The Identity Thief: Unmasking ‘The Rat’
The series’ central enigma, ‘The Rat,’ is gradually unmasked, revealing layers of betrayal and forgotten truths. By the finale, we learn that the individual initially believed to be The Rat is Seo Yu-min, a man Moon-jae met during their intercollegiate literary club days. However, the true, thematic ‘Rat’ turns out to be Moon-jae himself. Plagued by memory loss due to medication he took after his mother’s death, Moon-jae is an unreliable narrator, unknowingly complicit in his own downfall.
Moon-jae’s journey into the literary club was built on a lie, a desperate attempt to “become a better version of myself,” as his mother had urged. There, he forged a close bond with Yu-min, both harboring feelings for their friend So Min-yeong (Song Sui). A pivotal betrayal occurred when Yu-min shared his story, “The Rat That Ate Fingernails,” and his personal notebooks with Moon-jae. Moon-jae, in a moment of profound deceit, stole Yu-min’s work, submitting it as his own for the club’s anthology. This act of plagiarism is subtly foreshadowed early in the series, with Moon-jae staring at a blank page, unable to write, despite being surrounded by notes. The chilling realization in the finale — “None of it was ever mine to begin with” — underscores the depth of his self-deception.
The Shifting Sands of Identity: Who is Je Moon-jae?
The question of Moon-jae’s true identity proves to be even more convoluted than the mystery of The Rat. It’s a revelation that reshapes the entire narrative: Detective Park Sun-yong, the man relentlessly pursuing Moon-jae, was once known by the very same name. Sun-yong was adopted by Moon-jae’s parents at the age of five, a fact he slowly pieces together as the name “Je Moon-jae” triggers dormant memories, including a flashback to his uncle Han Hui-su calling him by that name at a theme park. In a cruel twist of fate, Sun-yong has been unknowingly hunting his own biological brother throughout the series – a truth Yu-min was aware of, hence his personal tip-off to the detective.
The original Je Moon-jae (Sun-yong) was sent back to the orphanage after his adopted parents had their biological son. In a bizarre and perhaps deliberate act of concealment, they bestowed the name Je Moon-jae upon their newborn. This explains Moon-jae’s (the protagonist’s) lifelong struggle with his identity. In a poignant scene with No-ja in the finale, Moon-jae recounts starting a fire at a school under the alias Park Chan-u, explaining, “It doesn’t feel like my name.” He felt this profound disconnect without ever knowing it was his brother’s name first.
The Tragic Echo: Min-yeong’s Fate
Perhaps the most heartbreaking thread in Mousetrap is the story of So Min-yeong, whose tragic end is directly linked to Moon-jae’s actions. During their university days, Moon-jae, Yu-min, and Min-yeong embarked on a summer trip to the picturesque Jeju Island. Moon-jae, consumed by jealousy over Min-yeong and Yu-min’s growing closeness, confronted Min-yeong in a drunken state, attempting to confess his feelings. Min-yeong, however, rebuffed him, revealing that she and Yu-min were already a couple. This rejection, coupled with Moon-jae’s earlier betrayal of Yu-min’s literary work, created a volatile situation. Though the full details of her demise are left to the viewer’s interpretation, the series strongly implies that Min-yeong’s death was a direct consequence of Moon-jae’s escalating jealousy and his subsequent actions, which ultimately led to a tragic accident or a desperate act, cementing his role in her sorrowful fate and adding another layer to his guilt and forgotten past.
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