Netflix’s Mousetrap Preview Shows Identity Theft’s Chilling Reality

Netflix has unveiled an intriguing preview for its upcoming thriller “Mousetrap,” adapted from the webtoon “Field Mouse.” The sneak peek centers on a character who discovers his identity has been stolen by someone else—literally someone who looks like him and has assumed his place in the world.

The Central Premise

“Mousetrap” is fundamentally a thriller about erasure and replacement. Its protagonist is a novelist living in isolation who has lost his name, identity, and entire fortune to a criminal mastermind known only as “The Rat.” Rather than accept his destruction, this protagonist makes an unlikely choice: he forms an alliance with a loan shark who previously pursued him for outstanding debts. This partnership launches both characters into a psychological minefield where the boundaries between what is real and what is manufactured dissolve entirely. As they pursue their investigation, deeper truths emerge—secrets that have remained concealed for years begin surfacing into the open. The series title itself—”Mousetrap”—suggests a carefully constructed snare designed to catch and immobilize its prey, hinting at the elaborate deceptions at the story’s core.

The High School Reunion Scene

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The preview excerpt introduces viewers to the film’s most disorienting scenario through the lens of an ordinary social gathering: a high school reunion. Je Moon Jae, portrayed by Ryu Jun Yeol, attends the event with one explicit purpose—to locate and reconnect with a former friend named Son Soo Hyun. From the moment he arrives, the reunion becomes hostile territory. Dressed in simple pajamas rather than appropriate reunion attire, Moon Jae immediately signals discomfort among his gathered former classmates. When he introduces himself and asks whether they remember him, he encounters only confusion and rejection.

Attempting to Prove Identity Through Memory

Moon Jae responds to their refusal to recognize him by invoking shared memories from their high school years. He retrieves specific anecdotes and personal recollections that he assumes will bridge the gap between his current identity and their collective history. The strategy fails completely. Rather than triggering recognition or sympathy, his recollections register as unconvincing or irrelevant to everyone present. His former classmates remain unmoved and unconvinced by his assertions.

The Appearance of His Doppelgänger

The reunion deteriorates when his classmates introduce testimony that contradicts Moon Jae’s account of his own recent existence. One man reports having shared drinks with Moon Jae merely one week prior. Another contributes an even more problematic recollection: Moon Jae attended the previous year’s reunion, and that individual was manifestly someone else—a completely different person. Moon Jae’s defense—that he has remained isolated at home for three consecutive years—only intensifies their hostility. The logical impossibility of his situation becomes apparent to everyone present.

The Impossible Situation

As the reunion transforms from gathering into interrogation, Moon Jae’s former classmates decide to contact police. They conclude that Moon Jae represents a criminal threat or someone in psychological crisis. Moon Jae confronts an utterly hopeless situation: he possesses genuine high school memories, but no documentation to support his identity claims; he finds no sympathetic witnesses; and multiple people have testified to recent encounters with someone bearing his name who is clearly not the person before them. Establishing his true identity becomes logically impossible. The preview concludes with his physical removal from the event and transport in a police vehicle.

The Doppelgänger Revealed

The preview’s final moment delivers the narrative’s most significant revelation. While being driven away, Moon Jae observes a figure in the crowd—a person who bears an unmistakable physical resemblance to him. This mysterious lookalike apparently inhabits Moon Jae’s actual life while Moon Jae has become invisible and unrecognizable to everyone who once knew him. The implications are profound: his identity theft is not merely financial or bureaucratic fraud. Someone has physically replaced him, walking through his world while the authentic Je Moon Jae has been systematically erased from existence.

Ryu Jun Yeol’s Recent Work

Ryu Jun Yeol’s casting in this psychologically demanding role continues his trajectory through complex character work. He recently appeared in “Alienoid: Return to the Future,” which is currently available for streaming on Viki.