Lee Seung Gi’s newest drama Mouse seeks to define the thin line between a psychopath and a genius.
Psychopaths and geniuses are almost the same person. There is only a thin line that divides the two. Mouse seeks to discover if a person is born a psychopath, or will he eventually stay true to who he really is? And if a man is born as a genius, can he remain an ordinary human without crossing the line?
Mouse leads us on an explosive manhunt on what seems to be a father-son tandem of what could be the most vicious serial killers in South Korea. Is being a psychopathic serial killer inherited? The drama seeks to find answers. Consequently, viewers will delve into the minds of psychopaths, what motivates them and how they view themselves.
Jung Ba Reum and Go Mu Chi
Lee Seung Gi teams up with Lee Hee Jun in the new psychopath thriller. Lee Seung Gi is honest and caring police officer Ba Reum. He is part of a close trio together with Chi Kook and Dong Koo. Ba Reum loves animals and always cares for their injuries.
Meanwhile, Lee Hee Jun is Go Mu Chi, a jaded veteran police officer. Despite his drunk spiels, he is talented at his job. Surprisingly, Mu Chi is dedicated to finding the serial killer who has been leading the police force in a public hunt. Mu Chi came from a traumatic past that continues to haunt him.
Taehyung’s Noona watches Mouse on iQIYI
Mouse Opening Week Recap
The first two episodes of Mouse give viewers a glimpse of how the serial killer Han Seo Joon managed to kill 20 victims. A young Jae Hoon opens the episode with a sinister look on his face. Notably, the look of pure evil on the face of a child sends chills up the spine of viewers.
Slowly, the victims of the Head Hunter surface. In fact, the ferocity of his crimes shock the entire nation. A young girl is crying the side of the road. Song Soo Jung follows her as she tries to save her father. Unfortunately, a mysterious man attacks her. The next day, her body is found floating in the water. The discovery triggers a national panic, led by the president. He immediately calls for an investigation.
Daniel Lee and Go Mu Chi Meets Han Seo Joon
Professor Daniel Lee is an expert in the fetal gene testing. He returns to Korea to legalize fetal gene testing. The goal of the testing is to identify whether the fetus carries the psychopath gene. For fear that it goes against human rights, it is rejected.
Daniel visits his childhood friend Han Seo Joon and his pregnant wife Ji Eun. They all share a pleasant meal and Seo Joon drops Daniel off at his hotel. Meanwhile, a young Go Mun Chi and Go Mu Won are travelling with their parents. Their father asks for directions from the driver of the car in front of him. Unknown to them, the driver is the infamous Head Hunter. He misleads them and directs them to an abandoned camp site.
Once parked, the family tries to enjoy the cold evening. Soon after, the Head Hunter appears. Panicked, the boys’ mom tells them to hide inside the bus. She tries to lure the Head Hunter away from the bus. This is Go Mun Chi’s first encounter with the Head Hunter.
Mu Chi’s Revelation
In the hospital, a traumatized Go Mun Chi identifies Seo Joon from a poster. The police raid their home but find no evidence. They are disappointed, but have no choice but to release him.
The young Mu Chi lunges at Seo Joon. He rolls to the ground and accidentally knocks over the head of a snowman that was on their lawn. The entire police force watch in shock as a black paper bag rolls out. Mu Chi’s mother’s clip appears, with hair still attached. Mu Chi wails in sadness.
Seo Joon is arrested but is soon released due to lack of of reliability of the witness. As the press gather outside, Seo Joon continues to deny that he is the Head Hunter. He spots Ji Eun watching him stoically from afar. For the purpose of comforting his wife, he tries to hug her. In contrast to his warmth, Ji Eun looks at him coldly. She tells him she knows he’s the killer. To emphasize, she holds up a Polaroid photo she took earlier that day. Upon waking, she spotted Seo Joon outside their house, building the snowmen, which he earlier denied. Chaos erupted at this revelation.
The Psychopath Gene: The Psychopath Child
Later on, Ji Eun discovers that her child carries the psychopath gene. Devastated, she ponders on what to do. She speaks to another woman whose unborn child also has the psychopath gene. Unlike her, she is decided on keeping the child.
Eventually, Ji Eun gives birth to Jae Hoon. Even as a young boy, he is aware that he is different. He has a serious and sinister aura about him. In school, he created trouble with his classmates. At home, his stepfather detests him and beats him up. In retaliation, Jae Hoon kills his stepfather’s beloved pets. Jae Hoon eventually kills his stepfather and his two younger siblings.
Present Day: The Murders Continue
Go Mu Chi is desperate to find the serial killer. Together with Producer Hyun Ju, they discover that the serial killer positioned all his victims in a way that they are flipping off the cross. Mu Chi is a bitter but talented man who still regularly visits Seo Joon. He reveals to the serial killer that his son is not dead as Ji Eun had lied to him. Seo Joon is enraged about the truth.
Ba Reum and His Friends
Ba Reum and Dong Koo stage a magic show in the prison their friend Chi Kook is working in. The latter is a new prison guard, and Seo Joon intimidated the new guard. Chi Kook refused to give in to Seo Joon’s request, earning his ire.
Ba Reum’s magic trick takes a fatal turn when Chi Kook is found inside the box. Seo Joon is the only doctor qualified to provide first aid. Mu Chi’s older brother Mu Won convinces Ba Reum to allow Seo Joon to help.
Meeting Yo Han
In the hospital, Ba Reum and Yo Han meet for the first time. Ba Reum is suspicious of the callous doctor. Furthermore, he is dismayed to find out that Yo Han will operate on Chi Kook. Chi Kook’s first aid impressed the doctors, and the police reveal it’s the Head Hunter Seo Joon who did the stitches. Yo Han’s eyes flicker, but he walks away silently.
Later on, Yo Han comes face to face with Seo Joon. The latter tells the doctor that he wanted to see how his son grew up to be. Yo Han shows no sign of surprise.
Bong Yi and Her Grandmother
Ba Reum’s neighbor Bong Yi is a rough and tough student. Beneath it all however she hides a trauma from her past. Bong Yi lives with her grandmother who constantly matches her with Ba Reum. However, Bong Yi pretends to show no interest.
Mu Chi’s Detective Skills
Another victim surfaces. Mu Chi hurries to the vineyard and discovers his hunch was right. The serial killer took mementos from each of his victims. His latest victim wore the boxing gloves around her neck and the toy ring of another victim on her finger. Furthermore, one rubber shoe matched yet another victim. Finally, Chi Kook’s watch was on her wrist. The last item is a mystery to the police as they have not yet connected it to Chi Kook.
Mu Chi discovers a hidden message the serial killer left for him. “Respect for your detective skills Go Mu Chi! I hope you like the gift I got you.”
Mouse Opening Week Musings
What a ride the first two episodes have been! I couldn’t keep my eyes off the screen and was completely engrossed. I even had to watch it a few more times because it was just that thrilling.
Admittedly, Lee Seung Gi brought me to Mouse. But it’s the crafty story telling that kept me fully immersed in its opening week. The back story was done beautifully and in very rich detail. It gives enough for us viewers to form an attachment to the lead Mu Chi. I’m still confused on the character of Ba Reum though as I don’t see which part of the history his story comes in? I wonder if he’s the son of the second woman Ji Eun was with. Could he be the other baby with the psychopath gene?
The highlight of opening week is of course the actors that portrayed young Jae Hoon. Kim Kang Hoon, the kid from When The Camellia Blooms, freaked me out a bit with his intense acting. Easily, the boy exhibited psychopathic tendencies. Even the young Seo Woo Jin from Hi, Bye, Mama exhibited impressive skills in his tender age.
Based on the Episode 3 preview, Ba Reum teams up with Mu Chi to catch the killer. Eventually, they discover the watch belongs to Chi Kook. I’m curious about Bong Yi and her story. In the preview, it looks like more about her will be revealed.
Catch Mouse every Thursday and Friday on IQIYI.
