Netflix’s ‘Mousetrap’ Release Date and Where to Watch the Twisted K-Drama

Netflix is gearing up to release one of its most chilling Korean thrillers of the year, and the premise is enough to make anyone double-check their wallet. ‘Mousetrap’ tells the story of a man who wakes up to find that someone else has taken over his entire life, leading to a brutal fight to reclaim it.

The series has been generating excitement since its initial announcement, and with the release date and trailer now confirmed, fans of dark K-dramas have a compelling reason to mark their calendars.

Netflix has officially announced that ‘Mousetrap’ will premiere globally on August 28, 2026. The streaming service revealed the premiere date on July 31, alongside the series’ poster and trailer. The show was first teased months earlier as part of a larger slate announcement.

Initially unveiled in January 2026 as part of Netflix Korea’s 2026 lineup, ‘Mousetrap’ was originally set for a third-quarter release. By late July, Netflix confirmed the August 28 premiere date.

The series will feature ten episodes and will be available exclusively on Netflix. A subscription will be necessary to watch, and the show is expected to be accessible to viewers worldwide upon release. There has been some conflicting information regarding the exact date, with a few sources suggesting an August 18 premiere, but the majority of reports, including Netflix’s own confirmation, indicate August 28.

The cast boasts familiar faces for fans of Korean cinema and television. Ryu Jun-yeol and Sul Kyung-gu were first reported to be in talks for the series back in December 2024, and by May 2025, both actors were confirmed to lead the cast.

Ryu Jun-yeol takes on the lead role, and viewers may recognize him from his performance in the Netflix hit ‘The 8 Show,’ along with earlier leading roles in ‘Lost,’ ‘Lucky Romance,’ and ‘Reply 1988.’ His character is central to the mystery, and his transformation from a quiet writer to a man desperate to reclaim his identity is expected to be the emotional heart of the show.

Sul Kyung-gu portrays a ruthless loan shark named No-ja, while Lee Kyoo-hyung completes the main trio as a detective named Sun-yong. Supporting actors Moon Jong-il and Go Hyung-woo joined the cast in December 2025. Directed by Hong-sun Kim, the project has already generated excitement among K-drama enthusiasts.

The production took place over an extended period, with filming reportedly running from mid-April 2025 through November 2025, allowing the cast and crew to create a tense, paranoid atmosphere.

At the core of ‘Mousetrap’ is a genuinely unsettling story. The plot follows Moon Jae, a reclusive writer who finds that the fingerprint recognition on his phone suddenly fails, and even the friend who managed his affairs disappears without explanation. With no means to prove his identity, he discovers that a mysterious figure known only as Rat has assumed his name, identity, and fortune, prompting him to embark on a quest to reclaim his life piece by piece.

In his desperate pursuit to regain everything, Moon Jae ends up teaming up with No-ja, the very loan shark who once hunted him down. This odd-couple pairing, born out of necessity, often leads to some of the most compelling storytelling in this genre.

The show draws additional depth from its source material, inspired by the webtoon Field Mouse. The newly released poster features Moon Jae staring intently ahead with the tagline “Prove I’m Real Or I’m The Imposter,” perfectly encapsulating the show’s central identity crisis. Field Mouse was serialized between 2017 and 2020 by webtoon artist Ludovico, and its narrative is influenced by a Korean folktale about a rat that transforms into a human after consuming someone’s fingernails.

This folklore element adds an eerie, almost supernatural undertone to the thriller, even as the show remains rooted in a modern nightmare about identity theft and financial ruin.

The screenplay is penned by Lee Jae Gon, known for his work on A Model Family, and the recently released trailer has already given fans a glimpse of the show’s tense, chase thriller vibe. Early reactions online indicate that viewers are drawn to the premise because it resonates with a very real fear of losing control over one’s identity.

‘Mousetrap’ arrives in a crowded month for Korean television, sharing the release calendar with ‘Flex X Cop’ Season 2 on Disney Plus and ‘Four Hands, Two Sonatas’ concluding August on tvN and Netflix. Regardless of the competition, the mystery and star power behind ‘Mousetrap’ should attract a dedicated audience.

With ten episodes to unravel such a layered mystery, there’s ample opportunity for twists, red herrings, and betrayals before Moon Jae edges closer to the truth. Whether the show successfully ties everything together or becomes ensnared in its own web remains to be seen once it premieres.

As Moon Jae’s battle to reclaim his stolen identity approaches its screen debut on August 28, viewers are left to ponder who might be orchestrating events behind the mysterious Rat, and whether they would handle losing their entire life to an imposter any better than he does.