The Necklace
Episode 14 of Mouse begins out in the fields as Moo-Chi calls for the killer to show himself. Unbeknownst to him, it’s Ba-Reum who’s hiding nearby. Our apple killer, Bong-Cheol, looks set to strike Hong-Ju but tells her he’s not happy about being dragged back into this. Ba-Reum grabs the killer and stops him. Fast forward to the present and the news are referring to Ba-Reum as the “Dark Hero.” Ba-Reum doesn’t feel so excited this time around though, and some of that could be stemming from his feelings toward Bong-Yi. Later that day, Ba-Reum learns his Aunt and Hoon-Suk are leaving for America as soon as possible. She claims to feel guilty for leaving Ba-Reum behind, but she definitely doesn’t give off those vibes at all. Anyway, before she leaves Ba-Reum asks her to take the kitten. Ba-Reum continues to push people away the next day at work, including Bong-Yi who rings and asks to meet. She goes on to tell him she likes him but Ba-Reum once again rejects her. It’s only when Moo-Chi talks to him, giving Ba-Reum words of encouragement, that he agrees to meet her. In doing so, Ba-Reum remains determined to beat these murderous intentions. At the TV station, a young boy named Konam shows up with big news. He knows who killed the cats and has evidence to prove as much. Just before disclosing this, Ba-Reum shows up for his date with Bong-Yi. Konam shyly leaves while Ba-Reum suddenly receives a call from Daniel Lee. He claims he has something important to say. In private, Lee hands over another target for Ba-Reum to go after. However, our detective is sure that Lee is working for someone else but hasn’t worked out who yet. What he does know is that Lee is being chased by someone. This explains why he’s hiding out in secret in the basement. The next day at school, Ba-Reum shows up to see Konam. When he spies Ba-Reum, he hurries back inside. Bong-Yi shows up on the scene too and rings Konam, who’s scared and clearly hurt. Ba-Reum watches from afar as Bong-Yi and another man (whom we later learn is called Byung-Tae) races the kid away from the school and into a car bound for the hospital. Back in school a strange old woman keeps muttering “Four cats.” Apparently she’s a regular there and always shows up to drop off lunch for her granddaughter. However, she hasn’t been the same since she was found carrying a dead cat. Anyway, finally we figure out Chi-Kook is okay. He’s in hospital but hooked up to the heart monitors and unconscious. Ba-Reum drops by to check up on them and apologizes for it being a while since he last did. After, Ba-Reum heads back on the hunt for this cat killer. The culprit here is Kim Byung-Tae, the local butcher. It seems Konam figured this out too, and that’s why Byung-Tae tried to kill him. Helping the kid to the hospital was all a big ploy to cover this up. Using a set of keys, Ba-Reum manages to unlock a music box that holds numerous photos inside. Using this as a clue, Ba-Reum digs up an old case regarding Hwang Min-Ji. This six year old child was badly burned and eventually died from those wounds. However, the victim’s friend Angela claimed the killer was wearing red (matching Byung-Tae’s shirt in the pictures.) Her statement was thrown out though on account of her intellectual disability. It turns out she just has hearing problems and police believed the burnt body was actually that of a dog. After visiting Angela and gaining evidence, Ba-Reum goes straight for Byung-Tae and begins torturing him. His friend Soo-Chul is apprehended by police. While interviewed, he admits to killing both Jae-Shik and Duk-Soo. According to Moo-Chi, he believes Byung-Tae planned all this from the beginning The next day, Ba-Reum says goodbye to Hoon-Suk and his Mum as they board the bus ready to leave. On the news, it’s revealed that Konam is not going to die and he’s thankfully recovering from his injuries. When Ba-Reum heads home, Moo-Chi shows and starts drinking with him. In the morning, Moo-Chi heads back to the police station and checks through the evidence lockers. There, he finds a blood-stained knife and a necklace mixed in with Moo-Won’s belongings. That blood belongs to Duk-Soo. When Moo-Chi finds out he immediately suspects the worst. When Ba-Reum meets Bong-Yi, he notices the necklace she’s wearing. This necklace is made out of cat teeth and now he realizes the truth. It was him all along. Heading outside, he uncovers a buried hatch leading down to the basement. There, he finally understands the truth after seeing numerous pictures up on the wall. It wasn’t Yo-Han that did these killings after all – it was Ba-Reum. Dong-Koo suddenly rings and tells him Chi-Kook is awake, which is where the episode ends.
The Episode Review
So our worst fears have now become realized. Ba-Reum is our killer and he’s the one responsible for killing the cats and revealing himself to being the Seven Deadly Sins killer. The extended run-time this episode really helps to leverage some good development for both Bong-Yi and Ba-Reum. Their relationship and moments together really help drive this episode forward, and make the final 10 minutes that much harder to watch. The subject of Dr Daniel Lee is an interesting one and I’m intrigued to see where the show goes with that from here. Personally I’m still holding onto the theory that he’s already dead and just a figment of Ba-Reum’s imagination. No one else has seen him and he seems to be confined to the basement. Then again, the images of him early on alone, talking about his situation, coupled with the phone call, could completely debunk my theories. We shall see! How will Moo-Chi and Bong-Yi react to this news when they find out the truth? We’ll have to wait and see of course but that does prove to be quite the revelation when it comes to light. The situation with Ba-Reum’s Aunt seems to hint that she knew he was a killer all this time. Furthermore, Chi-Kook revealed to still being alive – and now awake from his unconscious state – is definitely a great moment and it looks set to be a very intriguing episode to come tomorrow. For now though, Mouse looks like it’s back on track, delivering a really compelling slice of drama.
