No. Of episodes: 16
Released year: 2022
Main Plot:
Big Mouth is a mystery-thriller Korean drama that follows Park Chang-ho, a struggling lawyer with the nickname “Big Mouth” because of his habit of making empty promises. His life takes a dramatic turn when he is framed as the infamous conman “Big Mouse” and thrown into prison. While trying to survive behind bars, he uncovers dark secrets involving powerful people, corruption, and a series of murders. The drama is a gripping tale of survival, truth, and justice.
Main Cast:
Lee Jong-suk as Park Chang-ho
Im Yoon-ah (Yoona) as Go Mi-ho
Kim Joo-hun as Choi Do-ha
Yang Kyung-won as Gong Ji-hoon
Kwak Dong-yeon as Jerry
Episodes Summary:
Episode 1: A raing night and a hidden secret.
It is a rainy night as the series begins. In a poorly lit warehouse, gold bars are hurriedly buried in a muddy trench and then covered with cement as a truck speeds in. A mysterious guy is observing from above, and news reports about the horrifying crimes done by the notorious criminal mastermind known only as Big Mouse are resonating in the atmosphere.
The emphasis switches from this bleak beginning to Park Chang-ho, a driven but unsuccessful lawyer whose aspirations exceed his abilities. He aspires to be the kind of lawyer who makes a difference in the world, but reality makes fun of him all the time. In the legal community, he is seen as a joke and goes by the derisive moniker Big Mouth due to his incessant boasting and failures.
He is even tense in his personal life. Chang-ho hardly has time to celebrate before being dragged away on urgent business at an anniversary dinner with his devoted wife Mi-ho and her father, Gi-gwang. He consumes an unknown substance, passes out, and is involved in a terrible vehicle accident while traveling to Gucheon Hospital.
We observed the beginning of his problems seven days ago. In court, he stumbles and loses another case. His frantic attempt to buy off the judge fails. Around him, irate clients are present, and Mi-ho, who is worn out by his repeated failures, even tells him she wants a divorce. Just when Chang-ho appears to be in a tight spot, Choi Do-ha, the mayor of Gucheon, calls him out of the blue.
The notorious murder case at Gucheon University Hospital is revealed to him when the mayor summons him to a secluded lodge. Do-ha has no intention of disproving Han Jae-ho, Lee Du-geun, or Park Chae-bong, despite the fact that they are all suspects. Chang-ho is preferred by him to covertly find a misplaced dashcam recording that could provide the truth. The remuneration is fairly substantial despite the risky nature of the profession. Chang-ho consents as the money and the chance to finally express himself tempt him.
Infiltrating the prison to meet the three suspects is his first move. Chang-ho presents themselves as a needy, inept lawyer seeking favors, despite their prestige and opulent cell. He overhears their chats and puts a bug in his coffee cup, displaying astonishing cleverness behind the façade. This ploy tells him that the evidence may be in Han Jae-ho’s wife’s possession.
Do-ha is informed by Chang-ho, but she is assaulted by an enigmatic attacker and rendered unconscious before the mayor can access her. They find out from her that a fourth person is involved: Gong Ji-hoon, a formidable businessman. Chang-ho, with Min-jee’s assistance, eventually manages to obtain the dashcam footage, which horrifyingly depicts the three suspects killing Professor Seo Jae-young in cold blood. Min-jee cautions him against making this finding since it could ruin him.
Chang-ho temporarily brings peace back to the household after receiving money from Do-ha, but his greed gets the better of him. He attempts to use the tape as blackmail against Gong Ji-hoon the following day. He just exposes himself, leaving himself defenseless and humiliated, rather than acquiring authority. At the anniversary meal, where the episode started, it ends. After consuming a glass, which is tampered with, Chang-Ho loses its senses and causes its automobile to crash. As waking up in the debris, his eyes throw light with some unfamiliarity, indicating that his life has changed irreversibly.
Episode 2: Mi-ho’s search for truth.
Chang-Ho is hurried into a hospital after a shocking accident, extinction inside and outside the consciousness. F Fragments of his past with Mi-ho flash across his consciousness as medical professionals struggle to stabilize him. One particular recollection comes to mind: she participated in the marching band on a sports day while he tried his hand at pole vaulting. As she always does whenever he stumbles in life, Mi-ho was the first to rush to his side when the pole broke and he collapsed.
The police walk up with the startling news that he has drugs in his system, before he can do anything. Mi-ho, who promises to defend him with her father’s assistance, reassures him after he is arrested right away. Chang-ho acknowledges at the station that the tainted drink is to blame and begs Mayor Choi for assistance. Rather, Choi chastises him for going to Gong Ji-hoon and declines to help. Investigators raid Gi-gwang’s office in the meantime, and they mysteriously find cash, gold, and a gun hidden in the walls, demonstrating that Chang-ho has been set up.
Chang-ho is then brought to Gucheon Penitentiary, a terrible jail rife with vicious gangs and corruption. He is assaulted there by the three affluent suspects in the murder at Gucheon University Hospital, who confess to drugging him for betraying them. In another scene, Mayor Choi and Gong Ji-hoon exchange covert threats while attending an extravagant party. When it is announced that the elusive Big Mouse has been apprehended and that he is actually Park Chang-ho, Ji-hoon, who has been making fun of Choi, is startled.
Chang-ho is hanging from a rope inside the prison, appearing on the verge of death, until Ji-hoon, who believes he is Big Mouse, summons the warden to spare him. After being revived by medical professionals, Chang-Ho is targeted and frightened by both. Mi-HO stands out in front of the media out of bravery, announces her husband’s innocence and vows to clean her name.Chang-ho is moved to tears by her comments when he watches them on television.
In response to prosecutors’ questions, Chang-ho denies any connection to the gold or narcotics. He becomes suspicious when people ask him whether he is Big Mouse because his pulse rate goes up. If not, the lie detector exam goes smoothly. Relentlessly harassed by gang leaders in prison, he unexpectedly takes down one with a single strike and makes another psychotic cry with his harsh remarks. He is even put to the test when the warden throws him into isolation after he hosts him for a sumptuous supper one minute and then claims he isn’t Big Mouse.
Mi-ho is unwavering in the meantime. She seeks a nursing position at Gucheon University Hospital over Gi-gwang (the former detective and father-in-law of Chang-ho) and Soon-tae’s ( Chang- ho’s devoted lawyer friend) protests since she thinks the late doctor’s research holds the truth. Chang-ho asks Soon-tae to draft divorce papers in secret out of a desperate attempt to protect her. Flashbacks show how devoted Mi-ho was to him throughout their early years, even supporting him through his academic setbacks and even proposing marriage.
Also Read: Moving Korean Drama Summary
Chang-ho, broken and trapped, concludes that the only way out is to die. He tries to kill himself by inciting prisoners and murderers, but when that doesn’t work, he makes an escape attempt. He ends the episode on a terrifying cliffhanger as he stands in the jail yard, surrounded by armed guards with weapons pointing, and yells at them to shoot.
Episode 3 – The Birth of a New Big Mouse
In the beginning part of Episode 3, Park Chang-ho finds himself in the prison yard, where he begs the armed guards to kill him, as he believes that death is the only escape from the nightmare he is facing after losing all hope. At that very moment, the prison official unexpectedly orders them to stop their action, which saves Chang-ho’s life. However, he soon realizes that there are reasons why one of the people in power is saving him from death.
Go Mi-ho refuses to accept her husband’s criminal status outside of prison. In an effort to learn the truth, she begins working as a nurse at Gucheon University Hospital, the site of Professor Seo Jae-young’s murder. She starts to suspect that the doctor’s death is linked to a much larger secret after observing suspicious behavior in the hospital on her first day.
When Chang-ho returns to prison, he becomes the talk of the town as guards and other prisoners continue to wonder if he is the real Big Mouse. Even though he consistently refutes the charge, everything shifts when the warden subtly jeopardizes Mi-ho’s security. Chang-ho makes a startling choice and boldly declares that he is Big Mouse because he has no other way to defend the woman he loves.
With his unexpected announcement, the prison’s environment undergoes an instant change. The inmates, who once hated him, now regard him with both fear and respect, while the prison authorities become increasingly careful in dealing with him. Concurrently, influential individuals outside the prison become more anxious because they think the true Big Mouse has finally come to light.
Unaware that the lie intended to save his life could put him in even greater danger, Chang-ho unintentionally assumes the perilous role of Big Mouse as the episode comes to a suspenseful close.
Episode 4 – The Prison Has a New King
The start of Episode 4 immediately follows Park Chang-ho’s claim to be the real Big Mouse. The atmosphere at Gucheon Penitentiary is drastically altered by his audacious confession. While the prison warden surreptitiously attempts to determine whether Chang-ho is telling the truth or merely playing a risky game, the inmates who previously treated him like a regular lawyer begin to fear him.
Go Mi-ho is still investigating Professor Seo Jae-young’s murder at Gucheon University Hospital. The hospital staff purposefully tries to frame her during her first few days by giving her incorrect patient dosage instructions. Luckily, Mi-ho had snapped a picture of the original instructions, revealing the trap and establishing her innocence. She publicly asserts that she has Professor Seo’s missing research papers because she is convinced the hospital is concealing something significant, hoping that the real offender will make a mistake.
Chang-ho is given what seems to be Big Mouse’s secret client list while he is back in prison. He gets ready to make prudent use of what he believes to be valuable evidence at last. But everything is already planned by Gong Ji-hoon. The purpose of the fictitious list is to determine whether or not Chang-ho is truly associated with Big Mouse.
The inmates start picking sides as the tension builds, wondering who will take over the prison in the end. Chang-ho behaves as though he is secure; however, in time he awakens to the knowledge that certain powerful figures beyond prison walls are keeping a close watch on him.
Chang-ho discovers that he is embroiled in a bigger game than he thought, as he comes to realize that even the evidence in his own possession should not be trusted, thus leading to a shocking end of the episode.
Episode 5 – A Lie That Starts Controlling Everything
The 5th episode begins with Park Chang-ho’s standing at Gucheon Penitentiary becoming even more solid. The inmates no longer regard him as a feeble attorney after he pretends to be Big Mouse. Rather, they start treating him like the formidable criminal that everyone has been looking for. Because they don’t know if they are dealing with a regular prisoner or the nation’s most wanted mastermind, even prison officials start to become wary.
Gong Ji-hoon personally goes to the prison to test Chang-ho because he is determined to find the truth. The warden interrogates Chang-ho regarding information which only the real Big Mouse could possibly know. Chang-ho answers with ease and confidence despite the pressure, leaving everyone speechless. Even Ji-hoon begins to doubt his priors.
Go Mi-ho continues to work at Gucheon University Hospital outside of the prison while surreptitiously looking into the death of Professor Seo Jae-young. She discovers that a number of hospital staff members are frantically attempting to conceal the professor’s research as she pursues one clue after another. Her investigation gets riskier the closer she gets to the truth.
In the meantime, rather than depending on fear, Chang-ho begins to use his intelligence to gain control inside the prison. His astute choices put pressure on Han Jae-ho and the other suspects in the murder case while gradually gaining the trust of the prisoners.
With Chang-ho’s triumph in reversing the attacks on him, the episode ends on an intense note. Behind the smile of victory, however, lies the scary fact – just one mistake will expose the lie and take everything away from him.
Episode 6 – The Truth Gets More Dangerous
Go Mi-ho refuses to acknowledge Park Chang-ho as the actual Big Mouse at the start of Episode 6. Regardless of what Mayor Choi Do-ha or the media say, she thinks her husband is lying. Mi-ho finally has the opportunity to meet Chang-ho in person when Gucheon University Hospital hosts a medical camp inside the prison.
Chang-ho is cautious with every word because he is aware that the prison is constantly being watched, even though their reunion is emotional. He discreetly informs Mi-ho that he is merely posing as Big Mouse in order to survive and identify the true mastermind once they have found a safe moment. Mi-ho chooses to support him and keep looking for the truth outside of prison even though the situation is getting riskier.
In the meantime, another startling clue is discovered by Mi-ho’s investigation at Gucheon University Hospital. She is approached in secret by a terrified patient who says she knows something about Professor Seo Jae-young’s covert research. Mi-ho is shocked when the woman abruptly falls from the hospital rooftop and dies before she can tell the whole truth. The professor’s missing research is only hinted at by the enigmatic cross necklace that was discovered following the incident.
Chang-ho keeps fortifying his position inside the prison while keeping a close eye on everyone. Every discussion, every guard, and every inmate may help him in revealing who the actual Big Mouse is. However, the more the character plays this investigation, the harder it gets for him to separate facts from delusions.
As the episode finishes, Chang-ho and Mi-ho are learning about various sides of the same mystery while being unaware of the bigger scheme ahead of them.