Oh, the Mysterious – You’re Out Here. But You’re In There?

KDramaHQ AdminMarch 15, 2025

“Oh, the Mysterious” (aka “Doubtful Victory”) is a 2017 Korean drama series with 40 episodes (about 35 minutes each), categorized as Crime, Mystery, Action, and Thriller; and streaming on KOCOWA+.

SUMMARY: A young man and his friend are both wrongfully imprisoned. He is on death row, but discovers a way to go in and out of jail. It’s like escaping without escaping. It’s mysterious.

I’ve Got to Get Inside Prison Cell One So I Can Get Outside

In “Oh, the Mysterious”, Kim Jong-Sam and his friend are both in prison for a crime they did not commit. He was on death row. One day he noticed that one of the prisoners attacked another and was put in Prison Cell One as punishment.

That’s solitary confinement. If it’s punishment, why did the prisoner act like he wanted to be put in that cell? When the prisoner was released back into the general population, Kim Jong-Sam checked the bottom of his shoes. There was dirt. How could there be dirt when he was in a confined cell? There must be a way to escape to the outside when you get inside that cell.

Kim Jong-Sam’s friend had a beautiful sister and another prisoner sneaked and read her letters and memorized her photograph. Even though that prisoner was dangerous, he had served his time and was being released. Kim Jong-Sam’s friend realized once the man got out, he intended to harm his friend’s sister. Kim Jong-Sam intentionally caused a ruckus so he could get put into Prison Cell One. His suspicions were correct. There was a way to get to the outside. So he escaped, intending to save his friend’s sister from that fiend.

He did save her. Unfortunately, he encountered some criminal people when he was outside. They committed a murder and planned to frame him for it. He stole the identification of the murder victim – named Oh Il-Seung – and used it to be a fake cop or agent (???). Not sure. The victim had a badge and Kim Jong-Sam used it! It fooled the cops. He did save his friend’s sister and promptly disappeared. But now the bad guys and the police were both looking for him. However, when the prison guards came to do the nightly bed checks, guess where Kim Jong-Sam was. In Prison Cell One. Where else?

But … how could he be in prison on death row and out of prison too? It’s a gooooood trick!

Main Characters:

Oh Il-Seung / Kim Jong-Sam (played by Yun Kyun-Sang, “Mount Chiak”, “Pinocchio”, “The Rebel”, “Six Flying Dragons”)
Jin Jin-Young (played by Jung Hye-Sung, “Good Manager”, “Love in the Moonlight”, “Blood”, “Remember: War of Son”)
Park Soo-Chil (played by Kim Hee-Won, “Troll Factory”)
Kwon Dae-Woong (played by Kang Shin-Hyo, “Perfect Marriage Revenge”, “Love ft. Marriage & Divorce S3”)
Kim Min-Pyo (played by Do Ki-Seok)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

IMDb: 6.7 out of 10 stars
My Drama List: 7.4 out of 10 stars
Drambeans: 7.7 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is 8 out of 10 stars.

“Oh, the Mysterious” has an excellent cast. There were lot of reviews but it wasn’t advertised. I found this series accidentally while browsing KOCOWA+. However, I wanted to watch it because the main character is played by Yun Kyun-Sang . The first time I saw this South Korean actor was in the epic historical series “Six Flying Dragons” (aka “The Roots of Throne”). He played Moo-Hyul, a giant man with a giant heart. I fell in love with him instantly! Yun Kyun-Sang is usually in support roles, but this time he was the male lead and he did not disappoint.