A new Korean series has arrived, and it pulls you into a terrifying nightmare from the very first episode. “The Manipulated“ launched on November 5, 2025, on Disney+, releasing its first four episodes all at once. The show is a tense thriller starring Ji Chang-wook as an ordinary man whose life is completely erased by a cruel conspiracy. He finds himself framed for a crime he didn’t commit, sent to prison, and forced to uncover a dark truth.
How Taejoong’s Life Was Stolen
The story begins by showing us Park Taejoong’s simple life. He is a hardworking delivery man and part-time gardener who cares for his younger brother. In a series of small, kind acts, he helps an old woman with her luggage and even moves a dying plant into the shade during his rounds. His life is humble but happy. This normalcy shatters when he finds a ringing phone in some bushes. A woman on the line pleads for help, asking him to deliver the phone to a specific location for a cash reward of 300,000 won, claiming her mother is injured.
Trusting her story, Taejoong agrees. He leaves the phone at the requested spot—a shady, isolated tunnel. Shortly after, he is arrested for a brutal murder. Every single one of his movements that day, including the help he offered, was twisted into a perfect frame-up. Overwhelming evidence, including his couple’s bracelet found at the crime scene, is used against him in court. He is swiftly convicted and sentenced to prison, his protests of innocence completely ignored.
The Brutal Reality of Prison and a Shocking Truth
Life behind bars is a daily torment for Taejoong. He faces brutal torture and bullying from other inmates, which breaks him down physically and mentally. The final blow comes when his public defender, Kim Sangrak, shows him a live-streamed video suggesting his brother has died by suicide. Shattered by grief and hopelessness, Taejoong tries to end his own life.
He is saved by the intervention of a prison chaplain, Noh Yongsik, who encourages him to find strength and a reason to live. Taejoong spends the next five years rebuilding himself, becoming stronger and even planting a garden within the prison walls. A major turning point occurs when a new, young inmate arrives with a story identical to Taejoong’s—falsely accused and represented by the same lawyer, Kim Sangrak. When this inmate is later found dead, Taejoong confronts Sangrak, who casually implies he might have been involved in the death of Taejoong’s brother. This confirms Taejoong’s suspicion that his imprisonment was no accident but a deliberate setup, hardening his resolve for revenge.
The Mastermind Behind the Curtain
The third episode pulls back the curtain to reveal the villain of the story: An Yohan, played by EXO’s D.O. He is a cold, calculating, and powerful figure who manipulates people from the shadows. The series shows him orchestrating complex schemes, using his influence and bribes to control events both inside and outside the prison. He is the one pulling Kim Sangrak’s strings.
Realizing the system is rigged against him, Taejoong decides his only path to justice is to escape. He begins crafting a detailed plan, creating replica keys and biding his time. However, Yohan is always one step ahead. He sends a doctor into the prison for a vaccination drive, who secretly injects Taejoong with a warfarin-based poison. With a limited time before the poison takes full effect, Taejoong is forced to accelerate his escape plan.
A Daring Escape and a Final Confrontation
In the fourth episode, Taejoong puts his escape plan into motion. He causes a disruption to the prison’s power supply and makes a desperate run for freedom. However, the poison coursing through his body weakens him at a critical moment. Just as he is about to get away, he collapses and is dragged back into custody.
The episode concludes with a powerful scene that sets the stage for the battles to come. Yohan arranges, through bribery, for a group of inmates to be assigned to external labor under his control. All the prisoners, including a disheveled and confused Taejoong, are paraded before him. For the first time, the two men lock eyes, the orchestrator and his victim finally face to face, setting the scene for their impending conflict.
New episodes of “The Manipulated” are released weekly. Episodes 5 and 6 will be available on Disney+ on November 12, 2025.
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