The First Man Episode 126: Ham Eun-jung Uses Psychological Warfare to Force a Confession

'The First Man', an MBC daily drama, pushed Oh Jang-mi's (Ham Eun-jung) revenge one step further. In episode 126 broadcast on June 12, Jang-mi and Kang Baek-ho (Yoon Sun-woo) drove a wedge between Chae Hwa-young (Oh Hyun-kyung) and Lee Kang-hyuk (Lee Jae-hwang), then attempted to elicit a confession by exploiting the anxiety that the other might betray them first.

While the confinement scene appeared to be the most intense on the surface, the core of this episode was not revenge through physical force, but psychological warfare designed to dismantle the relationship between the two.

Chae Hwa-young Trapped in the Basement and the Shaken Accomplice Relationship

Chae Hwa-young was surrounded by Chairman Ma (Lee Hyo-jung), Jeong Suk-hee (Jung So-young), and Oh Jang-mi while trapped in the basement. Jeong Suk-hee was enraged by Chae Hwa-young's attitude of seeking money first, and Chairman Ma's emotions exploded as she recalled the time her lost daughter and granddaughter had endured.

What Jang-mi aimed for here was not simple venting. To Hwa-young, who was holding out claiming there wasn't enough evidence, Jang-mi planted the thought that Lee Kang-hyuk might find a way to survive first, setting the stage so that the two would be unable to trust each other.

The 'prisoner's dilemma' used in this episode might sound like a difficult term, but it worked intuitively within the drama. It is the fear that if the two keep their mouths shut until the end, they can hold out, but if one side confesses first, the other side alone will suffer even more. Jang-mi and Baek-ho exploited this weakness, and the confinement scene served as a device to open the later conflicts rather than just being a provocative incident.

The Reason Why Episode 126 Clung to the Confession

'The First Man' is a daily drama airing Monday to Friday at 7:05 PM. In a format where conflicts must be built and passed to the next episode within a short daily timeframe, a character's slip of the tongue or betrayal exerts more power than a single large twist.

This is also why the current episode prioritized the confession. Depending on which crimes Chae Hwa-young and Lee Kang-hyuk actually admit to, Chairman Ma's anger, Jeong Suk-hee's wounds, and Jang-mi's revenge could all shift in a different direction at once.

If the early Jang-mi was closer to the side enduring damage, the current Jang-mi has transformed into a character who returns the very methods the opponent used. This change creates catharsis but simultaneously increases the danger. The moment the pressure to obtain a confession crosses the line, the legitimacy of the one seeking revenge will inevitably be shaken. Thus, episode 126 remains an episode that corners the perpetrators while questioning how far Jang-mi is willing to go.

Lee Kang-hyuk's Mouth and Kang Jun-ho's Suspicion

The next focus is on Lee Kang-hyuk's choice. He moved as if still on the same side by seeking out Chae Hwa-young first, but as the isolated situation prolongs, the interests of the two may diverge.

The storyline in which Kang Jun-ho (Park Gun-il) plants suspicion about Chairman Ma in Baek-ho also carries weight. If cracks spread even within the group of people standing on the side of revenge, the latter half of 'The First Man' will transition from a fight ending with a single confession into a fight that brings out each person's hidden sins and desires.