Balancing sizzling romance and intriguing mystery, the drama treats us to an unforgettable watching experience, keeping us on the edge of our seats from start to finish with its addictive narrative.
Though the ending might not have lived up to our expectations, there is no denying how well-crafted the rest of the show was.
- Main Leads: Yoo Yeon Seok | Chae Soo Bin | Heo Nam Joon | Jang Gyu Ri
- Addictive Meter:
- Overall Rating:
- Rewatch Value:
- K-Dramas of Similar Vibe: Flower Of Evil
When the Phone Rings Series Quick Recap
It has been three years since Spokesperson Baek Sa-eon got married to his wife, Hong Hee-joo. On the surface, it might sound like a typical arranged marriage. Yet everything starts to change after Hee-joo gets kidnapped by an unidentified person who also threatens to reveal Sa-eon’s dark secrets.
When the Phone Rings Series Highlights and Musings
Going into the drama, we didn’t know what exactly to expect from the romance thriller genre, so viewers tend to dive in headfirst for the cast. Yet the drama easily hooks in pretty much no time.
The story begins when the male lead, Baek Sa-eon (Yoo Yeon-seok), receives a call claiming that his wife got kidnapped, and he has to do as the kidnapper says or else…. However, Sa-eon didn’t take it seriously, brushing it off as a spam call and telling the kidnapper to call when there is a corpse.
Heartbroken, our heroine Hong Hee-joo (Chae Soo Nin) crashes the car and snatches the kidnapper’s phone, impersonating her kidnapper and asking her clueless husband for a divorce while having a whale of a time messing with him. We might have seen it coming that Hee-joo can really speak and doesn’t have selective mutism, as everyone believes, but that didn’t make that cliffhanger any less electrifying.
For a man who claimed not to care about his wife and only married her for her family’s influence, Sa-eon almost lost his mind worrying about Hee-joo, hiring her bodyguards, and helping her secure a job at the presidential office to stay within his sight. But if you love your wife that much, tell her already and stop confusing her.
The penny drops and Sa-eon finally realizes that the caller a.k.a “406” is none other than his dear wife. It is here that the romance part comes in full force. Ahat is more swoony than an experienced politician being a novice at love and asking around how to show affection to his wife? It is simpler than you think, dear Sa-eon. You just need to open your tightly sealed mouth and communicate honestly.
Just as things start to look up for our leads, the kidnapper enters the picture once again, pushing off Hee-joo and trapping Sa-eon in a fire. We have to give it for the drama, though, for its tightly woven mystery. I mean, every week we kept making different theories until the drama finally gave us some much-needed answers to our questions.
So, the Sa-eon we know is a stand-in, and the kidnapper is the real Sa-eon who is out for revenge and wants his place back. What a turn of events! We could see how messy Sa-eon and Hee-joo’s families are. But the twist of having Sa-eon being an illegitimate child who was brought up by his half-brother and his wife who lost their child (who is also Sa-eon’s nephew) is something we didn’t see coming. It is the darkest under the lamp.
Until episode 11, the drama felt consistent. Yet the noble idiocy we got in episode 12 was one of our least favorite parts. After giving our leads such an amazing character development, the drama tears our leads apart no thanks to Sa-eon making a unilateral decision to punish himself out of guilt when he is just another victim. Not that our Hee-joo stands for it, getting to where Sa-eon is hiding and bringing him back, but not before getting kidnapped yet again and Sa-eon rescuing her.
Changing his name from Sa-eon to Yu-yeon, getting married again to Hee-joo with his new name, and taking those beautiful wedding photos are fine and all. But we could have gotten there without wasting time on that annoying noble idiocy.
Except for the finale episode, the writing was tight, and the directing fell into the right hands too. Yoo Yeon-seok was exceptional as usual and Chae Soo-bin caught me off guard with her mind-blowing portrayal of Hee-joo. Even without saying a single word, Chae Soo-bin conveyed Hee-joo’s emotions through her facial expressions alone.
The supporting cast was great as well, especially Im Chul-soo, who was a scene-stealer as usual. Heo Nam-joo shined as well and his Ji Sang-woo character will go down in our books as one of the most decent second male leads ever. The guy took the rejection gracefully and helped our leads till the end.
It might have faltered on its way out instead of going out with a bang like we wished. But let’s be forgiving and remember only the good parts. After all, this is one show that had us glued to our screens after getting many mediocre dramas last year. And if someone wishes to reignite their passion for K-Drama, When the Phone Rings is just the ticket.
Photos and Videos: MBC Drama
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