When the Phone Rings

Both dramas start with ML and FL being a married couple in an unhappy marriage. The story revolves around them and viewers will learn more hidden story behind.

- Both are romantic thrillers with a dark vibe
- in both series, there are secrets between the spouses
- both dramas deal with mental health issues

Similar Genre
Both series delve into the darker aspects of human nature, whether it's the psychological toll of betrayal or the manipulative tactics used by antagonists
Both have themes of revenge and betrayal

In Ji works for a contract marriage provider in NM. The company provides its clients with a spouse for a fixed-term 1-year contract marriage. In Ji has finished her 4th contract marriage. She meets Jeong Won for her 5th contract marriage. Jeong Won works as a music producer. His life is filled with anxiety and loneliness due to the pain from his past. He still badly misses his ex-wife, Seo Yeon, who applied for the spouse-providing company NM for him.

Jeong Won meets In Ji from NM, and he begins his second marriage with her. They get to know each other and get used to each other as time passes. One day, a mysterious trunk is recovered from a lake. This leads them into a whirlwind of secrets behind the NM company.

Same premise of thriller romance. I get the same vibe with the plot with having a delicate female lead at front but badass strong on the inside.

When the Phone Rings" and "Love's Ambition" share thematic and narrative similarities despite their different contexts and characters. Here's how they are similar:

Marriage of Convenience vs. Superficial Relationship:
Both stories portray relationships that appear strong or perfect to outsiders but are fraught with underlying issues. In When the Phone Rings, the marriage between Baek Sa Eon and Hong Hui Ju is one of convenience and lacks genuine emotional connection. Similarly, in Love's Ambition, the marriage between Xu Yan and Shen Hao Ming is built on appearances and control rather than mutual understanding.

Superficial Masks and Rediscovery:
Both narratives explore the theme of shedding facades. In Love's Ambition, the characters rediscover their true selves and each other as they confront their differences. In When the Phone Rings, the kidnapping event forces Sa Eon and Hui Ju to reevaluate their relationship and themselves.

Professional and Social Challenges:
Both feature protagonists whose careers place them in the public eye—Hui Ju as a sign language interpreter and Xu Yan as a TV anchor. Their professional lives and public images significantly influence their personal relationships.

Themes of Emotional Growth and Healing:
Both stories involve the characters navigating personal growth and emotional healing. In When the Phone Rings, the incident leads to potential healing in Sa Eon and Hui Ju's relationship. Similarly, Love's Ambition focuses on Shen Hao Ming’s realization of love and their journey toward reconciliation.

Strong Female Leads in Media Roles:
Both Hui Ju and Xu Yan are career-driven women working in media-related fields. Their strength and independence are central to the plot and their evolving relationships with their spouses.

It also has the female lead kidnapped troop .And the main leads is also living in a dead married life without any love between them .After the female is kidnapped,the male lead understands his true feelings for her.

Qiao Chu was forced to pretend to be mute for 20 years after witnessing a crime as a child. Now, she is married to Chu Yifan and pregnant. During a kidnapping incident, Qiao Chu mistakenly thought her husband doesn't want her or their child. In order to keep her baby and get her husband to divorce her, she poses as the kidnapper and interacts with Chu Yifan over the phone. Gradually, the misunderstandings between them are cleared up, and with her husband's encouragement, Qiao Chu becomes her true self again.

They both have serious but devoted men who go crazy over their endangered lovers. Both men also look good in a suit! ?

Similar to WTPR, in this drama, FL takes on the role of her twin sister after she disappears. Therefore, she is forced to play the fiancée of her sister's boyfriend, but she is already making plans to escape. Compared to WTPR, it's more of a light romcom.

"Behind your Smile" is a thriller with romantic elements, just like WTPR. The ML in this story is like Baek Sa Eon rather cold and dark. However, he is obsessed with revenge and wants to get back at the FL who is very innocent and naive. Their relationship slowly changes. The drama is mainly carried by Marcus Chang's acting and his amazing chemistry with his co-star.

Both starts with a complicated love/hate relationship, and the Male Lead has been secretly in love with the Female lead for many years.

Both ml give same vibe.
What's wrong with secretary kim. Fl wants to resign from job and get married. Ml her boss proposed her to marry him without confessing he likes her.
When the phone rings: same. We viewer's know ml likes fl. But ml never confessed and fl is clueless.
Both are Adapted from webtoon.

Both are set in the workplace, with fake relationships and melodramatic dangers galore. If you enjoy giggling and kicking your feet at the romcom clichés of Dynamite Kiss, then you will also enjoy When the Phone Rings.

- Both have a cold ML;
- in both dramas, the leads are in an arranged marriage;
- both dramas are romantic thrillers.