When the Phone Rings

The cast was good ,the story was perfect until the middle of series , incensario the vague excuse to leave ,the directors didn't use chapters 8-10 to explain the plot very well chapter 11 and 12 should have been the happiest , and could have explained well why the main character left that as a first point ,the second thing I didn't like the main character holding back when hugging the main character, it is known that in the novel he does the opposite and that the main character treats her mother well was like an insult to the Hong Hoo jee in the novel,as a 3 point i loved the kissing scenes and the story in general is very strong and somewhat emotional and the songs of say my name by Yoo Yeon seok amazing and also the song by Lim Yeon Numb really describe how the characters in the drama and the novel feel congratulations for the artists who made these songs, i hope and wish very much to see Yoo Yeon seok and Chae Soo Bin again in other projects together love them and missed them.

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Get divorced.

I was totally captivated with this for the first third when the plot centers on our main couple. The set up is really good, the tension prickly. I was still invested but was growing skeptical in the middle section, when the plot began to rely more heavily on dangling information and constantly changing the stakes. When it veered sharply into the political thriller elements in the last act without resolving anything previously established, I begin to get bored with it. It had strayed from it's emotional core to become consumed with dramatic reveals and sudden twists as part of a thematic conversation about money, power and family obligation.

Hong Hui Ju is an an extremely compelling situation and it's incredible to watch her navigate it when presented with a fortuitous opportunity to escape. I loved the idea of these layers of obligation, and the shifting of identity inherent in this situation. Chae Soo Bin is mostly called upon to make big, wet, sad eyes, which she does incredibly well.

Yoo Yeon Seok as Baek Sa Eon has a controlled intensity as Cool Professional Guy With A Tragic Past. He's sharp, clearly a man set on balancing the multitude of demands on his life while trying to outsmart the architects of it. He's also a generally bland hero the likes of which we have seen before.

When their exchanges begin, they're riveting. Desire, love, protection, secrets, lies, frustration, obligation, despair, desperation- it all mixes together gloriously as they both navigate their familial, professional and intimate restrictions. As they can finally communicate after years of polite, strained silence.

But, ultimately, it founders when you start to think about what you're watching. About what motivates what came before, and what is supposed to come after. They're reluctant to portray Hong Hui Ju as traumatized as she probably should be-or as anything more nuanced than the Korean Nice Girl Who Suffers. Chae Soo Bin 's performance lacks depth and maturity. Yoo Yeon Seok's lacks cohesion- as truths are revealed about Baek Sa Eon, his past behavior becomes increasingly difficult to understand. Nothing of his interior existence is ever really explored. The show never goes into the emotional trenches. They're so busy making 'shocking' revelations about who did what when that they forgot to create any kind of emotional foundation. It's honestly a great set up- why not explore it?

They're a strangely sexless couple as well. Part of this is the chemistry of Chae Soo Bin and Yoo Yeon Seok, which is pretty flat. The other part is an obvious shying away from admitting either of these people have sex drives, and that they might be sexually frustrated with their sterile, strained marriage. There's something faintly juvenile and off-putting about a show which faces corruption and child-murder head on, but demures in the face of adult sexuality.

Instead of exploring the conflict inherent to their specific and unique emotional situation show constantly creates artificial drama in the editing. Most of the show is edited at a brisk pace that kept me engaged, but the longer the show went on, the more they fell back on a trick I don't like; They show you a scene, then later show you that that wasn't actually how the scene went- not as a matter of a character's perception, but by omission of the initial edit. Sometimes it's to leave you on a cliffhanger, but sometimes it's just there to keep you in unnecessary 'suspense' a little longer. It's cheap and dumb.

The show does have a lot of criticism for Korean families and power. However, the messaging falls flat. Too often characters are painted with cartoonish strokes to justify the heightened soapy nonsense, but it is paired with attempts at honest pathos and gritty drama. The dual tones don't mesh.

The final episode is just off-putting. It is another method of creating completely fake and senseless drama when there's a plethora of actual stuff to deal with. It fully underscores that these two people have resolved nothing, don't understand each other and don't know how to communicate.

Is it bad? No. Just disappointing.

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"tell me how not to love you"

if you’re looking for a "human" take on When the Phone Rings (2024), it’s basically the ultimate "toxic but I can't stop watching" vibe. It starts off feeling like a cold, high-stakes political thriller, but it’s actually a deep dive into a marriage that’s been frozen in silence for three years.
Baek Sa-eon (Yoo Yeon-seok) is that classic, sharp-edged lead who acts like he doesn't have a heart, but the moment his wife, Hong Hee-joo (Chae Soo-bin), is threatened by a mysterious kidnapper, he absolutely loses his mind. What makes it hit so hard is the communication barrier—literally, because Hee-joo is a sign language interpreter who doesn't speak due to past trauma. When that first phone call happens, it forces them to finally "talk" after years of just existing in the same house. It’s intense, a little dark, and has that high-tension chemistry where you’re just waiting for the ice to break.
The drama is really about him helping her find her voice again, even if he has to burn his own reputation down to do it
Once he realizes how much Hee-joo has been suppressed, his "advice" isn't through words—it’s through becoming her shield.

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I got completely sucked into this series; I watched each subsequent episode with real curiosity, wanting to uncover the truth. A lot was happening here—probably too much for some people—but I personally liked it. Plenty of secrets and dirty laundry on both families’ sides.

I’ll try to briefly go over everything, although for the first time I actually find it difficult to do so. Let’s start with the first main couple—Hong Hui Ju & Baek Sa Eon. Hong Hui Ju was definitely my favorite character. Her development throughout the series was very interesting. Through love, she gained self-confidence and the courage to finally fight for her true “self.” Overall, their relationship was amazing—despite many adversities, they were the most important people to each other and never doubted the meaning of their relationship once they understood their feelings. They fought for each other’s happiness, and therefore for their shared happiness as well. They didn’t push each other away when more brutal facts from their past came to light; instead, they supported one another. With the exception of the final detail that made him decide to leave to atone—but fortunately, she found him and put an end to that.

Now let’s move on to both families, where the situation was the most complicated. That complexity caused some storylines to remain underdeveloped. It’s hard to describe it coherently, because so many things are interconnected, but I’ll try.

It’s hard to even know where to start. In short, you could say that everyone was mentally ill, but I’ll begin with the real Paik Se-eon (the Hijacker). From childhood he had psychopathic tendencies, and instead of sending him to therapy, his family decided to cover up his murders and lock him in a room—then they tried to kill him, replacing him with the main protagonist. Sim Gyu Jin, the mother who later tried again to shield him from responsibility, led to his death, and she herself rotted in prison—even though she could have saved him by locking him up in prison or a psychiatric hospital. Baek Eui Yong—the father—cared only about his career, for which he was willing to do anything, even renounce his family, despite not being any better than them himself. Why was he free and not in prison? He knew about his son’s crimes and pretended that the kidnapped child was his. The same goes for the stepfather of the female lead, Hong Il Gyeong—he also knew about his son’s murder at the hands of that family and stayed silent about it until the very end. This whole matter was basically swept under the rug, and no one was held accountable.

Baek Jang Ho—his “grandfather,” who later suddenly turns out to be his biological father. WTF? Why was this dropped on us as casually as if they were talking about what they had for dinner yesterday? It wasn’t developed at all and came completely out of nowhere. Did he abandon him as a child? And then take him back, knowing he was his son? Who was his mother, then? And why did he grow up with Jung Sang Hun/Jung Jin Seok? So many questions and zero answers. It feels like this was thrown in just to force the main couple’s separation because of his guilt.

Outside of all that psychiatric mess, there was also the female lead’s mother, who wasn’t much better. Kim Yeon Hui forced her daughter, for a stupid reason, to pretend she couldn’t speak after the accident, and later forced her into marriage. She treated her horribly—and then what? Suddenly, after her disappearance, she realized her mistakes. The problem is that we never saw any sincere conversation between them, only a sweet scene of them sitting at the table in a warm family atmosphere. And then there’s the older half-sister—Hong In A—I had mixed feelings about her. At first I thought she was just pretending and would turn out to be manipulative. Later it turned out that wasn’t exactly the case, but I still couldn’t fully like her. She manipulated in a different way—she wanted to get closer to her sister by separating her from a relationship she believed was bad. She wanted her freedom, but at the same time couldn’t accept that her sister felt free with him and truly loved him. She had a big influence on his decision to leave.

In short, the only normal person in this whole family fucking mess—someone you could actually like and sympathize with—was the female lead’s biological father, Na Jin Cheol. The problem was that he was staying in a facility, so we didn’t get many scenes with him, and he didn’t remember much himself, so he couldn’t really help untangle the chaos.

In that chaos, there was one more person: Park Do Jae. I knew that handsome face had a second layer to it, so I wasn’t surprised he turned out to be a “traitor.” Still, I excuse him. He was seeking justice for his brother and redeemed himself once he learned that the main character wasn’t the one he wanted revenge on. I’m glad that in the end we were shown that they forgave each other and started working together again—although I don’t necessarily understand what exactly they’re doing now, lol.

The last storyline is the second couple: Na Yu Ri & Ji Sang U. At first, they both had feelings for members of the main couple, but they weren’t annoying about it. In the end, they got together, and I rooted for that throughout the entire series—but at the same time, I feel unsatisfied. This storyline was very shallow, considering they’re also main characters. On top of that, we were given signs along the way that they were starting to feel something for each other, but the final scene announcing that they’re together slightly changed my perception of them as a couple. I had the impression that Ji Sang U was still looking at Hong Hui Ju with a strange feeling, which makes me unsure about the sincerity of his feelings toward Na Yu Ri—but I prefer to convince myself that this look simply meant he was happy about his friend’s happiness.

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Late to the Hype, But Completely Worth It

This drama wasn't even on my kisskh watchlist. I only decided to watch it recently out of curiosity, and although I'm a little late to the hype, I genuinely think it deserves all the praise it received.

What immediately stood out to me was how unique the premise felt. A selectively mute female lead paired with a presidential spokesperson male lead created such an interesting contrast. Their relationship initially appeared to be nothing more than a political arrangement, but as the story progressed, it became clear that there was much more beneath the surface.

The twists were some of the drama's biggest strengths. The revelation that Hong Hee-joo had been living as a stand-in for In-na, followed by the even bigger reveal that Baek Sa-eon himself was also a stand-in and not the "real" Sa-eon, completely changed the way I viewed the story. Looking back, many of their actions and choices suddenly made much more sense.

What I loved most was the emotional depth between the leads. Knowing that Sa-eon had already discovered that Hee-joo was 406 and understood the loneliness, pain, and sacrifices she had endured throughout their three-year marriage made his character even more compelling. The fact that he chose to silently protect and understand her rather than immediately reveal the truth added another layer to their relationship.

The ending was satisfying and emotional, giving the story the closure it deserved.

My only real criticism is that I wish Hong Hee-joo had been written as a slightly stronger character. She was already a well-developed and sympathetic heroine, but I felt there was still untapped potential in her. Considering how much she had bottled up over the years, I wanted to see her express herself more and have moments where she truly stood up for herself.

As for the antagonists, I appreciated how the drama incorporated family conflicts and political power struggles. From the mother and father to the grandfather and the real Sa-eon, each villain served their purpose in the story. However, while they were effective plot devices, none of them became the kind of villains that truly made my blood boil or left a lasting impression. Their arcs were decent, but not particularly exceptional.

Overall, this was a surprisingly enjoyable watch. It offered a refreshing premise, strong plot twists, and a relationship that gradually unfolded in a rewarding way. Despite a few flaws, it's a drama I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for something different from the usual romance formula.

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Almost great

This drama started out SO strong. The fake marriage trope is common but this was such a thrilling twist on it with Hee-joo's voice being a secret and the kidnapper — I was on the edge of my seat for most of episodes.

I still enjoyed this overall, but in hindsight it leaves some more things to be desired. A lot of the side characters are underutilized, particularly Heejoo's sister I-na and the second ship, Yu-ri and Sang-woo. Yu-ri being a reporter ends up not really accounting to anything, and I-na's return also doesn't do much. Instead, the main leads are put through the ringer, with the female lead being put in danger over and over again. The tension is there but it does get repetitive.

I also really have to talk the last episode. It was just...bad. (And yes, I know it's in the novel, but I'm reviewing this based on drama only.) The last minute ghosting/separation is a trope that I've long-hated in kdramas, and this drama took it to another level by making this last arc just utterly random, in an active warzone in another country. It not only feels completely out of place, but there's just not enough time for all of this to happen, when I would've preferred that they just leave time for the characters to just talk to each other, and for more character relationships to be wrapped up. Hee-joo's relationship development with her mother is interesting but so rushed. Overall, the ending just doesn't quite hit; I find it hard to believe that the ML and his assistant would be able to get new government jobs after everything they've done and been in the public eye for. It wraps things up nicely but feels lazy.

Ultimately, this was still a pretty good watch, but the last episode hiccup is quite a big one.

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Those who haven’t read the book can’t understand how perfect this is.

This drama was as close to the book while retaining its own essence. People hating in attitude details in the last episode have obviously not read the novel and why it was added. I do wish his reason for going and disappearing was made same as the book because imo it had a stronger effect but still I loved how they wrapped up everything nicely. if you know the novel is pretty long and I was worried how it would be composed in only 12 episodes. I do love the drama a lot. Yoo Yeon suk will forever remain my favourite actors, he owns each character he portrays. The book however had a lot of things I found better than the drama. the reason for the car crash one of them. In A was the one who noticed that paek sa eon was different from when she saw him before. it’s she who they tried to kill. her brother wasn’t the target. Anyways the list of pros and cons between both the novel and the drama is too long. I loved them both individually. it’s a must watch drama. The chemistry is off the Charts.

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ending completely ruined it all for me

Finale episode aside cuz I’m pretending majority of that episode didn’t happen……. I really enjoyed this show ????? idk it felt like something new while also keeping familiar tropes and all that. I love love loveeeee marriage for convenience tropes that actually result in a cute couple. And I’m glad they developed a lot of the side characters. It was silly and suspenseful and romantic, which is everything I love in a drama. We’re so back.

Edit: Coming back to change my rating of this show bc someone pointed out the weird Palestine israhell reference they tried to make in the last episode and it finally clicked why the weird randomass side-plot didn't sit well with me at all. Actually insane and disgusting.

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A must watch k-drama

Overall this drama was excellent. A compelling and intriguing storyline and cliffhangers that made me anxiously awaiting the new episodes on Friday and Saturday. The chemistry between the ML & FL was sizzling hot. A classic makjang drama where certain logic must be disregarded. I am not usually into romances but I have watched this series a total of 5 times since it first aired.
Episode 1-10 were great
Episode 11 was good up to the last 10 mins when ML confronts kidnapper. Why did he get out of the car? That didnt make any sense but I can live with that.
Episode 12. What was that? The writers literally lost the plot during the first half of this episode. I have read the novel and he disappears in that but the context was different and did not translate well into the drama. I get that he needed time to 'punish' himself etc but why leave FL in the dark. After all they had been through and were finally able to communicate with each other, he pulls that stunt! If she hadnt gone to Argan to get him would he have even bothered going back to her? It seemed totally out of character. This storyline did not sit well with me. It was lazy and I felt cheated after being so invested in this drama.
In saying that, the second part of the episode was fine though. Glad they got their happy ending.
They came so close to a perfect 10/10 but ultimately failed in the last episode.

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Great Start, Underwhelming Finish

Many people have been quick to give this series a perfect 10 after watching just a few episodes, but in my opinion, it doesn't quite deserve that praise. The show started off with a great concept and an exciting premise, and for the first few episodes, it was genuinely engaging. However, as the story progressed, it lost its momentum and began to feel like a typical, average K-Drama.
The character development was lacking, and the characters didn’t evolve in a meaningful way, which made it hard to stay connected to them. Though the acting was solid, I never fully immersed myself in it; there were moments where it felt like the actors were merely performing, not truly living their roles.
I do believe reviews should be written after watching the entire series, not just the first few episodes. This is definitely not a 10/10 in my book.

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