This review may contain spoilers
"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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That last episode ...
Story and ThemesThe story is really great. Not only the plot is interesting, but is also well managed and it's not the classic CEO and girl trope. I couldn’t guess the complete enigma, but trying to find it with the characters was fun for me and well planned by the authors.
The relationship of the main couple is focused on building trust and being each other’s solid ground (the only thing that doesn’t make sense is the amusement park scene – I believe he was following her but why expose her like this?). The slow burn is pleasant, the communication slowly improves and so does the confidence of the female lead, who starts to show her real self to other people. The correct balance of cute couple’s moments and serious things is crucial to grant the viewer an enjoyable watch. I consider this series is a big path to ‘coming out and clean’ of her, the marriage and all the family’s secrets.
The whole blackmailing plot is challenging, but in a good way. It makes sense. One of the feelings I have towards this is disgust for the parents and the grandfather. They made tons of wrong choices, starting with not relying on therapy regarding the child’s matter. And why? I suppose it would be seen as a dishonour or similar. All they cared about was their own image, not the well-being of the boy, in particular the grandfather who had no shame. One key theme here is the influence the environment you are in has on your own actions and thoughts, one example is Paek Sa-Eon’s mother, who loved her son but couldn’t save him, who ended up committing a crime.
Unfortunately, the last episode is a big no. This is a first: the main plot ends and there is a whole episode left. Wasted. Completely wasted. What happen doesn’t make sense at all, nothing that couldn’t be solved with e ten-minutes talk and a catharsis crying together. That time could have been used to say more about the side couple (they don’t kiss even once but they announce a wedding - the propose isn’t shown. I get they are support characters but, on mydramalist, they’re in the main cast), Park Do-Jae’s relationship with the male lead, simply the main couple rebuilding their lives together, in a better way. I briefly read that this is the novel’s ending; the episode could have been structured differently at least.
Acting and characters
Amazing casting choices and fabulous acting. Everyone does a great job, but I particularly appreciate Park Jae-Yun’s performance: terrific! His character is, in my opinion, the most emotionally and physically demanding; best actor of the show (he should have been listed as main character, not support). Chae Soo-Bin and Yoo Yeon-Seok’s portrayal is also awesome. They are true to their feelings, the chemistry is there: the kisses are great, their tears feel natural. Furthermore, their appearances fit aesthetically: I love seeing them together (also, Yoo Yeon-Seok’s back in the last episode is really something, it’s so big I just want to be held by him).
My favourite character is Park Do-Jae. I loved him since the beginning and I cried for him. He’s cool, even cooler in the second half, sentimental and hot. He totally got me. His relationship with the main lead is another one that follows the trust path I mentioned before (or maybe I’m just into bromance). As I said above, I believe there’s a missing conversation between them.
Music and production
Tear-jerking music that matches the atmosphere, good job. Attention to details: nice blood, two-coloured eyes appreciated. The direction isn’t bad, just not my favourite. Few scenes and takes caught my interest. Good lighting and tones; my favourite locations are the orphanage and the fishing house near the lake (or was it the sea?).
Rewatch
I don’t think I’m going to watch this series again but I definitely recommend it. One hundred percent worth watching. I've been thinking about giving 8.5 and not 9 (due to the last episode) but I can't. The actual final rating is 8.8 according to my calculations.
Thank you for reading,
kisses <3
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The phone calls that unravel a carefully constructed life
This drama starts off really strong; the first two episodes are gripping and set up the tension nicely. After that, it slows down a bit and drags through the middle, around episodes 3 to 7 where the pacing feels uneven and some plot threads don't land as well as they should. It found its footing again in the final stretch, with the stakes ramping up and the story pulled me back in.The theme of family secrets is strongly explored in this drama. These secrets are revealed in a gradual, staggered manner, often triggered by the central "phone call" mechanism, which keeps the tension high. The family secrets come out as previously withheld information as well as carefully curated history with altered timelines and suppressed relationships. This is all done to maintain social status and to avoid legal and societal consequences.
The central characters are fundamentally reframed, and their motivations and moral positioning is constantly shaken up with each revelation.
The love story is sweet, but subject to high levels of tension. Initially there is affection between the couple, but it is rarely expressed freely, the couple is guarded with each other. Over time, as they experience events together, trust and intimacy grow until they are able to freely express their love. The chemistry is good between these two.
I found the ending a little, uneven and unexpected, not in concept but in execution. The male lead in particular felt slightly inconsistent in that he reverts to acting for the relationship instead of actively participating in it.
The supporting cast although solid, does just enough to maintain the story, I didn't find any one performance to be particularly great.
Overall, it's a solid watch with a compelling premise and strong moments.
7.5/10
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If you just skip a good chunk of the finale, it's an amazing show
I love love LOVED this story...until the finale. The finale was absolutely awful and honestly ruined the rest of the show for a lot of people. The chemistry between the actors was fantastic and the concept of the story was so unique! I looked forward to the new episode every week! Even though I didn't care for the finale, I'd still recommend!Was this review helpful to you?
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The end that ruined everything
When the phone rings surprised me from the very start. I thought I was going to watch a crimi-like drama with lots of criminal activity, police searches with detectives and a cat-and-mouse kind of plot. But it gave me something so much deeper. I was really into it from the get-go because I didn't expect the female lead to turn out so badass.We follow Hong Hee Jo who has to go through life as a mute due to something her mother once said when she was a young girl. But because of it she's learned sign language and has made it her job to interpret the news readings. She's made something of her life but she carries a secret with her. Behind closed doors, she's the wife of the current Presidential Spokesperson but she cannot ever show her face or appear as his wife. The marriage they have is cold and distant. And when Hee Jo gets abducted by someone who wants to threaten her husband with her life, she finds out just how cold and distant their marriage is.
Burdened by her husband's harsh words, Hee Jo crashes her car and escapes her abductor. By using his untrackeable phone she calls her husband and plots for revenge.
I was on the edge of my seat for so long. Each and every episode had me wanting more and more. The plot was quick and easy to understand. They filled up the gaps swiftly and kept the suspense going. I was binging episodes in between breaks at work and had to force myself to stop watching them when I had to go to sleep. It was so addicting. Almost every episode ends with a cliffhanger.
Positives:
- The chemistry between Hee Jo and Sa Eon was flying off the charts.
- The man who looked like a machine became a soft cinnamon roll. I'm a sucker for storylines like that.
- Arranged marriage becomes true love
- It gave me angst, a romance that made me melt, was an emotional rollercoaster, surprised me at every step and was never predictable
- The suspense was killing me
- I liked the usage of sign language. I don't know it myself but it looked very authentic. And it was so cute when Sa Eon wanted to learn it too and it became their secret language.
Negatives:
- That last episode..... it was a mess. It didn't belong in the show. It was so alien to me that I laughed at the screen the entire time, thinking: what the hell happened? Why are we in the middle of nowhere? Wasn't he shot? Why did her leave after everything they've been through? Is she really wearing that in the middle of an open warzone? 6 months?? HE LEFT FOR 6 MONTHS WITHOUT A WORD? WHY?
- The ending was dumb
- It ruined the entire show for me
- Did I mention the ending sucked?
- I wish I had skipped episode 12
- Truly, the ending didn't make any sense. It was a hot mess. I wanted to give the show a 10 out of 10 but just because I hate the ending so much it turned into an 8 out of 10.
Would I recommend? Yes. But skip the last episode. Or maybe just watch the last 10 minutes of it to save yourself the maddening frustration that comes with watching the whole thing.
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Fantastic romance, OK thriller
This is truly a romance drama with a thriller backdrop - and the romance is where this series excels. The thriller aspect, though interesting, is lazily written and has many small plot holes. But the evolving relationship between the leads and their smoldering chemistry is captivating. The final episode falters a bit in the first half, but the ending is more than satisfactory. I did not expect to to love WTPR this much, yet it has been added to my list of all-time favorite dramas.Was this review helpful to you?
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Not worth the 8.9
When I look at other shows rated around a 9 like Crashlanding On You and Hometown Cha Cha Cha, for example, it becomes clear that this one has been overrated.My main issue is that I don’t think their love story has been build up properly. They didn’t communicate at all during their marriage as she didn’t speak and he didn’t bother to learn sign language. Before that they vaguely knew each other as kids, so what do they love about each other when they barely know each other? And “he’s always loved her” is not an answer. ML did a 180 from cold to washing her hair within like 2 episodes lol. I just don’t see their romance as being realistic. She should’ve just taken revenge with the burner phone instead of the couple’s counseling we got. Every love scene feels so corny to me, like, you guys don’t even know each other be for real. If it was build up properly and slowly before they went in for the big love confession it would’ve been much better. Now I’m left thinking why and when did you fall in love?
The thriller part of it is okay, better than the romance anyway. I don’t think the doctor and news anchor really add anything to the story though. This would’ve worked better as an 8 episode series I think. ML could’ve realised several times that the FL was behind the calls before he finally did in like episode 8. There’s too much romance filler and angst in between.
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A Tale of Two Families
Somewhere inside this melodrama is an excellent story about two people who have trouble communicating with each other and their journey to overcome all and finally open up to each other honestly. The use of the phone calls, sign language and other motifs help to tell this story in a creative away.What is more difficult to achieve in this drama, and where I feel things fall apart a bit especially towards the end, are the more classic drama storylines involving two powerful families with dark secrets and the triller/kidnapper psychotic son. The story simultaneously feels over-bloated and too simplistic - something about the story just does not work by episode 12. However, this is primarily a romance tale, and the superb performances of the cast, particularly Yoo Yeon Seok and Chae Soo Bin as the leads carries the drama to a solid ending.
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wtf?
Liked: unique concept, actingDisliked: writing, wtf ending?
Throughout this show, I just was so frustrated. The original plot line of the show is unique and I imagine that's why other viewers started the show as well. I think they just wasn't sure of the genre of this show and tried doing too many things at once. I felt compelled to finish the series after the first half -- they developed the intrigue of the family mystery and main leads' relationship quite nicely, but I think that fell off in the second half. The second lead's story investigating the missing orphans was interesting, and I wish they had done more to develop their relationship.
They were halfway there with the writing. Such a shame of an interesting plot at the beginning.
Beware of episode 11 and 12! The show just shoved unnecessary plot lines that don't make sense by the end.
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All good except the end
They're adding unnecessary things, and if that wasn't enough, it's something sensitive. And just to include that sensitive topic, they’re willing to ruin the plot. It’s getting ridiculous.The plot was fine before, but they’re the ones ruining their own reputation. I've never seen anyone sabotage their own drama before.
But you did a great job placing that scene at the end of the story. If they had put it at the beginning, I would never have watched all the episodes. So disappointing.
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what a journey it was
when the phone rings is indeed a drama worth remembering because being relatively simple at its core, it brings in a tremendous psychological complexity of its characters and their relationships as well as a nicely developed plotline (though i wish some plotlines weren't so sidelined, but that's just a minor detail).a nearly perfect drama that carried us from 2024 to 2025, and i couldn't be happier about that.
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Laughable ending
Was totally hooked on this series. Couldn't wait for the next episode to come. Even rewatched it before the two last episodes aired... and than Korean 'writers, directors I don't know who' strike again. I don't know if it is a culturale thing/preference. But why on earth is 9 out of 10 times the final episode horrible. Seriously don't know what the makers were thinking. Even worse I think this is one of the worst final episodes of all the k-drama's I have seen. And I have seen a lot. It was so laughable and unbelievable that I had to stop several times during watching the last episode. To the point where I doubted I wanted to finish episode.Ps I think the acting of the 'real' Sa-eon is highly underrated!
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