When the Phone Rings

I devoured it, but...

t starts promisingly and immediately draws you in with a combination of tension, passion and mystery. The first half is literally electrifying - you could cut the chemistry between the main characters with a knife. It has great dynamics, full of sexual tension and perfectly timed dramatic twists. Unfortunately, this quality will not last. The other half forgot their strengths. The script slips into telenovela clichés, the tension between the main characters loses its spark, and their passionate scenes are replaced by lifeless sweet ones. The final part is just the last blow. While the beginning promised a complex and captivating story, the stumbling block was the ending. The plot was slowly lost. The 12th episode was crazy and the plot didn't make sense. The main man made decisions that were not only questionable, but completely pointless. What did the creators come up with? I didn't understand that.

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A drama with a LOT of emotions and mostly just precious love

This drama. Was. AMAZING. Honestly like every character has so much depth and it felt like you could see from everyone's POV like hating them but also understanding their cruelty. It just had so much emotional depth I think. The story is essentially revolving around how things aren't always what they seem really but it's also about discovering true love, learning about love and honestly just cherishing it. It's definitely wholesome. It's how two people that are lying to each other in a marriage are finally learning to overcome these scandals and learn to truly love each other. It's incredible. The acting was absolutely mind blowing, every scene had me hooked, it felt like the scenes came ryt out of a book lol if was fantastic. The cast have done an impeccable job with this one. The music too was very touching and sweet and melodious and just perfect. Each scene was just perfection. And the OST had me melting.. Overall, This was a really emotionally well played drama with lots of mind-blowing twists and soulmates that share such a precious love it makes me want to bottle it up and just admire it T-T 📳👐🏻👰🏻‍♀️💖🧑🏻‍💼🗣️📢🪪

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A Masterpiece of Suspense and Emotion – "When the Phone Rings"

"When the Phone Rings" is a beautiful and emotional love story that keeps you hooked from start to finish. What makes it special is that the main couple, Baek Sa-eon (Yoo Yeon-seok) and Hong Hee-joo (Chae Soo-bin), have a strong and healthy relationship—they face challenges together without unnecessary breakups or misunderstandings. Their love feels real, filled with deep trust and support. The drama blends romance and mystery in a way that keeps you engaged, with stunning visuals and heartfelt moments. It’s the perfect watch if you want a touching, well-written love story that leaves you feeling warm and satisfied.
The lead actors deliver powerhouse performances, bringing raw emotion and depth to their roles. You’ll find yourself rooting for them, crying with them, and even questioning their decisions as they navigate the moral dilemmas presented by the mysterious phone.
Visually, this drama is stunning. The cinematography is moody and atmospheric, perfectly capturing the tension and emotion of each scene. The use of lighting and color palettes enhances the storytelling, creating a sense of unease and wonder. And let’s not forget the soundtrack – a hauntingly beautiful score that lingers in your mind long after the episode ends.
At its core, When the Phone Rings is a story about redemption, forgiveness, and the power of human connection.
In short, When the Phone Rings is a must-watch. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions, a puzzle of mysteries, and a testament to the power of storytelling. Don’t miss out on this incredible journey – answer the call and dive into this unforgettable drama!

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A drama that gets better with every episode

I've never been a big fan of popular dramas or those that are more cliché, but I really feel like I enjoyed watching this drama and I don't feel like I wasted my time at all. Although I must confess that during the first few episodes I wasn't enjoying it that much, more or less until episode 5 I felt like the story didn't make much sense, but as the episodes went by, the story started to get better and it caught me little by little, so much so that in the last episodes I was really excited and just wanted to know what was going to happen at the end. I think that the story is the most remarkable thing about the drama, that it's the most important thing and that it's definitely worth watching at least once.

But if I had to say something bad about the drama it would definitely be that there are many things that don't make sense in real life and that could end up being absurd like the whole sequence on the mountain and what comes after, also the last episode and the ending is a bit confusing and you could end up losing the thread.

Other than that, it's really a drama that I enjoyed a lot, with a good story, a good main couple with very good chemistry, a very good side couple as well, and also funny moments that can really make you laugh, not like in some other dramas, I really recommend watching this.

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Enjoyable but disconcerting.

There's a lot to enjoy about this drama. Both leads play their roles well, especially ML is compelling. FL is less compelling, especially in beginning episodes she just didn't look that terrified at being kidnapped - but playing the quietly submissive person who pleases everyone to survive - that was convincing - having large doe eyes helps, and there is a warmth to her role that draws you in. The chemistry between the pair is great, of course, it helps they're both good to look at. The age gap between the leads is a little distracting, as they are supposed to be similar in age, but they're both too cute together for me to be bothered that much. It kind of suits the drama that he looks quite a bit older as he is quite dominating and paternalistic.

There are quite a few times where we have to suspend judgement - especially around the FL being a sign language interpreter. As a person who cannot speak, she can only interpret one way - and yet there are many situations when two way interpreting is required, so another interpreter is bought along to support her. It's also odd that she signs to the British ambassador's wife in Korean sign language as the two sign languages are not mutually intelligible. Kudos to the actress though, she did look comfortable signing and learning those sequences would not have been easy. I use my country's sign as a second language, so it's comforting for me to see sign language taking a central role in a drama.

As in many Korean dramas, the inequality of the sexes in terms of influence and power stands out starkly to an outside observer. Often older women are portrayed as malicious and vain, and you wonder if that's because it's the only way they ever get to exert any influence. This particular dynamic is on clear display in this drama, and although it's there to add tension and not to make any kind of social commentary, it's such a force in this show that it's hard to ignore.

I am often struck too by how often the male lead tells the female lead to stand up for herself and in the next breath he orders her around under the guise that she doesn't know how to take care of herself. It seems like this is all the usual romantic trope of the powerful and commanding male lead and on screen it works a charm, but in real life it would be regarded as toxic masculinity.

So I find myself regularly suspending judgement and going a long for the ride. It's an enjoyable ride, as long as you don't think about it too much.

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A very welcome comeback of the romantic thriller in Kdrama form

Yess a romantic thriller ! And a spicy one, even. I love those. It's old school for a Kdrama, bringing back the red flag CEO antihero, and I'm here for it. Usually we start contract marriage plots before (or right after) the wedding, but this one takes us after three long, cold, loveless years, when our heroïne is on the verge of exploding. And explode, she does ! And takes a very unusual and dangerous approach. The drama is so well done, I'm surprised at the level of directing and acting involved in this. Also, for once, here is a show that relies on showing and almost never on telling. There is a lot going on here visually. Plot wise, I know Kim Ji Won is a controversial writer, but I always find her work fascinating, never boring, and thought-provoking (I'm one of the few people who enjoyed Cheongdamdong Alice and Melancholia from start to finish). Her adaptation of the webtoon is very fairy-tale like, it's Sleeping Beauty coded with a "dormant" cursed heroïne, the theme of sexual awakening, the toxic queen moms and absentee fathers. They also cite the Little Mermaid, and I can see its influence with the heroïne who can't speak, loves her prince in silence and feels like a tortured stand-in for his bride. Talking about the actors, I'm so glad that Chae Soo Bin is sharing the screen with Yoo Yeon Seok, they are such a strong pairing. She's fire, he's ice, so take a seat and enjoy the ride.

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Interesting Story Line

At first I wasn’t sure about this drama but I have it a chance. It has an unusual story line. The main leads worked well together. Kudos to FL for her sign language skills. that must have taken work to learn everything. the ML/FL worked well together. They played their characters well. I also enjoyed the second leads. They worked well together and I think they would be good in another drama. As far as the last episode goes…I think it could have flowed better. They could have taken the jungle story line out of it. It ruined it and the flow of the drama. I wanted to give this a 10 but the ending wasn’t right and was a bit disappointing.

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There was a lot of hype about this drama, so I was curious to see how good it was and if it was really worth it. I was hooked from the start and really enjoyed it, as well as the gradual unraveling of the secrets and mysteries that appear in the series. But as we slowly approached the end, I just couldn't get into it. I found it unnecessarily long and I honestly think that 12 episodes are more than enough. Most people complained that they wanted it longer, but I think 12 is okay. There's no need to prolong it unnecessarily. The idea was great, the actors did a great job, but I was just bored by the approaching end. Of course, there were moments of action that we couldn't skip and that wasn't possible because you just had to sit through it, but otherwise I found it unnecessarily long and the last episode left me with a huge question mark from the beginning: why? Of course, I rate the ending 10/10 because it was really nice, but before we got to it, it was like x million years...

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Korean screenwriters and ending writing problems

First of all, we should accept this: Baek Sa Eon has a lot of problems. He kidnapped the girl. he didn’t talk with her. he never look the girl. yes he loves her he tried to protect… Guys this is not acceptable.

but story is good . very complicated. you want to wait what happen next. its good I like it…. but why argan? this soldier scene, kidnapping but then bed scene. it isn’t realistic. they already lived very bad things. she can find him when he just sat near the lake. why action. overdose action. then bed scene unrealistic.

My favorite character is sister. I thought she will be crazy bad evil girl but she is very kind and good. she care of Hye Joo and stay for her against to her father. I want to understand Hye Joo’s mom but no. I can’t she is the bad character in the story . same as level of Sa Ein’s mother in the story.

At the end, I didn’t watch last episode properly . I didn’t realize countries name. When I read other comments I understand the situation and I don’t like it. Writer did /something silly.

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