When The Phone Rings
Cast: Yoo Yeon Seok (Baek Sa Eon), Chae Soo Bin (Hong Hee Joo), Heo Nam Jun (Ji Sang U), Jang Gyu Ri (Na Yu Ri), Han Jae Yi (Hong In a), Park Jae Yun (Carjacker/Kidnapper), Choi Woo Jin (Park Do Jae), Yoo Sung Joo (Baek Eui Yong/Baek Sa Eon’s father), Chu Sang Mi (Sim Gyu Jin/Baek Sa Eon’s mother), Hong Il Gyeong (Chairman of Cheongwoon Ilbo), Kim Yeon Hui(Hong Il Gyeong’s 2nd wife/ Hong Hui Joo’s mother), Im Chul Soo (Presidential office manager), Baek Jang Ho (Baek Sa Eon’s grandfather), Kim Tae Han (Fishing Spot owner), Ko Sang Ho (Reporter)
Director: Park Sang Woo, Wi Deuk Gyu
Screenwriter: Kim Ji Won
Based On: The Number You Have Dialed, a web novel by Geon Eomul Nyeo
Production: Bon Factory, Baram Pictures
Platform: Netflix
Original Language: Korean
Network: MBC TV
Running Time: 22nd Nov 2024 to 4th Jan 2025
Rating: 3.5/5
Sleek alloy car wheels and a sleeker pair of shoes, Baek Sa Eon is not only the spokesperson for the President’s office but also the ace negotiator of the Korean government with superlative credentials, including being trained by the FBI. In contrast, his wife Hong Hee Joo, who suffers from selective mutism was overlooked by many as a marriage prospect.
Hee Joo is actually a stand-in for her sister Hong In a, who chose to forfeit the marriage for unknown reasons. Hee Joo and Sa Eon choose to live lives like strangers, until one night when Hee Joo gets carjacked. The assailant, however, is not someone with a monetary agenda in mind as he drops hints at knowing several secrets of the family. Sa Eon’s apathetic reaction to Hee Joo’s abduction, breaks Hee Joo’s heart and she proceeds to blackmail and get Sa Eon to divorce his wife (her) posing as the assailant by calling him every night at 10.00 pm through the assailant’s phone with a voice modulation in place….
I found Sa Eon’s talks with Hee Joo to be like an untrained noob at work; constantly losing his cool, openly frustrated, making random threats and with his emotions running all over the place. Though there is considerable sexual tension between the two during the initial episodes, when their romance finally blooms, Sa Eon flips and starts behaving like an over eager idiot around Hee Joo.
Here’s where I think dramas go overboard in attempting to present perfect male leads..
Both, Sa Eon and Hee Joo experience several near death experiences; with Hee Joo getting abducted twice and pushed over a cliff and Sa Eon getting frequent death threats and even being caught in the midst of an arson.
The drama presents contrasting leads in an interesting manner. Baek Sa Eon is the son of a leading conglomerate; handsome, smart and incredibly capable while Hee Joo is overlooked most of her life and accused of occupying space at the dinner table.One is an ex – anchor and leading spokesperson of the presidential crew and the other mute, allegedly (Oops!) as we later find out.
The only similarity is perhaps the myriad of secrets they hold within themselves regarding their tainted past, as is slowly unfurled one by one in the show.
The key mystery of the show, however, lies in the murders which occurred at the Orphanage, carrying the backstory and past of many key characters in the drama. Good luck in figuring out who’s who. There is a case of serious mistaken identity or should I say interchanged identity? To ruin spoilers. Since, I found parts of the romance overdone and Sa Eon’s reaction going overboard on several occasions, this was the best part of the drama for me.
The show truly has a dramatic and adrenaline filled ending, hinging on whether Hee Jo and Sa Eon can make it? The last two episodes keeps you on edge.
And it’s not just Baek Sa Eon and police vehicles that manoeuvre risky and twisted roads to reach Hee Joo before it’s too late but the audience too, as they try to keep pace with the narrative springing several near misses and teases.
Really liked Sim Gyu Jin’s characterization (Baek Sa Eon’s mother), detached but sharp. A woman who has turned cynical and apathetic due to the numerous sacrifices demanded of her as the daughter-in-law of a big conglomerate.
The second half of episode 12 was unnecessary, it has angsty romance that we could have done without. Yet another kdrama with a dragged out ending.
Overall, When The Phone Rings as a concept contains a good germ of an idea regarding today’s society dynamics. In a world where most conversations happen over phone rather than face to face; this is a fitting base to show the evolution of a couple’s relationship.
