When the Phone Rings Review: A Messy Romance You Won’t Believe

A K-drama that starts with a phone call, ends in a war zone, and somehow loses the plot in between

Korean Drama Name: 지금 거신 전화는 (The Number You Have Dialed)

Where to Watch: Netflix ← *click for direct link*

My Rating: 3.5/10

Average Rating: 8.0/10 (MyDramaList)

One Sentence Description: a show that proves love can survive anything: emotional manipulation, identity fraud, a kidnapping, and a war plot that makes zero sense.

Trailer:

Disclaimer: This review is 100% my opinion — I’m not here to hate, just to share my thoughts! Also, SPOILERS AHEAD, so proceed with caution if you haven’t watched yet. Watch it, come back and let’s see if you agree. Let’s keep the discussion respectful and fun! 💕

Simple Description

When the Phone Rings is about a mute woman married to a man who is emotionally unavailable and haunted by childhood trauma.

⚠️Length Note: This post includes a detailed (and long) story breakdown. Want to skip straight to the review? Jump to the Review

The show opens with our mute protagonist, Hong Hee Joo, flipping off a man on a news screen — her husband, Baek Sa Eon. We quickly learn she has been married to this man for three years and desperately wants a divorce. Why? Because in all that time, he has never once shown her an ounce of affection. We learn that their marriage is a sham, born out of necessity when Hee Joo’s sister, In A, fled on the eve of the wedding. Sa Eon, needing a stand-in wife to save face, married Hee Joo instead, and made it clear from the start that their marriage was purely transactional. To make matters worse, their marriage is a secret . Everyone believes he’s still married to her older sister. And if she wants out? That’ll cost her 2 billion won (around 1.7 million USD) thanks to their ironclad contract. So yeah, she’s stuck.

Baek Sa Eon is a prestigious presidential spokesperson, and Hee Joo is a sign language interpreter for the news. One day, Sa Eon receives a call from a crazed man claiming to have kidnapped Hee Joo and threatening to kill her unless his demands are met. He quickly calls around, and Hee Joo’s mother assures him she’s safe at home. Relieved, he assumes it’s a prank call and plays along, basically coldly responding, “Don’t care, call me when she’s dead.” Harsh, but in his mind, she’s perfectly fine.

Except she’s not. She’s very much in danger. The crazed man is in her car, holding a knife to her neck, and she hears every word of her husband’s callous words. That rage fuels her enough to do the unthinkable … she speaks! Yes, the selectively mute woman, who hasn’t uttered a word in years, breaks her silence in pure fury, demanding the man call Sa Eon back. In an attempt to escape, she slams her foot on the gas, speeds through an eerily empty road and crashes the car. The kidnapper flees and she ends up slightly injured.

Fast forward to an official event where Hee Joo and Sa Eon are present — not as a couple, of course, but as a spokesperson and his interpreter. He casually calls her his “weakness,” which understandably pisses her off, and she storms off. Not long after, he gets another call from the infamous number from before. But this time, something’s different . The caller knows personal details that no one outside his immediate family should know. Sa Eon begins to realise that this isn’t just some prank. His wife was actually in danger, and he (accidentally) told her kidnapper to go ahead and kill her. Yikes.

Meanwhile, Hee Joo is on a mission. After the crash, the kidnapper fled but left his phone behind. So what does she do? She begins posing as the mysterious caller (“406”) to manipulate Sa Eon into either granting her a divorce or paying the 2 billion won she needs to break free. What follows is a tense and emotionally charged game of cat and mouse, with Sa Eon slowly realising the depth of his feelings for Hee Joo. He finally figures out the kidnapping was real, freaks out, and assigns bodyguards to protect Hee Joo.

Enter Sang Woo, Hee Joo’s college friend and a journalist who harbors a crush on her. He, too, is on a mission to solve an orphan disappearance case. Naturally, Sa Eon is jealous. As the drama unfolds, we discover that Sa Eon actually wanted to marry Hee Joo from the start and orchestrated the whole sister-swap himself. While we digest that, we’re dragged into Sang Woo’s side story about missing orphans from his childhood. It doesn’t make much sense at first, but it will.

More chaos ensues ,  Hee Joo’s mute status? Fake. Her mother, a manipulative and overbearing figure, forced Hee Joo into silence as penance for surviving a crash that left her stepbrother dead and her stepsister deaf. Eventually, Hee Joo takes control of her voice and her life and starts to speak. Meanwhile, Sa Eon realises Hee Joo is “406” but keeps pretending not to know so they can continue their secret late-night phone calls. We finally get some real relationship development during a company retreat, but just when things are looking up , someone shoves Hee Joo off a cliff.

Sa Eon, terrified, searches for her while anxiously waiting for a call from “406” (her). She eventually calls, and in a darkly hilarious moment, she’s still pretending to be someone else while he’s having a breakdown. He finds her, rescues her, and she finally admits she was “406.” His response? He already knew. They share a long, awkward kiss and decide to work together to take down the real villain.

Which brings us to the big reveal: Baek Sa Eon is not the real Baek Sa Eon. The man we’ve come to know is an imposter, placed in his role by the real Sa Eon’s grandfather to cover up the family’s dark history. The real Sa Eon, a serial killer who murdered several of Sang Woo’s childhood orphan friends, is alive and seeking revenge against the imposter who took his place (he was also the one who kidnapped Hee Joo at the beginning). On top of that, Sa Eon’s most trusted friend, Park Do Jae? He was secretly working with real Sa Eon the entire time to destroy the fake Sa Eon as his twin brother was one of the murdered orphans. In his defense, he thought fake Sa Eon was involved (real Sa Eon lied). Also, he was the one who pushed Hee Joo off the cliff. Casual.

Meanwhile, Sa Eon’s mother, realising her actual son is alive, teams up with him to ruin fake Sa Eon’s life. She fakes Hee Joo’s death and locks her away. Hee Joo escapes and fake Sa Eon finds her. Just when she and Sa Eon are about to ride off into the sunset, real Sa Eon drops another bomb: Grandpa wasn’t just his grandpa; he was also Fake Sa Eon’s father.

Devastated, Fake Sa Eon sells everything and runs off to fight in a war in a fictional country. Because that’s a totally rational decision. Hee Joo, refusing to let him disappear, follows him  and promptly gets kidnapped by war criminals. But don’t worry, because Sa Eon rescues her in the middle of battle, and they share a dramatic war-zone kiss before heading back to Korea.

In the end, they move to a smaller home and finally get their happy ending. Sang Woo, still dealing with the trauma of his missing orphan friends, get’s engaged to Hee Joo’s friend Yu Ri, who worked on the case with him. The show closes with Hee Joo and Sa Eon having a flirty phone call, followed by them strolling through a forest, laughing and smiling like they didn’t just survive multiple murder attempts, kidnappings, and a war.

The End.

The Review

The Good

The Casting & Plot Twist

Chae Soo Bin as Hee Joo was perfect and Yoo Yeon Seok as Baek Sa Eon was also a good choice. The first two episodes were amazing and it really had you interested instantly— which is harder to do than you think. The plot twist with Baek Sa Eon not actually being Baek Sa Eon and that linking to the orphanage was a good twist. One other thing that I sort of understood and liked was how he started to care for her after she almost died. I especially liked the scene at the beginning when he sees her safe and we see him visibly relax.

The Bad

Buckle up , this is going to be a lot.

Their Relationship (or Lack Thereof)

This had the potential to be a great romance, but instead, it was rushed, messy, and absolutely ridiculous. Let’s break it down.

First off, why was Sa Eon so cold and distant toward Hee Joo for three whole years if he actually wanted the marriage? He planned the whole bride swap and then acted like it was some massive inconvenience to him. At first, I genuinely thought he wanted the older sister and got stuck with Hee Joo by accident. Turns out, he actually wanted to marry her ! To make matters worse, his reasoning for being cold was ridiculous. He was “scared to let her in and care for her.” WHAT? WHY? We’re given no real explanation beyond that.

Some people theorise it’s because of his childhood trauma, but that doesn’t really make sense to me. He was supposed to be Sa Eon until death. There was no replacing him after that. It’s not like they could swap him out again. Plus she didn’t have the money to leave even if she wanted to. So what exactly was stopping him from treating Hee Joo like a human being?

Speaking of which, Hee Joo getting over those three awful years in, like, two minutes was absurd. She spent all that time hating her life and feeling invisible, only for him to show up a couple of times and suddenly she’s completely over it? The deep, unconditional love she had for him was never earned, and frankly, he didn’t deserve it. We should’ve seen him work for her forgiveness, fight for their relationship, and prove himself. Instead, we got… what? One camp retreat? That was it? Very disappointing to say the least.

Then we have his whole “I want to let her go, but I just can’t” moment. Why? Why?! What exactly was preventing him from just… being with her? It’s like they wanted to write a brooding, conflicted male lead but forgot to give him an actual reason to brood or be conflicted. Real Baek Sa Eon would’ve come after her regardless, no hesitation. And, fun fact: Distancing yourself doesn’t erase your feelings,  it just would’ve made things worse. So all he really would’ve done was put Hee Joo in more danger not protecting her while also making her miserable.

The Jealousy…?

This ties into the relationship issue, so let’s address it. Sa Eon had absolutely no reason to be jealous of Sang Woo or the co-worker from the camp retreat. Just because they liked her doesn’t mean she liked them. It was obvious Hee Joo didn’t feel anything for Sang Woo, so his jealousy just felt forced. Sang Woo was just a good guy who learned sign language to be a supportive friend. The co-worker? Literally just being polite. And yet, Sa Eon was throwing around attitude like he owned her. It felt like he was mad that Hee Joo had any kind of chemistry (even non-romantic) with other men because he hadn’t built any chemistry with her — which was entirely his fault. Let’s not forget that regardless if she had chemistry or not with the others, she’s MARRIED to HIM! She couldn’t leave him even if she wanted to and she definitely didn’t seem like the type to cheat. His whole vibe was giving, “I don’t want her, but I don’t want anyone else to have her either,” which was beyond annoying. And before anyone tries to defend him with “men only stay friends with women they like” — so what? That’s a them problem. Not Hee Joo’s. And it definitely doesn’t justify his childish behaviour.

The Sign Language Fail

The show completely dropped the ball on this. This could’ve been such a sweet way to develop their relationship, but no. Despite supposedly liking her for years, Sa Eon never bothered to learn sign language? If they wanted to sell this whole “he loved her all along” narrative, why not have him learn sign language in secret? Imagine how much more powerful it would’ve been if during that moment at the British Event (in the first or second episode) when she was angrily signing at him for calling her his weakness, he actually understood her. He could’ve understood her frustration and grown from it. (Check my “What I Would Do” section for more on this!)

Sang Woo Married… Who Now?

Sang Woo marrying Yu Ri was a surprise  and not in a good way. There was zero romantic chemistry between them at any point in the show. When they worked on the case together, they acted like two buddies solving a mystery, not two people falling in love. And yet, somehow they ended up engaged? We got no cute scenes, no romantic gestures,  nothing. What made it worse (and kind of funny) was that Sang Woo was still obviously into Hee Joo and Yu Ri had always had a crush on Sa Eon. The engagement announcement was so awkward, I thought it was a joke. At the end, when they’re all invited to Hee Joo and Sa Eon’s new home, Sang Woo looks visibly jealous when Hee Joo and Sa Eon share a cute moment. Then, when he and Yu Ri hold hands, he seems shy and not exactly thrilled. Man really settled for the next available option. Tough break.

The Family Dynamics…?

Hee Joo must have superhuman levels of forgiveness because her mother put her through years of emotional trauma, and it’s just… fine? No big deal? Her mom literally forced her into silence, yet we never get a proper reconciliation or even a moment where Hee Joo decides to cut her off. Her mom was manipulative and rude to her throughout the whole show, and we only saw her caring when she thought Hee Joo was dead. All the things she said when she thought Hee Joo was dead should’ve been said when Hee Joo was found. But instead, it just cuts to the mom being pushy and Hee Joo finally setting boundaries.

Also, what was her relationship with her stepdad like? They interact maybe once the entire show and that’s it. Whenever something happens to Hee Joo, he doesn’t seem to care or be worried at all. Meanwhile, the older sister’s return felt pointless. She revealed some information to Hee Joo, but that could’ve been discovered in other ways. Her messing with Sa Eon’s parents during the cooking thing was just random. She didn’t add much to the story after her initial revelations.

The Last Episode Was a Whole Different Show

The final episode went so off the rails, I had to double-check if I was still watching the same drama.

First, Sa Eon sells all his stuff and disappears after hearing “bad” news from real Sa Eon (we’ll get to this is a minute). Then Hee Joo finds out he’s in a war-torn country, so naturally, she flies there alone and immediately heads straight to the most dangerous part because why not? Predictably, she gets captured and then in the most ridiculous plot twist ever, she’s randomly rescued by a group of good guys  and who else but Baek Sa Eon just happens to be among them? What are the odds!

Oh, but it gets better. Then they have an argument and share a passionate kiss while actively hiding from the enemy. Then, while people are literally fighting and dying, they decide that was the perfect moment for… their honeymoon. The whiplash from this storyline was insane.

How did we go from a kidnapping, to Hee Joo stealing the kidnapper’s phone to get a divorce, to her being pushed off a cliff, to her being kidnapped again, to her escaping, to a full-blown war? The plot was so lost that by the end, the title of the show didn’t even make sense anymore. It’s ‘When the Phone Rings’ until about episode 6, and then it’s a complete mess.

And let’s not forget why Sa Eon left in the first place. He was punishing himself. For what, you ask? For something his dad did. His father caused the accident that killed Hee Joo’s stepbrother, deafened her stepsister, and traumatised her into silence. And what was Sa Eon doing during all of this? Fishing. In the woods. With some random old man. But somehow, he feels guilty and decides to make Hee Joo suffer too as “self-punishment”. Make it make sense.

Small Things That Annoyed Me

Hee Joo and Yu Ri’s Friendship

I never felt like they were actually friends. They barely spoke the entire show. When Yu Ri finds out Hee Joo can talk, she’s upset she was never told  despite the fact that they weren’t even that close. They were colleagues at best, and even then, there was still that distance.

The Wattpad Vibes

This show felt like it was written for 13-year-old girls. While certain things might work in a Wattpad story, it doesn’t translate well to a show meant for older teens and adults. The story would’ve been so much better if it had been adapted for a more mature audience.

The Divorce Contract

The new divorce contract was insane. “No divorce under any circumstances”? Ma’am. What if he turns abusive? Cheats? Turns back into his cold self? This was so ridiculous.

Park Do-Jae’s Survival

Park Do-Jae (Sa Eon’s friend) surviving after being beaten, drowned, and stabbed in the span of a few hours was insane. Is he immortal?

Hee Joo on the Phone

Hee Joo talking to Sa Eon on the “406” phone dragged on forever. When she fell off the cliff, she was clearly in pain and out of breath — on the phone — and still didn’t think he’d notice? It was so obvious, and the whole thing felt unnecessarily drawn out.

Hee Joo’s Sudden Speech

After years of being mute, Hee Joo starts speaking and no one really cares? Everyone was shocked but moved on so quickly. There were no real questions or explanations , it was just accepted and forgotten. Huh?

What I Would Do

Alright, this review is already long, so I’ll do my best to keep this short (famous last words).

Fix Sa Eon’s Distance

I’d give Baek Sa Eon a real reason for being distant with Hee Joo. Here are two potential fixes:

The Sister Clause

The marriage contract could state that if the older sister, In A, ever returned, she’d take her rightful place as Sa Eon’s wife instead of Hee Joo. This would give him a solid reason to keep his distance — he doesn’t want to fall in love, only to lose her if her sister comes back. Also the sister’s return would have more of a point.

Defiance Against His Parents

He never wanted to marry either of them in the first place. Maybe he’s rebelling against his parents by refusing to love her, and In A leaving didn’t change his stance on forced marriage.

Either option would’ve made his coldness more understandable and added depth to his character.

Why Sa Eon Wanted the Marriage

I’d keep the part where Baek Sa Eon orchestrated the wedding but give it more meaning. Remember that flashback where In A mentioned Hee Joo was supposed to marry the son of a construction company owner ? A guy who was implied to be a terrible person? Aka the plot thread they forgot to use? Well, I’d use that.

Sa Eon remembered Hee Joo from childhood as someone who brought him peace in a chaotic world. So when he finds out she’s being forced to marry this awful guy (let’s say he’s a player, cheater, or even abusive), he steps in to save her. It’s his way of thanking her for being his “peace-maker” all those years ago. (Not contradicting my point above. He had to marry one of them- so it worked out). And yes, we’d actually meet the construction company son at some point (more on him later).

More Relationship-Building Scenes

Speaking of which, where was the relationship development? They spent half a day at a camp retreat, and suddenly they’re in love? No. I’d sprinkle in more small moments: him cooking for her, surprising her with flowers, coming home early just to be around her. You know, actual romantic buildup.

They would also go to that amusement park she was going to go to before the accident. We’d find out it was to replace her negative memories of the place with good ones. The camp retreat could be pivotal too. I’d make it an overnight thing. Imagine them sitting by a campfire, genuinely connecting, laughing, and then , oops,  he accidentally lets it slip that he’s known sign language for a while. Suddenly, her perspective on him shifts. Now the romance has weight. Then she falls off the cliff and we know the rest.

The Construction Company Son’s Return

We also bring back the construction company son. Maybe he and Hee Joo were actually engaged before, and he’s still bitter about it. At some big event, he makes a nasty comment about her being mute, and Sa Eon immediately punches him in the face. Cue drama, tension, and a chance for Sa Eon to show he cares.

We could also get a scene where she’s tending to his hand that may have gotten injured in the punch- more relationship building in that scene.

Jealousy That Makes Sense

If we really want to make Sa Eon jealous of Sang Woo, we need a stronger history there. Maybe Hee Joo used to have feelings for Sang Woo, or they even dated for a bit. That would make her smiles at Sang Woo hit Sa Eon differently. And the coworker? Maybe Sa Eon is jealous of how effortlessly she connects with him. Imagine he overhears the guy mentioning that he’s thinking about asking Hee Joo out . Cue Sa Eon spiraling into jealousy, leading to him accidentally revealing he knows sign language at the camp retreat (different from above, he reveals he knows it here and reveals he’s known it for a while above).

The Phone Call and Sign Language

After Sa Eon gets the phone call about Hee Joo’s kidnapping, we’d see him conflicted. He didn’t realise how much he cared about her until he was terrified for her safety. When he sees her again, he’d act weird, unsure how to handle his feelings. But as soon as he’s near her, he’d relax. This internal struggle would’ve been a great way to build their tension and relationship.

And yes, he’d know sign language in secret. This would’ve been a game-changer. During moments of frustration, Hee Joo could impulsively sign her feelings, thinking he doesn’t understand. For example, if she’s sick of him leaving dirty dishes in the sink, she could sign her annoyance. The next day, the sink would be spotless, leaving her both confused and touched.

The Phone Blackmail Plot

The big plot twist with the phone would go a little differently. Hee Joo wouldn’t just choose to keep the phone — she’d be forced to, blackmailed by her kidnapper (aka Real Sa Eon), who threatens to expose her. Then, even when the truth comes out, the blackmail doesn’t stop. Why? Because now he’s using her father’s health as leverage (more than that one time). The grand finale? When Hee Joo escapes in episode 11, instead of dragging things out, that’s the last episode. Maybe Real Sa Eon gets hit by a car while standing in the middle of the road looking dramatic (or maybe the police just do their jobs and shoot him when they see the gun).

In his last moments, he announces that Sa Eon’s grandfather is actually his father, but no one really cares. At the hospital, fake Sa Eon would apologise to Hee Joo, and she’d reassure him it wasn’t his fault. Maybe some closure scenes (like the new home and what not). Roll credits. We’re done.

Bonus: Sang Woo Ending

Would I have secretly rooted for her to end up with Sang Woo? Maybe. But that’s enough chaos for one review. 😊

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, When the Phone Rings had so much potential but got lost in its own chaos. From rushed relationships to a finale that felt like a different show, it’s a K-drama that could’ve been great but ended up being… well, a mess. Just re-reading the description has me shocked. You would think I was exaggerating at times — and I wish I was. Still, it gave me plenty to talk about,  and sometimes, that’s half the fun.

Would I recommend it? Maybe, but only if you’re ready for a chaotic ride (and a few facepalms along the way).

Let me know your thoughts! Agree? Disagree? Tell me why!

See you next time! 💕

Aya

Aya

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Main Cast

Yoo Yeon Seok as Baek Sa Eon

Chae Soo Bin as Hong Hee Joo

Heo Nam Jun as Ji Sang U

Jang Gyu Ri as Na Yu Ri

Themes/ Genres

Mystery, Thriller, Melodrama, Romance

Political Intrigue, Power Struggles, Arranged Marriage, Emotional Distance, Love, Betrayal, redemption, Psychological Suspense, Family Secrets