When The Phone Rings 지금 거신 전화는 [Current]

[mademoiselle]

 

Spoiler

 

 

• Drama: When The Phone Rings (English title) / The Number You Have Dialed (literal title)
• Revised romanization: Jigeum Geoshin Jeonhwaneun
• Hangul: 지금 거신 전화는
• Director: Park Sang-Woo
• Writer: Geoneomulnyeo (web novel), Kim Ji-Woon
• Network: MBC
• Streaming sites: Netflix
• Episodes: 12
• Release Date: November 22, 2024
• Runtime: Friday & Saturday 21:50
• Genre: Mystery / Romance
• Website: Official | NamuWiki | MDL |

 

Plot Summary

Paik Sa-Eon (Yoo Yeon-Seok) comes from a prestigious political family and he became the youngest presidential spokesman in Korea. His background also includes time spent as a war correspondent, hostage negotiator, and main anchorman. He married Hong Hee-Joo (Chae Soo-Bin) 3 years ago. She is the daughter of a newspaper proprietor. She has mutism due to an accident she had when she was little. She works as a sign language interpreter in court and on television. Paik Sa-Eon & Hong Hee-Joo got married largely due to convenience. For the past 3 years, they haven't communicated with each other or have meals together. They pretend they are a happily married couple. One day, Hong Hee-Joo is kidnapped by an unidentified person. This changes their marriage life. (Source: AsianWiki)

 

Edited November 23 by mademoiselle

[mademoiselle]

Official Trailer

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

[mademoiselle]

Netizens said earlier in the year, there is HongBae (Hong Hae In x Bae Hyun Woo) from Queen of Tears. End of year, we have BaeHong (Bae Sa On x Hong Hee Joo). I think they are right. The first episode was really captivating. The tension is there and very well done between Sa On and Hee Joo.

 

It's obvious Sa On loves Hee Joo no matter how calm he pretended to be on the surface. He's so similar to the male lead in the novel where he is seen tough on the outside and because he's a trained negotiator, he knows he had to act indifferent and calm when handling such situation, but on the inside there's a fire burning inside him.

 

When the preview was shown, I did wonder if Hee Joo planned the kidnapping. But episode 1 confirmed she didn't. The twist I didn't expect was the perpetrator ended up losing consciousness in the car (LOL!) and she took his phone and made that call at the end of episode 1. I truly wonder what she did to the perpetrator after that.

 

The first episode really piques my interest and I want to know more. It was mentioned he originally was supposed to marry Hee Joo's sister. However, I believe he's already fallen for her even before their marriage, so perhaps he plotted it so in the end she became his wife. And stupidly not knowing how to express himself that he was to protect and shield her from harm due to the nature of his career, he led her to believe she meant nothing to him. I genuinely believed what he said at the party event to the host was true and real.

 

@Chocolate come, come. You will like this one. @abs-oluteM No need me calling. It's on Netflix, I trust you will watch. @SilverMoonTea might be watching it already as I type this. Haha. @gilaswan @ktcjdrama @UnniSara maybe this will become our crack drama. @Alice Wonderland @Mouse Is this your cuppa?

 

[mademoiselle]

I like the little details:

• Even though he was told she is ok, he still speed home to check, and heave a sigh of relief seeing her at home.
• Flashback to their wedding day, he asked her to come to him, she didn't, and he knelt down and put the ring on her.
• Present time, he asked her to stop what she is doing and come over to the dining table, she didn't and he went to her.
• He worries about her, so he finds an excuse to take her with him to the event.
• He noticed she's uncomfortable in those heels and tells her to sit down.

[abs-oluteM]

@mademoiselle Ya I will watch. It's got that sophisticated makjang thing to it and all the crazy tropes that I like ahahahahah.

[Chocolate]

I started last night and fell asleep after 5 minutes 😂 I also thought the FL had a 苦瓜面 and very dull expressions.

 

But I continued today and the plot seems quite different. Is she pretending to be the kidnapper and the relationship between husband and wife will develop through that communication? But what is the mystery part about?

 

FL is better when she is angry and agitated.

 

Let’s see how this develops. I think will depend on the chemistry between the 2 leads as there are some juicy scenes already in the trailer for tonight.

And now I understand the reason for the strange title! 🤪

 

Edited November 23 by Chocolate

[SilverMoonTea]

@mademoiselle Pretty great opening with episode 1, I managed to watch with full concentration.

 

I have some question,  not sure if this will got answered by ep 2:

At first he want the marriage with full secrecy, but I think later on during party with ambassador I felt like actually he intent to introduce her as his wife, but she quickly sabotage him, and he doesn't (?) understand the sign languange. And she just mentioned that she's not his wife. Actually this whole thing a bit odd, because she linked her hand on his arm and they came together. 

 

And that was some plot twist there as in the end after she actually took the phone from the original kidnapper, and because she's very angry all her selective mutism are gone 😂 She speak very fluently and have a lot of words lols. Their chemistry is great, have a lot of tension. And CSB is probably on her prettiest for this role. 

[ktcjdrama]

I watched already... actually quite good. And yes @mademoiselle I think this will be our crack drama after a while. This drama has a vibe that is unlike other dramas, quite captivating and intriguing plot. There's the cold ML who actually cares a lot. Then the FL is not as weak as we thought, very fierce in fact. For sure a lot of tension between them. So I am looking forward to when they finally open up with each other and loving each other, though at this point, it's clear that FL is definitely not feeling any love for ML yet. 

 

On 11/23/2024 at 7:40 AM, mademoiselle said:

I truly wonder what she did to the perpetrator after that.

From ep.2, it seems like he somehow regained consciousness and disappeared as Hee Joo was getting the car towed. We also found out why Hee Joo agreed to be her sister's replacement. 

 

On 11/23/2024 at 11:46 AM, mademoiselle said:

I like the little details:

Yes to all these!! She truly is his weakness, haha... I want to know how/why though. There is more unexpected reveal at the end of ep.2. 

 

6 hours ago, SilverMoonTea said:

because she linked her hand on his arm and they came together. 

I think this is not uncommon in a formal party setting for the "plus one" 

 

Edited November 24 by ktcjdrama

[mademoiselle]

Episode 2 revealed a bit more details about the leads and their background:

• In the eyes of Sa On's mother, he's still not good enough. So we can imagine he's grown up in a family that is hard to impress.
• He married Hee Joo because his father needed her family to cover up his scandal.
• Hee Joo is from her mother's first marriage. She's meant to marry an even worse rich man/family, so Sa On requested to marry her instead, which I am sure to protect her even though it's not part of his original plan to marry at the time because he seems to want to focus on his career.

 

Episode 1 mentioned Sa On used to be an anchor, so my guess is he's fallen for her in their Uni years. I disregard meeting at the broadcast station because Hee Joo seems to only started working there after 3 years into marrying him.

 

Hee Joo snapping her legs in racy stocking makes me laugh. She's so damn clumsy and from that angle, it's so obvious it was taken by herself. Then again, I also think she's meant to be a clumsy person. Her action was fuelled by her disappointment with Sa On (and misunderstanding), and desperation to get out. She should to be more cautious, especially when she's speaking to her father out in the open, as I thought she wanted this a secret. And I thought she is supposed to be followed by bodyguards.

 

On 11/24/2024 at 10:31 AM, SilverMoonTea said:

At first he want the marriage with full secrecy, but I think later on during party with ambassador I felt like actually he intent to introduce her as his wife, but she quickly sabotage him, and he doesn't (?) understand the sign languange. And she just mentioned that she's not his wife. Actually this whole thing a bit odd, because she linked her hand on his arm and they came together. 

 

I don't think he intended to introduce her as his wife, but if he is the typical tsundere male lead from the novel, then my guess is these men also dislike being "denied" by their wives. They can be the one that do it, but their other half can't. Also, like you said, he likes to be in control, so what Hee Joo did was outside his control. I'm actually surprised 3 years into their marriage, and he obviously loves her, how can he not learn some sign language to communicate. But he'll learn later. Haha. The lady doesn't necessary need to be your wife or girlfriend to be linking hand. In a formal event, it's a gentlemanly gesture and courtesy to offer his arm to a lady in the western culture.

 

On 11/24/2024 at 10:31 AM, SilverMoonTea said:

And that was some plot twist there as in the end after she actually took the phone from the original kidnapper, and because she's very angry all her selective mutism are gone 😂 She speak very fluently and have a lot of words lols.

 

Yes, that was the twist I didn't expect. She must have been able to speak for quite a while now.

 

On 11/24/2024 at 4:48 PM, ktcjdrama said:

From ep.2, it seems like he somehow regained consciousness and disappeared as Hee Joo was getting the car towed.

 

Yes, the man ran away. Episode 3 preview showed him threatening Hee Joo to continue calling Sa On. I wonder whether the reason why Sa On wanted to keep her shielded from the media was also because of her background. Her father is sick, her mother is a second wife (potentially a mistress before) and she's not really the daughter of the current family. Those are all pretty juicy gossips for the high society and not great for Sa On and his family in the politics.

Edited November 28 by mademoiselle

[Chocolate]

This one is like a Mills and Boons novel 🤣😍. It even comes with comedy (note the court case about testicles and that interpreter is a hoot lol). And when he cooked her breakfast, he asked for cutting board, knife, pan etc, I was wondering, exactly who is doing the cooking? And I suppose she has to wash up! 😆

 

I only wished I liked the actress more to really enjoy all those high-tension scenes with Sa On. This is my first time watching CSB. I saw some trailers for A Piece of Your Mind and she seems ok there. I think it's her puppy eyes/expressions here that are getting to me. YYS is totally believable as the serious and silent husband carrying a torch for the wife. But when he walked into that ambassador's party and everyone was going gaga over him and saying so handsome! I was like, ok, some realism please 😁

 

1 hour ago, mademoiselle said:

Hee Joo snapping her legs in racy stocking makes me laugh. She's so damn clumsy and from that angle, it's so obvious it was taken by herself. Then again, I also think she's meant to be a clumsy person.

 

Oh thank you for this observation. I have to find reasons to like her character 😭😂 Because I find her totally dumb and unstrategic - she's making all these calls with no plan. How can she keep calling him when he hangs up/does not answer and exactly at the 5 min mark as he dictated? 🙄

 

1 hour ago, mademoiselle said:

I don't think he intended to introduce her as his wife, but if he is the typical tsundere male lead from the novel, then my guess is these men also dislike being "denied" by their wives. They can be the one that do it, but their other half can't. Also, like you said, he likes to be in control, so what Hee Joo did was outside his control. I'm actually surprised 3 years into their marriage, and he obviously loves her, how can he not learn some sign language to communicate. But he'll learn later. Haha.

 

By Mills and Boons standards, a successful man would not get tied down if he did not want to deep down. Ergo, he loves her hahaha.

 

3 years of marriage, and yet their relationship did not progress, not even to friendship level. Part of the problem I think is that he does not want to force her. She made moves, but he feels it is at the mother's instructions (that dance was major cringe - I thought she was pulling him into the bedroom, which may have worked better lol) since she seems to close her eyes/frown/turn away when he gets close. That is also strange since her interpreter colleague mentioned that she used to love everything about him before they married. If you were a fan and forced into marriage with your OPPA, what would be your reaction?

 

Spoiler

 

 

Edited November 24 by Chocolate

[ktcjdrama]

5 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

Episode 1 mentioned Sa On used to be an announcer, so my guess is he's fallen for her in their Uni years. I disregard meeting at the broadcast station because Hee Joo seems to only started working there after 3 years into marrying him.

There is stuff going around X that the Director said it's a story about pure love that goes way back 20 years ago...

Anywayssss.... I am on withdrawal already, ottokkkkeeeee??? 

4 hours ago, Chocolate said:

How can she keep calling him when he hangs up/does not answer and exactly at the 5 min mark as he dictated? 🙄

Haha... I kept hoping she will realize at the last minute before dialing and not follow the 5 min order. 

[abs-oluteM]

I just finished eps 1. Makjang with a capital M , reminiscent of shows like Little Women and Penthouse.  Play it right , it could be a delicious watch. But if the writing could goes south, it might be like those telenovela or afternoon soap operas of yesteryears. 

 

@Chocolate I lol-ed when you brought up Mills & Boons. My aunt used to have these stash away in my grandparent's house and I would read them in secret. I was like what the heck is this but you just can't put them down 

 

Anyway, I learn something new everyday...today it is selective mutism. 

[peperomia]

Started this after finishing Mr. Plankton and must agree, this show is CRACK. I went from  to  quickly. Not saying it's similar but it gives me the feels of Mask (which I loved).

 

11 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

There is stuff going around X that the Director said it's a story about pure love that goes way back 20 years ago...

Anywayssss.... I am on withdrawal already, ottokkkkeeeee??? 

 

I hope this is true and do think it would make sense. Although Sa Eon is cold toward Hee Joo, you can tell he cares about her right off the bat. Later, I thought the reveal at the end of ep 2 gave away that he does love her. There’s definitely a backstory and I’m all in for the crumbs that will fed to us along the way. As for Hee Joo, I do think she has feelings for Sa Eon as well. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gotten so upset when she misunderstood that he didn’t care for her and hijacked the kidnapping 🤪.

 

Questions so far…

• Does Hee Joo really have selective mutism or is she pretending?
• Maybe too early to ask this but any guesses on who is the “kidnapper”? Sa Eon mentioned that only immediate family knew the truth about Hee Joo.

YYS is so hot! 🔥 Always very convincing in tsundere roles.

[mademoiselle]

On 11/24/2024 at 7:49 PM, Chocolate said:

And I suppose she has to wash up! 😆

 

Chuck it in the dishwasher! Do Koreans use dishwasher?

 

On 11/24/2024 at 7:49 PM, Chocolate said:

I have to find reasons to like her character 😭😂 Because I find her totally dumb and unstrategic - she's making all these calls with no plan. How can she keep calling him when he hangs up/does not answer and exactly at the 5 min mark as he dictated?

 

It's because he is the qualified negotiator and is in control whilst she is not and is just purely flabbergasted and not understand he did it on purpose. Girl needs to watch The Negotiator by Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey.

 

On 11/24/2024 at 7:49 PM, Chocolate said:

That is also strange since her interpreter colleague mentioned that she used to love everything about him before they married.

 

Think she has a crush on him, and looks up to him as an "anchor" (based on Sunbae mentioning she wanted one day to sign beside him) but "love" may be not quite there yet.

 

On 11/25/2024 at 12:12 AM, ktcjdrama said:

There is stuff going around X that the Director said it's a story about pure love that goes way back 20 years ago...

Anywayssss.... I am on withdrawal already, ottokkkkeeeee???

 

Mwo, 20 years back?! LOL, I shouldn't be surprised. I'm watching so many C-dramas for OTP that has this backstory. Ahahaha!

 

What I do know... *SPOILER ALERT*

Spoiler

I saw, in comment, Weibo Netizens said the second male lead has a hand in causing Hee Joo's mutism.

 

Huh, already withdrawal... that's too fast. That said, my Weibo's TL is filled with posts of this drama. xD I guess you're not the only one with withdrawal.

 

On 11/25/2024 at 2:06 AM, abs-oluteM said:

Anyway, I learn something new everyday...today it is selective mutism. 

 

Oh hey, I Googled, this is a real condition unlike Hong Hae In's. LOL

 

On 11/25/2024 at 11:42 AM, peperomia said:

Started this after finishing Mr. Plankton and must agree, this show is CRACK.

 

Awesome! You are here, too! I was not sure if this is your cuppa.

 

On 11/25/2024 at 11:42 AM, peperomia said:

Questions so far…

• Does Hee Joo really have selective mutism or is she pretending?
• Maybe too early to ask this but any guesses on who is the “kidnapper”? Sa Eon mentioned that only immediate family knew the truth about Hee Joo.

 

Based on comments from those who read the novel, she does. My initial guess of the kidnapper is this actor below, the eyes look similar and did you guys noticed one of the eye is different colour?

 

And then I thought the eyes also are very similar to the second male lead, so it could also be him. Re: Sa On thinks the kidnapper knows a lot - but isn't it because Hee Joo misled him? She was the one mentioning he was supposed to marry her sister. No one knew this apart from immediately family. The only confirmed info we know Kidnapper knows is Hee Joo is Sa On's wife, and he knows where Hee Joo's father is (likely from following her).

 

Edited November 28 by mademoiselle

[mademoiselle]

Bazaar: Couple's Photoshoot

 

Spoiler

 

 

[JenL]

Hahahahaha why am I watching this? 

 

I got drawn in by all the things I saw on Instagram whhich looks like a Wattpad fan fic 

[peperomia]

On 11/24/2024 at 10:52 PM, mademoiselle said:

 

Awesome! You are here, too! I was not sure if this is your cuppa.

 

Yes, I'm here! To be honest, I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I do. It has thriller, mystery and romance. I'm also a sucker for arranged marriages, especially ones that start out cold but you know it will evolve into something genuine . Meanwhile, the tension is great! 

On 11/24/2024 at 10:52 PM, mademoiselle said:

Based on comments from those who read the novel, she does.

 

Ah okay. I got confused when Hee Joo vented to her biological father that she didn't want to pretend to be mute anymore. She must've at least had it before the kidnapping incident.

 

On 11/24/2024 at 10:52 PM, mademoiselle said:

My initial guess of the kidnapper is second male lead is this actor, the eyes look similar and did you guys noticed one of the eye is different colour?

 

 

And then I thought the eyes also are very similar to the second male lead, so it could also be him.

 

That is a good guess. I do think the college friend/sunbae seems a bit sus.

 

Sa Eon's mother gives me sus vibes too. Maybe not involved with the kidnapping, but I wonder if there's potentially a birth secret. (i.e. She's not his biological mother which is why she is cold to him.)

 

On 11/24/2024 at 10:52 PM, mademoiselle said:

Re: Sa On thinks the kidnapper knows a lot - but isn't it because Hee Joo misled him? She was the one mentioning he was supposed to marry her sister. No one knew this apart from immediately family. The only confirmed info we know Kidnapper knows is Hee Joo is Sa On's wife, and he knows where Hee Joo's father is (likely from following her).

 

I agree. The bolded is where I think Sa Eon still has a point about the kidnapper knowing only what family knew...that Hee Joo is his wife. 

[mademoiselle]

Behind the Scenes

 

[abs-oluteM]

Am confused. Is that mother of hers really her birth mum? I am assuming her father is her birth father right and he married that woman she now calls her mum?

[peperomia]

13 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

Am confused. Is that mother of hers really her birth mum? I am assuming her father is her birth father right and he married that woman she now calls her mum?

 

From what I understand, that lady is her biological mother who left her biological father (the man at the nursing home). The mother took Hee Joo with her to remarry into the Hong family. (I don't think the Hong patriarch, Hee Joo's stepfather, has appeared on the show yet.) Hee Joo's original last name was "Na" from her biological father but it became "Hong" from her stepfamily. Her biological father was a nightclub performer who seemed to have struggled financially and let the mother take Hee Joo with her to have a better life and to later achieve her dream as an anchor. I feel bad for Hee Joo. She seems to be putting up with conditions to ensure her biological father is taken care of at a good nursing home.

[ktcjdrama]

So, I rewatched ep.1 and 2 already... Not the same (suspense) feel since I know what had happened already. For the following episodes, I will just watch when I can concentrate and focus on enjoying it instead of rewatching to get clues.

 

Anyway, due to the rewatch, I do believe Hee Joo genuinely has her selective mutism before her hollering in the car for the kidnapper to call Sa On back. This is because while she was alone in the car panicking, she didn't let out any sound/voice. I mean if she was just pretending, when no one is around, she didn't need to pretend anymore, and could've just shouted in panic/frustration with the hacked car. 

[abs-oluteM]

Gals....

 

[Alice Wonderland]

I didn't know that YYS will have new drama. So I saw a few clips on IG and it got me curious so I watched both episodes in one go yesterday. And it turned out pretty exciting! I love that kdrama now encourage marriage more these days. I think the real social issue lead to this. Anyway, It's quite good. Also bonus, YYS looks so handsome here when he's mad. 😄

I had to give up his last drama with MGY since a cheater one, 🤧 So this time he's reminding me of baek hyun woo to hae in. I like him again. 

Aside from this, I also watch BL @mademoiselle I mean Brewing Love. 

[mademoiselle]

 

Amish, this guy, keeps saying things opposite to his actions! But, the more he does that, the more we like 🤣

@Alice Wonderland I am glad you noticed BL meant something else and clarified 😂. I definitely went straight there first!

[Alice Wonderland]

He seems very sweet to her @mademoiselle I wanna watch if possible this weekend. 

 

TMI

Spoiler

Do we have Brewinh Love thread here? The male lead is just so mesmerizing! I like him! I think it's first time I watch him.