When the Phone Rings (2024)

Both dramas start with ML and FL being a married couple in an unhappy marriage. The story revolves around them and viewers will learn more hidden story behind.

- Both are romantic thrillers with a dark vibe;
- in both series, there are secrets between the spouses;
- both dramas deal with mental health issues;

In Ji works for a contract marriage provider in NM. The company provides its clients with a spouse for a fixed-term 1-year contract marriage. In Ji has finished her 4th contract marriage. She meets Jeong Won for her 5th contract marriage. Jeong Won works as a music producer. His life is filled with anxiety and loneliness due to the pain from his past. He still badly misses his ex-wife, Seo Yeon, who applied for the spouse-providing company NM for him.

Jeong Won meets In Ji from NM, and he begins his second marriage with her. They get to know each other and get used to each other as time passes. One day, a mysterious trunk is recovered from a lake. This leads them into a whirlwind of secrets behind the NM company.

Same premise of thriller romance. I get the same vibe with the plot with having a delicate female lead at front but badass strong on the inside.

It also has the female lead kidnapped troop .And the main leads is also living in a dead married life without any love between them .After the female is kidnapped,the male lead understands his true feelings for her.

Similar Genre
Both series delve into the darker aspects of human nature, whether it's the psychological toll of betrayal or the manipulative tactics used by antagonists
Both have themes of revenge and betrayal

They both have serious but devoted men who go crazy over their endangered lovers. Both men also look good in a suit! ?

When the Phone Rings" and "Love's Ambition" share thematic and narrative similarities despite their different contexts and characters. Here's how they are similar:

Marriage of Convenience vs. Superficial Relationship:
Both stories portray relationships that appear strong or perfect to outsiders but are fraught with underlying issues. In When the Phone Rings, the marriage between Baek Sa Eon and Hong Hui Ju is one of convenience and lacks genuine emotional connection. Similarly, in Love's Ambition, the marriage between Xu Yan and Shen Hao Ming is built on appearances and control rather than mutual understanding.

Superficial Masks and Rediscovery:
Both narratives explore the theme of shedding facades. In Love's Ambition, the characters rediscover their true selves and each other as they confront their differences. In When the Phone Rings, the kidnapping event forces Sa Eon and Hui Ju to reevaluate their relationship and themselves.

Professional and Social Challenges:
Both feature protagonists whose careers place them in the public eye—Hui Ju as a sign language interpreter and Xu Yan as a TV anchor. Their professional lives and public images significantly influence their personal relationships.

Themes of Emotional Growth and Healing:
Both stories involve the characters navigating personal growth and emotional healing. In When the Phone Rings, the incident leads to potential healing in Sa Eon and Hui Ju's relationship. Similarly, Love's Ambition focuses on Shen Hao Ming’s realization of love and their journey toward reconciliation.

Strong Female Leads in Media Roles:
Both Hui Ju and Xu Yan are career-driven women working in media-related fields. Their strength and independence are central to the plot and their evolving relationships with their spouses.

- Both have a cold ML;
- in both dramas, the leads are in an arranged marriage;
- both dramas are romantic thrillers.

Shoji Taishi is a new third-generation lawmaker who comes from a family of politicians and had a sheltered upbringing. The womanising and not particularly intelligent Taishi and his actress wife, Kurosawa Yui, who got her big break through a drama series, have been married for five years.
They act like a happily married couple for the sake of their work and public image, but their marriage has already broken down. Taishi and Yui barely have a conversation except when live streaming on social media and do not even see each other at home. Although they have grown disenchanted in their marriage, they cannot get divorced immediately due to pressure from their families and endorsement deals. The couple have no choice but to unite with the unshakeable goal of breaking up.

Baek Sa Eon 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 Hui Ju 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.

Sa Eon and Hui Ju 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, Hui Ju is kidnapped by an unidentified person. This changes their marriage life.

Baek Sa Eon 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 Hui Ju 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.

Sa Eon and Hui Ju 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, Hui Ju is kidnapped by an unidentified person. This changes their marriage life.

Baek Sa Eon 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 Hui Ju 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.

Sa Eon and Hui Ju 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, Hui Ju is kidnapped by an unidentified person. This changes their marriage life.

Baek Sa Eon 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 Hui Ju 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.

Sa Eon and Hui Ju 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, Hui Ju is kidnapped by an unidentified person. This changes their marriage life.

Baek Sa Eon 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 Hui Ju 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.

Sa Eon and Hui Ju 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, Hui Ju is kidnapped by an unidentified person. This changes their marriage life.