My new year's gift.
When the Phone Rings is a mystery drama full of cute, romantic moments accompanied by ample thriller. It's medium-paced, and the romance progressively blossoms. The couple continuously falls in love, making it hard not to miss them as soon as the series ends. The cast knows how to bring the characters alive, the stylings are appropriate, and the soundtrack is a cherry on top.Watching this drama had been a good experience up until the last episode. It was a roller coaster ride. I laughed, cried, cringed, and aww-ed bazillion times. I’m glad I started 2025 with this drama because it has a satisfying, happy ending. Too bad an arc in the last episode weakened the watching experience. I didn’t like the warzone arc, the couple’s motivation to travel to Argan, and what happened there. It was unnecessary, and I believe the writer can show their undying love differently.
Logic isn’t the drama’s strongest suit, and sometimes you’ll go, ‘What the fuck?’, but it’s easy to overlook them when you focus on the romance. It’s a good romance drama, but not so much in the mystery and thriller department. It was easy to connect puzzle pieces and guess motives. The only plot twist and reveal that got me woah-ing is the one in the first episode. Although the story, characterisation, twists and turns, and certain scenes can be questionable, When the Phone Rings remains entertaining. I have to give Yoo Yeonseok and Chae Soobin the credit for making me so invested in the couple's love story and their personal journey to find ultimate happiness. Their chemistry is impeccable.
Free Palestine!
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When the phone rings I’ll answer your call
I have been waiting what seems like ages for this drama. I’m a fan of both leads and know they are great at what they do. What I haven’t seen from the both of them was a genre like this for the pair, so I’m happy to see something sort of new.Dramas are getting stale for me these days but I always knew I was going to tune into this one. I’ll be honest though, say what I like and what I don’t.
What I’ll say right away is that the first episode hooks you in through the first scene alone. You wonder about the relationship of the leads and how it go to that point. Why is the husband so narcissistic? Why does the wife stay silent? How and why are they together?
It is clear it’s based on a contract, but I hope it goes into each layer and detail as to why. Thriller is a perfect genre for this idea and I know I’ve seen many contract marriage drama before.. but going the thriller route with it is such a smart move from a writing standpoint. Having all these questions hook the viewer, and to add to that you’ve got great visuals and chemistry.
I’ll comment briefly and add each episode though. I’m used to dramas being great the first few episodes and then really showing their true colors of not knowing what they are doing. Dramas greatest weakness are the runtimes being too long or too short these days. Thrillers have an advantage of being a slow burn though, so I am ok with a bit of slow build up as long as there are visual clues and smart dialogue that tie into each mystery.
Cha Soobin took a great role. She is very sincere with her acting and has a charm to her the same as Yoo Yeon Seok does. It’s seems like a pairing made from the heavens to me. What I’m happy to see is tension, the isolation within the relationship. I really wonder if the romance will work out or if it will be entirely a thriller and have one against the other. Soobin as I said is genuinely full of charm, and is quite cute in all her roles. Here although she isn’t as outspoken, she is just as cute. She is styled amazingly and her straight and long hair looks so stunning. She is quiet but has the acting chops to fill up her role with subtle expressions and emotions.
Yoo Yeon Seok is playing a tricky character. I don’t really know what to say of the lead he’s playing for now, I am enjoying that he is a demeaning figure. Obviously he is oppressive, but to play that sort of role and still have likability.. the man is doing it and it’s impressive. Also he of course is styled so well and looks beyond handsome. If only the couple were actually happy and perfect as they look haha
This is the only kdrama I’m watching at the moment but seriously that’s a lot for me. It means it is worth while and worth my time, so I would recommend.
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It was okay
This drama has a classic "chaebol" storyline with a refreshing twist. From the first episodes, it hooks you with excitement and high expectations. The pacing is nice, the characters are interesting, and if you don't think too much the conflicts are enough to keep you watching the next episode.The last episodes were mid. From my understanding, the writers wanted to keep the plotline from the novel (at least for the finale), however the execution was very poor. Episode 12 feels completely out of place and exaggerated. I have seen worse endings but it was still disappointing.
Overall, this drama was a nice watch.
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8.9? Are you kidding me????
I didn't get it, why are people obsessing over this shit? ML is a red flag for sure, he treats her like a thing & she is kinda used to it. Her own family also treats her like shit. She barely said anything when he said she couldn't initiate divorce & things like that. At first, I thought FL is cool. But no, she's worst. She totally lost her cool during that first phone call with ML. He secretly likes her, but had he ever asked her if she was ready for this contractual marriage or not? No bro, this isn't love, this is pure obsession & as a hardcore feminist, I can't support a series like this. And I literally don't give a damn what mystery they're talking about. Guys, don't waste your time.Cet avis était-il utile?
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An Unnecessary Twist
An interesting story with a surprising twist at the end. While the plot developed well, the final decision of the protagonist to flee and join a war in another country felt out of place and unnecessary. It left the audience questioning the motivations behind such an abrupt conclusion, especially when everything seemed to resolve well beforehand. The ending takes an even stranger turn as the protagonist and their partner make love amidst the chaos of the armed conflict, adding confusion to the narrative.Cet avis était-il utile?
It's sooooo goooddddd
It's mind-blowing and heart touching. It's a Must Watch 🔥🔥 the story is kinda new .. it's not a typical romantic love story but kind of revengeful............. i like the first episode very much looking forward to the pther upcoming episodes.. writing a 300 characters review is not my thingActually it's my first time writing any review because I don't want you people to miss this awesome drama
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The drama is so good and going to receive so many awards.
The drama is so good. As everyone is saying even first episode is addictive. The director and screen writer have done great work i think. They have worked hard on this, and it can be shown right away. To talk about expressions and acting of actors, they should receive awards. Yoo yeon seok must be really good actor. I appreciate his skills and talent, as well as chae soobin. Both actors have worked hard on it. The show is going to hit and everyone's hard work is going pay off. God bless.Cet avis était-il utile?
it's mind blowing...... the plot >>
It feels like a crime to release only two episodes per week—I’m hooked! The anticipation for the next episode is unbearable. My entire TikTok feed is flooded with edits of this K-drama, and honestly, they’re the reason I started watching. Now, I have no regrets! The story, the characters, the emotions—everything is perfect. It’s a must-watch for any fan of the genre. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re missing out on something truly captivating. Highly recommend diving in ASAP!Cet avis était-il utile?
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ANOTHER CLOY IN MAKING?
YYS acting kept me watching this drama, ngl it was super addictive on the starting but after repetition of plot ( aka heejoo getting kidnapped for millionth time) i got pet peeveed ... ughh.
nevermind, the story was (at least for me) new because as new generation say it was " wattapad coded" lol sorry i never read wattapad so lol can't relate. tbh if any other was casted instead of YYS and i would have dropped it in an instant but because he was able to pull of this role due to his gaunty facial masculine features and death stare direct gaze... in short i stayed cuz of him
NOW... i would say that the last two eps made saeon character contradictory because you can't tell me that ep 6,7 saeon would ever pull THAT SHIT what was done in ep12... like wth was that au mercenary shit was that,... like in ep 6,7 he literally was close to having his arota closed because of heejoo missing and ep 12 saeon literally said sayonara cuz his big daddyoo pulled the truck on heejoo... like come on.
ughhhhhh.
and not to mention they didn't give us the second wedding, instead we got freaks in the sheet duo ( which was in my point of view was not necessarily needed, the proposal or second wedding would have been more impactful in my humble opinion)
anyways, it finally gave a trip down memory lane when i first started watching kdramas.. now??? mmmm maybe it's time to finally say goodbye to them cuz they can't writer a decent ending to all
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