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When the Phone Rings is a 12-episode South Korean romantic thriller about a presidential spokesperson and a sign-language interpreter trapped in a distant marriage of convenience. A kidnapping and a series of threatening calls unsettle their arrangement, but the season’s central tension is more intimate: two people who communicate for a living struggle to speak honestly to each other.
What happens in When the Phone Rings?
Baek Sa-eon and Hong Hee-joo are in the third year of a marriage arranged for convenience, not intimacy. He is a presidential spokesperson; she is a sign-language interpreter. MBC frames their relationship around a sharp contrast: both help convey other people’s messages, yet they remain emotionally closed off with each other.
The crisis begins when Hee-joo is kidnapped. Netflix Tudum’s plot summary says the kidnapper hijacks her car using malware and wants Sa-eon’s attention. Sa-eon initially dismisses an abduction call as voice phishing, and his apparent indifference angers Hee-joo. She later calls him herself using a voice modulator. Their nightly phone conversations become a channel for candor that face-to-face life has denied them.
That phone-based exchange is the relationship engine of the season: each conversation can reveal a feeling or misunderstanding the couple could not express directly. Around it, the series builds family, political and media storylines. Netflix categorizes it as romantic television, Korean television, crime and thriller, and applies tags including “bittersweet,” “enemies-to-lovers” and “opposites-attract”; those are platform labels rather than a formal genre classification.
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- Korean Drama
- English Subtitle
- Region Free
Who is in the cast?
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Yoo Yeon-seok | Baek Sa-eon, a presidential spokesperson |
| Chae Soo-bin | Hong Hee-joo, a sign-language interpreter |
| Heo Nam-jun | Ji Sang-woo, a psychiatrist |
| Jang Gyu-ri | Na Yoo-ri, an anchorperson |
| Han Jai | Hong In-ah, Hee-joo’s half-sister |
Netflix credits Park Sang-woo as director/creator and Kim Ji-un as writer/creator. MBC’s English-language page spells the writer’s name Kim Ji-woon; the romanization differs, but both sources refer to the same credited writer.
How many episodes are there, and when did they air?
Season 1 has 12 episodes. Rotten Tomatoes lists the run as November 22, 2024, through January 4, 2025. Its episode dates are:
Rank #2
- November 22, 2024
- November 23, 2024
- November 29, 2024
- November 30, 2024
- December 13, 2024
- December 14, 2024
- December 20, 2024
- December 21, 2024
- December 27, 2024
- December 28, 2024
- January 3, 2025
- January 4, 2025
Netflix Tudum’s December 6, 2024 explainer said new episodes would premiere weekly through January 4. Apple TV Korea lists summaries and runtimes for episodes 1–6; that partial listing does not establish full-season episode details.
Where can I watch When the Phone Rings?
Netflix lists the series in its Singapore catalog, and Rotten Tomatoes also identifies Netflix as a streaming home. Streaming catalogs vary by country and can change, so check Netflix in your region for current availability. Apple TV Korea’s listing identifies MBC as the studio, 2024 as the release year and South Korea as the region of origin.
Rank #3
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Is it based on a web novel?
Netflix’s official sources do not agree. Netflix Tudum’s December 6, 2024 explainer answers the question of whether the series is based on a book with “No, it’s an original story,” while Netflix’s catalog tags the title “Based on a Web Novel.” The available statements do not resolve the discrepancy, so its adaptation status is unclear.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should viewers expect from the season’s tone?
The show combines a marriage-focused romance with kidnapping suspense and family, political and media intrigue. That mix gives the relationship multiple pressures, but it may also divide attention. In a review published April 11, 2025, South China Morning Post critic Pierce Conran argued that the increasingly tangled family, corporate, political and media narratives can make it harder for the romance to stay in the spotlight. That is Conran’s criticism, not a consensus measure.
Rank #4
MBC’s own framing puts emotional communication at the center, describing its hope to offer a story that viewers who avoid conversation or hide their emotions can empathize with and find comforting. Viewers looking primarily for a tightly focused romance should know that the season also gives substantial space to thriller and intrigue elements.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Compatibility: Compatible with more devices: Effortlessly control TVs, Set Top Boxes, Air Conditioners, Projectors, Ott-Boxes, DVDs, Amplifiers, SLRs, Fans, IR Switches, Water Hoters, Electric Heaters, Air Cleaners, Robot Vacuums and Blinds with All in One Remote Control
- Compatibility: Compatible with more brands: Universal Remote Control Adapter compatible for Samsung, for Vizio, for Roku, for Sony, for Sharp, for Samsung, for Panasonic, for TCL, for RCA, for Hisense, for Toshiba, for Fhilips, for LG and more
- IR Remote Control Convenience: The type-c plug compatible for i-OS and for Android system, Manage your home devices from your smartphone with the Remote App, bringing ease and efficiency to your fingertips
- Package Included: 1x Universal Remote Adapter. 1x Leather Case. 1x Key Ring. 1x User Guide
- Good Service: Black Universal Remote Control Adapter with Leather Protective Case with Key Ring, USB Type-C, All in One Control Fit for Smartphone, for TV/AC/DVD, Please compare the goods appearance, shape, size with your original goods before ordering; please contact us when you have any problem, we will solve the problem for you as soon as possible
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