For many fans of K-dramas, the experience of watching Netflix’s hit show “When The Phone Rings” has been an exhilarating ride. Our minds have been in a state of constant excitement over the past few weeks, as the show’s intricate plot has continued to unfold, weaving together a captivating blend of suspense and romance.
When we say the plot is plotting, we mean it because the writing on this show is superb! It is therefore no surprise why fans have multiple theories trying to read between both the existent and non-existent lines to put the puzzle together.
What is When The Phone Rings About?
This is a mystery, romance thriller drama that stars the talented Chae Soo-bin and Yoo Yeon-seok. The two will be portraying a married couple that got married out of convenience and have not spoken to each other for the past three years of their marriage.
Yoo Yeon-seok plays the role of Baek Sa-eon, the son of a powerful political family and the youngest presidential spokesperson in South Korea. This is not surprising given his background as a hostage negotiator, war correspondent, and highly skilled anchorman.
In the meantime, Chae Soo-bin portrays Hong Hee-joo. Hee-joo turned mute after an accident when she was young. She has since become a sign language interpreter and plays her part in the sham of a marriage between her and Sa-eon. However, their marriage changes the day she is kidnapped and her husband receives a threatening call.
Biggest Theories
What is Sa-eon’s true identity?
We have known for a while that Sa-eon is not the real son of Ui-hyong and Kyu-jin. The real Sa-eon had serial killer tendencies from an early age. He started by killing animals and ended up killing a few kids from the orphanage near their home. To put an end to this, Paik Jang-ho drowned him, thought he was dead, and replaced him with the current Sa-eon.
However, we still don’t know Sa-eon’s real name, his origin, and how he came to live with Sang-hoon before he was taken by the Paik family. Some fans think that he is one of the twins, but this was debunked in Episode 9. However, we can’t ignore the possibility of two sets of twins.
Is Do-jae the kidnapper’s accomplice?
He might look fine in a suit, and Sa-eon trusts him a lot, but we have been onto Do-jae for a while now. He always seemed too dedicated when it came to helping Sa-eon. Fans have been suspicious of him and believe he was the one who threw Hee-joo off the cliff in episode 6. Some dedicated fans even went through the trouble of zooming in on Do-jae’s hand to prove he has a mole on his hand and is therefore the culprit. They were right because Episode 9 reveals that Do-jae is one of the twins.
However, with three episodes left, we don’t understand why he would collude with the kidnapper. Most fans are under the impression that the kidnapper is the real Sa-eon. This would mean he was the one who killed Do-jae’s twin. Unless Do-jae doesn’t know about the switch-up, there is no reason for him to team up with the kidnapper.
The Orphanage
There has been a lot of talk about the orphanage. Fans wonder if Paik Jang-ho paid the sisters in charge to hide what happened. In a previous episode, the current sister managing the orphanage said that all the previous sisters working at the orphanage were transferred. That seems odd, but given Paik Jang-ho’s power and influence, it would be a small thing to pull off.
What is the kidnapper’s motive?
We have so many theories about the kidnapper. We seem to be sure that he is the real Sa-eon, but in episode 9, we learn that the real Sa-eon had surgery to cure his heterochromia. If this is the case, how do we explain the kidnapper’s heterochromia? Who is he? Why is he after Sa-eon? If he is not the real Sa-eon, where is the real Sa-eon?
We also can’t help but wonder if Kyu-jin has been secretly helping her son. She seems attached to him and carries a grudge against her father-in-law for what he did to the real Sa-eon. We are assuming that the kidnapper and Do-jae are working together, but what if there is another accomplice?
Who is Sang-woo?
One of the biggest mysteries in all this is how Sang-woo fits in the story. Yes, he met the real Sa-eon when he was a child, but how come he didn’t find it weird that the current Sa-eon looks different? If he has been looking into what happened in the mansion all these years, shouldn’t he have known it belonged to the Paik family?
The timing of his desire to find answers seems suspicious. We know he saved Sa-eon and Sang-hoon in episode 9, but is he just a good guy looking for answers?
What’s going on with Hong Hee-joo’s family?
There are a few people closely related to Hee-joo that deserve to be looked into. Who sent Sa-eon’s DNA information to I-na? We can’t rule out that Sa-eon did it as part of his final steps to get I-na to refuse to marry him. Initially, we thought I-na was the typical step-sibling from hell, but she has proven us wrong. It seems she cares a lot about Hee-joo.
On the other hand, II-kyeong is a big red flag. He has a deal with Paik Jang-ho, but how did this come to be? The deal came shortly after II-kyeong’s son died in the fatal accident that left I-na deaf. Was the accident intentional? Who was behind it and why did Paik Jang-ho kneel in front of II-kyeong?
For now, we’ll have to wait and see where the story goes, but there’s undoubtedly a lot to love with this Korean drama. What are your theories? Where do you see the story going? Let us know in the comments below!