The Number You Have Dialed (2024)

Amazing show

This show was immensly enjoyable and had me on the edge of my seat.
I love a thriller that plays with your emotions and keeps you guessing. I love a romance that makes you laugh and cry and makes your heart clench. The show delivered that in spades.

The acting was wonderful. All of the cast members outdid themselves.

The soundtrack was one of the best ever. Instant download to my music library.

The plot: Wonderful

The ML is the stereotypical "cold CEO" as well as a somewhat morally-grey, handsome, rich and influencal person. He is completey in love with the FL but is unable to show it. We, the viewers, pick up on it much before the FL does.

The FL is strong, smart, kind, and very beautiful. It's beautiful to see her journey. While she is strong from the start, she holds herself back and only begins testing her boundries as the show goes on. The progression is beautiful.

The story combines elements of thriller, mystery, politics, secrets, family intrigue, and childhood trauma.
The main couple's chemistry is on fire. (The second couple is also a joy to watch.)
The evolution of the main couple from cold and adversarial with charged chemistry, to warm and open with blazing chemistry is portrayed to perfection.

Some of the plot twists are predictable while others are not. But all of the elemets of the story come together seemlesly. There are no filler scenes. The action, romance, and adventure are cobmined into a wonderful whole. I sat back and watched without blinking, entranced throughout the entire show.

What a wonderful journey.

My one complaint and the reason why I rated 9.5 is the final episode.
The happy ending was wonderful. But the leadup seemed out of place to the reaminder of the show. While the story line did follow the original novel in the majority of its aspects, somehow it was not incorporated into the show to my satisfaction.

Altogether, a terrific show and an immensly enjoyable watch.

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masterpiece of 2024 shouldn't be missed!!

I started this drama mainly as I had seen it being in the first trending list of dramas here and getting a great hype about it so that made me more curious to explore this magical effect of this drama that mesmerized the mind for most of watchers when reading a lot of opinions about it...

I would like to say honesly that it turned to be more amazing that I thought and exceeded my expectations!! I was captivated and hooked from the first moment I started it knowing that it would be so interesting and really it wasn't disappointing at all especially this beautiful ending that I was anticipating to have it for such perfect drama!!! the mystery part of the story is so well written how made the drama more exciting towards the end when revealing gradually one after other unanswered and perplexing questions!!!

this is considered for me one of the best top notch acting ever seen in any korean drama that I would like to say hats off for this hard work of leads and all the cast of actors in this drama that performed so well!!! it started so strongly and even got to be more better with the progression of story...

yoo yeon seok was the star of this show, tailored for doing this role in utterly perfection!!!! his facial features was so realistic, his decent outfits and dazzling look!!! everything about him is a complete package of a great actor!!!! I was wondering why he would be hating his wife so much at the beginning?!?! but his inside personality gave another idea of who he is for real!! he fell for his wife from childhood but for forced being "the spokesman baek sa eon" is costing him a lot to not live a happy married life like any ordinary couples!! I like how the story progressed and how the events were written to make leads approaching more and being fond for each others!!!

the fiery and attractive chemistry of leads is something that I didn't see in any drama before!! I was surprised to ending up displaying a GIF about them in my profile picture for being impressed with the existence of such most awesome couple in a korean drama ever seen!!!

chae soo bin should be praised mainly for how she performed sign language in this skillful and outstanding way!!! she wanted to live happily with her husband but her life was always surrounded with danger paying the price for being "the hidden wife of the spokesman baek sa eon"!!! I would like to mention that I was too amazed by her acting too at the scene when she was pushed off the cliff alongside yoo yeon seok who was looking for her crazily, not believing so badly to find her, is one of the best moments that impressed me as it was the main event making the romance to blossom in this beautiful love story...

I would like to add too that the actor who played the role of kidnapper was too so good and really he performed the role of a psycopath in a realistic and wonderful way that he should be placed among the first cast of supportive characters not in the last place!!!

most people were frustrated with the fact of why sa eon left hee joo after she was rescued from being kidnapped leaving a lot of questions of what could the kidnapper whispered for sa eon a fact about hee joo that made him looking at her with sad eyes and punishing himself to be away from her for being the son of the one who caused mainly hee joo to forced being mute after the accident happened for her and her siblings... it was disappointing for many and illogical for him to do it, I can agree about this point but adding another unresolved mystery before final as a cliffhanger wasn't bad in my opoinion and what is more important that the story ended in the favor of leads!!!

one of the scenes that wasn't pleasing for a lot of people the war setting in argan scenes at the final, felt strange like watching something else in another show but I can see it in another perspective that it was an evidence hee joo would follow sa eon wherever will be in the world to find him as her soulmate and to make him know how he means for her!!! even the scene of hee joo driving the kidnapper in her car and skipping the railboard just to "protect sa eon and not suffering anymore" from the threatening existence of the kidnapper was too a marvelous scene to mention, one of my favorite scenes!!!

"406" identity caller was a great plot to add for the story as it was a main reason too to make sa eon being more tender and affectionate towards hee joo especially after he discovered that she can speaking for real but he didn't wanted to hate her and revealing this even if she used this identity for avenging him...

I don't have any complaints about this drama though the points I mentioned before about the scenes that made people upset with the show but for me it is well deserving a complete ratings of 10 as long having a happy ending and giving leads the right to live in endless joy after all the hardships they went through and for being perfect drama in everything including an ideal love story could be presenting!!!

second leads were so cute paired together!!! their charcater are so suitable for their roles and gave too some funny moments for the drama!! second female lead always was shining with her smile and second male lead was an important key in the mystery part of the story but though I think they could be having placed as support characters too, anyway I liked how all leads were harmonious with each other at the end!!!!

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Breathtaking chemistry

Just finished watching this drama and it was totally worth my time ♥️.
Couldn't be a better ending of this thrilling rom-com to start my new year with. Loved the cast❤️ loved the storyline ❤️especially loved the amazing chemistry between the main leads 🥰♥️. Totally lived upto the name "When The Phone Rings" 📲 😭.
Also one of the best things that I loved about this drama is the backstory revelation 👏. Dropped a clue just when needed, let the viewer speculate the story and then final revelation just when we thought it's time ✅️ . Wow just wow 👌. And last but not the least another gorgeous couple ever in the kdrama history 😍 Baek-Hong couple no.2❤️.

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Almost the best show of 2024

I can now say with clarity that 2024 was an abysmal Kdrama year. It was one disappointment after underwhelming show after trash fire show after another! All the shows that started with great hype and massive potential *cough* lovelymarrymyrunnerhusband *cough* ended up with weird third acts or just bad plotting or shoehorned actors...everything was BAD! Everyone's favorite 2024 drama worked like the strongest sleeping pill for me! I fell over my computer on 4 different occasions before I gave up on it! It was basically impossible to find a good show! The late entries of the year that I ended up giving 10 stars to, were on par with previous years' 8-stars show but given the depressing landscape of 2024, I was desperate to give them some good ratings and they ended up over-complimented in the process.
And then, When The Phone Rings started airing.
I had no intention to watch this, like most shows I watched that year. It just sort of happened. I tried the first episode and it was so tense, addictive and mysterious that I immediately went for episode 2 and then I was craving for episode three! Sure, you need to lowkey turn off your feminist brain for the show to be enjoyable and there's still a lot that is questionable/unexplained in the plot but overall, it was good at keeping the tension high and building momentum for the upcoming episode. Add to that the steamy but subtle chemistry between the leading actors, their complex personalities and the ambiguous dynamics they had which bordered on unhealthy but never quite tipped into toxic territory and that kept the show fun to watch and also added a little spice to boot. This show was fun! Was it high quality? No...no, the production is really actually bad! The set designs are so basic, you can tell they had a low budget but they kept it classy. The acting wasn't good across the board either. For the most of the run, I thought this one guy was a secret villain but it turned out that the actor just...has an intense gaze, he he (awkward...). The mother characters looked really fake and just uncomfortable when they did their crying scenes. So it wasn't perfect in technical aspects and the plot was cheesy and slightly off at parts but the overall storytelling was so enjoyable and entertaining.
There was also sweet separations from the norm, the SFL isn't vengeful or jealous. The SML while still a SML (So like, how good can he be?!) was still less pushy and didn't overstep. The characters set up to be jealous and cruel were just supportive and neutral. The villains were not omniscient gods. They were sh*t at being villains like you would expect normal humans to be sh*t at stuff. The FL, though mainly a damsel in distress, showed unexpected spunk and fire and managed to save herself a number of times. The ML, is the main reason everyone watched this, was SO HOT! And though he was gloomy and broody when he was grinding on that miscommunication train, he was at his sexiest when he started to learn communication. Love to see it! This was the kind of show that was so fun and good to watch in small doses!
And then, around episode 8 it started to get a bit slow and I found episode 9 and 10 to be less enjoyable than previous ones though they still wrapped it up nicely. But then...episodes 11 and 12 were awful! I have never seen a show ruin itself so magnificently! My god! I can't believe I'm saying this...this show did not need 12 episodes!!!! They could've wrapped this up in 10 episodes! 11 at most! The pacing was slow in 11 but in 12, the pacing was high on drugs and tripping on freaking clouds! It was confusing, it made no sense. WHY???? Why would you do this to your show?! omg...you almost had the perfect show, goddamit!
So yeah. If this was to prove anything, it proved that nothing about 2024 was good and redeemable! This was the last chance to have a perfect 2024 show but they fumbled the bag.
It's not even a mini-problem! They spent 10 episodes setting up a character who learns communication, only for him to just forget all about that character growth and just regress to "I know what's best for her" nonsense. How can you undo everything you so meticulously set up for 11 episodes, in just 67 minutes?!
And it dragged. The most boring episode of the show. Made no sense, was all over the place, suddenly we get a voiceover explaining random conclusions to plot points, the filming technique looked like daytime sitcom shows, the acting was stilted, the plot was out of the left field. And then they give you the cute resolution in the final moments but it came after the most bizarre and random episode that I didn't even enjoy it well.
Almost. It was almost the best show of 2024. What a pity.
I don't regret watching it but it ended on a really sour note and I redacted 2 points, at first but then, for the sake of all that I had enjoyed in this show, I returned one point.
Could've been a ten...but it's not. What a waste! What a pity.

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It starts with a situation, then becomes a story.

I knew that they only have 12 episodes, so the show will be fast paced. But this one really didn't give me enough time to breathe. The first half of episode 1 is all about world building. And they delivered it really well. They give all information in just the first 30-40 minutes, The personality, the couple relation, and the side characters. Thriller shows usually use hooks, to make the story more thrilling, but they used conflicts. As every episode you definitely will be conflicted.
Let's talk about it's negative first,
The only thing I want to complain about is its lazy screenplay in the finale episode, the scene holds too much information the whole Argan sequence needs to be stretched, to understand it in more depth.
Now it's positive,
1. Having a mature approach in the direction, of how they developed the understanding, after resolving all the miscommunication and misunderstandings between them.
2. Acting, All actors did an amazing job in portraying their role. Yoo Yeonseok and Chae Soo Bin you guys proved You are the best choice for this role. The one gem whom I wanted to highlight is our Kidnapper Park Jae Yun you deserve all the praise, The way you adapted your character was amazing. Same with all the senior experienced actors less screen time but huge impact.
3. The chemistry between the leads is amazing as in the first half there was zero lines between them it was one side conversation, still they managed to show that chemistry....
4. The thing I liked the most is that they didn't add too many unnecessary supporting characters in the plot, also the amount of screentime they gave to second leads is decent. Because half of the dramas in 2024, second leads were the highlight of the show and got more praised than the main leads.
5. The technical aspects of the show the sound design, cinematography, OST's were amazing. The OST made the scenes 10× better.
6. The last but not the least is a well written villain, Believe it or not the writing of Villain is 100% perfect. A psychopath who likes to play with peoples life by killing them, He gets thrill from doing that. But in Heeju's Sa Eon (Baek Yu Yeon's) case the whole situation is different.
Psychopath accomplished what He longed for He wanted to ruin Baek Yu Yeon and He accomplished that not physically but mentally this time. He made Baek Yu Yeon lose his mind that he stopped thinking rationally and started being dumb and acting cowardly.
The Romance of drama is divided into 4 parts
From Suspenseful/Thriller Romance, The starting of everything where the initial stage of the caring nature of Baek Sa Eon first appears.To slow burn which unfolds gradually, with the characters moving from emotional distance and mistrust to connection and reconciliation over time. To the psychological where romance emerges as a product of healing and understanding, with characters emotional states, traumas, and inner conflicts. To mature phase, where narrative focuses on a marriage rather than a budding love story, emphasizing the complexities and struggles of maintaining and rediscovering love in an established relationship.
Its not a perfect but a good show you can enjoy, it'll entertain you. And will not make you bore...

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really enjoyed When the Phone Rings—it’s exactly the type of show I love. It has such a good vibe, with a perfect balance of mystery and drama. The couple in the series is amazing, and their chemistry feels so natural! 🍻😍

The storyline is engaging, with plenty of twists that keep you on your toes. If you're looking for a show that's not only entertaining but also gives off a positive, feel-good vibe, I definitely recommend giving it a watch.

Also, if you're into the music, the OST album is really beautiful. You can listen to it here:

https://memo.ostfly.com/album/PVGhhUNL/when-the-phone-rings-ost

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! ❤️"

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oh that phone calls went into a different direction than i expected...

it started strong. compelling premise, intense and the fast-paced style made it more exciting. they always end an episode with a cliff-hanger that would make you want to watch the next episode immediately. but also with this pacing, i think other parts of the show lacked in depth and development. it got really over-the-top in the end there which feels fanfiction-y too in a way which is silly but fun. again, i had a fun time but overall, not as satisfying as i wanted it to be.

the whole phone call thing part between saeon and heejoo was probably the most exciting part of the whole drama. even though, we've seen some stupid moments during that, that was the sequences that made it engaging. i was really rooting for heejoo to play that mind games with saeon but it did not really went there. when that whole thing was over, the romance got intensified. and that intensity threw me off in the end. it just didn't feel right when those two barely know each other. if anything, he treated her so badly that heejoo should've made it worse for him during those phone calls lol except for a couple of flashbacks of them when they were kids, we did not really see much of the development of their relationship. next thing you know, they would literally die for each other. i'm not mad lol but that gave me a whiplash. that whole possesive/over protective thing thing too? oh the girlies are gonna eat that up. i just wish there was more development before all that.

if it's just romance, yuri and sangwoo are the ones that made me kick my feet in the air, you know? that hyper gf and calm bf dynamic who also investigates a case together. plus they are adorable and hot? hello, i want more!

acting-wise, no complaints here. yoo yeonseok? that man can act and has range. very happy for chae soobin getting this project too. i gotta say, the scenes between chae woojin who played dojae and saeon were the ones that really moved me emotionally and probably, one of my favorite moments too.

the villains are over-the-top. it got really wild and dramatic there in the end with the plot. it did bother me at times when they did those "what if" or "dreaming" sequences. oh he actually wasn't shot? oh. lol that's just for shock value. also, i think they could've done more with the selective mutism storyline but oh well.

anyway, it's not a favorite but a good time overall. now i wish there was a version where there's no romance or more like, the two only started falling in love while they're trying to catch the real killer and also, more push back from the female lead and phone calls where they play more mind games with each other lmao writers in fanfic community, do your thing.

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The last episode...

Even though there were a few illogical parts at the beginning, I absolutely loved the series. Unfortunately, she became much weaker at the very end. The last episode in particular took all my enjoyment out of the series. It was completely taken out of thin air and illogical just to briefly build up "tension".
I will definitely watch the series again, but only until about the middle, when everything is clear between the main characters.
Still a very emotional and beautiful show. I just wish the makers would rewrite the ending. 💔 It would be a straight 10 out of 10 without the ending.

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when the phone rings review

When the Phone Rings is a drama that captures attention with its raw emotional depth and gripping storytelling. I rated it a 9/10 because it strikes a near-perfect balance between captivating performances, a compelling plot, and emotional moments, though there are a few areas that could have been improved.

One of the standout features of this drama is the acting. The cast delivers outstanding performances, with each character feeling real and relatable. The lead actors, in particular, have such great chemistry that every scene between them feels natural and impactful. The emotions they portray whether it's heartbreak, anger, or joy feel genuine, drawing you in and making you care deeply about what happens to them.

The story itself is engaging, with twists and turns that keep you invested from start to finish. While there are a few predictable moments, the overall narrative is strong enough to keep you hooked. It deals with heavy themes like loss, redemption, and forgiveness, and does so in a way that resonates with viewers on an emotional level. The pacing is solid, with each episode building up to key moments that make the drama even more intense.

The music in When the Phone Rings is another highlight. The soundtrack is well-chosen, with each song perfectly complementing the tone of the scene it accompanies. It adds a layer of depth to the emotions on screen and enhances the overall experience without overshadowing the dialogue or action.

However, as much as the drama excels in many areas, there are a few moments where it feels like the story could have been a bit more unpredictable, and some supporting characters didn’t receive as much development as the main ones. These small flaws kept me from giving it a perfect 10.

Overall, When the Phone Rings is a must-watch for anyone who enjoys emotional, character driven stories. It’s powerful, beautifully acted, and offers a strong narrative that will stay with you long after the final episode. The 9/10 rating feels right it’s almost perfect, but with just a few minor areas that could have made it flawless.

Honestly, people who hate on this drama just don’t get it. It’s life changing, and if you’re out here giving it low ratings just to be different, it’s pretty clear you’re trying way too hard to be edgy. Everyone else sees its brilliance, and if you can’t, maybe it’s time to rethink your taste.

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