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When the Phone Rings Ending Explained: Yoo Yeon Seok and Chae Soo Bin’s path to happiness marred by deaths; Why are fans hating on ‘unnecessary’ scene?
When the Phone Rings has finally released the awaited final episodes on January 3 and 4. With the plot taking an unexpected turn, here's the untangling of all the knots and answer to all your doubts.
When the Phone Rings is a South Korean mystery thriller series released on November 22, 2024 on Netflix. Its episodes aired every Friday and Saturday at 21:50 (KST). Yoo Yeon Seok (Baek Sa Eon) and Chae Soo Bin (Hong Hee Joo) played the lead roles in the drama. The final episode had a lot of action and even a reference to an ongoing global crisis, which the fans have termed ‘unnecessary’.
When the Phone Rings Plot
The thrilling melodrama series followed a marriage of convenience between Hong Hee Joo (Chae Soo Bin), the step daughter of the owner of a broadcasting company, who pretends to be mute and the heir of a chaebol family, Baek Sa Eon (Yoo Yeon Seok). However, it was revealed in the later episodes that Yoo Yeon Seok wasn't the real Baek Sa Eon, he was just a stand-in for the real man, which is the kidnapper. However the reason why he was presented to the world as Baek Sa Eon by the Baek family was revealed in episode 11 of When the Phone Rings.
When the Phone Rings Ending Explained
The fake Baek Sa Eon was originally a child without a name and identity, living with and being taken care of by a poor fisherman. Then one day, chaebol Baek Jang Ho arrived there with his mentally unstable grandson, tried to drown him to death and then replaced him with the new Baek Sa Eon, who was actually his hidden biological child.
But why did he do so? Because of his grandson's murderous instincts, he had to hide him from the world but a neighbour boy, Hong Yu Jin, who was also the son of one of his presidential campaign funders and a close friend, saw Baek Sa Eon's face. Due to this, Baek Jang Ho ordered his murder. Later, when Hong Yu Jin's father came to know about this, Baek Jang Ho made a deal with him, of killing his grandson as compensation.
In the last episode, the kidnapper revealed this secret to the current Baek Sa Eon. He whispered in his ears that his own father (whom the world knows as his grandfather) was responsible for the murder of Hong Hee Joo's stepbrother and the cause of her lifelong misery. Due to his guilt feeling about the incident, he left without a trace once Hong Hee Joo regained consciousness in the hospital and showed signs of recovery.
Did Baek Sa Eon (Yoo Yeon Seok) return to Hong Hee Joo (Chae Soo Bin)? Where did he run away to and why?
Baek Sa Eon had previously visited the fictional foreign land of Argan during his military training days and is aware of how hostile the area is. In order to punish himself for his biological father causing his beloved wife misery, he went to Argan to live a life dedicated to rescue missions. However, when Hong Hee Joo received a package from Argan saying that 2 million won had been donated in her name to a school for mute and hearing impaired children there, she immediately took the hint that it was her husband's doing.
As she finally reconciled with him there, he opened up about his feelings of guilt and the two of them shared a long-awaited passionate night. Everything was going fine until one of the last appearances of Na Yu Ri (Jang Gyu Ri) in the drama, which was criticised by the viewers.
Why are fans hating one of the last scenes of the drama?
The 12th episode included a scene where Na Yu Ri (Jang Gyu Ri) was shown reporting about a fictional country of Paltima being accused of air striking another fictional country of Ismael, along with taking a Korean national hostage. This angered the viewers as they felt that the drama-makers were making a mockery of the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis. They even termed the scene ‘unnecessary’ and demanded an apology for the same.
Is there a happy ending?
Yes, after the spouses reunited in Argan, they returned to South Korea together and got married for real this time. Hong Hee Joo also mended her relations with her step sister, Hong In A and their parents. Hong Hee Joo's previous and present co-workers also visited their new house to congratulate them on their marriage and Ji Sang Woo (Heo Nam Joon) and Na Yu Ri (Jang Gyu Ri) announced their relationship. The story ended on a romantic note as Baek Sa Eon (renamed as Baek Yoo Yeon) and Hong Hee Joo walk into the woods holding hands.
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