If you’re anything like me, you probably spent the first two episodes of When the Phone Rings wanting to reach through the screen and shake Baek Sa-eon. The guy was the definition of "ice king." But When the Phone Rings episode 3 is where the frost finally starts to crack, and honestly, it’s about time. This is the episode where the show stops being just a high-concept thriller about a mysterious kidnapper and starts feeling like a messy, deeply human story about two people who have no idea how to love each other.
K-dramas love a "marriage of convenience" trope, but this one is particularly dark. We've got Sa-eon, the youngest presidential spokesperson in Korea, and his wife Hong Hee-joo, a sign language interpreter who hasn't spoken a word in years. Up until now, their "Show Window" marriage was basically a desert. No talking, no eating together—just 2 billion won standing between them and a divorce.
The Bomb That Changed Everything
The episode kicks off with a literal bang. Remember that cliffhanger? Sa-eon is at the office, and he gets a call from "the kidnapper" (who we know is actually Hee-joo using a burner phone). He hangs up on her, totally cold, only for a bomb disguised as a pizza delivery to go off moments later.
It’s a wake-up call for both of them.
Hee-joo is absolutely spiraling. She just wanted to scare him into a divorce, but now people are actually getting hurt. You can see the panic in her eyes because she realizes her "prank" is colliding with something much more dangerous. There’s a real threat out there, and she’s accidentally playing right into their hands.
Jealousy and the Bedroom Scene We Weren't Expecting
One of the best parts of this episode is seeing Sa-eon actually feel something besides professional annoyance. Enter Ji Sang-woo. He’s the psychiatrist/YouTuber who clearly has a past with Hee-joo, and Sa-eon’s reaction to them having lunch is priceless.
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He’s jealous. Like, visibly, "I-don't-know-what-to-do-with-these-emotions" jealous.
But the real kicker is when they get home. For the first time in three years, Sa-eon doesn't sleep in his own room. He goes to Hee-joo’s room and asks to sleep next to her. It’s not even a "romance" moment in the traditional sense; it’s more about him wanting to protect her because he’s realized the house might not be safe.
"As for the kidnapping incident... just think of it as a bad dream and forget everything you heard."
When he said that, my heart sort of broke for Hee-joo. She’s still thinking about his "call me when there's a corpse" line from the previous episode. She thinks he wants her dead, while he’s actually starting to hover over her like a bodyguard. The miscommunication is peak K-drama, but it feels earned here because of how much they’ve both been through.
The Truth About Hee-joo’s Voice
We finally got a look into the "why" behind Hee-joo’s mutism, and it is way darker than a simple accident. The flashback to her childhood shows her mother, Kim Yeon-hu, basically forcing her to stop speaking. It was a calculated move to manipulate the Chairman into supporting them after the accident that killed his son.
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Think about that for a second. Hee-joo has spent her entire life literally silenced by the person who was supposed to protect her.
It explains why her "kidnapper" calls are so messy and amateurish. It’s the first time she’s actually using her voice to take back some power, even if she’s doing it in the most chaotic way possible. She’s not just calling Sa-eon; she’s screaming at the world that she exists.
That Ending with the Teeth (Yeah, You Read That Right)
Just when you think things are settling into a romance-thriller groove, the show drops a reminder that the real threat is still out there. The kidnapper calls Hee-joo again, but this time, he’s got her father.
Seeing the handful of bloody teeth was a lot.
The police tell her the teeth didn't even belong to her father, which is almost scarier. It’s a message. The kidnapper knows she’s the one calling Sa-eon, and he’s basically blackmailing her into continuing the ruse.
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What This Means for the Rest of the Season
If you’re watching When the Phone Rings for the mystery, episode 3 confirms that there are at least three different games being played at once:
- Hee-joo’s desperate attempt to get a divorce.
- Sa-eon’s political enemies trying to blow him up.
- A shadowy third party who knows everyone’s secrets.
The dynamic has shifted. Sa-eon is finally acting like a husband, but he’s doing it just as Hee-joo is being forced to betray him further. It’s the perfect setup for a "lovers to enemies to lovers" arc that actually has stakes.
Honestly, the most impressive thing about this episode is how Yoo Yeon-seok plays the shift. He doesn't suddenly become a sweetheart. He’s still arrogant and intense, but you see the "melodrama" starting to explode, just like the writer Kim Ji-woon promised.
What to Keep an Eye On:
- The Business Card: Sa-eon asking for Sang-woo’s card wasn't just for show. He’s going to dig into her past.
- The Sign Language: Pay attention to when they stop using it. The moments they choose to sign versus when Hee-joo uses her phone tell you everything about their trust levels.
- The Mother: Kim Yeon-hu is clearly the "final boss" of Hee-joo's trauma. Her influence is everywhere.
If you haven't started episode 4 yet, brace yourself. The pace only picks up from here. The transition from a cold marriage to a protective, high-stakes partnership is the heart of this show, and episode 3 is exactly where that engine starts running.
Your Next Steps:
- Rewatch the bedroom scene and pay attention to Sa-eon's eyes when Hee-joo falls asleep—it’s the first time he looks at her without a mask.
- Check the CCTV details mentioned by the assistant again; there’s a hint about the "delivery man" that might link to the orphanage mystery Sang-woo mentioned.
- Compare the webtoon "The Number You Have Dialed" if you want to see how the "real Sa-eon" plotline differs from the show's early pacing.