When the Phone Rings episode 1 recap- Why did Baek Sa-eon marry Hong Hee-joo?

MBC’s upcoming drama When the Phone Rings aired on September 24. The series features Yoo Yeon-seok, Chae Soo-bin, Heo Nam-joon, and Jang Gyu-ri in a gripping romance thriller. The plot follows a couple navigating their third year in a politically arranged marriage, a union that began under the shadow of a menacing phone call.

When the Phone Rings is helmed by director Park Sang-woo, celebrated for his visually captivating work on The Forbidden Marriage. He collaborates with co-director Wi Deuk-gyu and writer Kim Ji-woon, known for crafting layered narratives in Melancholia and Doctor John. Based on a popular Kakao Page novel, the series is a joint production by Bon Factory and Baram Pictures.

In episode 1 of When the Phone Rings, the truth behind Baek Sa-eon and Hee-joo's marriage is revealed. In this episode, Hee-joo is kidnapped, but she also finds a way to get through to Sa-eon.

---

When the Phone Rings episode 1 recap: Who is behind the phone call?

The first episode of When the Phone Rings starts with Sa-eon grabbing attention at a party with his presence. Joined by Hee-joo alongside him, he asks her to stay calm and avoid any misunderstanding about their relationship.

The scene cuts to Hee-joo working as a sign language interpreter at a news agency. The station has to go live soon since Sa-eon, a presidential spokesperson, has something to share with the media. However, Hee-joo is asked to leave as there is no need for an interpreter.

Sa-eon announces that an armed group has held hostages and is demanding the withdrawal of South Korean troops unless they want the hostages killed. He also reveals they do not plan to give in to any demands. There shall also be a temporary media control.

As the election is approaching, Hee-joo is asked to quit her job and stay by her husband's side. Moreover, her being in the public eye is not the best option. While driving back to her home, Hee-joo's car starts malfunctioning. She loses control over it, and it halts suddenly. In this episode of When the Phone Rings, a man who had tampered with the car's functioning shows up and takes Hee-joo hostage.

Meanwhile, Sa-eon is getting calls from media agencies. Suddenly, a foreign number shows up on his phone. The caller threatens to kill his wife if he does not pay him ransom. To cross-check, Sa-eon calls Hee-joo's mother, who tells him she is having dinner with Hee-joo.

Sure that his wife is safe, Sa-eon does not take the kidnapper seriously and asks him to call him after he has killed Hee-joo. This angers the latter. Sa-eon receives another call from the kidnapper but does not pick up since he has been named to make another announcement. Crying, Hee-joo steps on the accelerator and crosses a speed breaker, injuring the kidnapper.

Sa-eon meets Hyeok-jin, a friend and a reporter. After dropping him off, he rushes to his house to check up on Hee-joo.

Hee-joo seems upset as he tells her about the call he received. For an upcoming event at the British Embassy, Sa-eon needs an interpreter and asks Hee-joo to do the job. Later at night, Hee-joo's mother tells her that Sa-eon had called and she told her that they were having dinner together.

In a flashback of their wedding, it is shown that Hee-joo was married off to Sa-eon as a hostage.

The two are now shown at the party that the episode started with. At the Embassy, Hee-joo helps interpret Sa-eon's words for the British official's wife. She also clarifies that she is not his wife but only an interpreter. The official asks Sa-eon about his wife, and he tells them she is his weakness, as revealing her identity will expose her to multiple threats.

Hee-joo wants to go home, but Sa-eon asks her to stay. She gets upset and calls him a jerk with sign language. She storms off to the washroom.

Just then, Sa-eon receives a call from the same number. The caller seems to know his location. The caller narrates the circumstances of their marriage, which catches Sa-eon off-guard. The latter was supposed to marry Hee-joo's elder sister and the daughter of Chungwoon News's chairman, Hong In-a. Since she ran away on the wedding day, he married Hee-joo as a hostage. If she initiated a divorce, she would have to pay two million won.

The caller asks him to get rid of Hee-joo and return with In-a. However, through a surprising twist of events in When the Phone Rings, the caller is revealed to be none other than Hee-joo herself. After her kidnapping, she overcame her selective mutism and took the phone used by the kidnapper.

She asks Sa-eon to pay a ransom of two billion won. She narrates the details of her kidnapping, posing as the kidnapper. This angers Sa-eon, who punches the wall in front of him. He promises to catch the caller, but Hee-joo cuts the call. With this, the first episode of When the Phone Rings ends.

---

The next episode of When the Phone Rings is scheduled to be released on November 23.