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When the Phone Rings is a 2024 K-drama that kept everyone hooked with its combination of thriller, melodrama, and intense emotional battle. It premiered on MBC on November 22, 2024, and ran through January 4, 2025, releasing 12 great episodes. The drama is based on a messy marriage and the hostage crisis that drops its characters into a political, media, and old, still-raw trauma complex dance.
It was not only the engaging storyline of When the Phone Rings that was worth it, but also the performances of its actors as well. All of the actors had a character that was confronting inner and outer conflicts, and collectively they constructed a narrative wide in scope.
This cast and character guide analyzes in exhaustive detail who played with whom in When the Phone Rings and deconstructs the main players and their positions in the drama.
When the Phone Rings: cast and character guide
Yoo Yeon-seok as Baek (Paik) Sa-eon
The main star of When the Phone Rings is Baek Sa-eon, who is being portrayed by Yoo Yeon-seok. Sa-eon becomes a presidential spokesman with a tumultuous background. As a war reporter, hostage negotiator, and anchorman from his past life, he is a man of gravity, a man who is highly schooled in handling crises head-on. But beneath that smooth facade is a man whose private life begins to go haywire.
His three-year-long marriage to Hong Hee-joo is a marriage of space and silence. They live under the same roof bodily, but not in the same world emotionally. Everything comes together when Hee-joo gets kidnapped, and Sa-eon's mind is in a mess as he is dealing with the pain of his bad marriage.
Yoo Yeon-seok's acting brings out the strength and frailty of a man caught between official responsibility and personal grief. Sa-eon's journey is the very heart of the whole drama.
Chae Soo-bin as Hong Hee-joo
Chae Soo-bin portrays Hong Hee-joo, Sa-eon's wife, who is kidnapped and whose case propels When the Phone Rings. She is a sign-language interpreter who, following an unfortunate incident, became a victim of selective mutism. Her failure or refusal to speak isolates her from her husband and adds complexity to the issues in their marriage.
At first, Hee-joo may be seen as a passive character, but as the drama progresses towards the second half, her inner resolve and quiet strength are brought into focus. The audience learns about the emotional weight of her trauma and the stress of her troubled relationship with Sa-eon through flashbacks and minimal facial reactions.
Chae Soo-bin's understated acting invokes the unsaid anguish of a woman who speaks more in silences than in words, such that Hee-joo is among the show's most memorable characters.
Heo Nam-jun as Ji Sang-woo
Heo Nam-jun portrays the role of Ji Sang-woo, a psychiatrist and YouTuber who is an expert in cold cases. He is a highlight among the characters in When the Phone Rings, as he takes on the dual role of doctor and entertainer. Ji Sang-woo gets immersed in the psychology behind the kidnapping and why it happened and investigates the victim and the kidnapper.
His position also shows the growing capacity of internet media to shape public opinion. As a YouTube content creator, Sang-woo debates with viewers and questions the morality of mixing entertainment and real tragedy. Meanwhile, however, his background as a psychiatrist proves useful in understanding why the kidnapping was done.
Heo Nam-jun's performance worked, and he won the Best New Actor award at the 2024 MBC Drama Awards, further affirming the impact of his character on the show.
Jang Gyu-ri as Na Yoo-ri
Jang Gyu-ri portrays Na Yoo-ri, the anchorperson who symbolizes the role of the media in the unfolding crisis. Not part of the individualized narrative of the leading-billed couple, Na Yoo-ri is the journalist who presents the case of kidnapping. Her performance is the epitome of the big picture of how the media make up stories and lead to political and individual consequences.
Na Yoo-ri enriches When the Phone Rings because it shows that the novel is not merely about crime and family but also about exposure, perception, and living under pressure from the spotlight.
Family dynamics and supporting characters
The drama's tension is not just the kidnapping but also the wealthy family dynamics between the title characters. The supporting actors show the world of When the Phone Rings and how political and family conflicts intersect.
Han Jae-i as Hong In-ah – She is Hee-joo's half-sister. Her character provides more depth to Hee-joo's backstory, showing the life of the extended family that makes her life more complicated.
Chu Sang-mi as Shim Kyu-jin – A politically significant member of Sa-eon's clan. Her presence is to show how Sa-eon's internal conflict cannot help but be subordinated to political responsibility.
Oh Hyun-kyung as Kim Yeon-hui – A member of Hee-joo's clan, with further depth to her history.
Jung Dong-hwan as Paik Jang-ho – Older member of Sa-eon's clan, a representation of generational power.
Yu Seong-ju as Paik Ui-yong – Another of Sa-eon's relatives, contributing to the political legacy and pressure plot.
Park Jae-yoon as the Kidnapper – He is not present everywhere, but his presence is what drives the whole story. He is the starting point of the chain of events that induce every character to overcome their phobia and secret.
These functions help to extend the narrative beyond the couple, rooting the drama in a wider matrix of relationships and social pressures.
Broader ensemble roles
In addition to the supporting company and ensemble, When the Phone Rings also has a range of supporting but smaller roles: doctors, news desk staff, bureaucrats, and investigators. These actors contribute to the realism of the story, reminding audiences that this type of emergency does not exist in a vacuum.
Using these characters, the drama illustrates how an isolated incident can get passed around and touch institutions and society. Although these characters are temporary, they enhance the story and strengthen the interrelatedness of public and private life.
When the Phone Rings presents a well-plotted narrative on which political aspiration, personal distress, and public expectation converge. Yoo Yeon-seok and Chae Soo-bin anchor the story with their performances of a troubled marriage, and Heo Nam-jun and Jang Gyu-ri introduce further depth with media identity and psychiatry.
The supporting players fill out the tapestry of family and politics and provide the drama with scope and gravity. By mapping out who played whom, this guide demonstrates how When the Phone Rings cast a collection of actors better suited to express intimate feelings and overall issues that face society.
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From the president's press secretary to the nameless kidnapper, all of these characters join forces in the unraveling of the drama. In the end, it is the cast itself that sets the drama in action, with the suggestion that no crisis, personal or political, is ever an island unto itself.
Also read: When the Phone Rings Episode 5: Release date, time, and what to expect
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