When the Phone Rings (Korean: 지금 거신 전화는) is a gripping South Korean drama that premiered on MBC TV in November 2024. The show, which stars Yoo Yeon-seok and Chae Soo-bin and was written by Kim Ji-woon, is about a couple who is stuck in an arranged marriage they don’t love. When a kidnapper calls them, it breaks their silence and pulls them into a web of dark secrets, family betrayals and hidden truths. As things build up to the finale, Episode 12 wraps up the mysteries and gives the journey a touching end.
When the Phone Rings’s thrilling finale finally lets out all the tension that has been building up in each episode. Episode 12 doesn’t leave you hanging with a cliffhanger; instead it has a strong ending that wraps up the stories of all the characters. The finale solidifies as a fitting end to this gripping story of love, betrayal, and redemption as secrets are revealed, relationships are put to the test, and justice is done.
Here is a full summary of the last episode; which solves all the unsolved mysteries and tells us what will happen to Hee-joo, Sa-eon, and their enemies.
‘When the Phone Rings’ Episode 12 Recap
At the start of the episode, Hong Hee-joo (Chae Soo-bin) is sad. Baek Sa-eon (Yoo Yeon-seok), her husband, has disappeared since he learned the terrible truth about his father’s sins. It’s like how Hee-joo desperately looked for Sa-eon when she was being kidnapped. It’s more important than ever for Hee-joo to get her husband back, even if it means facing their dark past, which could cause them to break up.
At the same time, the real Sa-eon, whose identity has been shrouded in mystery for a long time, gets even more angry at the person who took his place. As the story goes on, each character is caught in a web of secrets, betrayals, and long-overdue justice.
The Painful Departure of Sa-eon
Sa-eon ran away because she feels guilty and sad. In his ear, he hears a chilling truth after saving Hee-joo from Park Jae-yoon: his father, Chairman Baek Jang-ho, planned the death of Hee-joo’s younger brother to keep the secret of the real Sa-eon’s existence safe. This news makes Sa-eon feel unstable because she thinks she doesn’t deserve Hee-joo’s love. He runs away to Argan, a dark place where he plans to punish himself for the hurt his family caused.
On the other hand, Hee-joo won’t let Sa-eon wallow in her own misery. When she finds him in Argan, she tells him how much she loves him no matter what. In an emotional scene that shows how strong they are and how much they care about each other, the couple makes up.
The Case of the Missing Orphans
The mystery of the murdered orphans is one of the most creepy parts of When the Phone Rings. The full extent of Sa-eon’s sociopathic tendencies are revealed, painting a scary picture of a child who went from cutting up animals to killing kids. These people who were killed were orphans from the same house where Sang-woo (Heo Nam-jun) grew up. Sang-woo never stops trying to get justice for his childhood friends, which leads him to the horrible truth.
The chairman tried to kill the real Sa-eon because he couldn’t stand seeing his grandson do bad things. The boy did survive, though, and as an adult he planned to get back at the family that left him. These new details make the ending even more complicated because they connect the different themes of betrayal and revenge that run through the whole series.
The Betrayal of Park Do-jae
In the finale, Park Do-jae (Choi Woo-jin) turns out to be one of the most surprising bad guys. The fact that his twin brother died at the hands of Sa-eon makes him hate her even more. Do-jae teams up with the kidnapper to get back at Sa-eon, but she doesn’t know who the real killer is. His actions like pushing Hee-joo off a cliff, show how badly he is hurting and how desperate he is.
Even though Do-jae betrayed her; Sa-eon shows an unexpected ability to forgive. Sa-eon lets Do-jae come back to him after his prison sentence because he knows the pain that made him do what he did. This kind deed shows how much Sa-eon has changed and how determined he is to break the cycle of revenge.
Shim Kyu-jin’s Downfall
Shim Kyu-jin, played by Chu Sang-mi, is the wife of the late chairman and will have to face her fate in the finale. When Kyu-jin finds out that her husband’s father killed her son, she shuts down the chairman and suffocates him out of anger. She goes deeper and deeper into darkness until she finally kidnaps Hee-joo as a last-ditch effort to feel powerful and in charge again.
In order to save his wife, Sa-eon uses evidence of Kyu-jin’s crime to make her give in. When Kyu-jin finds out that her son, the real Sa-eon, has been killed, she is found guilty of murder and asks for the death penalty. The sad story of her life is a stark reminder of how destructive anger and grief can be.
A New Start for Hee-joo and Sa-eon
Even though things are crazy and hearts are broken, Hee-joo and Sa-eon find their way back to each other. Their marriage, which started out as a sham, turns into a real partnership. They finally put their love and happiness first after years of ignoring each other and not understanding each other.
At the end of the finale, the couple gets married again and starts a new part of their lives. Hee-joo and Sa-eon are ready to build the normal peaceful life they’ve always dreamed of now that the past is behind them.
There are no loose ends at the end of When the Phone Rings. Every character’s story arc is finished, from the bad guys getting caught to the good guys being forgiven. There is no room for a second season of the show because its main goal—to show how Hee-joo and Sa-eon’s relationship changes—has already been met.
It’s clear what the ending means: love and forgiveness can win over even the darkest secrets. It was hard for Hee-joo and Sa-eon to get to where they wanted to be, but they were strong and determined in the end.
When the Phone Rings ends with a good mix of drama, suspense, and emotional resolution. Episode 12 brings together all of the show’s complicated plots and gives Hee-joo and Sa-eon a happy ending. After all of their problems, the couple seems to have finally found their happily ever after as the screen goes black.
