Many compelling romanceK - dramascame out in 2024 , but the best one astonishingly premiered towards the death of the year and is pour onNetflix . Both in term of viewership and overall quality , 2024 was a bang-up year for romance K - dramas , with many memorable shows likeNo Gain No Love , Marry My Husband , Love Next Door , andDoctor Slumpseeing the brightness of day . While some of these garner both decisive acclaim and commercial-grade success , others amassed cult following due to their strong performances , unique story beats , and impressive production values .

When The Phone Ring Was A Last-Minute K-Drama Hit In 2024

There Was Little To No Hype Surrounding It Before It Premiered

Unlike other mainstream high - budget 2024K - drama likeQueen of Tears , When the Phone Ringshad little hoopla around it before it landed on Netflix . The show is now being praised for the incredible performance of its leads , Chae Soo - bin and Yoo Yeon - seok , who have a few renowned undertaking under their belts . However , before star in the serial , neither was peculiarly known for being bankable . Even when it comes to marketing the show , Netflix did not seemingly do anything significantly different .

Netflix ’s When the Phone Rings has become one of the most popular series on the cyclosis platform , so when will the show ’s terminal installment breeze ?

However , despite all these factor , When the Phone Ringsbecame a last - minute success on Netflix in 2024 . Since its release , the honey oil - drama has remained in Netflix ’s global Top 10 non - English demonstrate almost every week and has bring in 4.4 million views so far , with a viewing time of 50.1 million ( viaTudum ) . With two more episodes left to end its ladder , When the Phone Rings ' total viewership is stick to to increase , making it one of the most successful KB - dramas on Netflix .

Sa-eon looking at Hee-joo phone in When the Phone Rings

When The Phone Ring Has Everything You’d Expect From A Great K-Drama

From Great Performances To Unique Story Beats

While the romance genre brims with movies and shows that swear on tried - and - tested root and redundant character tropes , When the Phone Ringssets out to be different from the get - go . It focus on a yoke whose spousal relationship is on the brink of collapse due to growing misunderstandings and emotional distance . The female jumper cable , Hee - joo , can not help but think her husband , Sa - eon , has never truly loved her and craves his affection . Meanwhile , Sa - eon remains in the dark about how much Hee - joo wants him and keeps his feelings hidden .

The on - covert chemical science between the two lead actors is tangible as they brightly bewitch their respective character ' silent longing for one another .

However , an challenging turn of events in their narrative forces them to confront their maturate differences and gradually tramp closer . The Latinian language writing style may be instinct with stories that " keep them apart " before lastly " institute them together . " What makesWhen the Phone Rings ' portrayal singular , though , is thatit masterfully build up up Hee - joo and Sa - eon ’s excited and wild-eyed journey . Some aspects of the serial publication can be a little over the top , but Yoo Yeon - seok and Chae Soo - bin ’s performances are enough to eat up viewers in their complicated yet deeply relatable kinship .

Chae Soo-bin as Hong Hee-joo and Yoo Yeon-seok as Baek Sa-eon in When the Phone Rings

player

Character

Yoo Yeon - seok

Walton Goggins smirking as Cooper Howard in Fallout season 1

Baek Sa - aeon

Chae Soo - bin

Hong Hee - joo

Yoo Yeon-seok as Baek Sa-eon in When The Phone Rings

Custom Image by Simone Ashmoore.

Heo Nam - jun

Ji Sang - woo

Jang Gyu - ri

Na Yoo - ri

I m Chul - soo

Kang Yeong - woo

Han Jae - yi

Hong In - ah

Jung Dong - hwan

Baek Jang - ho

Yoo Seong - joo

Baek Eui - yong

Chu Sang - Military Intelligence Section 5

Sim Gyu - jin

Choi Woo - jin

Park Do - jae

Oh Hyung - kyung

Kim Yeon - hee

Park Jae - yoon

The Kidnapper

The on - sieve interpersonal chemistry between the two lead histrion is tangible as they brightly capture their various characters ' silent yearning for one another . They deliver their dialogue with such subtlety and exposure that it is hard not to see them as real people . When the Phone Ringscan be a little predictable at times , especially because of its portrayal of the familiar thrust - and - pull dynamic between its reference . However , it balances these component with realism by reflecting on its master characters ' home difference of opinion , unbearable longings , and unmet desires .

How The When Phone Ring Compares To 2024’s Best Romantic K-Dramas

When The Phone Rings Holds Up Well Against 2024’s Best K-dramas

When the Phone Ringstruly thrive when it sharpen on the heart - warming and elusive wild-eyed developments between its two main character . The Netflix show also manages to exhibit compelling villain by giving them strong backstories and motivation to harm Hee - joo and Baek Sa - eon . However , there are time when the K - dramatic play makes its world feel too small by inclose patch contrivances . In this aspect , Lovely Runnerdoes a better job of drawing believable connections between its primary character reference .

One plausible When the Phone Rings theory not only explain who pushed Hoo - jee in episode 6 ’s ending but also hints at a dark hereafter for the eccentric

Throughout its runtime , When the Phone Ringsbarely exit a dumb moment and maintains a steady but quick tempo with each episode . However , it more or less trip up when it gives its main characters a little too much plot armor . Despite this , though , it keeps itself grounded with its emphasis on the leading couple ’s relatable marital issues and stirring willingness to work out them . Overall , Netflix’sWhen the Phone Ringsis arguably even better than some of 2024 ’s best romanceK - dramas , likeQueen of TearsandLove Next Door , but it may or may not befit everyone ’s perceptiveness .