When the Phone Rings Episode 3 Recap: Sa-eon grows suspicious of Hee-ju and Sang-woo's friendship

MBC’s new drama When the Phone Rings premiered on November 24, featuring Yoo Yeon-seok, Chae Soo-bin, Heo Nam-joon, and Jang Gyu-ri in a gripping romance thriller. The plot centers around a couple in their third year of a politically driven marriage, with their relationship overshadowed by the looming danger of a mysterious phone call.

Directed by Park Sang-woo, known for his visually striking work on The Forbidden Marriage, the series also includes co-director Wi Deuk-gyu and writer Kim Ji-woon, acclaimed for Melancholia and Doctor John. Adapted from a popular Kakao Page novel, When the Phone Rings is produced in collaboration between Bon Factory and Baram Pictures.

In the third episode of When the Phone Rings, Sa-eon gets suspicious of Hee-ju's relationship with Sang-woo. Hee-ju has to face major distress as the kidnapper now starts calling and threatening her.

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When the Phone Rings episode 3 recap: The kidnapper calls Hee-ju

Episode 3 of When the Phone Rings takes the viewer to the time before the blast. While on the call with Hee-ju, a pizza gets delivered to the office. A person from the team picks it up. As he opens it, a blast occurs. Sa-eon falls unconscious and wakes up in a hospital.

He immediately leaves to check up on Hee-ju. However, he does not check her thigh and decides to uncover the truth himself. After reporting to the police, it is found that there have been several cases of arson in the area and they are on the lookout for a serial arsonist.

However, Sa-eon is confident that the serial arsonist is not the kidnapper. He comes home and asks for Hee-ju's phone to check for any signs of hacking. The kidnapper is shown texting someone asking to join in on the fun.

Meanwhile, Sa-eon, suspicious of Sang-woo, checks Hee-ju's chats and finds out they are meeting for lunch. Sang-woo reveals a new story in front of the people from the news channel where Yu-ri works but leaves without finishing since he has to meet Hee-ju for lunch.

While leaving his office, he gets a text from Yu-ri and decides to go for lunch with her at the same place. Outside the office building, a fire emerges again. This time, Do-jae catches the arsonist. Sa-eon, upon seeing Hee-ju at the restaurant, decides to have lunch with them. He asks Sang-woo many questions and notices how he cares for Hee-ju.

Then, Sa-eon gets a call from Do-jae and finds out that the arsonist claims not to have a hand in the fire that happened in the office. Hee-ju finds him and asks whether he is suspicious of Sang-woo. Sa-eon asks Hee-ju if she knows him as well as she does Sang-woo, even after having known each other for twenty years.

Sa-eon leaves for work, and Hee-ju does too. At work, Hee-ju discusses getting a divorce. Sa-eon asks Do-jae to find out more about Sang-woo. However, Do-jae already knows him since he is famous on social media as a psychiatrist who uncovers criminal cases.

Hee-ju goes to get her car from the repair shop but it starts malfunctioning again. Then, through a song, the kidnapper asks her to call Sa-eon. At home, she calls him again and asks him to divorce her. Sa-eon asks why the kidnapper wants him to divorce his wife but Hee-ju does not have an answer to it.

Later, Sa-eon invites Hee-ju to sleep in his room. He comforts her and asks her to treat everything that happened on the day she was kidnapped as a bad dream. In a flashback, Hee-ju's mother is shown asking her to stay silent all her life to get the sympathy of the Chairman. Following this dream, Hee-ju wakes up in tears.

Sa-eon then discusses his situation with Hyuk-jin without disclosing that the situation is related to him. Hyuk-jin confers that the said man is deeply in love with his wife.

In this episode of When the Phone Rings, the kidnapper takes away Hee-ju's father and video calls her. Threatening her to keep calling Sa-eon, he shows pieces of what seem like bloodied teeth before he ends the call.

Terrified, Hee-ju rushes to her father but finds him safe. While on her way back in a police car, the radio starts malfunctioning the way it did before she was kidnapped. It triggers her and she ends up puking and bursting into tears.

As she is kneeling on the ground, Sa-eon shows up and picks her up. When the police ask, he tells them that Hee-ju is his wife, much to her surprise. With this episode 3 of When the Phone Rings ends.

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Episode 4 of When the Phone Rings is scheduled to be released on November 30.