đ¨ Spoiler Alert! đ¨ If you havenât watched “When The Phone Rings” yet, proceed with caution because weâre about to spill all the juicy, heart-wrenching details. If youâre still here, grab some popcorn and maybe a stress ballâthings are about to get wild.
If you thought “When The Phone Rings” was just another predictable K-drama, think again. This show doesnât just throw twists at youâit full-on body slams you with them.
And the biggest jaw-dropper? The real identity and fate of the kidnapper.
I gasped. I paced my living room. I may have dramatically whispered, “No way,” at my screen. And now, Iâm here to break it all down for you.
The Shocking Reveal: Who Was The Kidnapper?
For most of the show, weâre left playing detective, trying to figure out who the mastermind behind the kidnapping really is. And just when I thought I had it all figured outâBAM! The show hits me with the ultimate mic drop.
The kidnapper is actually the real Paik Sa-eon, the biological son of Shim Kyu-jin and Paik Ui-yong.
Thatâs right.
The man weâve been following as “Paik Sa-eon”? Total imposter.
The real one had been hidden away for years because, well, letâs just say he had some serious sociopathic tendencies.
The Final Confrontation: Past Meets Present
This all leads up to the ultimate showdown: the real Paik Sa-eon vs. the protagonist Sa-eon, with Hee-joo caught in the middle.
And just when I thought the scene couldnât get any more gut-wrenching, the real Paik Sa-eon drops one last truth bombâHee-jooâs brotherâs death was no accident.
Jang-ho, the protagonist Sa-eonâs biological father, orchestrated the whole thing.
I. Was. Shook.
With all this out in the open, chaos erupts. Itâs a battle of past wounds, stolen identities, and the weight of buried secrets all exploding at once.
The Kidnapperâs Fate: Justice Or Tragedy?
So how does it all end? Well, letâs just say thereâs no last-minute redemption arc here. The police arrive, and before he can make a run for it, the real Paik Sa-eon is shot and killed.
Cue my jaw hitting the floor.
And if you thought the drama ended there, think again.
His mother, Shim Kyu-jin, who had just been reunited with her long-lost son, completely unravels. Devastated beyond repair, she requests the death penalty for herself, already serving time for murder.
I mean⌠what just happened?!
The Cultural Depth Behind This Twist: Why K-Dramas Do It Best
K-dramas have a way of making villains feel almost too real, and thatâs what makes them so irresistible. Thereâs no cookie-cutter evil mastermind hereâjust people shaped by their past, their pain, and, more often than not, the crushing weight of societal expectations.
They donât just slap a “bad guy” label on a character and call it a day. Nope, they force us to sit in the discomfort of moral ambiguity.
The real Paik Sa-eon wasnât evil for the sake of being evil. His pain, his actionsâthey all stemmed from years of abandonment, resentment, and a life stolen from him.
And instead of an easy redemption arc or a clean-cut villain takedown, we got something way more devastating.
In Western dramas, villains usually get a clear fateâjustice served or a last-minute redemption.
But K-dramas?
They thrive on emotional turmoil and gray morality, where villains aren’t always villains but rather people stuck in an inescapable cycle of fate and duty.
A huge part of this comes from Confucian values, which are deeply embedded in Korean culture. Fate, family honor, and the long-term consequences of past actions dictate not just individual choices but entire family legacies.
Reputation matters, and sometimes, maintaining it means sacrificing truth, justice, or even love.
It forces us to ask deeper questionsâwas Paik Sa-eon ever truly beyond saving, or was he another tragic product of a society that values reputation over healing? Was his fate sealed the moment he was born into a world that prioritized secrecy over second chances?
Or was he just another tragic casualty of a never-ending generational cycle of secrecy, loss, and revengeâsomething K-dramas do heartbreakingly well? From Sky Castle to Penthouse, weâve seen time and time again how these deeply rooted societal expectations create villains just as much as they destroy them.
The Emotional Impact: Did The Kidnapper Deserve His Fate?
Justice? Tragedy? A little bit of both? Iâm still torn.
His death closed the book on the main conflict, but it left behind a whole mess of emotions. Hee-joo and the protagonist Sa-eon may have survived, but theyâre now burdened with truths that will haunt them forever.
So, what do you think? Did the real Paik Sa-eon get what he deserved, or was he just another casualty in a story filled with heartbreak?
Letâs discuss, and as always, share this with your fellow K-drama addicts!
P.S. In Case You Missed These ...
