When the Telephone Rings: Episodes 3-4
by mistyisles
Regardless of our silent heroine’s incapacity, she and her cold-mannered husband don’t have any bother speaking — apart from the truth that they don’t perceive one another in any respect. The space between them shrinks and grows at intervals as they proceed to baffle one another with phrases and actions that simply don’t fairly match up… all whereas attempting to guard the folks they love most from hurt.
EPISODES 3-4
There are seemingly countless layers of secrets and techniques and manipulation at play in our main couple’s lives. This week’s episodes peel again only a few of them, beginning with Hee-joo’s kidnapper. As Sa-eon suspects, he was the workplace bomber (although, curiously, he’s scolded after the actual fact by some nameless superior for performing on his personal). And, notably, his face isn’t one we’ve seen earlier than.
Sa-eon, confused and shaken, rushes dwelling to see for himself whether or not the kidnapper actually does know issues about her (e.g., the leg mole) that he doesn’t. However when Hee-joo resists, Sa-eon backs off. He later admits to his buddy that he isn’t positive he needs to seek out out if she’s dishonest.
He does, nevertheless, wish to discover out extra about that buddy of hers, psychiatrist JI SANG-WOO (Heo Nam-joon). To be honest, the man is extremely evasive and has conveniently related pursuits (explosives, for instance). However I think it’s principally jealousy that drives Sa-eon to eavesdrop on Hee-joo’s messages and e-book a lunch date of his personal on the identical restaurant the place she’s assembly Sang-woo.
Sa-eon’s visitor is a former colleague who’s had a crush on him for ages: information anchor NA YOO-RI (Jang Gyuri). Since all 4 know one another in some capability, they mix their tables. Yoo-ri and Sang-woo are bemused by the way in which Sa-eon plies Sang-woo with questions, however Hee-joo is aware of precisely what’s up. When she confronts Sa-eon about spying on her, he counters that it appears after 20 years they nonetheless don’t know one another in any respect. However he’s known as away earlier than they’ll unpack what he means.
That’s proper: twenty years. We already knew their households go means again, however now we’re studying simply how sophisticated and intertwined (to not point out poisonous) the dynamics are. For starters, Sa-eon’s father is aiming for the presidency and needs Sa-eon to affix him on the marketing campaign path (Sa-eon is decidedly NOT ). There are additionally hints that Sa-eon will not be who everybody thinks he’s (are they each stand-ins?), and one thing tells me it’s associated to that “younger grasp from Seoul” Sang-woo met on the orphanage as a child. One thing terrible occurred there, however Sang-woo doesn’t care to elaborate.
As for Hee-joo, her stepfather is chairman of an enormous media company. After some horrific accident when she was little, her mom pressured her to pretend the selective mutism (!) so the chairman wouldn’t throw them each out for surviving when his personal son didn’t. So by the point Hee-joo and Sa-eon met (at a celebration, the place they swapped plates as a result of he was being pressured to eat meals he hated and he or she wasn’t allowed to eat a lot of something), Hee-joo was already dwelling silently. Which suggests he’s actually by no means heard her voice.
Nicely, by no means heard it un-modulated, that’s, as a result of Hee-joo continues calling him from the kidnapper’s telephone to attempt to persuade him to divorce her. She hasn’t considered a motive for the “kidnapper” to need this, although, so all she accomplishes is making Sa-eon offended that some unknown individual is attempting to return between them — and much more decided to not allow them to win.
However the true kidnapper remains to be on the market, and he is aware of how Hee-joo has been utilizing his telephone. He kidnaps her father to coerce her into revealing her plan, and since her aim apparently aligns along with his, he tells her to stick with it — or else. Fortunately, it’s only a warning, and her father is unhurt, however Hee-joo is totally terrified. Whereas en path to the police station to file a report, she has to get out and vomit on the facet of the street.
However simply when she’s satisfied she has actually nobody on her facet, Sa-eon exhibits up with a full police escort and a wonderful slo-mo hero stroll. He raises her up and guarantees to file the report for her, and doesn’t even hesitate to establish her as his spouse to the starstruck officers. As soon as they’re alone, Hee-joo breaks down. Sa-eon is awestruck to listen to her making sounds — albeit sounds of misery — however clarifies that she ought to be happy to cry as a lot as she needs.
On the heels of this traumatic occasion, Hee-joo interviews for an indication language interpreter place at Sa-eon’s workplace. The talent analysis includes decoding one among Sa-eon’s previous briefing recordings, and halfway by means of Sa-eon realizes Hee-joo has the video memorized. When requested, she admits she’s practiced with all of his briefings. She’s studied his speech patterns and mannerisms so carefully, in truth, that she will be able to usually predict what he’ll say subsequent.
So Sa-eun places her to the take a look at. The phrases he has her interpret are a few couple who fail to know one another regardless of their basic similarities, and whereas he speaks and he or she indicators, every thing and everybody round them fades away. It’s by far essentially the most intimate second of connection they’ve had (to not point out essentially the most intimate job interview ever), and Sa-eon is visibly affected.
All issues thought of, Hee-joo is more and more confused by Sa-eon’s habits. He shields her when his father throws insults and dinnerware; he climbs into her mattress — however solely to observe over her whereas she falls asleep; and he strikes her father to a safer medical middle and personally brings items. He even hints that he didn’t imply the “name me when there’s a corpse” remark almost so harshly because it landed. However there’s nonetheless three years of being given the chilly shoulder to reckon with.
And if that weren’t sufficient conflicted emotions for our woman to take care of, guess who simply landed in Korea? Her sister, HONG IN-AH (Han Jae-yi). In-ah has but to do something, however her mere existence heaps insecurity on Hee-joo’s shoulders. And no marvel, when a giant household occasion means enduring criticism from her mom and gossip from strangers. But nobody notices when Hee-joo takes her champagne onto the rooftop to get some air and name Sa-eon from the kidnapper’s telephone. This time, she performs up her personal perceived flaws, assuming he — like everybody else — sees her as nothing greater than a weak extension of her sister.
To her shock, Sa-eon defends her. Hee-joo isn’t supplemental pages, he says — she’s a complete new language (oh, SWOON). Additionally, she’s stronger and smarter than anybody thinks, so don’t speak about my spouse like that. Hee-joo, rightly, asks why on earth he treats her like she’s invisible, then. And that’s when he steps exterior and catches her with the telephone to her ear and tears streaming down her face.
And OF COURSE that’s the place it leaves us this week, except for an epilogue that reveals Sa-eon already found Hee-joo can converse. When he went to file that police report, the officers unwittingly let it slip. Sa-eon watched the black field footage himself, and was haunted by, not simply the sound of her voice, however particularly the sound of her screaming, “Please let me out!”
I had my doubts earlier than, however I’m now totally satisfied he’s beloved her for years. That mentioned, although, he has some answering to do for the way in which he’s handled her, and I’m glad she’s asking these questions. However now I’m conflicted, as a result of I’d love for the pretend kidnapper calls to proceed just a bit longer — however I additionally wish to see these two begin studying to really perceive one another and staff up towards a world of loopy kidnappers and manipulative relations.
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