When the Cellphone Rings: Episodes 11-12 (Closing)
by mistyisles
This finale is many issues, however boring just isn’t one in all them! To seek out their fortunately ever after, our couple should first discover one another (in additional methods than you may suppose!) and face tough truths. As a result of it takes two to speak efficiently: one to name, the opposite to reply — and each to pay attention.
EPISODES 11-12
Because the seek for Hee-joo continues, Sa-eon ponders how in a different way issues may need turned out if he hadn’t been so chilly for the primary three years of their marriage. When her belongings are discovered within the river, it seems to be too late. However Sa-eon repeats the acquainted phrase “Name me when there’s a corpse,” turning it from a callous dismissal right into a passionate refusal to surrender hope.
Although he’s sure his adoptive mom is aware of greater than she lets on, he has no proof. However he does have a trump card hidden up his sleeve for simply such a chance: footage of her smothering Chairman Baek to loss of life in his hospital mattress. That’s sufficient to get her arrested, and earlier than lengthy the police uncover a secret, underground storage chamber the place each Hee-joo and her kidnapper have been locked away (seems, the automotive by no means went all the best way over the incline, so that they had been knocked unconscious however not severely injured).
The identical aide who beforehand tipped Hee-joo off about her kidnapper’s id is below orders to kill Hee-joo if issues go south, however he frees her as a substitute and provides an additional lock to the kidnapper’s door. However because of Sa-eon’s father, the kidnapper escapes with a gun to hunt Hee-joo via the woods. In desperation, Hee-joo throws herself in entrance of an approaching automotive. Happily, it’s Sa-eon, and after a tearful reunion they get safely contained in the automotive whereas the police fan out to seek for the kidnapper.
However after all that’s not the top of it. The kidnapper stands within the street and calls for Sa-eon get out and face him. As an alternative of doing the sensible factor and operating him over, Sa-eon obeys. The kidnapper whispers one thing in his ear — one thing that makes Sa-eon have a look at Hee-joo with disgrace and sorrow.
What follows is among the extra convoluted, disorienting fakeouts I’ve seen. We hear a gunshot, and Hee-joo narrates about Sa-eon being “gone,” echoing his query about whether or not issues would have ended in a different way in the event that they’d been sincere about their emotions sooner. It’s finally revealed that the police shot the kidnapper earlier than he might hurt anybody else. However the one time we “see” the scene play out, it’s by way of Hee-joo’s recurring dream whereby our Sa-eon is the one who’s shot useless in entrance of her. So whereas we’re informed Sa-eon is alive — he went on to donate all his belongings, resign as press secretary, and disappear — essentially the most tangible affirmation is Hee-joo’s fuzzy reminiscences of him sitting faithfully by her hospital bedside whereas she recovered.
Now, she clings to each scrap of data folks can inform her about him. Colleague KANG YOUNG-WOO (Im Chul-soo), for instance, tells her all about Sa-eon asking him for recommendation on being a greater husband. And she or he learns that Sa-eon took her (organic) father out for tonkatsu on his birthday. So, regardless of In-ah’s insistence that Sa-eon isn’t coming again, Hee-joo waits, hoping in opposition to hope that he’ll at the very least name.
And at last, he does. Or, at the very least, it looks like him. The caller hangs up with out talking, however the space code, 604, is the precise reverse of the one she used to name him from (and, thus, the nickname he used for her throughout these calls). Plus, a donation of two billion received was lately made in her title to an indication language college within the nation that space code covers. Oh, and it’s additionally the identical place the place Sa-eon as soon as served as a conflict correspondent. So off Hee-joo goes, by no means thoughts that it’s nonetheless an energetic conflict zone, and promptly will get herself kidnapped by native rebels. Which, to be truthful, when all else fails to get Sa-eon’s consideration, her being kidnapped has all the time labored fairly properly.
And certain sufficient, he involves the rescue, although he doesn’t let her see his face till they’ve evaded the rebels. Then he scolds her for ruining his plans once more as a substitute of ready for him to come back discover her. The large, horrible secret the kidnapper informed him seems to be that his father, Chairman Baek, orchestrated her household’s automotive accident. Though In-ah confirmed that Hee-joo knew already, Sa-eon felt too responsible to only transfer on, so he disappeared to punish himself till he might forgive himself. Or one thing like that.
Hee-joo doesn’t fairly say what I would like her to: that by leaving with out an evidence he’s been punishing her, not simply himself (which might at the very least have referred to as again to the entire “in attempting to free you I grew to become your jail” dialog). However she does ask how lengthy he expects her to attend, reminding him how a lot time they’ve already misplaced by not being sincere with one another. They kiss and make up, and in the end consummate their marriage — however not till dawn (or is it sundown?), for optimum golden lighting behind the sheets.
An undefined time-skip later, they’ve gotten re-married, and “Sa-eon” has chosen a brand new title: Baek Yu-yeon, that means “One and solely love.” Their new house is stuffed with mates and laughter, and Yoo-ri and Sang-woo announce they’re additionally getting married. Afterwards, we lastly get to see our couple having fun with home actions outdoors of Hee-joo’s creativeness. When she says she hopes their dwelling is rarely quiet once more, Yu-yeon carries her to the bed room with a line so adorably tacky even Yoo Yeon-seok can’t ship it with a straight face: “Cooperate, Hong Hee-joo. If we’re going to have a vigorous dwelling, we’ll want extra members of the family!”
Hee-joo reaches out to her household, with tentatively hopeful outcomes. Her stepfather is genuinely pleased for her and Yu-yeon, her mom has had a change of coronary heart after the large wakeup name of the kidnapping incident, and In-ah apologizes for every part. Hee-joo vows to overlook the previous and easily reside fortunately within the current.
Yu-yeon is distributed overseas for hostage negotiations (with Do-jae again at his facet, aww), however that wraps up virtually as quickly because it begins as a result of it’s actually simply an excuse for one final flirty cellphone name. Remarking on how a lot he loves her feisty facet, Yu-yeon asks Hee-joo to not maintain again her complaints ever once more. And I begin to marvel, only for a second, if we’ve been watching the identical Hee-joo all this time. In spite of everything, this is similar woman who crashed the automotive each time she was taken hostage, impersonated her personal kidnapper to barter a divorce, cursed folks out in signal language, and selected precisely when and the way she’d reclaim her talking voice — to not point out traipsing via a war-torn jungle to retrieve her noble fool of a husband! However, in any case, this leads into the necessary conclusion {that a} pleased, wholesome relationship can solely be attainable via sincere, open communication, and with that our pleased couple strolls off into the sundown.
Now, did this finale make a complete lot of sense? No, not likely. Was it how I’d have chosen to spend the final hour of the present? …No, not likely. However did I’ve a good time watching anyway? Completely! I feel my favourite factor about this present has been Hee-joo’s character and the unhinged methods she selected to drive the motion, and she or he actually saved that up till the top. So, a lot as the ultimate episode had me scratching my head, I’m nonetheless left (largely) happy with fond reminiscences of this wacky whirlwind of a present.
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