Chae Soo-bin “Cheesy Lines in ‘When the Phone Rings’? I Screamed Reading the Script”
In a recent interview held at Starship Entertainment’s headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Chae Soo-bin reflected on her role in MBC’s “When the Phone Rings”, which concluded its run on January 4th after 12 episodes, achieving a peak nationwide rating of 8.6% (according to Nielsen Korea).
“When the Phone Rings” begins with a threatening phone call and follows the secret romance thriller of a married couple in a three-year-long arranged marriage. Chae Soo-bin portrayed Hong Hee-joo, the wife of Baek Sa-eon—a presidential spokesperson beloved by the nation. She lost her voice due to an accident.
The series was not only broadcast on TV but also made available on Netflix, where it reached #2 in the global non-English TV series category. Regarding this success, Chae Soo-bin remarked, “Even among the cast, we discussed why the drama did so well. Married women around me seemed to fall for Baek Sa-eon. I think the tender, pure love story struck a chord, despite the somewhat embarrassing lines. Seeing international fans’ comments on social media also made me realize the show was well-received.“
She recalled a specific fan reaction that stood out, “I saw a fan-edited video where the reunion scene between Baek Sa-eon and Hong Hee-joo in episode 12 was set against a cheering background. Watching that, I felt like so many viewers had become Hee-joo, falling in love with Sa-eon. It made me proud and even found it cute.”
Chae Soo-bin’s character frequently used sign language in the series, a challenging yet rewarding experience. She shared, “Learning sign language wasn’t overly difficult, but understanding the reasoning behind the gestures made it a profound process. I’ve always thought it’s a beautiful language, and I felt proud when I saw children mimicking the signs after watching the show. It warms my heart to think that sign language, often overlooked, became more approachable.”
She further explained her preparation, “I didn’t want to forget the signs during filming, so I practiced them rigorously, almost like choreography. However, midway through, I had to adapt to differences between news-style sign language and international sign language, which was overwhelming but ultimately rewarding.“
Regarding the cheesy lines in the script, she admitted, “When I first read them, I screamed. But during filming, they didn’t feel cringy. Yeon-seok delivered them so naturally that even as Hee-joo, I didn’t find them awkward. It was a fascinating experience.”
As for her next steps, Chae Soo-bin expressed her desire to explore different genres, “While I love romance, I’d like to challenge myself with new genres. ‘When the Phone Rings’ was a romance thriller, but I’d love to try a pure thriller or a story grounded in real life. I want to become a solid actress who can convincingly portray any role.“
