Chae Soo-bin “Fans hoping for me to actually date Yoo Yeon-seok? I’m grateful”

On the morning of Jan 6th, Chae Soo-bin sat down with Star News at the King Kong by Starship building in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul for an interview regarding MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama “When the Phone Rings” (written by Kim Ji-woon, directed by Park Sang-woo and Wi Deuk-gyu).

“When the Phone Rings” is a story that unfolds when a Show Window couple, who have been living without speaking to each other for three years in an arranged marriage, receive a threatening phone call from a kidnapper. In the drama, Baek Sa-eon (played by Yoo Yeon-seok) and Hong Hee-joo (played by Chae Soo-bin) initially have no communication but eventually experience emotional shifts that bring them closer.

– How do you feel now that “When the Phone Rings” has ended?

▶ I received so much love this time. Seeing videos of overseas fans watching together in groups felt amazing. I was grateful.

– You prepared sign language for the role of Hee-joo.

▶ It wasn’t easy. Sign language isn’t something used in everyday life, so learning to use it was challenging. While we usually express ourselves with many words, this role restricted my ability to communicate, and that limitation was evident during filming. I wanted my sign language to flow naturally, so after being cast, I worked consistently with a teacher. I also discovered differences between Korean, international and interpreter sign languages. From two months before filming, I practiced daily, staying up every night to match my sign language with my co-stars’ lines.

– At the 2024 MBC Drama Awards, your sign-language acceptance speech became a hot topic.

▶ Through the role of Hee-joo, I learned sign language for the first time, and I found it to be such a beautiful language. At the same time, I realized how marginalized it is. While many people can say “hello” in Japanese or English, most don’t know how to say that in sign language. Watching my family and even young relatives try to learn after seeing my role was heartwarming. I’m happy to have inspired such positive influence. That’s why I wanted to use sign language during my speech—it felt fitting given that I was accepting the award through Hee-joo.

– There was some controversy over mocking sign language in the early episodes.

▶ While there was no such intention, I regret that it might have been perceived that way. We should have been more sensitive. I sincerely apologize.

– How was it working with actor Yoo Yeon-seok?

▶ I wonder if the production could’ve gone as smoothly without him. As a senior actor, he guided us well. During on-location shoots, he often treated the staff to meals. Despite being from the same agency, I hadn’t had a chance to get close to him before. Initially, he kept a professional distance, likely due to the nature of the characters we were playing. Over time, like our characters, we gradually grew closer, especially during shared mealtimes while filming scenes in Sangju.

– Many fans hoped for you and Yoo Yeon-seok to become a real-life couple.

▶ As someone who often wishes for drama characters to end up together, I’m grateful for those reactions.

– You gained a lot of overseas fans through “When the Phone Rings”.

▶ I saw a video of international fans watching it together as a group, and they squealed when they saw Sa-eon and Hee-joo’s kiss scene.

– What do you think international fans liked most about “When the Phone Rings”?

▶ I think the slightly cheesy lines resonated surprisingly well. (Laugh)

– It’s said the cast watched Sa-eon and Hee-joo’s bed scene together.

▶ I couldn’t join due to scheduling conflicts, but I watched it holding my breath.

– Sa-eon had many gem-like lines. Was it difficult to stay serious while acting?

▶ Lines like “How should I fix your bad habits?” (Laugh) There were many fantasy-like lines, and when reading the script, I did wonder, “How will I act this out?” But once we started filming, it came together well.

– You and Yoo Yeon-seok won the Best Couple Award at the 2024 MBC Drama Awards.

▶ I expected it. (Laugh) While I was hosting the event, I went around the waiting room saying, “Looks like we’re going to win Best Couple Award!” Receiving it felt great. Since our drama aired later in the year, I think netizens gave us generous support.