Hee Joo stays committed to the act, come hell or high water when she’s in danger. Neither a vicious dog, nor…
It's interesting. In the novel, there are times when HHJ wants to speak but physically isn't able to due to a psychological block that resulted from her mother beating her as a child to make sure that she maintained the mutism lie. But based on what we've seen in the drama so far (especially HHJ's words to HIA in episode 6 - saying that HHJ will decide when she begins to speak again), it seems like they've changed the details so that HHJ in the drama is just really, really committed to maintaining the act / the lie that her mother imposed on her... Unlike HHJ in the novel, she doesn't seem to be dealing with a psychological block that genuinely prevents her from speaking in most circumstances.
Why did Saeon treat Heejoo badly in the first place?
The drama hasn't covered all the reasons that were addressed in the novel yet.
But the drama has added several early scenes (like the phone call with her mother in episode 1 and the flashback in episode 2) to emphasize that HHJ's mother has pressured HHJ since the beginning of her marriage with BSE to get closer to BSE, to get him to like her, and to try to get pregnant with his child. BSE can obviously tell that HHJ's attempts to meet her mother's demands (e.g., that night when she made dinner for him, danced clumsily with him, and closed her eyes and held still when she thought he was going in for a kiss) were things that HHJ did because of her mother's pressure and not because she was acting on her own feelings. Which is why BSE tells HHJ in the drama that she doesn't have to act like a puppet in front of him, she shouldn't do everything her mother tells her to do, and she can forget about trying to force herself to have feelings for him.
When BSE is cold towards HHJ, he thinks he's doing the right thing: choosing not to take advantage of the situation, protecting HHJ by not further fuelling her mother's attempts to use her, and protecting himself from being used and distracted (and potentially hurt).
When BSE tells HHJ that she wasn't part of his plans early on in the story, he was telling the truth. He doesn't want her to get mixed up in the mess of politics and family drama that he's dealing with, and he also doesn't want her to distract him from his goals even more so than she already has.
Episode 6 expanded on the explanation. BSE thought that, since the marriage was thrust upon HHJ, she was entirely unwilling and also that one day BSE would have to let her go (after he implemented his plans, which I'll touch on below). So there was no point in pursuing a real relationship with her (since she wasn't interested), and if he did he would become even more attached to her, which would result in BSE being hurt that much more later on.
***
MAJOR NOVEL SPOILERS AHEAD
***
BSE is not really BSE. Nor is he really candidate BEY's son. Nor is he really BJH's grandson.
Instead, the male lead is actually BJH's illegitimate son (rather than his legitimate grandson) who was raised by a fisherman (hence why he hates fish / the smell of fish). The real BSE was a psychopath and BJH drowned him in front of the male lead when they were both kids. Then BJH forced the male lead to take over the identity of BSE.
When he moved into the Baek household, his life was suffocating and miserable. But his bedroom window was across from HHJ's bedroom window, and every night he used to watch through her window as little HHJ practiced sign language. As an adult, he described it as being like watching a fish tank that brought him a sense of peace and that made him feel like he could breathe (annoyingly, it seems like the drama has given this line to HIA). And when BSE married HHJ, he was content to have her continue to play that role. She could be just like a quiet fish tank that provided a sense of peace when he came home. The drama modified these details a bit, but kept the main gist of them.
After 406 makes BSE suspect that HHJ might have had an affair, he tells Park Do Jae that he forgot that the fish tank (which he thought was his) "could move". 406's words about BSE seeming to have a jealousy complex also made BSE start to realize how much he cared about, and how possessive he felt about, HHJ. As the novel progresses, BSE learns about sides of HHJ that he hadn't seen or appreciated before and his feelings for her grow stronger.
***
Guilt -- I had the impression that BSE unfairly placed some of the blame for the accident that killed HHJ's step brother, that took HIA's hearing, and that appeared to cause HHJ's mutism on himself. Because his real father / fake grandfather (BJH) arranged for the car crash to happen after HIA revealed that she could tell that he was not the same BSE that she had met before.
Emotional Detachment -- Due to the horrific situations he had faced, BSE became extremely emotionally detached. The novel describes him as such. He focused on surviving and on protecting HHJ. But he didn't think about romance or relationships until 406 came into his life and shook up his perspective.
Unwanted / HHJ's Mother's Influence -- BSE also viewed HHJ as young, innocent, and forced into a marriage that she did not want. He didn't think she had any romantic interest in him. This is emphasized more in the drama, where they've done a lot to play up the idea that HHJ's mother puts a lot of pressure on HHJ to try to get closer to BSE so that HHJ's mother can use that relationship to her advantage. BSE can clearly tell when HHJ approaches him because of her mother's pressure and hates the idea of her being pressured and manipulated like that. From BSE's perspective, maintaining distance between them is a way of giving HHJ freedom from the role her mother is trying to force her to play.
Horrific Truths / Danger -- Just as HHJ spent 20 years burdened by her mother's lies and maintaining the secret of her forced mutism, BSE had spent decades hiding the horrifying truth behind his identity. Hiding the truth and maintaining the lie was a matter of survival. And he especially did not want HHJ to find out the truth that he had watched BJH kill the real BSE (BJH's legitimate grandson) or that he (BJH's illegitimate son) had replaced the real, murdered BSE. Both because the truth was horrific and because knowing the truth would be dangerous, given the lengths that the Baek family would go to in order to protect themselves and their positions in society even after BJH died. Acting coldly towards HHJ and keeping her at arm's length was preferable.
Weakness -- If the Baek family or his other enemies thought that he cared about protecting HHJ, let alone loved her, then there would be a risk that they would try to use those feelings against him, especially since he had so few exploitable weaknesses. This is emphasized when BSE receives the first series of phone calls from the kidnapper and he pretends that he doesn't care about HHJ.
Other Goals -- BSE did not want to become candidate BEY's pawn and did not want to be forced to join his presidential campaign. Before BSE changed his plans and married HHJ, his original plan was to amass his own power, to reveal the Baek family's corruption, and to abandon the name and identity of BSE. After marrying HHJ, he had to adjust his plans for her safety and wellbeing. But most of his original intentions still remained. He continued to amass his own power and to collect dirt on the Baek family and others. Pursuing his plans took up nearly all of his focus and energy.
For all these reasons, IMO, BSE didn't really consider the possibility of having a real romantic relationship with HHJ and he even intentionally distanced himself from her both in public and in private. Before 406 showed up, he was satisfied with just having HHJ safe in his home, providing a calming presence like a fish tank.
Members of the National Assembly have voted to impeach him, but a trial still needs to be held before the Constitutional…
👍
I feel like it would be crazy for the court to not sustain the impeachment, but then I also thought it was crazy that the National Assembly failed to impeach him last week so who knows. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
THE PRESIDENT WAS IMPEACHED BY THE PARLIAMENT JUST RIGHT NOW
Members of the National Assembly have voted to impeach him, but a trial still needs to be held before the Constitutional Court. At least six out of the nine members of the court will need to vote to sustain the impeachment in order for President Yoon to be removed from office.
Novel spoilers ahead.In the novel, HIA was rendered deaf by the car crash that killed her brother and she genuinely…
You're welcome!
As far as I am aware there isn't an official translation of the novel, but it has been translated by fans. The first few chapters are available on wattpad (the link is posted in the discussion threads) and the quality is so-so. MDL user pen_p picked up the translation from chapter 11 in the discussion threads and her translation is better than the wattpad translation.
Novel spoilers ahead.In the novel, HIA was rendered deaf by the car crash that killed her brother and she genuinely…
In the novel, BSE does not secretly know sign language and does not learn it. Even at the end of the novel he needs a sign language interpreter in order to communicate with a deaf soldier in a war zone. The drama has started to change that.
In the drama, HHJ tells BSE that learning sign language isn't difficult, and it seems like the SML probably learned sign language because of HHJ. But in the novel, when HHJ visits her childhood bedroom she recalls how difficult it was for her to learn sign language. She spent so many nights practicing endlessly under her mother's stern gaze. In the novel, HHJ also doesn't have a college friend who learned sign language because of her. There is a male character near her who knows sign language and makes BSE jealous, but he works at the sign language centre and is significantly older than HHJ. He was already working at the sign language centre when HHJ joined.
I find the novel's take more realistic. Learning any new language isn't easy. Learning a language that is as different as sign language is to written and spoken speech would be even more difficult. Especially for someone who doesn't have lots and lots of time to practice and isn't forced to immerse themselves in the new language out of necessity.
It does seem a bit callous and ableist that BSE never tried to at least learn a little bit, like the alphabet and a few key phrases. But if he did, HHJ's value as someone who could act as his interpreter would diminish. So I can sort of understand why the author chose not to have him learn.
I'll also add that, although BSE did not learn sign language in the novel, his bedroom window in the Baek family house was across from HHJ's bedroom window in the Hong family house and every night he used to watch young HHJ as she practiced her sign language. His life in the Baek family house was miserable and oppressive, and he found watching young HHJ practice very calming. He said it brought him peace, and he compared the experience to having a fish tank.
Novel spoilers ahead. The male lead doesn’t know that HHJ is 406 yet. If the drama follows the novel, he will…
Yes, they modified the things BSE said during HHJ's interview in the drama a bit.
This is what he said in the novel:
At that moment, Baek Sa-eon leaned back leisurely, tapping his face lightly before speaking up.
"Applicant Number 4, Interpreter Hong Hee-joo."
"…!"
His voice wasn’t loud, but it immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Nowhere to hide, Hee-joo's gaze met his. It was the gaze she had been avoiding, yet now it bore down on her more coldly and dryly than she had anticipated.
She swallowed nervously, her hands clenched tightly on her knees.
"Interpreter Hong Hee-joo, did you know the script beforehand?"
"…!"
"Sometimes, your hands moved faster than the voice."
Her heart skipped a beat.
"After observing the three of you, I noticed one performance gave me an overwhelming sense of dissonance. Let me ask again: did you know the content of the script beforehand?"
His second question, delivered with an icy detachment, left no room for hesitation.
Hee-joo bit her stiff tongue and forced herself to nod.
"That was… a video I had practiced with before," she explained, supplementing her answer with sign language.
Hearing the translation from a fellow interviewer, Baek Sa-eon raised an eyebrow.
"Then, can we test with another video?"
"Yes," Hee-joo replied, rising nervously to her feet.
The new video began to play. But it, too, was a familiar script—the 4th Korea-Russia Local Cooperation Forum briefing.
This was from her early days practicing sign language.
"Stop," Baek Sa-eon commanded, pausing the video with the remote.
"This is another script you’re familiar with, isn’t it?"
"…!"
How does he know?
Startled, Hee-joo nodded again.
He switched the video another four or five times: the ASEAN+3 Summit briefing, the Fair Economy Strategy speech, the Children's Day event at the Blue House, the Private-Led Innovative Growth briefing…
"That’s enough. Stop."
"…!"
"This is endless."
His gaze landed on Hee-joo with a mix of complexity and intrigue, prompting her to lower her head in embarrassment.
Finally, summoning her courage, she confessed.
"No matter how many videos you choose, the result will be the same."
After hearing the translation, Baek Sa-eon asked, "All of them?"
"Yes."
"Care to explain why?"
Hesitating for a moment under the watchful eyes of the panel, Hee-joo answered.
She thought showing a bit of loyalty might work in her favor.
"I’ve practiced many of Spokesperson Baek Sa-eon’s videos."
"No matter how much you practiced—" He frowned.
"These videos were chosen at random, without regard to year or content. But your sign language synchronizes perfectly with my voice. Are you saying that’s just a coincidence?"
"…"
"Not once or twice?"
More than her rigorous preparation, Hee-joo was baffled by how precisely he had pinpointed her familiarity with each clip.
Even when she deliberately slowed her speed or inserted minor errors, her small tricks were useless against Baek Sa-eon.
"Interpreter Hong Hee-joo, answer me."
"That’s because…" She hesitated, then steeled herself.
"I’m obsessed with your speeches."
"What did you just say?" Baek Sa-eon raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"I’m obsessed with your speeches," she repeated, flustered but determined. "I aspire to be a sign language interpreter for national institutions, and I’ve grown deeply invested in your work… I apologize. No matter which video you pick, the result will be the same."
"…"
"I’ve studied your speech patterns extensively," she added, lowering her voice slightly. "Particularly the movements of your upper lip and teeth. I’ve even trained myself to predict consonants based on the way your tongue presses against your palate…"
Her explanation trailed off awkwardly as she tried to salvage her confidence.
I hope they see me as someone thoroughly prepared…
After explaining that her performance was not due to opportunism but the result of diligent practice, the interviewers exchanged satisfied glances. Baek Sa-eon remained expressionless, but when one of the interviewers conveyed the explanation with a smile, his demeanor briefly softened. The usual stern furrow of his brow was replaced by an uncharacteristic gentleness.
“Interpreter Hong Hee-joo,” he called, his tone even.
“...!”
Though his voice was not loud, it commanded the attention of everyone in the room. Inevitably, her gaze met his—the same gaze she had been avoiding. This time, it felt colder, drier, and sharper than she had imagined.
Hong Hee-joo swallowed hard, feeling her palms grow clammy and a chill run down her back.
“The interviewers present here are meant to evaluate your performance, not to translate on your behalf. Please speak directly.”
“...!”
What?
She felt sweat bead along her spine.
According to Director Han Joon, personal health conditions or issues wouldn’t impact the evaluation results. Their hiring policies were like a blind test—focusing solely on sign language skills.
In the recommendation letter, Han Joon had detailed Hee-joo’s long history of mutism, highlighting her extensive experience in translating for broadcasts, conferences, lectures, religious events, and educational programs. Despite her limitations, she had successfully passed the written review.
But...
She never imagined Baek Sa-eon would treat her this way.
Was this outright nitpicking?
Hee-joo bit her lip, which was on the verge of trembling.
“Since you’re so keen on studying me,” he said, his tone edged with cold amusement.
“...”
“Then I’d like to hear your brilliant insights as well.”
His piercing gaze fixated on her lips, unrelenting and sharp.
-----
After the other interviewers showed little concern for whether Hong Hee-joo could speak, it became clear: only Baek Sa-eon was making a fuss.
So… if she could just shut Baek Sa-eon up, that would suffice, right?
Hong Hee-joo's eyes shifted slightly before she signed with a bright expression: "If you hire me, I'll be even more passionate about studying!"
Seizing the moment, she flashed a radiant smile.
At that instant, Baek Sa-eon covered his jaw with his hand, his fingers brushing his lips.
Does he think I'm being too arrogant?
She wondered, noticing the subtle crease between his brows. But when he sat upright again, his expression reverted to its usual aloofness.
"…Alright then, let's do this. I'll improvise a passage you've never seen before. Can you translate it?"
"Yes…!"
"Quite confident, aren't you?" he murmured, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Hee-joo unclenched her fists, her gaze locking onto him with unwavering focus. In this moment, she set aside all thoughts of him as her husband or the man she'd tried to threaten. This was solely about proving her skill in this task before her.
Though her life had always been one of restraint and struggle, there was one thing she took pride in: her meticulous dedication to Baek Sa-eon.
His voice, his breathing, his expressions—even the smallest details.
She could not rely on him as her pillar, so she had chosen to study and emulate every fragment of him she could collect. Through constant imitation, practice, and repetition, she synchronized herself to Baek Sa-eon's every breath.
Without that relentless effort, she might have crumbled long ago.
With fierce determination, her deep eyes locked onto him like a magnet to steel.
"…"
"…"
Their gazes clashed, sharp and electric.
"Alright, let's begin."
When his voice rang out like a signal flare, commanding and assured, she momentarily forgot she was in an interview room.
This was no longer just an audition—it was a testament to how she had endured, adapted, and survived.
The clear resonance of his voice filled the room: "Couples Day is a statutory commemoration established to remind people of the importance of marriage and to foster harmonious families."
Baek Sa-eon’s gaze bore into Hee-joo as he continued improvising:
"Here we have a married couple."
"Here we have a married couple," her hands followed in seamless synchronization.
"This couple has been together for a long time but harbors untold secrets."
Suddenly, his eyes sharpened.
"On this special day, they rewrite the Ten Commandments of Marriage together."
Hee-joo’s hands caught every word with unwavering precision, her focus entirely on capturing his voice and meaning. Her heart pounded with exhilaration. Faster, more accurate—she craved to match him perfectly.
Her eyes burned with a fierce desire.
She wanted to emulate this resilient man, to reach his level. For someone as inherently fragile as her, she instinctively sought something solid to hold on to.
But then—
"One, complain incessantly about work."
…Wait, what?
Her hands faltered slightly before regaining their rhythm.
"Two, yell unnecessarily during conversations."
"…"
"Three, compare your partner to others when talking."
"…"
"Four, stubbornly insist on your own views."
Hee-joo's expression grew increasingly perplexed.
"Five, whine like a spoiled child."
"…"
"Six, cling endlessly—"
Abruptly, Baek Sae-on's voice halted.
Their eyes met in mid-air, locked in a charged confrontation. For a moment, neither moved, as if frozen in the intensity of their silent exchange.
It was Baek Sa-eon who eventually broke first, his jaw clenching as though he had realized something profound.
"…Alright, that's enough."
He tugged at his tie, seeming slightly out of breath.
With a loud bang, the door to the interview room was flung open and slammed shut.
Baek Sa-eon strode down the empty corridor with heavy steps, his pace brisk, almost as if he were fleeing.
The comments from certain viewers voicing their frustrations about things that don't make sense are making me reflect. I feel like this story is best enjoyed when you can binge it. There are a lot of details that are not revealed or explained initially, which can make the characters or the story seem nonsensical at times. But by the end of the story, once all the details have been revealed, almost all of those things make way more sense. For drama viewers right now, it's not possible to just keep going until all the explanations are provided within the drama. The only options are to seek explanations from the novel (or novel readers) or to stew on the parts that don't make sense right now and hope that they'll eventually be explained in the drama.
I binge read the novel and there were a bunch of moments where I felt like certain characters' behaviour or aspects of the story didn't make sense or were off-putting, but I kept going and by the end of the story I felt like almost all of those points were resolved. And now, reading the novel again, some parts are actually more enjoyable (even though the mystery aspect is gone) because there's a satisfying element of knowing why things happen the way they do.
There are a few things that I'm not sure about in episode 5.1. The older sister is clearly not deaf? She can hear…
Novel spoilers ahead.
In the novel, HIA was rendered deaf by the car crash that killed her brother and she genuinely needed HHJ to “be her ears” when they were both kids. She was still deaf at the time that her wedding to BSE was supposed to take place. But after she changed the wedding plans with BSE (and he married HHJ instead), HIA “disappeared” for three years. During that time HIA participated in an experimental medical trial in Europe that helped her to regain her ability to hear. When she returns to South Korea, she is able to hear.
He was surprised and probably angry, but he already knows 406 is her. I'm waiting for the version with subtitles,…
I haven’t watched episode 5 yet. BSE might start to suspect and might even confirm that HHJ is 406 in that episode (did they go hiking?). But I’m saying that even if that is the case, BSE found out that HHJ could speak in certain circumstances first (before suspecting or confirming that HHJ was 406, possibly in episode 5) when he watched the police car dash cam footage in episode 4.
He was surprised and probably angry, but he already knows 406 is her. I'm waiting for the version with subtitles,…
As of the end of episode 4 (when they showed BSE watching the police car dash cam footage and finding out that HHJ can speak in certain circumstances), BSE does not know that HHJ is 406 yet.
Tbh it kind of looks like someone took clips from one of Yoo Yeon Seok's other dramas or movies, slapped some…
MDL user Watermelon identified it in her comment above. The clip that CdramaAddict shared isn't a leaked scene from When the Phone Rings. It's a mashup of scenes from "Bloody Lucky Day".
I double-checked it and posted images from that drama above where Yoo Yeon Seok's character wears outfits that match what he's wearing in the clip that CdramaAddict shared.
I've seen a video clip on the app that the REAL BSE (kidnapper) had a surgery to look like BSE (main lead), then…
Yes, that's it! Thanks for identifying the Yoo Yeon Seok drama they used to make the clip. I found stills of Yoo Yeon Seok's character from that drama with looks / outfits that match the clip to confirm it.
Tbh it kind of looks like someone took clips from one of Yoo Yeon Seok's other dramas or movies, slapped some music over it, added the spoiler warning text, and then tagged it as #WhenthePhoneRings to generate engagement. Maybe take that "leak" with a pinch of salt.
3 
1 
1 
But the drama has added several early scenes (like the phone call with her mother in episode 1 and the flashback in episode 2) to emphasize that HHJ's mother has pressured HHJ since the beginning of her marriage with BSE to get closer to BSE, to get him to like her, and to try to get pregnant with his child. BSE can obviously tell that HHJ's attempts to meet her mother's demands (e.g., that night when she made dinner for him, danced clumsily with him, and closed her eyes and held still when she thought he was going in for a kiss) were things that HHJ did because of her mother's pressure and not because she was acting on her own feelings. Which is why BSE tells HHJ in the drama that she doesn't have to act like a puppet in front of him, she shouldn't do everything her mother tells her to do, and she can forget about trying to force herself to have feelings for him.
When BSE is cold towards HHJ, he thinks he's doing the right thing: choosing not to take advantage of the situation, protecting HHJ by not further fuelling her mother's attempts to use her, and protecting himself from being used and distracted (and potentially hurt).
When BSE tells HHJ that she wasn't part of his plans early on in the story, he was telling the truth. He doesn't want her to get mixed up in the mess of politics and family drama that he's dealing with, and he also doesn't want her to distract him from his goals even more so than she already has.
Episode 6 expanded on the explanation. BSE thought that, since the marriage was thrust upon HHJ, she was entirely unwilling and also that one day BSE would have to let her go (after he implemented his plans, which I'll touch on below). So there was no point in pursuing a real relationship with her (since she wasn't interested), and if he did he would become even more attached to her, which would result in BSE being hurt that much more later on.
***
MAJOR NOVEL SPOILERS AHEAD
***
BSE is not really BSE. Nor is he really candidate BEY's son. Nor is he really BJH's grandson.
Instead, the male lead is actually BJH's illegitimate son (rather than his legitimate grandson) who was raised by a fisherman (hence why he hates fish / the smell of fish). The real BSE was a psychopath and BJH drowned him in front of the male lead when they were both kids. Then BJH forced the male lead to take over the identity of BSE.
When he moved into the Baek household, his life was suffocating and miserable. But his bedroom window was across from HHJ's bedroom window, and every night he used to watch through her window as little HHJ practiced sign language. As an adult, he described it as being like watching a fish tank that brought him a sense of peace and that made him feel like he could breathe (annoyingly, it seems like the drama has given this line to HIA). And when BSE married HHJ, he was content to have her continue to play that role. She could be just like a quiet fish tank that provided a sense of peace when he came home. The drama modified these details a bit, but kept the main gist of them.
After 406 makes BSE suspect that HHJ might have had an affair, he tells Park Do Jae that he forgot that the fish tank (which he thought was his) "could move". 406's words about BSE seeming to have a jealousy complex also made BSE start to realize how much he cared about, and how possessive he felt about, HHJ. As the novel progresses, BSE learns about sides of HHJ that he hadn't seen or appreciated before and his feelings for her grow stronger.
***
Guilt -- I had the impression that BSE unfairly placed some of the blame for the accident that killed HHJ's step brother, that took HIA's hearing, and that appeared to cause HHJ's mutism on himself. Because his real father / fake grandfather (BJH) arranged for the car crash to happen after HIA revealed that she could tell that he was not the same BSE that she had met before.
Emotional Detachment -- Due to the horrific situations he had faced, BSE became extremely emotionally detached. The novel describes him as such. He focused on surviving and on protecting HHJ. But he didn't think about romance or relationships until 406 came into his life and shook up his perspective.
Unwanted / HHJ's Mother's Influence -- BSE also viewed HHJ as young, innocent, and forced into a marriage that she did not want. He didn't think she had any romantic interest in him. This is emphasized more in the drama, where they've done a lot to play up the idea that HHJ's mother puts a lot of pressure on HHJ to try to get closer to BSE so that HHJ's mother can use that relationship to her advantage. BSE can clearly tell when HHJ approaches him because of her mother's pressure and hates the idea of her being pressured and manipulated like that. From BSE's perspective, maintaining distance between them is a way of giving HHJ freedom from the role her mother is trying to force her to play.
Horrific Truths / Danger -- Just as HHJ spent 20 years burdened by her mother's lies and maintaining the secret of her forced mutism, BSE had spent decades hiding the horrifying truth behind his identity. Hiding the truth and maintaining the lie was a matter of survival. And he especially did not want HHJ to find out the truth that he had watched BJH kill the real BSE (BJH's legitimate grandson) or that he (BJH's illegitimate son) had replaced the real, murdered BSE. Both because the truth was horrific and because knowing the truth would be dangerous, given the lengths that the Baek family would go to in order to protect themselves and their positions in society even after BJH died. Acting coldly towards HHJ and keeping her at arm's length was preferable.
Weakness -- If the Baek family or his other enemies thought that he cared about protecting HHJ, let alone loved her, then there would be a risk that they would try to use those feelings against him, especially since he had so few exploitable weaknesses. This is emphasized when BSE receives the first series of phone calls from the kidnapper and he pretends that he doesn't care about HHJ.
Other Goals -- BSE did not want to become candidate BEY's pawn and did not want to be forced to join his presidential campaign. Before BSE changed his plans and married HHJ, his original plan was to amass his own power, to reveal the Baek family's corruption, and to abandon the name and identity of BSE. After marrying HHJ, he had to adjust his plans for her safety and wellbeing. But most of his original intentions still remained. He continued to amass his own power and to collect dirt on the Baek family and others. Pursuing his plans took up nearly all of his focus and energy.
For all these reasons, IMO, BSE didn't really consider the possibility of having a real romantic relationship with HHJ and he even intentionally distanced himself from her both in public and in private. Before 406 showed up, he was satisfied with just having HHJ safe in his home, providing a calming presence like a fish tank.
I feel like it would be crazy for the court to not sustain the impeachment, but then I also thought it was crazy that the National Assembly failed to impeach him last week so who knows. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
As far as I am aware there isn't an official translation of the novel, but it has been translated by fans. The first few chapters are available on wattpad (the link is posted in the discussion threads) and the quality is so-so. MDL user pen_p picked up the translation from chapter 11 in the discussion threads and her translation is better than the wattpad translation.
In the drama, HHJ tells BSE that learning sign language isn't difficult, and it seems like the SML probably learned sign language because of HHJ. But in the novel, when HHJ visits her childhood bedroom she recalls how difficult it was for her to learn sign language. She spent so many nights practicing endlessly under her mother's stern gaze. In the novel, HHJ also doesn't have a college friend who learned sign language because of her. There is a male character near her who knows sign language and makes BSE jealous, but he works at the sign language centre and is significantly older than HHJ. He was already working at the sign language centre when HHJ joined.
I find the novel's take more realistic. Learning any new language isn't easy. Learning a language that is as different as sign language is to written and spoken speech would be even more difficult. Especially for someone who doesn't have lots and lots of time to practice and isn't forced to immerse themselves in the new language out of necessity.
It does seem a bit callous and ableist that BSE never tried to at least learn a little bit, like the alphabet and a few key phrases. But if he did, HHJ's value as someone who could act as his interpreter would diminish. So I can sort of understand why the author chose not to have him learn.
I'll also add that, although BSE did not learn sign language in the novel, his bedroom window in the Baek family house was across from HHJ's bedroom window in the Hong family house and every night he used to watch young HHJ as she practiced her sign language. His life in the Baek family house was miserable and oppressive, and he found watching young HHJ practice very calming. He said it brought him peace, and he compared the experience to having a fish tank.
This is what he said in the novel:
At that moment, Baek Sa-eon leaned back leisurely, tapping his face lightly before speaking up.
"Applicant Number 4, Interpreter Hong Hee-joo."
"…!"
His voice wasn’t loud, but it immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Nowhere to hide, Hee-joo's gaze met his. It was the gaze she had been avoiding, yet now it bore down on her more coldly and dryly than she had anticipated.
She swallowed nervously, her hands clenched tightly on her knees.
"Interpreter Hong Hee-joo, did you know the script beforehand?"
"…!"
"Sometimes, your hands moved faster than the voice."
Her heart skipped a beat.
"After observing the three of you, I noticed one performance gave me an overwhelming sense of dissonance. Let me ask again: did you know the content of the script beforehand?"
His second question, delivered with an icy detachment, left no room for hesitation.
Hee-joo bit her stiff tongue and forced herself to nod.
"That was… a video I had practiced with before," she explained, supplementing her answer with sign language.
Hearing the translation from a fellow interviewer, Baek Sa-eon raised an eyebrow.
"Then, can we test with another video?"
"Yes," Hee-joo replied, rising nervously to her feet.
The new video began to play. But it, too, was a familiar script—the 4th Korea-Russia Local Cooperation Forum briefing.
This was from her early days practicing sign language.
"Stop," Baek Sa-eon commanded, pausing the video with the remote.
"This is another script you’re familiar with, isn’t it?"
"…!"
How does he know?
Startled, Hee-joo nodded again.
He switched the video another four or five times: the ASEAN+3 Summit briefing, the Fair Economy Strategy speech, the Children's Day event at the Blue House, the Private-Led Innovative Growth briefing…
"That’s enough. Stop."
"…!"
"This is endless."
His gaze landed on Hee-joo with a mix of complexity and intrigue, prompting her to lower her head in embarrassment.
Finally, summoning her courage, she confessed.
"No matter how many videos you choose, the result will be the same."
After hearing the translation, Baek Sa-eon asked, "All of them?"
"Yes."
"Care to explain why?"
Hesitating for a moment under the watchful eyes of the panel, Hee-joo answered.
She thought showing a bit of loyalty might work in her favor.
"I’ve practiced many of Spokesperson Baek Sa-eon’s videos."
"No matter how much you practiced—" He frowned.
"These videos were chosen at random, without regard to year or content. But your sign language synchronizes perfectly with my voice. Are you saying that’s just a coincidence?"
"…"
"Not once or twice?"
More than her rigorous preparation, Hee-joo was baffled by how precisely he had pinpointed her familiarity with each clip.
Even when she deliberately slowed her speed or inserted minor errors, her small tricks were useless against Baek Sa-eon.
"Interpreter Hong Hee-joo, answer me."
"That’s because…" She hesitated, then steeled herself.
"I’m obsessed with your speeches."
"What did you just say?" Baek Sa-eon raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"I’m obsessed with your speeches," she repeated, flustered but determined. "I aspire to be a sign language interpreter for national institutions, and I’ve grown deeply invested in your work… I apologize. No matter which video you pick, the result will be the same."
"…"
"I’ve studied your speech patterns extensively," she added, lowering her voice slightly. "Particularly the movements of your upper lip and teeth. I’ve even trained myself to predict consonants based on the way your tongue presses against your palate…"
Her explanation trailed off awkwardly as she tried to salvage her confidence.
I hope they see me as someone thoroughly prepared…
After explaining that her performance was not due to opportunism but the result of diligent practice, the interviewers exchanged satisfied glances. Baek Sa-eon remained expressionless, but when one of the interviewers conveyed the explanation with a smile, his demeanor briefly softened. The usual stern furrow of his brow was replaced by an uncharacteristic gentleness.
“Interpreter Hong Hee-joo,” he called, his tone even.
“...!”
Though his voice was not loud, it commanded the attention of everyone in the room. Inevitably, her gaze met his—the same gaze she had been avoiding. This time, it felt colder, drier, and sharper than she had imagined.
Hong Hee-joo swallowed hard, feeling her palms grow clammy and a chill run down her back.
“The interviewers present here are meant to evaluate your performance, not to translate on your behalf. Please speak directly.”
“...!”
What?
She felt sweat bead along her spine.
According to Director Han Joon, personal health conditions or issues wouldn’t impact the evaluation results. Their hiring policies were like a blind test—focusing solely on sign language skills.
In the recommendation letter, Han Joon had detailed Hee-joo’s long history of mutism, highlighting her extensive experience in translating for broadcasts, conferences, lectures, religious events, and educational programs. Despite her limitations, she had successfully passed the written review.
But...
She never imagined Baek Sa-eon would treat her this way.
Was this outright nitpicking?
Hee-joo bit her lip, which was on the verge of trembling.
“Since you’re so keen on studying me,” he said, his tone edged with cold amusement.
“...”
“Then I’d like to hear your brilliant insights as well.”
His piercing gaze fixated on her lips, unrelenting and sharp.
-----
After the other interviewers showed little concern for whether Hong Hee-joo could speak, it became clear: only Baek Sa-eon was making a fuss.
So… if she could just shut Baek Sa-eon up, that would suffice, right?
Hong Hee-joo's eyes shifted slightly before she signed with a bright expression:
"If you hire me, I'll be even more passionate about studying!"
Seizing the moment, she flashed a radiant smile.
At that instant, Baek Sa-eon covered his jaw with his hand, his fingers brushing his lips.
Does he think I'm being too arrogant?
She wondered, noticing the subtle crease between his brows. But when he sat upright again, his expression reverted to its usual aloofness.
"…Alright then, let's do this. I'll improvise a passage you've never seen before. Can you translate it?"
"Yes…!"
"Quite confident, aren't you?" he murmured, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Hee-joo unclenched her fists, her gaze locking onto him with unwavering focus. In this moment, she set aside all thoughts of him as her husband or the man she'd tried to threaten. This was solely about proving her skill in this task before her.
Though her life had always been one of restraint and struggle, there was one thing she took pride in: her meticulous dedication to Baek Sa-eon.
His voice, his breathing, his expressions—even the smallest details.
She could not rely on him as her pillar, so she had chosen to study and emulate every fragment of him she could collect. Through constant imitation, practice, and repetition, she synchronized herself to Baek Sa-eon's every breath.
Without that relentless effort, she might have crumbled long ago.
With fierce determination, her deep eyes locked onto him like a magnet to steel.
"…"
"…"
Their gazes clashed, sharp and electric.
"Alright, let's begin."
When his voice rang out like a signal flare, commanding and assured, she momentarily forgot she was in an interview room.
This was no longer just an audition—it was a testament to how she had endured, adapted, and survived.
The clear resonance of his voice filled the room:
"Couples Day is a statutory commemoration established to remind people of the importance of marriage and to foster harmonious families."
Baek Sa-eon’s gaze bore into Hee-joo as he continued improvising:
"Here we have a married couple."
"Here we have a married couple," her hands followed in seamless synchronization.
"This couple has been together for a long time but harbors untold secrets."
Suddenly, his eyes sharpened.
"On this special day, they rewrite the Ten Commandments of Marriage together."
Hee-joo’s hands caught every word with unwavering precision, her focus entirely on capturing his voice and meaning. Her heart pounded with exhilaration. Faster, more accurate—she craved to match him perfectly.
Her eyes burned with a fierce desire.
She wanted to emulate this resilient man, to reach his level. For someone as inherently fragile as her, she instinctively sought something solid to hold on to.
But then—
"One, complain incessantly about work."
…Wait, what?
Her hands faltered slightly before regaining their rhythm.
"Two, yell unnecessarily during conversations."
"…"
"Three, compare your partner to others when talking."
"…"
"Four, stubbornly insist on your own views."
Hee-joo's expression grew increasingly perplexed.
"Five, whine like a spoiled child."
"…"
"Six, cling endlessly—"
Abruptly, Baek Sae-on's voice halted.
Their eyes met in mid-air, locked in a charged confrontation. For a moment, neither moved, as if frozen in the intensity of their silent exchange.
It was Baek Sa-eon who eventually broke first, his jaw clenching as though he had realized something profound.
"…Alright, that's enough."
He tugged at his tie, seeming slightly out of breath.
With a loud bang, the door to the interview room was flung open and slammed shut.
Baek Sa-eon strode down the empty corridor with heavy steps, his pace brisk, almost as if he were fleeing.
And it doesn't help when new episodes get delayed by an extra week!
I binge read the novel and there were a bunch of moments where I felt like certain characters' behaviour or aspects of the story didn't make sense or were off-putting, but I kept going and by the end of the story I felt like almost all of those points were resolved. And now, reading the novel again, some parts are actually more enjoyable (even though the mystery aspect is gone) because there's a satisfying element of knowing why things happen the way they do.
In the novel, HIA was rendered deaf by the car crash that killed her brother and she genuinely needed HHJ to “be her ears” when they were both kids. She was still deaf at the time that her wedding to BSE was supposed to take place. But after she changed the wedding plans with BSE (and he married HHJ instead), HIA “disappeared” for three years. During that time HIA participated in an experimental medical trial in Europe that helped her to regain her ability to hear. When she returns to South Korea, she is able to hear.
I double-checked it and posted images from that drama above where Yoo Yeon Seok's character wears outfits that match what he's wearing in the clip that CdramaAddict shared.
https://photos.hancinema.net/photos/photo1746032.jpg
https://photos.hancinema.net/photos/photo1746034.jpg