Sorry When The Phone Rings fans, Yoo Yeon-seok and Chae Soo-bin's drama is just Kabir Singh transported to Korea

When The Phone Rings has been the talk of the K-Town for a while now, and for a reason. This is mainly because Yoo Yeon-seok's Paik Sa-eon has been tagged as the 'greenest forest' in K-Dramas, at least recently. But is that just a cover for the big red flag he is? Well, we found hints that trace the story back to the controversial Indian film Kabir Singh, starring Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani in the lead roles. In a sense, When The Phone Rings is what Kabir Singh transported to Korea looks like. Here's how...

Paik Sa-eon is a big red flag under the green forest

I already know that I'm going to bear the brunt for saying this, but Paik Sa-eon is not a green flag. Yes, he shared a cute love story with Chae Soo-bin's Hong Hee-joo, but even Kabir Singh loved Preeti whole-heartedly during their college days. That didn't make him a green flag, did it? If you feel that Sa-eon learning the sign language makes him a green flag, think again. He is learning the sign language to keep a closer inspection in Hee-joo's life. The woman does not have the privacy to even text someone she wishes to talk to, and her purse gets checked, too! Sa-eon is a first-hand manipulator like Kabir Singh (case in point, their whole marriage, including him keeping her around by throwing breadcrumbs her way rather than actually treating her right). Needless to say, he believes in the duties traditionally divided between men and women (he would almost never contribute to the household work or helping his woman out unless absolutely necessary). This is often mistaken for romance, but really, he's doing what is basic for a green flag man. So, Sa-eon is none other than Kabir Singh transported to a rich Korean political household.

Hee-joo is literally just Preeti

Remember Preeti? The quiet, sundar, sanskari Indian woman that every man fell for? Yeah, that is exactly Hee-joo. What's worse is that both the women were forced to change and adapt because of the family/societal situation. Hee-joo, we saw, was a free-spirited woman who loved enjoying life, till the accident and her wedding with Sa-eon changed it all. Preeti too would have such a childhood story if it were to be revealed. Nonetheless, they turned quiet to be accepted by the society and so they find a slightly peaceful life, not because they wanted to be like that. And honestly, there's no bigger reason for it than a red flag man or many such men and women around them.

The definition of a green forest and why Paik Sa-eon is not one

"If he wanted to, he would," is something we hear quite often when it comes to green flags. Their whole marriage, Sa-eon did not bother to find out what Hee-joo really is feeling or wants. It literally took her a blackmailing technique (one that no love story should resort to) for him to come to his senses. If that is the definition of a green forest, maybe you are the red flag.

K-Dramas have already set the definition of green flags and one of the biggest till date is Nam Joo-hyuk's Jun-hyung from Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo. He watched his childhood crush (a chubby woman, Kim Bok-Joo) develop feelings for who happened to be his brother (even helped her get ready for what she believed were dates) and waited for the right time to confess his feelings. He even informed her that she looks cute even when her belly bulges out a little while lifting weights. It is something that girls already are conscious of, but he loved her for years (found her chubby self adorable) and went lengths to keep her happy (teasing her was his initial love language, which soon changed to just being there for her). That is a green forest, not Paik Sa-eon, who treated his own wife harshly just because he could.