Character Relationship Map: The Call

Characters

• Seo-yeon (played by Park Shin-hye) — protagonist

  Seo-yeon is the adult protagonist who discovers a phone connecting her 2019 home to the same house in 1999. She befriends Young-sook, changes the past to save her father, and later struggles to protec...

• Young-sook (played by Jeon Jong-seo) — protagonist

  Young-sook is a troubled woman living in the house in 1999 with her domineering adoptive mother. After Seo-yeon helps her escape death, she kills her mother and becomes a serial killer, repeatedly alt...

• Eun-ae (played by Kim Sung-ryung) — supporting

  Eun-ae is Seo-yeon's estranged mother, whom Seo-yeon initially blames for the fire that killed her father. She later travels to the house in 1999, is warned about Young-sook, and appears to sacrifice...

• Young Seo-yeon (played by Um Chae-young) — supporting

  Young Seo-yeon is Seo-yeon as an eight-year-old child in 1999. She visits the house with her father during the attempted purchase and becomes Young-sook's captive after her father is killed, making he...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Young Seo-yeon → Seo-yeon (Temporal Younger Self) — The child in Young-sook's 1999 captivity is the earlier version of the adult protagonist.

  The plot identifies Young Seo-yeon as Seo-yeon at eight years old in 1999.

• Seo-yeon → Eun-ae (Family Daughter And Mother) — Their estranged relationship moves from blame and distance toward Seo-yeon's effort to protect Eun-ae and their reunion.

  Eun-ae is Seo-yeon's mother. Seo-yeon initially blames her for the fire that killed her father, later warns her about Young-sook, and is reunited with...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Young-sook → Eun-ae (Conflict Mortal Adversaries) — Their confrontation in 1999 becomes central to the altered timeline and to Seo-yeon's attempt to protect her mother.

  Seo-yeon warns Eun-ae about Young-sook. In 1999, Young-sook kills a police officer and chases Eun-ae, who seemingly sacrifices herself to protect youn...

• Young Seo-yeon → Young-sook (Conflict Captive And Captor) — Young-sook's attack on the child links the events of 1999 directly to the danger faced by adult Seo-yeon.

  Young-sook kills Seo-yeon's father when he visits the house with eight-year-old Seo-yeon, then takes the child captive.

• Seo-yeon → Young-sook (Conflict Friend Turned Enemy) — Their connection shifts from mutual assistance to manipulation and a struggle for survival as each woman's actions reshape the other's timeline.

  They communicate by phone across 1999 and 2019 and initially get to know each other. After Young-sook becomes a serial killer, she threatens Seo-yeon...

Story Analysis

A phone linking two eras turns an act of help into a changing struggle for survival between Seo-yeon and Young-sook.

Plot Progression

1. The Phone Across Time — Seo-yeon discovers a phone linking her home to the same house in 1999. She and Young-sook learn about each other's troubled relationships with their mothers.
2. A Past Rewritten — Young-sook prevents the fire that killed Seo-yeon's father, changing the present for the better. Seo-yeon later warns her about her mother's plan, but Young-sook's survival leads to further violence.
3. The Killer's Leverage — Young-sook becomes a serial killer, and Seo-yeon realizes the past is affecting present-day events. A careless phone conversation gives Young-sook information about her future arrest.
4. The Notebook and the Truth — Young-sook takes young Seo-yeon captive after killing her father. Adult Seo-yeon seeks the police notebook, and Young-sook reveals that Seo-yeon caused the original fire.
5. A Rescue Rewritten — Seo-yeon warns Eun-ae as Young-sook pursues her in 1999 and an older Young-sook pursues Seo-yeon in 2019. The timeline changes and mother and daughter reunite, before a mid-credit reversal shows Seo-y...