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I'm an expert in this field...Are you a pathological liar?—Oh Young-Sook
Oh Young-sook is the main antagonist of The Call, a 2020 South Korean supernatural thriller film. Portrayed chillingly by Jeon Jong-seo, Young-sook begins as a lonely and mentally unstable girl in 1999 who forms a connection with Kim Seo-yeon, a woman living in 2019, through a mysterious phone call that bridges time.
Biography[]
Background[]
Oh Young-sook was born in South Korea. She has a deeply religious shaman stepmom who believed that Young-sook was possessed by evil spirits. Her upbringing was marked by intense physical and psychological abuse, including repeated exorcism rituals intended to “cleanse” her of perceived demonic influence. These traumatic experiences contributed significantly to her early emotional instability and social isolation. Living in near-total confinement within her home, Young-sook had little to no contact with the outside world, further stunting her emotional development and warping her perception of relationships.
Her mother maintained complete control over her, reinforcing a sense of fear, helplessness, and paranoia. When Seo-yeon contacts Young-sook from the future and warns her about her mother’s plans, Young-sook seizes the opportunity to rewrite her fate. She murders her mother to escape death and begins a descent into violent psychopathy, enabled by her newfound knowledge of the future and emboldened by her first act of liberation.
According to police reports uncovered by a police officer, Oh Young-sook was diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) and Borderline Personality disorder. contributing to her violent tendencies.
Original Timeline[]
In the original timeline, Young-sook dies in 1999 when her mother stabs her with a shaman knife. Seo-yeon, in 2019, finds out about this and, out of pity, warns Young-sook, altering the timeline.
Changed Timeline[]
In an act of compassion, Seo-yeon warns her of her impending death, allowing Young-sook to escape her fate and kill her abusive mother. This single intervention triggers a massive change in the timeline: Seo-yeon's present is suddenly transformed—her house is renovated, her parents are alive, and her life seems miraculously improved.
However, things take a sinister turn when Seo-yeon discovers that in this altered past, Young-sook became a serial killer. Once Young-sook realizes her own dark fate from Seo-yeon’s future knowledge, she becomes increasingly unhinged. Feeling betrayed, she begins using her position in the past to manipulate and terrorize Seo-yeon. She murders Seo-yeon’s father in cold blood, changes history in real-time to torment her, and even kidnaps the younger Seo-yeon to gain psychological leverage. As Young-sook continues killing people in her timeline—neighbors, a police officer, and others—her grip on power strengthens. Each death she causes in 1999 reshapes Seo-yeon’s reality in 2019, turning her life into a waking nightmare. Desperate to stop her, Seo-yeon searches for clues about Young-sook’s past and works to guide her mother in the past to stop the killer. This leads to a climactic confrontation where Seo-yeon’s mother seemingly kills Young-sook in 1999, which restores a peaceful present—her mother is alive, and her life appears stable again.
Yet the film delivers one final twist. In a post-credits scene, the timeline changes once more. Seo-yeon’s mother vanishes in front of her, and the house reverts to its decayed state. Seo-yeon finds herself bound and trapped—held hostage by an older, future version of Young-sook, who somehow managed to survive her apparent death by using the phone once more to warn her younger self. This haunting ending leaves Seo-yeon’s fate unknown, and strongly implies that Young-sook has once again taken control of the timeline.
Personality[]
Oh Young-sook is a deeply complex and unstable character whose personality is shaped by a volatile mixture of childhood trauma, mental illness, emotional desperation, and a hunger for control. At first glance, Young-sook appears vulnerable and tragic—a lonely teenager suffering under the control of her abusive adoptive mother. Early in her interactions with Seo-yeon, she is timid, curious, and eager to connect, showing signs of emotional fragility and a desperate need for validation and companionship. Her early behavior suggests a fearful and damaged individual rather than an inherently malevolent one.
However, once Seo-yeon helps her avoid death and she murders her mother, Young-sook’s personality begins to shift dramatically. Freed from her mother's control, she becomes increasingly bold, manipulative, and unhinged. Her true nature begins to emerge: a sadistic and calculating mind masked by her former innocence. She quickly demonstrates a chilling lack of empathy, murdering without remorse and using her knowledge of the future to gain power over Seo-yeon and rewrite the past to her own benefit. She becomes emotionally erratic and violently reactive, especially when she perceives betrayal. This behavior—idealizing someone one moment and turning on them the next—is a hallmark of Borderline Personality Disorder, one of her diagnosed conditions.
Young-sook is emotionally volatile but highly intelligent. She uses charm and emotional manipulation to gain trust before turning on those closest to her. Her actions are driven by a deep-seated fear of abandonment and a compulsive need for control. Once she realizes she can alter the future through the phone, she becomes obsessed with wielding that power. She treats people like pawns, killing without hesitation and using psychological torment as a weapon, particularly against Seo-yeon.
While her behavior is clearly influenced by her traumatic upbringing and mental health issues—including diagnosed Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)—Young-sook’s descent into violence is not merely reactive. Over time, she grows to enjoy the control and chaos she causes. Her sadism becomes more pronounced, and her actions more deliberate and strategic.
Trivia[]
- For her chilling portrayal of Young-sook, Jeon Jong‑seo won Best Actress at both the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards and the 30th Buil Film Awards, plus Best Actress at the 20th Director’s Cut Awards
- She prepared by studying Billie Eilish’s music videos to channel emotional rawness
- Jeon performed without makeup to preserve facial features like freckles and natural redness, adding authenticity and eeriness to her character