Dear X

SAVED BY HWANG IN YEOP!!!

I honestly went crazy watching this drama because of Hwang In-yeop. He is insanely handsome, and once again, he doesn’t disappoint when it comes to acting. Every scene he’s in just hits harder.

If I’m being real, the male second lead’s acting felt stronger than the main lead’s (lol). He brought more depth, more emotion, and somehow made every interaction feel more meaningful. And yes — I shipped him with the female lead so badly 😭 It felt more natural, more painful, and way more emotionally convincing.

Plot-wise, I actually really liked the story. It’s heavy, emotional, and uncomfortable in the way a good drama is supposed to be. I felt incredibly sorry for In-gang. Some scenes were honestly hard to watch because of how tragic and overwhelming her situation was. There were moments where I almost couldn’t continue because it hurt too much.

Overall, Dear X might not be perfect, but for me, it was carried hard by Hwang In-yeop’s performance and the emotional weight of the story. Painful, frustrating, but also addicting.

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Saved by the cast

The story started strong but became repetitive. In almost every episode, we're reminded that Ah-Jin is selfish, manipulative, and arrogant, with her childhood constantly used to justify her behavior. Despite the show's attempts to make her seem complex, she rarely shows any real depth. The only time she surprised me was in the episode with In-gang's grandmother, where I thought she might finally show some remorse, but that potential quickly disappeared.
The acting was the drama's saving grace and kept it engaging. The soundtrack, however, felt a bit heavy-handed every time Ah-Jin started scheming, the dramatic violins kicked in. I wouldn't watch it again, but it was entertaining enough.

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Haters gonna hate, potatoes gonna potate

Few kdramas received the kind of backlash Dear X did after the series finished airing. I couldn't believe the number of people that were butthurt about the show's ending. And while it's true that the ending felt like the director lost a bet and had to do a coin toss (aka, "Do we murk Yun Jun Seo or not?"), I can't say with good conscience that the show was a trainwreck. I actually quite liked the show and I thought it was one of the more interesting kdramas of 2025 (feel free to disagree, feel free to put pineapple on your pizza).

Perhaps it's because I love studying human behavior and personality types, and spent more than 10 episodes trying to figure out if Kim You Jung's character (Baek A Jin) was on "the dark triad." She's clearly a sociopath, that much is a given... but her character was so layered, so conflicted, so potentially psychopathic, that it sparked my curiosity immensely. I found Kim Young Dae's character (Yun Jun Seo) to be equally fascinating! He also displayed signs of mild psychopathy, but it was sprinkled out at intervals throughout the show. Arguably, Yun Jun Seo was an even more complex character than Baek A Jin—at face value, he's an enabler... if we go deeper, he's crippled by his mother and feels responsible for the train wreck that Baek A Jin had become... on a deeper level, he wants to fix her but knows he can't, so he just watches and hopes that she changes over time... on a deeper level, he settles for giving her happiness (in fact, she demands this) despite her having major (and quite murderous) faults... on a deeper level, he himself gains satisfaction and pleasure from being a silent observer in her life (in the exact same way that a stalker would).

I can't believe the audience missed the little hints that pointed out his deep inclinations, which he let surface SPECIFICALLY when it came to Baek A Jin. Like the part where he visited her rooftop apartment and chose to peek at her through the glass window for a few moments before knocking at the door. Or the part where she (Baek A Jin) asks him to help her GET Heo In Gang (she told him that she only wanted Heo In Gang for a year), and Yun Jun Seo then proceeded to quietly stalk Heo In Gang and then presented Baek A Jin with a WELL DECORATED, HANDWRITTEN booklet (complete with pictures and drawings) telling her all she needed to know to slither her way into Heo In Gang's life. Yun Jun Seo knew her better than anyone, so he knew things would end badly for Heo In Gang. I guess he was just hoping that somehow Baek A Jin would magically change (or perhaps he was just content with knowing she'd be satisfied as long as she had what she wanted). Clearly, he wanted to love her, but he knew she was incapable of emotion (so, in this way he was also conflicted).

Honestly, I thought the show would end with him (Yun Jun Seo) springing to her rescue, and her taking him down with her (of course, he'd happily give his life with a smile as long as it's for her, am I right? Lol). So, seeing the show end with him intentionally driving her off a cliff (at that point, he knew she could not be redeemed and that the world would continue to suffer with her in it), I actually think that ending wasn't as bad as people make it out to be. The mind trip is that she didn't die... he did—which is awful because he's a really important character in the show! (at least for me). Normally, this kind of cliffhanger ending would hint at the possibility of a season 2... but can there honestly be a season 2 without Yun Jun Seo? I think that either both of them should have perished, or (alternately) neither of them should have perished in the car wreck.

Either way... Kim You Jung, Kim Young Dae, and Kim Do Hoon did a stellar job! Their performances were chef's kiss. I was pleasantly surprised at Kim Ji Hoon's feature in the show earlier on as well (not just because he's the sexiest man alive but because he's a fantastic actor).

Overall... this show was great imo. Ignore the bad reviews. If you have a functional brain and can think for yourself, then chances are you will love this show. You might not agree with every single plot development, but you definitely can't rate it poorly in favor of the other kdramas released this year (many with stunning visuals but lacking actual substance). Dear X is a solid 8.5/10 for me.

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A fun watch if you like psychotic characters

To start this off, the acting 😩The acting was so good I don’t care what anybody says, almost every single character did their job perfectly from beginning to end.
I think my favorite part of this drama is that it’s not actually revenge, it’s just a story about a psychopath that wants to destroy almost everything. If anything I found this a really fun watch.
I do understand the people who said the ending was meh, but honestly I found the ending okay, not amazing, but acceptable. In the end she got exposed, and the best part about it, is that her biggest confidant did it, not even because he hated her, but because till the end he loved her.
Either ways, overall I actually enjoyed this, it was a short nice watch.

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A complete waste of time

This show had very high potential in the first two episodes, and once the cafe boss appears it all goes downhill. From the way that she used him for her gain to all the events after are a complete inconsistent mess.

The show has plot points that it uses and then forgets about an episode later, it honestly feels like I'm watching an AI bot forgetting previous conversations in real time as the episodes went on. Alongside the forgotten plot points, there is also times where characters do a complete 180 to how they were and episode before, and it just made me more confused than anything as I watched.

The ending is also maybe one of the worst endings in all the k-dramas I have watched and liked (not including the less serious dramas), because not only does it make no sense, it additionally just feels like the writers had no idea what to do in the story so they just throw in the most bs plot ending.

I honestly wish I had just stopped watching around the middle of the show, because honestly this show is just such a waste of time and potential.

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What's more to say that it started well and invested with the first eps but downfall ending?

It was totally made perfectly especially not just for giving an adaption for a webtoon to be adapted in reality, but also the characters portrayed from the series made justice and enough character. The beginning made the viewers hooked and interesting. But going in the middle til the end of Baek Ah jin's era was a total dissatisfaction and disaster. I get it that she has that psychological trauma and condition, but I was hoping for more that this would turn to more worst. Its not a good ending, nor a bad ending, but it was an open ending of what turns next to Baek Ah Jin's fall from the fame. The cinematography was all good, the ost made so much intense and power in every scenes.

Speaking of its story and plot, it was really interesting that the fact that the first three episodes made me get edge on the seat and totally invested with the story. Well its not your typical kdrama genre about psychology, crime, thriller, but its nearly into noir and deep trauma. Everything was connected, but the last few eps that made Ah Jin married to a CEO agency company with a lot of intentions knowing that her friends, Yun Jun Seo and Kim Jae O warned her before she signed the contract was her total downfall. She like revenge and taking advantage to ruin a person that tempts her makes it vulnerable. I felt bad that Ah Jin's character was yeah portrayed well, but the ending was not enough that she was a total devil alive. The whole point of the drama and the story was getting to know more about Baek Ah Jin's motives in messing her emotions and decisions in messing up people's lives. She gets the fame but the downfall she had because of triggering trauma and hallucinations after she got married (+ entering a dumb ass role with the same plotlines and story about murder and a book JUST about her) made her ruin her identity even more. I liked the drama, but this was bad that I was expecting for more that what was from the webtoon being portrayed. It was also said ever since their reunion as friends that one of them would die, not until Ah Jin only survives only in fate. Kinda ruined it but appreciating the efforts made by the writer and director.

The casting was too perfect. I mean Kim Yoojung from her rookie roles and had a comeback with a promising image and aspect of her main role here as Baek Ah Jin. She was really into her role as what I saw from BTS scenes and said that she actually fainted during the scene where Ah Jin killed her father in her high school. Also to Kim Young Dae as I saw him from other crime and thriller from the Penthouse and others. This was also a perfect character and role from him but I don't like how the writer did his character. Lastly, to Kim Do Hoon in seeing him as supporting roles as well! I was happy to see his character well from the series and hopefully he would have better roles from his projects to come in the future. Really love the casting, rooting for them to shine and give recognition even more!! <33

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Psychopath Land.exe

Do you think you’ve already watched a drama with one or two completely crazy characters? This drama is even worse it’s full of mentally ill people.

You follow the story of a woman who manipulates men to get what she wants. There’s a man who’s in love with her, but she does everything to not give him what he wants so she can keep controlling him and make him do whatever she desires. It’s the same with her other “friend” whom she calls “Boss” she uses him like a toy too.

The story isn’t particularly memorable, but it’s decent. She uses her boss to kill her father, then becomes famous, continues using men for her own benefit, and then another even crazier guy shows up who I think is actually worse than she is.

In short, if you want to watch a drama full of psychopaths, go for it!

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Incredible.

I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs.

…But not this woman’s wrongs, what an absolute psycho.

I can’t help to feel incredibly sad about Jae Ho and Jun Seo. Jae Ho was far too loyal and she did not deserve his friendship. And Jun Seo having to die watching her leave him for dead and turning her back on him by putting herself first one more time, was almost a bit too cruel. I almost wish he had died on impact with the thought that she was dying with him. Why torture him one last time?

Some of the people she went after definitely had it coming, and I can’t say I feel bad for most of her victims. I never thought I’d side with men, but some of the guys were genuinely good people that did not deserve her. Beside the two aforementioned, In Gang and Jeong Ho did not deserve everything she did to them.

It almost annoys me that she survived that crash. And that her husband didn’t get what was coming to him either. All in all, most of the people in this sucked. But at least she didn’t kill the grandma.

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A Psychological Tragedy About Survival, Control, and Obsession

A deep dive into Dear X, where loyalty, usefulness, and ambition collide in a story that feels less like a twist and more like a tragic inevitability.

Disclaimer: This review is 100% my opinion — I’m not here to hate, just to share my thoughts! Also, SPOILERS AHEAD, so proceed with caution if you haven’t watched yet. Watch it, come back and let’s see if you agree. Let’s keep the discussion respectful and fun! 💕

**Quick heads-up: I want to make it clear that I’m not a psychologist and I’m not trying to force a diagnosis onto these characters. Everything I’ve written comes from my own interpretation through research, and I could very well be wrong. My goal isn’t to excuse their actions, but to explore the psychological roots behind them in a way that makes their stories easier to understand.**

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Baek Ah Jin: Why “Selfishness” Was Survival
Baek Ah Jin is one of those characters who looks cruel on the surface but starts to make sense once you look at the world she grew up in. From the start, her life taught her that love was dangerous and trust was a trap. An alcoholic mother who beat her, a father who killed that mother in front of her eyes, and a stepmother who plotted to exploit her—none of the adults in her life ever offered safety. When you grow up in a house where affection is always conditional and betrayal is inevitable, you don’t learn how to be vulnerable. You learn how to survive.

When she later manipulated Jun Seo as a child, it wasn’t because she enjoyed hurting him. It was because she understood that being needed, believed, and protected was the only way she wouldn’t be discarded. Ah Jin didn’t see manipulation as immoral. She saw it as necessary. She grew up viewing people less as emotional connections and more as variables: who is safe, who is useful, who is a threat. She avoided attachment not because she felt nothing, but because feeling something always ended badly.
Ah Jin wasn’t driven by ambition or malice as much as she was by a deep belief that closeness led to harm and that the only way to stay standing was to stay ahead.


Yun Jun Seo: Devotion Without a Self
Yun Jun Seo’s devotion felt extreme until you realise his entire sense of self was built around guilt and moral splitting. From childhood, he learned that love meant responsibility and that protection meant sacrifice. When Ah Jin entered his life, she didn’t just need help, she gave him clarity. By framing herself as the only one who cared and his mother as the threat, she offered a simple moral map to a child who desperately needed one. Watching his mother try to drown her didn’t just traumatise him, it locked that map in place.

That’s why her manipulation worked so well: his childhood had already primed him to believe that his mother was “bad” and Ah Jin was “good,” and once that split took hold, it never left. What complicated Jun Seo was that even as he grew older and became aware of Ah Jin’s manipulation, that moral framework never fully dissolved. He could recognise her actions as wrong without being able to reclassify her as bad because doing so would collapse the meaning of his entire childhood. So he separated the two: Ah Jin does terrible things, but Ah Jin herself is still good and needs protection. That was why her manipulation continued to work into adulthood. It didn’t rely on deception anymore, it relied on identity.

Jun Seo fused himself to Ah Jin so completely that without her, he had no sense of self. That’s why he carried guilt for not protecting her, why he wrote a book about her life, and why he kept orbiting her even when she didn’t need him anymore. His obsession wasn’t something he wanted or enjoyed, it was something he felt trapped inside. By the time Jun Seo reached adulthood, his life was no longer about wanting Ah Jin in a romantic sense, but about not knowing who he was without her. That’s why leaving was never an option, and why exposing her became the final, desperate attempt to resolve an impossible conflict. If he couldn’t save her and he couldn’t detach from her, then ending everything became the only way to remain consistent with the person he believed himself to be. His loyalty was suffocating, but it was also the only thing keeping him alive. Betraying Ah Jin was the last thing he ever allowed himself to do, and only because he didn’t plan to survive it.
Jun Seo wasn’t tragic because he loved too much. He was tragic because he was taught too young that loyalty was the only way to survive.


Kim Jae Oh: A Life Defined by Usefulness
Jae Oh’s loyalty may look noble but it’s really the product of emptiness. Growing up under an abusive father who seemed lost in delusion, he never learned to see himself as valuable. He wasn’t protected, praised, or guided, only tolerated. In that kind of environment, you don’t grow up wondering who you are, you grow up wondering what use you serve. So when Ah Jin told him he had “use,” he mistook that for validation. It didn’t matter that she meant it in the coldest, most transactional way, he heard it as proof that he mattered. He wasn’t looking for love or belonging, he was looking for permission to exist. That single moment rewired his sense of identity, and from then on, his life revolved around being useful to her.

What made Jae Oh different from Jun Seo was that his loyalty didn’t come from guilt or moral duty, but from validation. He never needed Ah Jin to be good. He only needed her to need him. That’s why her manipulation worked so easily and why it never truly stopped. He didn’t need promises or affection, he needed to believe he had a role. When Ah Jin begged for help, sacrificing himself felt like the ultimate fulfillment of his identity. Dying for her wasn’t tragic in his mind, it was the perfect ending. It was proof that his existence had meaning. His loyalty wasn’t driven by cruelty or romance, but by a lifetime of emptiness that convinced him that being used was the closest thing to being loved.

Unlike Jun Seo, who collapsed under the weight of obsession, Jae Oh’s ending was almost serene. Jae Oh died because he wanted to. Jun Seo died because he could no longer endure living. Jae Oh erased himself completely, leaving nothing behind but the certainty that he had been useful.
Jae Oh wasn’t tragic because he gave his life away. He was tragic because no one ever taught him that his life was his to keep.


The Triangle of Survival
What binds Ah Jin, Jun Seo, and Jae Oh together is not circumstance, but compatibility at the level of survival psychology. Each of them learned how to exist in a hostile world in a different way. Ah Jin survived by using people, Jun Seo survived by enduring people, and Jae Oh survived by erasing himself for people.

Understanding them doesn’t mean defending their choices. It means recognising that their actions didn’t appear out of nowhere. For Ah Jin, the world was cruel, weakness was unforgivable, and survival meant control. She didn’t experience events as choices she made, but as inevitabilities forced on her. Jun Seo, bonded to her through shared terror and loyalty. His identity fused around staying, protecting, and remaining faithful, because loyalty felt like morality to him. Jae Oh, bonded through usefulness, erasing himself in service. He believed, “If I’m useful, I deserve to exist.” Both looked to Ah Jin not for love, but for meaning — Jun Seo needed her to mean something, and Jae Oh needed her to assign meaning.

Trauma doesn’t justify harm, but it does explain why certain choices feel inevitable to the people making them. Ah Jin’s detachment, Jun Seo’s obsession, and Jae Oh’s self-erasure weren’t random dramatics; they’re the inevitable outcomes of lives built on abuse, abandonment, and the desperate need to matter. Their triangle doesn’t exist because Ah Jin is evil or because Jun Seo and Jae Oh are weak, but because each of them learned a different answer to the same question: how do you survive a world that never taught you how to be safe?

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The full version of this is on my blog if you want to go more in-depth!

And if you want to know how their mindsets affected their actions (Like Ah Jin’s cruelty to In Gang) and led to Jun Seo and Jae Oh’s eventual death (I break down the months prior and the thought processes in the moment), check out my blog (in my bio)!

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Kim You-jung Deserved a Better Story

I watched Dear X because I’ve become a fan of Kim You-jung after My Demon and 20th Century Girl. She didn’t disappoint. In fact, this is probably the best I’ve seen her. She convincingly portrays a manipulative, narcissistic and genuinely unsettling character without ever softening her edges to make her more likeable. It’s a fearless performance.

The drama itself is a different story.

The opening arc is excellent. I don’t usually enjoy school settings, but this was easily my favourite part of the series. The relationship with Jae-oh and the baseball storyline gave the drama emotional weight, and it reminded me at times of a lighter version of The Glory.

Unfortunately, it steadily loses momentum after that. Once the story shifts into Ah-jin’s acting career and her relationship with her actor boyfriend, I found myself much less invested. This became one of the rare K-dramas where I reached the end of an episode without immediately wanting to start the next one.

The finale was where the story really lost me. Character motivations that had felt consistent for most of the series suddenly became difficult to believe, and the tragic ending felt more interested in shocking the audience than earning its emotional payoff.

Despite all that, I’m still glad I watched it. Kim You-jung’s performance alone makes it worth seeing if you’re a fan of hers, even if I don’t think the writing ever reaches the same standard.

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