Dear X (2025)

Focus on Mental Health: Both works explore characters grappling with mental health issues, such as trauma and grief.
Healing Through Connection: Both stories emphasize the power of human connection and understanding in the healing process.
Complex Characters: Both feature multifaceted characters with their own struggles and vulnerabilities.

The FL both manipulate to get what they want.

They are charming and pretty. They hide their true inner world.

They both faced a harsh childhood.

They both manipulate to get to top positions in their career.

both are manipulated fl characters who knows no bound for their own gain
Both fl had a trigger/sad past that made them into who they are

Similarity
Dark/tragic tone
Villainous female lead
Takes advantage of ml's devotion
Social climbing
ML becomes the reason for her downfall
(not a spoiler it's there in the mdl synopsis)

Same vibe. While the story isn’t exactly the same, it is somewhat similar. Both share very dark tones. In each, the female lead is involved in a "justified" but violent crime as a child, and the male lead is completely devoted to her. Together, they grow together and descend deeper and deeper into committing horrible acts, ultimately destroying themselves completely.

Byakuyako has a very memorable OST, probably one of.the best of the genre.

Dear X: She manipulates others to get what she wants and to protect herself.

Saki: She manipulates others for revenge.

Overall Saki is more evil.

Both female leads have similar traits. However, Dear X has a smarter female lead where she plans and schemes.

Badass female lead both fighting for what they believe on fully in the grey doing everything to get theirs whether its right or wrong

The main character is also a psychopath who tries to take control in her own way, manipulating the people around her to get what she wants. Both main psychopath characters are strangely endearing — you can’t help but root for them once you understand where their mental issues come from, and it’s hard to be against them

Both female leads are surrounded by domestic abuse and both receive an opportunity to change their situation. Both women do not hold back and are willing to do anything and use anyone to keep their position and climb higher. Both get help from males that they use to their advantage.

Badass female lead gets revenge punishing the bullies who treated her life like a joke plans and strategically takes them down one by one unraveling secrets on the way

We have crazy female characters who would do anything to get to the top or win.
And who knows, sometimes even revenge.

Both dark, psychological thriller genres and exploration of morally complex female characters driven by past trauma.

-Morally Ambiguous Protagonists

-The Use of a "Mask": In Mask Girl, the protagonist literally wears a mask while performing online to gain confidence and a different identity due to her appearance-based insecurities. In Dear X, Baek Ah-jin is a top actress who hides her cruel, true nature behind a beautiful, angelic public persona.

-Trauma as a Driving Force

-Focus on Consequences of their actions

-Both are thrillers
-Both have a revenge plot
-Both FLs are ruthless and cold
-Both FLs are vengeful
-Both FLs are "masterminds"/calculated

Both women suffered abuse/witnessed a crime that made them vow to themselves to improve their standing in order to never be in the same position again. In doing so they meet male leads with which they grew up, that know (nearly) all their dark secrets and are willing to help them and stand next to them to help the FL achieve her goal even when they are morally not always supportive of their actions. Both female leads lack empathy and show some sort of sociopathic tendencies.