Dear X (2025)

Addictive hot mess but a disservice to mental health

Did I enjoy this drama all the way? YES.
Was this a good fictional story in general? YES.
Was Kim Yoo Jung’s performance brilliant? YES.

BUT and here comes,
For a show that introduces the FL as someone with antisocial personality disorder, did this do a good job? NO. Yes Ah Jin has traits present in people with ASPD but is it not a disservice to paint people wjth this disorder as a monster and as evil? Shouldn’t the drama actually delved into her psychology and into understanding how her traumas, her experiences made it difficult for her to connect with others and empathise with others? Having the FL repeat her trauma and act like a victim who has been wronged is mere surface-level characterisation and understanding of ASPD.
If the drama did not want to talk about mental health, why label her as someone with this disorder? What a freaking disservice this was to people who deserve treatment rather than merely being labelled as diabolical / evil / monstrous. Who is Ah Jin beyond the person that is always trying to survive? What are basic likes and dislikes? Who are the people she loves? People with ASPD are capable of loving.. just that they don’t love the same way “normal” humans do.

The documentary framing Ah Jin as a criminal while everyone else became a victim was unfair. What about Ah Jin’s perspective? Again I’m not defending or justifying her actions, but the black and white perspective and one-note characterisations the show re-iterated time and time again was really baffling.

What was the point of the CEO’s character? Was it to merely add some thrill to the show? Till the end I did not understand the purpose he served to the story and to our understanding of Ah Jin’s journey.

Ah Jin used all these men, yes. But she did not put a gun to their heads. If we talk about Ah Jin’s choice in making the horrible decisions she did, we need to talk about Jae Oh and Joon Seo’s choices. Ah Jin never promised them love or flowers. She was clear that she needed them and they willingly stepped in.

Jae Oh’s death made absolute sense. But what about Joon Seo? For someone who “loved” Ah Jin, he never tried to understand her. He always assumed the worst of her, saw her as someone making use of others but never saw her the human. He never saw her as someone who needed support or help. He saw her as someone he wanted to control, someone he hoped would change for him and in the end when she pushed him away, he exposed her to tie her down. His death was no act of martyr. He brought it upon himself. But my question is - why? The writer had the choice to either (1) have Joon Seo walk away as he did 2 episodes prior to the finale or (2) have Joon Seo expose Ah Jin and get her treated. I did not understand his let’s-go-to-hell-together like the writer was trying to spin this into some epic Romeo / Juliet romance. Also what was Jun Seo’s motive in exposing Ah Jin?

And the ending- I am a fan of open endings but this was one of the worst endings the writer could come up with after this journey. Yes she’s alive somewhere and she’ll probably continue to manipulate her way through but humans can’t live their lives on this repeat cycle all the way till the end. There has to be a stop or a change in pattern. In Ah Jin’s case it could have been death, treatment or insanity - either of the three could have been used to conclude her journey but the writer did so in the laziest way.

Also what kind of message does this writer want to give out with Ah Jin surviving while everybody is dead? Again this would have worked as a work of fiction but adding that tag of ASPD did this a huge disservice.

Do I recommend this? Yes. It wasn’t a bad drama per se. The performances were top notch, the score was haunting, the vibe and the dark relationships were different from the usual South Korean dramas. But having said that, this clearly fell shot of being a stellar drama because the complexity of the characters were not fleshed out well enough. In the end, I left this drama not understanding what the CEO, Ah Jin, Jun Seo and Jun Seo’s mum even wanted because they were all just so one-note and didnt feel like actual human beings with a gamut of emotions and a life beyond Ah Jin.

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A complete mess

I rarely dislike a drama, but Dear X somehow managed to push every wrong button from beginning to end. I hated it with everything I have.

I see people calling the criticism of Ah-Jin “misogyny” because male characters in other dramas often get away with worse.

Honestly? I have no problem with a psychopath protagonist. If a character is written as evil, chaotic, and destructive, and the show clearly knows they are “bad people,” I can watch that. I can even enjoy that.

But that is not how Baek Ah-Jin is presented. She is framed as this empowered, victim turned queen going after what she wants, when in reality she is just causing destruction because she refuses to break out of her self-pity. My issue isn’t her gender, it’s the way the show wanted me to root for her despite that.

I felt bad for her for maybe two episodes. But the moment she made her boss take the fall for her dad’s murder, I was done. She hurts people who genuinely cared for her. She wants the world to suffer simply because her parents were awful. Escaping the victim mentality could have saved her life, but she chose to drag everyone down with her.

Baek Ah-Jin left a trail of victims wherever she went, but for me, Jae-Oh was the most tragic casualty. She manipulated him relentlessly, emotionally chaining him, molding him into whatever she needed, and keeping him under her control for years. In the end, he even died for her. Jae-Oh was completely shackled, and considering how difficult his life already was, her influence only dragged him further into misery.

Kim Yoo-jung is stunning and undeniably charismatic. She has that celebrity aura, and honestly this might be her best performance to date. She shines in her evil scenes but falls flat in almost everything else.

Kim Young-dae might have finally found his genre. He is too pretty to be that expressionless, but here the blankness works perfectly for his character. I think he gets too much criticism for his acting because he was paired with experienced actors like Shin Min-ah and Lee Sang-yi too early in his career. No Gain No Love was simply a mismatch. But here, surrounded by actors closer in age and experience, he manages to hold his own.

The show constantly suffers from a lack of logic. Every single character behaves exactly the way Ah-Jin predicts, as if they are puppets dancing on strings only she can pull.

The writing is another rollercoaster. Where is the consistency? Where is the character development or growth? Why does it feel like not a single writer is doing what they are supposed to do?

The saddest part is that the first two episodes were so damn interesting. Then everything went downhill so fast I got whiplash.

And don’t even get me started on the ending. Every genuinely good character met a tragic fate; even Jun-Seo, who sacrificed everything, died. Meanwhile, Ah-Jin’s character walked away without facing any real consequences for her actions, which made the ending feel narratively hollow.

Honestly, the most fitting conclusion would have been Jun-Seo and Jae-Oh choosing each other and leaving Ah-Jin behind, but of course the show denied us even that.

But I’ve got to give credit where it’s due. The penultimate episode was incredibly satisfying. Ah-Jin finally had to endure the same pain she spent the whole show inflicting on others. Watching everything she built crumble, and seeing her struggle now that she’s the one on the receiving end? She absolutely hates it, and I loved every second.

Dear X had potential, good-looking actors, and a promising setup. After episode 2, the show became a chaotic, illogical disaster held together only by an even more disastrous character. I regret watching this stupid show, but at least it gave me something to rant about.

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Let's stop the bullshit

Initial reception ep 1-8

I binged 8 episodes this show in one day. 10 hours chewing a piece of gum with a bottle of water
at my side as i digested the show, I sometimes would watch some scenes more than once just to be clarified on some things to make sure i wasnt seeing things wrong.
I was genuinely intrigued with the premise. A villian that lives as a villian, breathes as a villian, she plots, she schemes, she's wicked and selfish. No remorse. The acting was okay


Her actions as a result of years of betrayal and abuse , That first scene of her in the rain over her mother was cinematic. The visuals were striking and it'd built a good foundation for te story
And as she cut down her adviseries in high school and later in adulthood. I realized she was shaping up to be formidable. But unfortunately the more i watched the more i noticed a key issue.

*cue the violins* -the sympathetic edit
I noticed the way the show was going by episodes 4-5, made it seem like we were supposed to feel sorry for her. Oh poor girl. Gone through so much. Had no choice because life made her this way. PEOPLE made her this way. So we must understand that she's playing the hand she was dealt with...and is doing exactly what she needs to. To survive. Cut the cameras . Lets be deadass fr

THIS IS WHERE I DISAGREE
she is the architect of her own doom. Every action she has taken has what led her to this point. Every time she retailiates the consequences of her actions come back and bites her in the ass. Everytime. Her actions seemingly justified to her are the same actions that have led her to this precipice and she must pay. You can't control the actions of people but you can regulate your reactions. Any fallout from your reactions are your burdens to bear. Your fault.

And this is where the weaknesses of the story show forth. How does a person that feels they're perpetually a victim seek salvation or contentment? If there is a refusal to hold her accoutable for her actions. How is it rationable to blame others for her actions but not blame her for the consequences of her actions on others?

I remembered watching the glory. Lim ji yeon's character was nasty work. Evil to the core. That chain smoking bitch...I crowed when she got hers. But during the show we watched the dynamics with her mother and how her upbringing played a part in her behaviour. Did you people care? Hell naw . BURN THE WITCH. she did evil things because she was evil and must be punished.
Did ah jin physically bully her classmates ? No but was she the architect of doom for 3 characters? yes. So what makes her more sympathetic?....Because she's the protagonist of this show and yall have been hypnotised. WAKE THE FUVK UP.


I will only feel rest once she gets what's coming to her and that is why i will tune in everyweek to pray for her downfall.

Update: Spoilers ahead
i enjoyed her downfall but let's be serious the writers and producers were never really going to punish her. She doesn't feel guilt so her slinking off to the countryside Like an evil spirit permeating the air and crying in the night is as good as we gon get it.

Final reception ep 9-12
The only thing I felt watching this was...men are dumb . But I did have time to ruminate on the story at the end
I've been watching kdramas since 2011. And I'm genuinely amused at the reception to the ending . Any person paying attention had to have known already that this was the way it was always supposed to end. She's never going to be punished
Not really


Jun seo was ready to throw his life away when she was arrested for her father's murder. He's always put her wellbeing over his life. Time and time again . So why we shocked that he felt the only way to sto p her was with his life. But here's the core issue. He's aware she's a sociopath. He's aware she had no human sympathy or kindness so him holding on to her with his last breath is his problem. Frankly I would have done the same...tf after trying to kill her. Did she give you consent that she wanted to visit hellfire with you? Are you mad?

I genuinely enjoyed her husband playing mind games with her. I have no complaints. But I knew the writers were going to
...gasp save her in expense of someone's life. Which continues her cycle of doing bad things. Dodging her consequences and somebody dead or ruined to push her out from issues. Accountability is the real bitch

Lemme rant a bit idgaf
When in gang died and the longstar ceo was after her. She could have left. She hadn't wanted to be an actress in the first place. She signed a contract with moon joo hyuk willingly but still jae oh had to die so she could leave the contract she happily signed. After she ghosted him to marry that hot chaebol. Look at her strutting round his house. Doing All that only for his death to mean nothing in the end.

So in conclusion...men are dumb. They will be willing to do anything for you once you gaslight and manipulate them into falling in love with you and making sure they never have you. Know this and gaslight a dumbass man to achieve your dreams today
Goodnight.

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A Dark Story That Falls Apart Completely

This drama tries to look bold and unique, but the writing becomes extremely cruel without any real purpose. A Jin, the main girl, is written as someone who destroys everything around her. Instead of giving her depth or a believable reason for her actions, the story just makes her more selfish and stubborn as it goes on.

Jun Seo and Jae O — two genuinely good and loyal characters — end up suffering the most because of her. Their devotion is used again and again just to create more tragedy, not to build real emotional impact. Watching good characters get thrown away for shock value becomes tiring very fast.

The acting is strong, but even that cannot save a plot that chooses hopelessness over proper storytelling. The drama focuses on misery rather than meaning, and the ending only adds to the frustration.

If you dislike depressing twists, manipulative characters, or stories that hurt innocent characters for no reason, this is something you may want to avoid. There are many revenge dramas with better writing and far more satisfying arcs.

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Started strong, ended really bad

This drama was very underwhelming. For the positives, Kim You Jung's acting was amazing, she just has the face of someone that can act like a sociopath. The OST and the production of the drama were also really good. For the negatives, Kim Young Dae's acting could be better, some scenes the viewer couldn't understand his emotions at all. For the argument itself, the story is bad. A girl that was abused, abandoned, tortured since a child ends up being the bad guy of the story. It is true that she used the first man to cover up her father's murder, however the rest she wasn't the one to be blamed at all. And the end was terrible. Jun Seo acknowledged that A Jin was in an abusive relationship and still his first thought was how evil she was and how he could blame her, no sympathy at all for her situation. In fact, if we analyze the entire story, we understand that she was a victim of the circumstances. Her stepmother drowned her, her father beat her up every time he was with her. Re Na bullied and physically assaulted her, In Gang was already deep into his depression before committing suicide. Grandma fell of the stairs, her high school stalker stabbed her and Jae O wanted to die for her. Honestly, she can be barely blamed, at all.

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Baek Ajin is an irredeemable monster.

I was going to wait for the entire thing to air, but I couldn't contain my excitement, so much so that I am barely 7 minutes into the first episode and I am already in love, the intro is perfect just as the webtoon.

This and Delusion are my most anticipated webtoon adaptations and I expect the highest level of quality out both, needless to say that my review will be biased, I don't think I can separate the adaptation from the source material even if I try.

I truly cannot care less about what changes are done to the story in order to make a coherent live adaptation, changes are required and expected otherwise what's the point, right? but what I will not stand for is any changes made to Baek Ajin's personality , she's a monster nothing more nothing less and that's what makes the story so good.

I know my current rating is ridiculous having watched 7 minutes of one episode, but it is what I feel for now. I will come back and adjust accordingly after I finish the 4 episodes that are available.

I said I'd come back and adjust rating when I had finished the first 4 episodes, now I'm 3 episodes in and have to take a break, but I'm standing by my 10/10, the series so far is excellent, the casting is impeccable, the acting superb, the minor tweaks done to the story are glorious and the pacing is perfect.

I had to add more after watching episode 4, it's the one with the most changes to the storyline so far, and it's for the better which I thought was impossible to do, it has made the plot more realistic and reassured just how awful Ajin is. I hope and pray that the upcoming 8 episodes keep up this level and if so I dare say this is the best K drama of the year.There's still plenty of time to screw it up though so I'm not going that far yet.

Edit for episodes 5-6.

I cannot put into words how amazingly well this adaptation is going! It's a story that I've read so many times that I know every beat, every character,every single plot point, twist and turn; Yet the way it's being told feels new, I am at the edge of my seat bitting my nails and wondering what is going to happen next.

Rena has been given a brain, has been made more vicious and a far better rival for Ajin, I love what they have done to her so much.

Of all the men in Ajin's life she doesn't deserve, Jaeo will always be my favorite, but Ingang is the one she deserves the least and hurts the most. Drama Ingang is also smarter, stronger, and might not be as easily fooled by her (Hwang Inyoup looks so good in this role!) I am excited and scared of how their relationship will develop and loving this drama more and more with each episode.

Edit for episodes 7-8

So far this review has been part praise for how well the adaptation is going and part a comparison between the source material and the adaptation.

This is where the comparison stops as for episode 7 entierly new plot threads have been added , to a story I foolishly thought was perfect to elevate it to levels I never thought possible, this while still keeping the core events intact and making an already montreous main character even more inhuman, she's not just irredeemably evil, no, she's the Devil.

Edit for episodes 9-10

I Know I said I'd stop my rambling and just wrap up when the series ended but, I'm a little miffed just a tinsy tiny little bit, I'm not going to go into detail what has disappointed me so far because I'm still hopeful that the ending will make up for it and because I got my wish.

I cannot explain how much I love adored that the Fiance character has been expanded, he's barely present in the webtoon but that one glimpse of him shows that he is Ajin's true match, so I've always wanted more of him and more of him we've got.

Major changes have been made to fit the live action's narrative and most of it for the better so I'm still hopeful I'm still satisfied but, it's no longer a 10/10 still pretty damn good. We'll see what happens next week, Will it keep up the good quality?or Will it crash and burn?

My conclusion.

Up until now I hve been mostly positive in my review, despite stating that I'd be biased and I am 100%, however, I adore the cast so much that I also let that bias my review, I have let tweaks that change Ajin's personality slide, even though I also stated that that was thr one thing I wouldn't allow. That being said, What in the world were those last 2 episodes??!! I get taking creative liberties or whatever, I wasn't expecting the ending to be exactly like the webtoon, but no, this is too much, no. It makes sense I guess, and it is fine but I much prefer the original ending.

I'm not going to go into detail because I don't want to spoil anything. I'm not going to drag this drama and say it's garbage because it isn't, it's good and up until that one scene in episode 8 I loved it! I'm sure that for the unbiased this is probably a great drama.

The acting was superb and the soundtrack is fire, the story was practically flawless episodes 1-8 except the last scene and then it went too far, the ending changed too much and it disappointed me a lot.

I do recommend to read the webtoon. It's free on the webtoon app, just 62 chapters a quick abd very entertaining read and it's different enough that it won't seem repetitive, Also if you haven't, read Delusion and join me in the wait for the upcoming drama.

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Not Every drama is worth the rating

As someone who hasn’t read the webtoon, I actually found the drama fresh and interesting. I’m not arguing whether the FL is a psychopath or sociopath because there's no rule that every main character needs to be empathetic. The actress truly delivered an amazing performance. What disappointed me the most was how the director altered the story. Since the drama is meant for a general audience, the FL shouldn’t get a “free pass” just because she’s the main character. The ending felt overly biased and honestly quite weak.

The webtoon’s conclusion seems far more logical, and the drama was rushed to the point where the FL’s character lost its depth. That’s why I ended up giving it a 6.

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Disaster

Honestly, the only reason I stuck with the show was to see her finally face consequences in the end. The ending wasn’t that terrible, but definitely not what I wanted or expected. The start was strong, but I was least interested in her journey. Sure, her character was unique and acted well, but I kept hoping she’d finally fall into someone’s trap or get manipulated for once. I still don’t get why everyone keeps helping her and feeling sorry for her.
Jun-seo’s character felt a bit underdeveloped. And the actor — whether it’s Penthouse, Shooting Stars, or this show — he just gives similar vibes every time. Even if the characters are written differently, his acting always feels the same.
Looks like there might be another season coming, but I’m not looking forward to it.

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Disappointed by the evolution of the FL

Three Chapters – HUGE SPOILERS

Chapter 1 : the birth of a psychopath

The origin of the FL as a psychopath who grew up being self-centered. After witnessing the attempted murder of her mother, she let her die because it was advantageous for her. Then she kept manipulating people, good ones, bad ones, anyone she can to obtain the results she wants. Very well told. I enjoyed this part where she is savage and has no empathy. Especially how she schemed and achieved the assassination of her own father and still walked freely after twists and turns.

Chapter 2 : The romance of a psychopath girl and a lost boy

FL is harassed by a female colleague. She manipulates people and gets rid of her. She decides to date her rival’s ex-bf lost in drinks and drugs. Another great load of cold manipulation. She is so good at that. She sneakily approaches him using someone dear to him of course. She clears his guilty conscience, makes him fall in love with her, gives him nice moments then tosses him aside like an old sock. She refuses to tell him the whole truth of her lies. Feeling guilty and desperate, lost boy meets his demise. She finds him and tells him “you were weak” and she lets him to rot. Her move on him was a bit nonsense and out of character for me. Plus at times, writers wanted to make her look like a nice person. Like she is the poor victim of bad people.

Chapter 3: Psycho wife VS Psycho husband

FL weds a rich handsome perfect man just to be trapped and tortured until minion 2 sacrifices himself to give her a solution but minion 1 is pissed off so he decides to reveal everything and put an end to a situation that he himself contributed to. For me that part had plot holes. Especially regarding the origin of the husband, the reasons of his actions against her and how he blends in her story. FL's new rise and downfall is rushed too.

Overall, it starts good and violent then quality drops because the characterization of the FL weakens. The end is questionable as the writer chooses an immoral ending. I do not mind revenge plots where grey characters wins but when it is a cold scheming manipulative murderer who wins… It’s not so nice. 7/10.

Thanks to the actors and crew for this drama.

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baek ahjin and her 3 sidekicks...

Maybe before I go into the details let me begin by saying the ending is terrible not satisfying at all.

I have not read the webtoon so this review is purely based on what was shown to me in the drama. Our FL is the villain and that itself is very interesting. But different from other villains who are fierce on the outside soft on the inside this character is just pure evil. Since she is the lead, for the drama to move forward all her wrong doings in the end has to be covered up (cause if shes caught then there is no drama). So the episodes are just a continuous cycle of her taking advantage of guys and making them fall into traps.

Honestly, the story of the part time boss made the most sense all the others were just blinded by the thought that "oh maybe she likes me"...Because of this I couldnt relate to any of the characters cause I didnt understand why they are so devoted to her. At least for junseo he has something to feel guilty about but the rest...they are just blindly being her accomplice.

Then her school bully just randomly one day decided to start living together with her???

The entire marriage with MDH just felt like a plot to increase the number of episodes cause it brought nothing to the drama. The last few episodes felt extremely rushed.

While they were revealing all her issues it finally felt like the drama was getting somewhere until the ending where it just messed everything up....

I read comments saying we need to really understand the characters and stuff but to be honest...the writing and development is just bad. It just feels like multiple plots being layered one after another.

For Kim YooJung definitely this drama is really something new and she managed to show the audience her acting range. Her acting was amazing and you could tell how much effort she put in to get the sociopath vibes out.

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Went from one of the best 2025 dramas to an average drama

The drama started out great and it was interesting to watch an absolutely irredeemable character who was evil and selfish to the core. I know some people think a lot of what she did can be justified but I don't believe that harming good and kind hearted people who cared for you and driving those people to death just so that you can get more famous is justifiable. It's not. No matter what anyone says, Ahjin was always written to be a selfish character. And in the original manhwa she was even worse. I still prefer the manhwa over the drama because not only does the drama deviate from the original story and make a lot of plot points and characters inconsistent, it also absolutely DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE in the end. The ending in the manhwa was also darker but sort of satisfying too since Ahjin gets her kamra but the ending in the drama makes no sense in any way. Ahjin also suddenly stops using her brains in the last 2 episodes which is so out of character for her. Overall, it was a good start but a bad finish

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Watch to meet a group of Psychopaths

This series is a frustrating mess of unnecessary drama and disturbing, poorly-written characters. The plot suffers from relentless dragging, simply placing the Female Lead (FL) into one escalating predicament after another, only for her to predictably "overcome" and "destroy" her enemies.

The most egregious flaw is the alarming number of characters who are arguably psychopathic or severely disturbed. Characters Who Are Utterly Reprehensible:

1. The Mother: An abusive figure who physically assaults her own 5-year-old daughter.
2. The Father: A man without a backbone who not only fails to stop his abusive wife but later marries a new woman and actively plots to sell his own daughter.
3. The Coworkers & Classmates: The series is saturated with relentless, one-dimensional bullies, both during her school years and in the workplace.
4. The Husband: Perhaps the most terrifying of all—a genuine psycho who resorts to drugging the FL.
5. The Male Lead (ML)'s Mother: An utterly insane and deplorable character. Her presence adds nothing but unhinged toxicity.
6. The ML's behavior is frustratingly inconsistent: he acts like a confused jerk who clearly knows the FL's father intends to sell or kill her, yet he is too much of a coward to take action, making Jaeho's death meaningless by not destroying Do Hyeok and instead assuming the FL is the manipulator. Unbelievably, he has learned nothing from the video of his Grandmother's death, culminating in the psycho move of trying to kill the FL himself.
7. The Female Lead's motivation is unclear. While she claims she wants a normal life, she had the perfect opportunity to achieve it with Ingang. Her decision to dump him seems inconsistent with her stated goals, leading to a portrayal where she always defaults to playing the victim.
8. Police Officer
9. Ingang and his band friend stupid story.
10. Teacher affair

Plot Points That Fail to Land:
Ingang's Suicide: The portrayal and justification for this suicide felt completely hollow and unjustified by the narrative.
The Supposed Supporter: The person who is ostensibly meant to be the FL's ally ends up destroying her for an unclear reason. His question about asking her to "stop" makes no sense in context, and his character arc is reduced to that of a perpetual crybaby. (And his plan to commit suicide and murder FL is absurd nonsensical)

Conclusion: The series is built on a foundation of cruel and nonsensical character actions, making it an emotionally exhausting and ultimately pointless watch. Do not waste your time.

PS: Not expecting a happy ending , however its need not to be pathetic.

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