Dear X (2025)

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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Drama name: A h0e manipúlator & her Puppy men ;)

knowingly she used faced card, b0dy to manipulate 0nly men who cŕave for intimacy and beauty 😂... did u see ? Tht she cnt manipulate a single female Character in wh0le series bcz she cnt use her beauty there.... her trump cards were men just men wh0 wanted to §leep with her.... as if psych0path woman can only manipúlate men! Big Lol!...
Though writer said she is psych0path but nope, her characteristics potray as a narcissistic who is well aware of her beauty 😂...... THERE IS NOTHING IN THIS DRAMA..... Only if you like to watch a how a cŕazy pretty girl l0ve to use and §leep with every man in her life.... surely go for it and watch..... this drama clearly give the western vibes....... And ending is bad but good for that Dumbo main male lead.... bcz puppy dîed in accident 🤣

whoever wrote this st0ry or decided to make series clearly knows what she/he doing!.... b0gus series!

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might contain spoilers?
okay, so everyone applaud kim yoo jung for basically carrying the show, I'll be fr, i lowkey fell out of it around episode 10 but I solely watched it cuz I love her portrayal of baek ah jin sm. If you ever plan on skipping on the drama please watch till episode 4 atleast and skip. I have read a little of the webtoon, I will say, young daes acting wasn't it, yes it was more promising than his previous roles, but the whole time junseo had one tone of voice. However his acting was bareable but flat. Jae oh is such a good character and at first I was confused as to why he was essential to the plot, and oh he was. In gang's character was tbh perfect, hwang in youp has the eyes to play this role, i could tell through them how geniune he was about ah jin, and it was all the more heartbreaking to see his end. My major criticism on the plot however is it's quite incoherent, like how easily everyone forgot Lena was meant to be a bully character, i will give it to this drama tho, they never make a bully have a redemption or something in any other drama. Seung hee's character felt irrelevant after the first episode, like why was she suddenly living with ah jin, how did she find a way to work at moon do hyuks mansion, it's very random and confusing tbh.
The ending *sigh* i kinda liked it, i was expecting a light yagami but ah jin lowkey has plot armour, it's not bad, just very badly executed. However the drama is worth a shot, also, honorable mention; in ep 11, when ah jin has to reenact the rooftop murder case, i forgot that this is an actress playing an actress, it felt so phenomenal.

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Ah Jin is a Sociopath

Ah Jin is a sociopath.

The one thing that kept me fascinated with this drama was the idea of perpetual victimhood. In trying to escape poverty, she became an eternal victim. By never moving forward, she was forever stuck in the past.

The downfall caused by Jun Seo can be said to be his final way of helping her heal, teaching her that manipulation is not the key to success. But alas, she never learns.

Jae Oh has taken off his victimhood, but he is reeled into Ah Jin’s net. He can’t help it, she made him feel useful.

One thing I want to mention, is that without the background of domestic abuse, I would not have been able to feel empathy for Ah Jin. I believe that this background is an intentional insertion by the original author, to ensure that readers and viewers understand Ah Jin’s actions.


All in all, a great story, and a cautionary tale against revenge.

Might I add that I have added multiple soundtracks to my playlist.

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It's a mess

I don’t usually rant about dramas, but Dear X deserves it. I rarely drop shows, yet this one managed to frustrate me enough that I couldn’t finish without regret.

The first couple of episodes had me hooked. The female lead, Baek Ah-jin, was cold, manipulative, and unapologetically mysterious. I thought I’d finally found a drama that would let its lead stay strong and clever until the end. But instead of building on that, the writers chose the laziest route possible: a complete downfall.

I absolutely hate dramas where the male or female lead ends in collapse, and this one is the perfect example of why. Watching Ah-jin unravel into humiliation and ruin wasn’t bold or thought-provoking — it was hollow. The show wanted me to root for her brilliance, only to punish her for it later. That’s not character development, that’s narrative cruelty.

The supporting cast didn’t help either. None of them were allowed to grow independently. Every single character existed only to dismantle Ah-jin piece by piece, like puppets dancing to the writers’ strings. Do-hyeok’s obsession, Jun-seo’s betrayal, Sung-hee’s rage — all of it felt predictable, as if the writers had no interest in giving them real arcs. They were tools, not people.

The writing itself was a mess. Where was the consistency? Where was the logic? Every move Ah-jin made somehow worked exactly as planned until the script decided it was time for her downfall. It felt contrived, like the writers were more interested in shocking viewers than telling a coherent story.

And the saddest part? The drama had potential. The actors looked great, the production was stylish, and the setup could have been brilliant. But after episode two, everything went downhill so fast I felt cheated. By the finale, I wasn’t angry at the characters anymore — I was angry at the writing.

The ending sealed the disappointment. Instead of giving the lead a clever resolution or at least dignity, the show dragged her into collapse. For me, that erased everything that made her compelling. I dropped it because I can’t stand watching leads punished like this.

Dear X could have been a sharp, character-driven drama about power and manipulation. Instead, it became a chaotic, illogical mess held together by a lead whose downfall ruined the entire experience. I regret wasting my time on it, but at least it gave me something to rant about.

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Money Hungry Producers of The Kdrama Industry

Firstly, I really enjoyed episode 11. From her being the one on the recieving end of someones manipulation, to jae ohs insane plan and sacrifice. I didn't think he'd go so far as to letting himself die. Then to her flipping the script on do hyuk. In episode 12 I knew what was coming as soon as I saw jun seos reaction as I had read the mydramalist summary before I had a gist of what would happen but man the satisfaction of her reaching the top and for everything to come crashing down like jenga blocks. Not to mention the documentary was so well done and fun to watch and then when shes running out on the street lost and alone, suddenly he appears jun seo. The car ride would be my second favority scene in the show after the award show, I was elated thinking this was likely the best ending that could happen, as I think jun seo is not also innocent since hes been allowing her actions so far he is also responsible to an extent. If you look back on my comments I had said, the ideal way for this story to end was the mutual destruction of all parties involved. Unfortunately it didn't happen, the greedy pigs couldn't just end the story well, noo. How could they make more profit if the story ends there guys? Man what a drag. Anyways, not interested in part 2 when they could easily have finished everything off there if those 2 died, the old man from the shop releases the footage on doohyuk, jun seos mother dies after falling down the stairs, sim seung or whatever her name is is already in a mental clinic. All would have been good and dandy

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BEST KDRAMA OF 2025

Before I get into anything with the actual show, I have to talk about the acting!
The acting in this show was absolutely PHENOMINAL! All the actors did an absolutely incredible job. I have to give MAJOR props to our girl Kim You Jung. Her acting in this series was on another level. She deserves so many awards for this series. I cannot compliment her acting in this enough. Truly amazing! The way she could show so much emotion in just her eyes...just wow. Absolutely love her and this series made me love her even more.

Onto the main 3 characters!
I loved Baek A Jin so much. I've been waiting to see a female character like this for so long! I wanted her to get everything she wanted. Is she a bad person? Yes, but I loved seeing the way she thinks and seeing her go after terrible people. Obviously, she goes after some people who are good people as well, which does suck, but I think that's what makes her character that much better. You can't constantly root for her or agree with her, but there are also times you can. Such a powerful character and loved to finally see this type of character be a woman! Her way of thinking and manipulating was so good. She really was meant to be an actress the way she could fool everyone. I hope she gets to be truly happy in the future, and I hope she takes down her husband!
Kim Jae O is such a lovable character. The care he has for A Jin and his brother is so good. I loved that we got to see him continuously check in on his brother even though his brother didn't want to see him. I think him keeping out of sight of his brother, after he found out he didn't want to see him, shows just how good of a person Jae O was. His love and dedication for A Jin was next level! WE LOVE A YEARNER! He truly was the best person she ever had in her life. He cared and loved her so deeply. I wish there was a way they could've been happy together. His ending got me teary eyed because I really didn't want to see him go but once again it showed just how dedicated he was to her.
Yun Jun Seo is such an interesting character. He was such a good person, and we really saw that all throughout the show. He was dedicated to A Jin but in a very different way than Jae O was, and not only because Jae O was willing to go to crazy lengths for her and Jun Seo wasn't, but his dedication was different entirely. Jae O loved A Jin just the way she was and loved her for her 100%. Jun Seo loved the A Jin he had an idea of in his head. An A Jin he thought could change for the better when we all knew she wouldn't. He was dedicated to help her become a better person, even though that is never what she wanted. He was always going to be her downfall, and I wasn't shocked that he tried to kill them both in the end.

Onto the story!
I loved the story so much! A woman manipulating men to get what she wants? YES PLEASE! We need more stories like this! I loved seeing A Jin boss Jae O and Jun Seo into doing whatever she asked. Parts of this story reminded me of the Glory in a way where she was getting revenge on people who hurt her in the past. I just love a good revenge story!
I loved that every few episodes was a new chapter in her life, from high school to adulthood. That's something that made the series feel so fresh and kept you really interested. Nothing was drawn out for a long time, new characters were showing up often, all while having our main three at the center of everything.
The relationships between the main trio were so good to watch! Jun Seo and A Jin's with their long history and complicated feelings with each other. Jae O and A Jin's with their one-sided love and pure understanding of each other. Jun Seo and Jae O's rivalry turned complicated friendship. I just loved seeing all of these develop throughout the show!
The story with Heo In Gang pulled at my heart, like I think it did with all of us. His death was truly heartbreaking. In Yeop's characters can never have a happy ending I swear lol. I truly do think A Jin loved him though because of the scene with his grandma where she said it was the one time she spoke the honest truth, and it was her saying she loved him. She also looked pretty emotional when she went to the bathtub after he passed.
I need to know more about Moon Do Hyeok ASAP! Why is he doing what he's doing? What is his end goal? I have got to know. He was such an intriguing character! He was just as good as a manipulator as A Jin and I just wanted to see more of him. Absolutely hated what he was doing to her, but I kept wanting to see more from him.

Now the only thing I didn't quite love was the very last few minutes of the show. It just felt incomplete. Maybe Baek A Jin's story isn't over yet and that's why it ended the way it did, which is why I didn't deduct any points from it. Whether that means we get another season or not, I believe her story isn't over. She's not dead and our girl is stubborn. I think she's going to find a way to get back to get her revenge on her husband and the rest of the people who wronged her. I definitely think the finale could've been a bit longer to wrap some things up more or take some more time with certain things. That's my one and only complaint about the show and I don't even know if it's entirely a complaint.

Other random thoughts!
I love Kim You Jung and love her more after this show! Always happy to see Kim Ji Hoon and Hwang In Youp as well!
Not going to lie I kept rooting for the death of Hwang Ji Seon and was so upset she made it out alive lol.
Sim Seung Hui should've just went about her life and not gotten back involved with A Jin. I didn't feel bad for her a single time.
Seo Mi Ri honestly got what she deserved for what she's done to her stars over the years. Also blaming A Jin for In Gang's death...it wasn't her fault and I stand by this. She never wanted that to happen, he was the happiest while with her, and Mi Ri ignored his mental health for years and did nothing.
I want A Jin's wardrobe so bad! All her fits were stunning!
Loved the camera work, editing, and music in this so much!!

I loved this series so much and am going to miss it a lot! Absolute 10/10 and cannot recommend enough!!

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A Poorly Written Script With A Great Casting!!!

In the end only she survived and everyone else died!

That was my conclusion after watching this show. Baek A Jin is literally a one woman army; self-destructive, anti-social and callous. In the first episode, the interlude describes her as someone who uses men to her advantage and then discards them at will. For most parts, she remains true to this description. She is venomous and only cares about herself. Her whole personality screams alluring yet dangerous, like a poisonous vine set to kill you even at a slight touch. Joining her on this journey is her supposed step-sibling, Yun Jun Seo, her self-appointed bodyguard, Kim Jae O and three other men she used for various advantages at different points in her life. Even time, she uses someone and discards her, her only logic is that her life is difficult and so, she is exempted from feeling any kind of guilt. She is certainly incapable of feeling any sort of remorse, even for people who loved her selflessly and sacrificed themselves for her sake.

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2025/12/06/dear-x-series-review/#more-2191

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Two Simps and a sociopath

this drama in infuriating in a good and in a bad way.
it is really fascinating to see a drama full of only shitty people with few exceptions and in this sense. they made a great drama.

watching it is a frustrating experience which is comparable to what living with a real sociopath could feel like.

our protagonist is Bek ah Jin, a girl who needs to grow up quickly and learn how to defend her self from the adults in their life and try to survive in a cruel world.

in the first half of the drama you can kind of sympathize with her (to a certain degree) but in the second half you just want to see her dead.

how much can your sad story really justify your actions? apparently, for beh ah Jin, the answer is: EVERYTHING.

this is what living with a sociopath probably feels like: they are always the victim, you make them behave that way, it is all your fault. etc etc.

what is not clear from the dynamics explored in the drama is WHY her 2 Simps friends stick by her side.
manipulators are charming, they love bomb you , make you feel special and on the top of world to lure you in and then control you, but beh ah Jin doesn't have to do shit.
she treats her frienda like disposable tools form the very beginning and isnt shy about it.
you never see do anything for them, not even "bribing" her poor friend to keep him close.
nothing. she is always complaining that she is the victim or that and this, is all their fault bla bla bla.

Guilt tripping someone can only take you so far.. but these 2 are willing to die for her
. like .. literally.

they clearly know she is the crazy one commiting crimes left and right but still, they stick to her side pretending in your heads she is a poor lady who needs to be saved.. mainly from herself.

they all know in full details what she does , especially her best friend, but somhow, they still think there is a spark of humanity in this empty sheel of a human.

I liked that beh ah Jin , is not the perfect mastermind. media portray sociopaths and psychopaths like geniuses which is true in some cases, they have a high IQ, but not all manipulators are super intelligent, beh ah Jin being one of them.
she never knows when to stop, even when it clearly will backfire. she always exaggerate and gets in more trouble.

during the drama she keeps saying she just wants a normal life, but that's just another lie she feeds to everyone.

and let me add that without her minions she wouldn t have anything. she is unable to provide or defend herself. she is too dependent on these 2 Simps.. but they never get anything more then crumbs of her attentions.

even in the end, they literally sacrifice them selves to "save" her ass.

I still don't know if the ending is good or disappointing.
there is no justice in this world, that's basically the message throughout.

maybe she should have been the one to die at her pick, just like she always wanted.

let's talk about the drama before this becomes a beh ah Jin essay.

acting? good. the main female lead is pretty good and believable as a white canvas empty of emotions.
the best friend... I see him in many dramas and he always look the same.

the others actors were all pros and did an excellent job.

entertaining value? pretty good. it keeps you glued to the screen until the last second.

overall all if you like flawed characters and a good ( still very fictional) portrait of bad people , this is a good drama

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All Schemes, No Payoff

Baek A Jin had all the makings of an unforgettable sociopath—smart, beautiful, manipulative, and utterly broken. Kim You Jung delivered brilliantly, especially in the early arcs where A Jin’s calculating nature kept us hooked. Watching her outwit everyone while escaping her father (a shoo-in for Worst Dad Ever) was peak drama.

But then... the spark fizzled. The sociopath we were promised faded into the background as the story shifted to her getting rich, famous, and drugged. The tension? Gone. The excitement? Flat. And Moon Do Hyeok? A one-dimensional rich guy obsessed with breaking her—yawn. Even her cult followers’ sacrifices felt pointless. By the time she climbed that cliff with a Chucky-esque grin, we were left wondering why the show abandoned the very thing that made it so compelling.

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