Dear X

One mess of a show!

Genuinely is one of the most chaotic shows I have ever seen in a long time. The plot does leave a lot of personal interpretation to see how you would view the whole point of view of the characters but even then, it really does only make you end with quite eerie and gut-wrenching feelings.

Jun Seo and Jae Oh are both characters that are depicted to be taking very different perspectives on how they view Baek Ah Jin. Neither of them really shows any logical reasoning on how they went about dealing with the many complex situations and the latter's death was pretty uncalled for in my opinion, considering that a realisation for him would make the most sense to really complete his journey. The decision on taking down Baek Ah Jin from Jun Seo just was unwanted cause of how long it took for him to realize the case, and the attempted suicide just was anticlimactic.

Not gonna lie, the acting of the cast was phenomenal. It really showed the depth and conviction of every character and was truly a hooking performance. Definitely just a one-time watch though.

Read More

Dear Baek Ah-Jin; Villain to the privileged. Survivor to herself.

I fail to see Ah-jin as evil. Manipulative? Absolutely. She’s also intelligent in using people, things, and whatever resources she could grasp in order to survive and climb to the top. Her actions are calculated, not senseless. Her only wicked act was framing an innocent man. However, the fact that she had to resort to that is another discussion to be had. Bullied, abused, stalked, harassed, etc. Where was the hammer of justice then? Her lack of emotions was a double-edge sword; a shield that protected her when she needed to be strong, but wounded others when empathy was required most but lacking. This is why the end of her 1+ year period with her boyfriend and Grandma was such a tragic loss. I don’t hate the ending. If anything, I found it unsettling in the best way. I even felt afraid seeing the CCTV footage of her in that bloody white dress lol. Her relationships with the two main leads were toxic in their own way- but hey, it works for them… to an extent.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

She going mad, he going mad, YOU GOING MADD

Brilliant thriller full of intensity and hopelessness. It's like watching a slow-moving train wreck. The train is big and beautiful, intricate in its complexity as it hurdles itself at a magnificent speed toward its own self-destruction. You can't help not looking away.

Yoo-young absolutely acted tf out of her character, to the point I was concerned for the actress. The duality of acting as a self-centered sociopath and their mask as a friendly yet emotionless actress is a feat in itself. Her descent to madness was magnificent. I truly could not stop watching. It felt like I was falling into madness as well.

The ending was completely expected. Her manipulations and unfeelings orchestrated her doomed ending, yet you can't help but pity her. I had to take a walk after finishing the show. I feel like a piece of her lives on in my head.

Read More

THE SCRIPT IS TOO CRUEL

This script is too cruel
Dear X is so unnecessarily cruel with its characters.

What makes it worse is that the story keeps putting innocent people around Ah-jin in situations where they pay the price for her choices.

Exactly, what was the writer thinking, I guess we wanted a change but this is too cruel.
I think the writer was going for “let’s make the female lead morally complex instead of the usual innocent heroine.

There’s a difference between a morally grey character and a character who keeps crossing increasingly horrific lines.

Read More

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

Read More

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!

Read More