Dear X is undeniably one dark drama—honestly, it’s the darkest one I’ve watched so far. It’s the kind of show that can mess with your mind in a psychological way just by watching it. It made me curious, and even scared, about how manipulative sociopaths can twist people for their own gain. Baek Ah-jin, portrayed as a manipulative sociopath, is a product of trauma and childhood abuse. The series clearly shows how deeply childhood experiences shape a person. She grew up thinking she needed to use others before they could use her, and as an adult, her manipulative behavior just escalated—wanting more and more no matter who gets hurt in the process.The story itself was incredibly well-written. I’m honestly at a loss for words. From start to finish, the pacing was consistent, and there was never a boring episode. The plot twists were insane and kept making the drama even better. And let’s not ignore the overflowing chemistry between the characters—I didn’t even know who to ship Ah-jin with at some point. If she had just stopped all her evil schemes, she could’ve ended up with one of the male leads, especially my boy In-gang or Jae-oh.As for the cast, Kim Yoo-jung absolutely killed her role. Her acting was beyond outstanding. She delivered every expression and emotion so perfectly that you could literally feel the character through her performance. And the chemistry she had with EVERY partnered male lead was unbelievable. Her chemistry with Hwang In-yeop in particular was top-tier. Their scenes were so good that I almost forgot this was a dark drama. I honestly wish we could’ve seen more of their relationship—they had that lingering kilig effect that stayed with me for days. I still wish they ended up together.Kim Do-hoon’s character, Jae-oh, was like a whole green flag forest. At least for me. He was always there for Ah-jin—doing everything for her, believing in her even when everyone else turned away. Jae-oh is literally the definition of boyfriend material. Kim Do-hoon himself was adorable and handsome throughout the drama, and his smile gave me so many kilig moments. His chemistry with Yoo-jung was also amazing. If it couldn’t be In-gang, I was rooting for Jae-oh. In Ah-jin’s world full of X’s, he was her zero—the one person who truly believed in her. He’s honestly the only second lead I have ever rooted THIS hard for. His death crushed me. I was genuinely sad when they killed off his character. :(((Kim Young-dae’s character, Jun-seo, was… interesting. I’m not sure if his constant expressionlessness was part of the character or just him, but he really felt nonchalant the entire time. To be honest, I didn’t even notice he was the main lead because he barely did anything in most of the episodes. It was basically Jae-oh carrying the entire male storyline while Jun-seo was just… there. Aside from the final episode, Jun-seo didn’t really contribute much, which made his role feel overshadowed. He even doubted Ah-jin in some situations—maybe because he knew her too well and understood that she was capable of murder. Still, he did care for her and wanted the best for her, but it seemed like he eventually got tired of Ah-jin’s endless chaos and decided to end everything. But joke’s on him, she survived. His suicide attempt with her in the car was honestly not the best decision. If he really wanted to go that route, there were easier and less dramatic ways—but no, he chose the most reckless one.Lastly, Hwang In-yeop. OMG, I don’t even know where to begin. He was one of the best “extra” characters in the series. His chemistry with Yoo-jung? Don’t even question it. It was so good that I kept forgetting he wasn’t the official male lead. I hope they get cast together in a proper romance drama someday. His emotions, acting, and heartbreaking scenes were so good that I almost cried with him. One thing’s for sure—I will forever hate Ah-jin for what happened, because she honestly played a huge role in why my boy In-gang took his own life. :(
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