Dear X (TV series)

Growing up, Baek Ah-jin faced abuse and neglect. Early on, she learned how to mask her feelings and pull the strings for her benefit. That was how she could survive and later make her ambition a path to success. As she grew older, she turned herself into an up-and-coming actress whose beauty, talent, and charm cloaked a merciless drive for fame and power. By her side since childhood was Yoon Jun-seo. He loved and protected her unconditionally and believed his devotion could save her. As Ah-jin's actions turned darker over time, Jun-seo began to question whether he had been helping or enabling her. Another person molded by a tragic past was Kim Jae-oh, who became close with Ah-jin. He played the role of being her shadow to support and protect her while being deeply involved in her moral struggles. She rose to the top in her career amid opposition from Im Re-na, a rival actress and former idol. Re-na's presence and interest in Jun-seo developed tension and rivalry, complicating the relationships between Ah-jin, Jun-seo, and Jae-oh. As Ah-jin navigated the world of entertainment, power, and betrayal, her manipulations created a web of secrets and shifting loyalties. Those who loved or trusted her, including Jun-seo and Jae-oh, became caught in the chaos.

• Kim You-jung as Baek Ah-jin^[2]
  • Ki So-yu as young Baek Ah-jin

A top South Korean actress who suffers from antisocial personality disorder, she's a sociopath who hides her cruel nature behind her beautiful face and wears a mask to survive. Abused and abandoned when she was a child, it had made her a master manipulator, using her charm and intelligence. During her school days, she mostly used Yoon Jun-seo and Kim Jae-oh to support and protect her to get ahead. She harbors a lot of grudges behind her somewhat good-natured demeanor. She climbs the ladder of success step by step, treading on childhood traumas, but everything begins to crumble the moment she reaches the top.

• Kim Young-dae as Yoon Jun-seo^[2]
  • Park Hoo as young Yoon Jun-seo

Ah-jin's childhood friend. After witnessing what his mom did to her when she was little, he felt bad and wanted to make it right. He thought love was the answer and was willing to do anything for her.

• Kim Do-hoon as Kim Jae-oh^[2]

A man who becomes Ah-jin's shadow, driven by a deep connection rooted in their shared trauma, and is fiercely devoted to protecting her at all costs.

• Lee Yul-eum as Im Re-na^[3][2]

She's an idol-turned-actress and Ah-jin's rival.

• Kim Yi-kyung as Shim Sung-hee^[4]

Ah-jin's rival. She's jealous and resentful of Ah-jin due to her insecurities. She harbors a grudge against Ah-jin, who had her accused of stealing, and her status as a rich daughter no longer stands.

• Bae Soo-bin as Baek Seon-gyu^[4]

Ah-jin's heartless father, who abandoned her when she was young due to greed, and returned only to abuse her and take away her finances.

• Kim Yoo-mi as Hwang Ji-seon^[4]

Jun-seo's mother. She is Ah-jin's cruel ex-stepmother.

• Kim Ji-young as Seo Mi-ri^[4]

The CEO of Longstar Entertainment who turns Baek Ah-jin into a star.

• Hyun Seo-ha as Seok Hyang-i^[5]

Ah-jin's manager.

• Shin Moon-sung as Park Dae-ho^[5]

A detective who's in charge of the Baek Seon-gyu murder case.

• Hwang In-youp as Heo In-gang^[6]

An idol-turned-actor with a secret. He is Ah-jin's boyfriend for a year.

• Kim Ji-hoon as Choi Jeong-ho^[7]

Ex-baseball pro turned cafe owner. He's Ah-jin's boss at the cafe where she works part-time. He tried to protect Ah-jin from a stalker, but mistakenly attacked her father, who is actually physically abusing her for money, and got involved in a murder case.

• Hong Jong-hyun as Moon Do-hyeok^[8]

Ah-jin's husband, the heir to a powerful conglomerate family, has been secretly watching her for a long time. He's the one who reached out to her and arranged the contract offer from her new agency. With a past wrapped in mystery, including a previous marriage that ended in divorce, he's a man with a hidden side.

• Park Seung-tae as Hong Kyung-sook^[9]

In-gang's grandmother.

• Ryu Kyung-hwan as Im Hee-gook.^[9]

Ah-jin's entertainment reporter.

Dear X was co-directed by Lee Eung-bok and Park So-hyun and written by Choi Ja-won, who won the grand prize at the 2018 KBS One-Act Drama Script Contest.^[10] The series is based on a popular Naver Webtoon of the same title by Vanziun, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Choi. It is planned by Studio Dragon, produced by Monster Union and Siwoo Company, and primarily distributed by TVING.^[11] The series was a recipient of the OTT-Specific Content Production Support in 2024, a program owned and operated by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) to support domestic streaming services and production companies. ^[12]

On June 4, 2024, Kim You-jung was reportedly offered the role of sociopathic actress Baek Ah-jin and was considering it.^[13] A day later, Kim Young-dae was also considering joining.^[14] According to OSEN, both actors were confirmed to star together.^[15] On June 25, Kim Do-hoon received an offer and was in talks to join the series.^[16] The next day, Hwang In-youp was confirmed for a special appearance after receiving an offer.^[6] On August 8, TVING officially confirmed the casting of Kim Yoo-jung, Kim Young-dae, Kim Do-hoon and Lee Yul-eum.^[2]

Summarize Timeline Top Qs Fact Check

The OST singer lineup, which includes Lim Kim, Elaine Kim, Minnie, Sam Ock, Cocona, and Olivia Marsh was unveiled on November 4, 2025. The music director of the series is Gaemi.^[17] Dear X' soundtrack album was released on December 8, 2025; it contains all of the singles and background tracks from the series.^[18]

Dear. X (Original Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released	December 8, 2025 (2025-12-08)
Language	Korean
Label	Most Contents
Singles from Dear X
"Run & Run" Released: October 12, 2025 "Insane" Released: October 19, 2025 "Insane (Soft. ver)" Released: October 26, 2025 "Devil's Angel" Released: November 2, 2025 "Goodnye" Released: November 9, 2025 "Ego" Released: November 16, 2025

Singles included on the album were released from November 6, to December 4, 2025.

Dear X premiered on TVING on November 6, 2025, at 18:00 (KST).^[19] The first four episodes were released on November 6, followed by two new episodes every Thursday, for a total of 12 episodes.^[20][21] It is also available on HBO Max in selected regions.^[22][23] It was invited as one of six drama series in the On Screen section of the 30th Busan International Film Festival on September 18, 2025, where two of twelve episodes were screened.^[24] It became available in select Asian cable channels through tvN Asia on January 29, 2026, every Thursday and Friday.^[25]

Summarize Timeline Fact Check

Dear X received widespread acclaim from critics and was frequently described as a "prestige psychological thriller". Following its film festival screening, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) described the series as a high-energy "wicked melodrama noir".^[26] It reimagined the original webtoon's characters with a bolder narrative, leading to a more intense plot. ^[27] Drama Critic Yun Suk-jin, in an article for The Korea Times wrote that Dear X "depicts the brutality of domestic violence with almost cinematic realism," further stating that by the fourth episode, it was clear that it depicted how monsters were made.^[28]

The performance of Kim You-jung was singled out as the series' defining feature, as well as her "career best performance".^[29][30] The Chosun Ilbo lauded her "masterful pacing between emotional outbursts and restraint," noting that her nuanced portrayal, together with how she revealed the character's pain and emptiness through a lack of emotion,^[31] significantly elevated the drama’s overall quality.^[32] Pop Culture Critic Jeong Deok-hyeon, who also serves as judge for Baeksang Art Awards and the Republic of Korea Art Awards, described her performance as breaking away from her "Nation's Little Sister" image, transforming into "a villain who evokes both pity and horror".^[33] Times Now India also named her as one of the Top Ten Korean Performers in a Drama for 2025.^[34]

Director Lee Eung-bok was also lauded for his cinematic approach, where the use of a muted palette elevated the dark atmospheric tone of the series. ^[35]

The series was a massive commercial success for TVING. Domestically, it served as a cornerstone for TVING’s domestic growth in late 2025. Upon its release, Dear X ranked number one in new paid membership contributions for five consecutive weeks. It set new records for total viewing time and the number of completions among all TVING Original series, with the platform labeling it its "top blockbuster" of the year. ^[36] Dear X also consistently ranked in the top three of the TV-OTT integrated drama buzz rankings during its run, with Kim You-jung reaching the number one spot for actor popularity in November 2025.^[37]

Internationally, the series became a global hit through distribution partnerships with HBO Max, Disney+, and Rakuten Viki: 

• Global Reach: The series topped viewership charts in 108 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, Mexico, and India.^[38]
• Regional Performance: It ranked first on Disney+ in Japan and was selected as one of the top-performing Asian titles on HBO Max in the Asia-Pacific region, recording its highest viewership in the Philippines and Thailand.^[39]
• Milestone: It was the first CJ ENM title to be released with simultaneous Arabic subtitles on STARZPlay, where it reached the top five in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.^[40]

Dear X served as a pivotal case study for CJ ENM's "Brand Hall" strategy. The series was a flagship title in the multi-year partnership between CJ ENM and Warner Bros. Discovery which established a branded TVING hub on HBO Max, ^[41] and also on Disney+ in Japan. ^[42] This model improved profitability beyond content partnerships as it enabled the sale of older titles as packaged content together with Dear X.^[43]

This "Brand Hall" strategy with Dear X as pilot has been widely discussed as a breakthrough in the South Korean content production market. Instead of reliance on single-platform release, local production companies and domestic streaming platforms could expand overseas through multiple platform agreements while also maintaining ownership of IP Content.^[44] In its Year End review, the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) recognized the "Brand Hall" model used in distributing Dear X as a benchmark for a global distribution model that could restore balance to the South Korea content ecosystem. ^[45]

Financially, the series contributed to a significant turnaround for CJ ENM: Q4 2025 operating profit more than doubled year-over-year driven by the success of global content, and the advertising revenue generated by TVING through its hit originals Dear X and Transit Love 4. ^[46]

Dear X was included in the 2026 Overseas Korean Wave Survey (해외한류실태조사), an annual study commissioned by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The series ranked fifth among the most preferred Korean dramas globally, based on responses from 27,400 Korean cultural content consumers across 30 countries, making it the only TVING original to appear in the survey’s top five.^[47]