If the story of Baek Ah-jin in Dear X kept you guessing until the end, you are likely searching for your next obsession. The show’s mix of a clever lead character, psychological games, and a dark past created a gripping story. Many fans now want more shows with the same intense feel. This list includes five top thriller K-dramas that share these exciting elements, from complex female leads to stories of revenge and hidden identities. Each one offers a new puzzle to solve.
Anna: A Life Built on a Lie
In Anna, Bae Suzy plays Yu-mi, a woman who escapes her difficult life by stealing another person’s identity. What begins as one small lie grows into a complete fake life filled with money and influence. The drama shows how pressure and a hard childhood can push someone to become a skilled liar, creating a new self to survive.
This show is a perfect follow-up to Dear X for viewers fascinated by a lead character’s rise from hardship. Like Baek Ah-jin, Yu-mi uses deception as a tool to change her fate. The story moves at a slow, psychological pace, focusing on the character’s choices and the fragile nature of her secret world.
Bae Suzy’s performance is a standout, showing Yu-mi’s nervousness and determination as her web of lies grows more complicated.
You can watch Anna on streaming platforms like Viki, though availability may differ by region.
The Glory: A Calculated Path to Vengeance
The Glory, starring Song Hye-kyo, is a story about revenge with a clear plan. Moon Dong-eun spends her adult life preparing to confront the classmates who bullied her terribly in school. Her goal is not just to hurt them but to destroy their lives in a detailed and cold way.
While different from Baek Ah-jin’s methods, Dong-eun’s story shares a core theme with Dear X: a person shaped by trauma who gains power through sheer will. The show forces you to support a character who uses harsh methods to fight against past brutality. It is a different kind of dark story, focused on strategy and the lasting pain of old wounds.
The drama was released in two parts on Netflix, with a total of 16 episodes.
Flower of Evil: The Perfect Family Man Hiding a Secret
Flower of Evil presents a terrifying question: what if the person you love most is not who they say they are? Baek Hee-sung appears to be an ideal husband and father. However, he is living under a stolen identity. The tension builds as his wife, who is a detective, starts to investigate a violent case that slowly points back to her own husband.
The show excels at creating suspense, making you wonder if Hee-sung is a dangerous man or someone protecting his family from a dark past. It shares with Dear X a deep focus on duality, secrets, and the performance of a perfect life. Each episode increases the suspense as the truth gets closer.
This thriller is available to stream on Netflix and Viki.
Mouse: The Hunt for a Born Psychopath
Mouse is a thriller that digs into a disturbing idea. The story asks if some people are born with a “psychopath gene” that makes them unable to feel guilt or empathy. A young police officer gets involved in a series of murders and becomes fixated on this theory. His search for the truth leads him down a dangerous path where his beliefs are tested.
The plot is known for its many twists, constantly challenging what you think you know. Like Dear X, it explores the nature of evil and whether it is created by circumstance or present from birth. The story is complex and will keep you guessing about every character’s true motives until the very end.
You can find Mouse on Viki, though it may not be available in all regions.
Kill It: The Double Life of an Assassin
In Kill It, the lead character lives two completely separate lives. By day, Kim Soo-hyun is a kind veterinarian who cares for animals. By night, he works as a skilled contract killer. A detective who starts to track him down does not realize the man she is looking for is the same person she is beginning to care about.
The central question of the drama is clear: if someone kills for survival and not for pleasure, does that make them a monster? This moral complexity connects it to the grey-area characters in Dear X. The show combines mystery with action, as the two leads discover they are linked by a shared past they need to solve.
This series has 12 episodes and can be streamed on Viki.
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