The new Korean thriller Dear X has quickly become a talking point for its dark story and a standout performance by Kim Yoo-jung. The series follows the rise of a complex and manipulative actress, Baek Ah-jin, whose quest for power leaves a trail of damaged lives. The first six episodes trace her journey from a traumatic childhood to the heights of fame, showing the dangerous lengths she will go to stay on top.
A Childhood Forged in Trauma
Ah-jin’s difficult past is key to understanding her cold nature as an adult. Her childhood was marked by severe abuse from her alcoholic mother. The situation turned darker when her father, Baek Sun-gyu, pushed her mother down a flight of stairs, killing her. In a chilling early scene, a young Ah-jin stepped over her mother’s dying body, shaking off her pleas for help.
She later moved in with her father and his new partner, who was the mother of Yoon Jun-seo. Ah-jin discovered that the adults planned to send her to an orphanage. She used her sharp mind to blackmail her stepmother into letting her stay, revealing she knew a secret about Jun-seo’s real father. This established a pattern of using people as tools for survival that would define her life. Her stepmother eventually tried to drown Ah-jin, a traumatic event witnessed by Jun-seo, binding him to her forever.
The Master Manipulator Emerges
By high school, Ah-jin’s skills for control were fully formed. She presented herself as a perfect student while secretly running a loan-sharking operation. When a rival student, Shim Sung-hee, bullied her, Ah-jin did not simply retaliate. She orchestrated a long game to destroy Sung-hee’s reputation completely.
With help from the loyal Jun-seo and another devoted friend, Kim Jae-oh, Ah-jin framed Sung-hee for theft. Jae-oh, who also suffered abuse at home, saw Ah-jin as his only ally. His loyalty was so strong that he later took the blame for accidentally killing his own father to protect his younger brother. Ah-jin’s cold nature was clear when she thanked Sung-hee for being a “fun target.”
Her ambitions to become a lawyer were crushed when her father stole her university tuition money. This led Ah-jin to plan his murder. She manipulated her kind-hearted cafe boss, Choi Jung-ho, a former baseball player, into believing her father was a stalker. She staged a scene where Jung-ho would arrive to “save” her and hit her father with a bat. Ah-jin then finished the job herself.
To escape punishment, she accepted a deal from Longstar Entertainment, who used their influence to clear her name in exchange for her becoming an actress. In a cold final move, she cut Jun-seo out of her life to start her new celebrity existence.
A Dangerous New Game in the Spotlight
As a rising star, Ah-jin’s new “X” or target is her fellow actress, Le-na. Their rivalry intensifies when Ah-jin appears on a red carpet with popular actor Heo In-gang, who is in a public relationship with Le-na. Jealous, Le-na uses her power on set to bully Ah-jin. However, Ah-jin proves to be a formidable opponent. She secretly records Le-na physically attacking her and plays the video at a major company event, publicly shaming Le-na.
Ah-jin also faces blackmail from Detective Park, who knows about her father’s death. He forces her into dangerous situations, like a VIP club room full of people using drugs, threatening to expose her past.
Old Allies Return for a New Plan
Ah-jin’s past catches up with her when Jae-oh is released from prison. He reunites with a heartbroken Jun-seo, who has been watching Ah-jin from a distance. The two men decide to work together to protect her. They uncover evidence that Detective Park’s daughter uses drugs and use it to stop his blackmail.
Ah-jin then begins her most calculated plan yet: winning over In-gang to secure her position. She discovers his deep secretโhe feels immense guilt for not stopping his bandmate, Ji-hyeok, from eating a macaron he knew contained nuts, an incident that launched his own career. Ah-jin uses this knowledge to get closer to him. She engineers a meeting between In-gang and Ji-hyeok, who reveals he knew about the nuts all along, freeing In-gang from his guilt.
In a final manipulative move, Ah-jin asks Jae-oh to stage a minor accident to make In-gang late for their dinner date. She waits for him for hours, and when a deeply moved In-gang finally arrives, he kisses her. Meanwhile, a devastated Jun-seo, after learning of Ah-jin’s plans, gets into a violent fight while defending her honor. The sixth episode ends with him badly injured and his fate unknown.
