The 12-episode series Dear X (친애하는 X) concluded its run, leaving Korean drama fans grappling with the dark and complex fate of protagonist Baek Ah-jin, played by My Demon‘s Kim Yoo-jung. The melodrama, based on a popular webtoon by Vanziun, charts the ruthless ascent and catastrophic fall of Ah-jin as she uses beauty and calculated manipulation to claw her way to the top of Korea’s cutthroat entertainment industry. The story was brought to the screen by director Lee Eung-bok, who previously helmed massive hits including Goblin, Mr. Sunshine, and Sweet Home.
Though the final act of the drama diverged significantly from the source material, Ah-jin still faced major, tragic consequences. As director Lee Eung-bok noted at a press conference, “As a live-action adaptation, the actors’ sweat and tears bring an added layer of emotional depth, and the adult storyline in the latter half of the series was newly created for the drama.” He aimed for a conflicted viewing experience, stating, “I wanted viewers to sometimes root for Ah-jin, and at other times feel a sense of sorrow or conflict toward her.”
Actress Kim Yoo-jung as the complex anti-heroine Baek Ah-jin in ‘Dear X’.
The Three Arcs of a Tragic Anti-Hero
Dear X is structured around three devastating arcs that define how Baek Ah-jin survived an abusive childhood to become a top actress. The first tragic arc focused on Ah-jin’s childhood and adolescence, culminating in the murder of her abusive father. The second centered on her rookie actress phase, leading to the suicide of her loving actor boyfriend, Heo In-gang (Hwang In-youp). The third and final arc chronicles her catastrophic downfall, which results in the deaths of her closest confidantes: school friend Kim Jae-oh (Kim Do-hoon) and her ex-stepbrother, Yun Jun-seo (Kim Young-dae).
The series was initially praised for its refusal to soften the cruel edges of its female anti-hero, successfully provoking sympathy for both Ah-jin and her victims. In the early stages, it was easier to sympathize with Ah-jin, who was poor and traumatized by her father, lacking relative power. Her destructive actions were immoral but easier to excuse as necessary survival mechanisms. However, as she gained fame and money, her victims became more sympathetic. Heo In-gang, whom she dated for over a year purely to boost her career, genuinely fell in love with her, welcomed her into his family, and planned to quit acting to marry her.
The middle act is widely considered the show’s strongest, as Ah-jin came closest to breaking her cycle of destructive behavior. She briefly considered choosing happiness and love over power and emotional isolation. That hope was shattered when In-gang’s mother, the one person who offered Ah-jin unconditional love, suddenly died. Losing hope for a “normal” life, Ah-jin cruelly dumped In-gang, who subsequently died by suicide, an event Ah-jin coldly skipped the funeral for, confirming her pattern of abandoning anyone no longer useful to her.
Director Lee Eung-bok brought a new adult storyline and psychological depth to the webtoon adaptation.
The Downfall and The Final Sacrifice
Dear X’s third act, which critics often cite as the show’s weakest, introduced a half-baked antagonist: Moon Do-hyeok (Hong Jong-hyun), a wealthy psychopath who decides he wants Ah-jin as a possession. After In-gang’s suicide led to Ah-jin’s expulsion from her agency, Do-hyeok stepped in as her self-appointed savior, offering her a place at his company and his hand in marriage.
In a surprisingly poorly considered move for the calculated Ah-jin, she married Do-hyeok. This marriage abandoned Jun-seo, her former stepbrother and trauma bond, who was already reeling from his grandfather’s death and a kidney donation made to his thankless mother. Jun-seo, having always been by her side, finally accepted that Ah-jin would never choose him over her own ambition. Director Lee Eung-bok highlighted the emotional weight, noting that Jun-seo’s narration—”Why do I love someone so cruel?”—was a key theme added for psychological depth.
Despite marrying into extreme privilege, Ah-jin found no peace. She was under constant surveillance by her husband, began suffering memory loss, and suspected Do-hyeok was orchestrating a psychotic break, similar to his previous wife, who was now institutionalized.
At this point, Kim Jae-oh, who had always been Ah-jin’s most loyal enabler, decided to sacrifice himself. Having been told as a teenager by Ah-jin that he was “useful,” Jae-oh felt compelled to prove his worth one last time. Knowing that taking down the powerful Do-hyeok was impossible, Jae-oh provoked him and waited for his goons to kill him, setting up cameras to record his own murder. Ah-jin was aware of Jae-oh’s plan and allowed the sacrifice.
Kim Yoo-jung and Kim Young-dae as the destructive step-siblings Ah-jin and Jun-seo.
Jae-oh’s death served as the final blow for Jun-seo. Realizing Ah-jin would never change, he agreed to work with a TV producer who wanted an exposé on Ah-jin’s manipulative path. The exposé aired the same night Ah-jin won the Blue Dragon award for her latest role.
Ah-jin lost everything, but Jun-seo was still there. He drove her out of town, confessing his enduring love and grasping her hand before driving their car off a cliff. Ah-jin survived the crash. She looked at the still-conscious Jun-seo not as a lover, but as a “shackle” tying her to her abusive past. She left him to die in the wreckage, choosing instead to begin the climb back out of the ditch, affirming that a happy ending based on emotional security was never possible for her trauma-driven, self-destructive soul.
How the K-Drama Ending Differs from the Webtoon
Dear X adhered closely to the webtoon’s plot until its final act. In the source material, Ah-jin gets pregnant by Jun-seo and uses the child to convince Do-hyeok (whose first marriage failed due to infertility) to marry her. This betrayal is Jun-seo’s final straw, leading him to cooperate with the exposé. When the exposé airs, Ah-jin decides to commit suicide, but Jae-oh (who does not die in the webtoon) stops her. They flee to Hong Kong, where they open a bar and raise the baby together. However, Ah-jin soon runs off with a rich man who proposes to her, leaving her child with Jae-oh. She is later severely injured and disfigured after being pushed down the stairs by her new husband’s child, only returning to Hong Kong to retrieve her child so she can be reminded of her former face.
In the final scene of the webtoon, Ah-jin returns to Korea with her child as an act of revenge against Jun-seo for his betrayal, vowing never to tell the child the truth about its father. While the methods differ greatly—the webtoon involves pregnancy and disfigurement, the drama involves murder and a cliff plunge—both endings conclude with Ah-jin utterly unchanged in her priorities: she will climb over anyone to make it to the top.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the K-drama Dear X about?
Dear X is a psychological melodrama that follows the rise and eventual downfall of Baek Ah-jin, a ruthless female anti-heroine who uses manipulation and her physical attractiveness to achieve fame in the Korean entertainment industry.
Who is the director of Dear X?
The series was directed by Lee Eung-bok, a highly acclaimed director known for other major K-dramas, including Goblin, Mr. Sunshine, and Sweet Home.
What happens to Jun-seo in the Dear X drama ending?
In the drama’s conclusion, Jun-seo betrays Ah-jin by providing information for an exposé. He then drives their car off a cliff, confessing his love. Ah-jin survives the crash and, seeing him only as a shackle to her past, leaves the still-conscious Jun-seo to die in the wreckage.
How does the Dear X K-drama ending differ from the webtoon?
The drama differs significantly in the third act. The webtoon involves Ah-jin getting pregnant by Jun-seo and later suffering severe facial disfigurement, leading her to return to Hong Kong to reclaim her child. The K-drama replaces these events with Jae-oh’s murder and the fatal cliff plunge with Jun-seo.
