Over the years, TV shows will stick with you for a variety of reasons. Whether it’s a heartwarming character development, the connection between the protagonist and their love interest or a revelation you just can’t stop thinking about, TV shows can become memorable in a variety of ways, good or bad. In the 2025 Korean crime thriller Dear X, which is based on the popular 2021 webtoon by Vanziun with the same name, the lead performance by Kim Yoo-jung (My Demon)knocks it out of the park, but it’s the series’ twisty ending that has viewers, especially those on Letterboxd, up in arms.
What Is ‘Dear X’ About?
Dear X, which initially premiered on November 6, 2025, follows the story of Baek Ah-jin (Yoo-jung), a young woman who’s manipulated her way into getting everything she wants in life, including becoming one of Korea’s most celebrated actresses. But before Ah-jin became a household name, she endured abuse, neglect and trauma during her childhood, including the murder of her father. In doing so, she not only learned how to bury her feelings deep inside, but how to mask and use her pain into power and manipulation.
As the series goes on, the 12 episodes follow Ah-jin’s life and the lives of those closest to her, especially Yoon Jun-seo (Kim Young-dae), her childhood friend who always secretly loved her, and Kim Jae-oh (Kim Do-hoon), her longest friend who’s fiercely devoted to protecting her. The show also follows Ah-jin’s relationships, including one with actor boyfriend Heo In-gang (Hwang In-youp). Unlike Ah-jin’s own intentions of using him to get ahead in her career, In-gang is surprisingly honest and sincere, welcoming her into his family, and loving her unconditionally. But, when a tragedy hits his family, Ah-jin lets go of any prospects of choosing happiness and love, and returns to her self-interested and selfish ways.
Fans Can’t Get Over the Brutal Finale of ‘Dear X’
By the end of Dear X, Ah-jin’s downfall is going full steam ahead. Jun-seo, in an attempt to save Ah-jin from her own actions, exposes her path of manipulation to the world right when she wins the Blue Dragon award for a movie role. In one fell swoop, Ah-jin loses everything she’s ever wanted, and Jun-seo is there by her side to pick up the pieces. They hit the road together, but when Jun-seo realizes that she will never truly change, he commits his final act and drives them off a cliff.
In a brutal twist, however, Ah-jin miraculously survives the crash. In a flashback, she climbs out of the wrecked car, and sees Jun-seo injured, but still conscious. Instead of helping, however, Ah-jin is ice-cold, gives off a cruel laugh and disappears into the abyss.
By doing so, the series not only establishes that Ah-jin is as brutal and ruthless as she was at the beginning, but that she’ll continue down her destructive path, even without fame of her closest confidantes by her side. Plus, while viewers alternate between rooting for her and rooting against her throughout the season, the finale confirms that she is evil, and that evil, in this case, won. Unsurprisingly, fans weren’t exactly thrilled with the ending, which still left the fate of Jun-seo and Ah-jin’s villainous husband Moon Do-hyeok (Hong Jong-hyun) up in the air. “Love the show BUT WHY THEY END IT LIKE THAT,” wrote one reviewer. “I was literally praying for Ah-jin’s downfall,” wrote another, this time lamenting that the protagonist seemingly ended the series unscathed.
With that said, while the finale has some viewers reeling, the reaction shows just how much Dear X pulled them in. Throughout each of the 12 episodes, Yoo-jung’s powerhouse performance commanded the screen and saw Ah-jin topple her enemies and achieve her goals one by one. Dear X is an unnerving, unsettling crime thriller, and it’s the type of show that will have you thinking about it even months after watching it for the first time.
- Release Date
-
November 6, 2025
- Network
-
TVING
- Directors
-
Lee Eung-bok
- Writers
-
최자원
Cast
-
-
Kim Young-dae
Yoon Joon-seo
-
-
