Kim Yoo-jung’s ‘Dear X’ Tops TVING for Four Consecutive Weeks... “The Ending? The Main Plot Follows the Original”

According to Financial News, TVING’s original drama ‘Dear X’ is gaining attention as a psychological thriller featuring a sociopathic female lead, a departure from the ‘emotionally resonant narratives’ typical of K-dramas.
Based on a popular Naver Corporation Webtoon, the series tells the story of Baek Ah Jin (Kim Yoo-jung), an actress with a dual identity as both a victim and perpetrator of domestic violence, and the ‘X’s’ who have been cruelly trampled by her. The show was co-directed by Lee Eung-bok, known for ‘Guardian: The Lonely and Great God’ and ‘Mr. Sunshine.’
Since the drama’s premiere, the original Webtoon’s viewership has increased 17-fold domestically and over 40 times internationally. The series has also maintained the top spot in TVING’s new subscriber contribution rankings for four consecutive weeks, demonstrating its ongoing popularity.
According to TVING on the 1st, ‘Dear X’ is also performing strongly overseas. It has ranked first for four consecutive weeks on the U.S. OTT platform Rakuten Viki, reached as high as third on Disney+ in Japan, and climbed to second on STARZPLAY in the Middle East and North Africa. Kim Yoo-jung’s performance has been praised with comments such as, “It’s uncomfortable, but I can’t look away,” and “I expected ‘The Glory’ but got ‘The Penthouse: War in Life.’”
Meeting with Kim Yoo-jung in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 25th of last month, she shared, “Even my friends contacted me saying, ‘It was so scary, you must have had a hard time,’” adding with a smile, “I feel happy and proud.”
How did she develop the inscrutable character of Baek Ah Jin? She explained, “Ah Jin doesn’t reveal her emotions easily, so it was important to adjust the nuances in detail. I tried to find moments that would make viewers feel uneasy by changing my gaze or speech patterns.”
There were several intense scenes involving violence. During the filming of a violent scene with her father, Kim Yoo-jung actually fainted on set. She recalled, “I became so immersed in the scene that I felt as if I was somewhere else, and it took me a while to regain my composure.”
Understanding the character of Baek Ah Jin was no easy task. Kim Yoo-jung said, “Rather than trying to justify Ah Jin, I tried to accept her actions as they were.” She added, “What was even harder was suppressing and hiding the emotions that instinctively surfaced within me.”
Unexpected viewer reactions were also intriguing. Kim Yoo-jung commented, “Before filming, I didn’t feel sorry for Ah Jin or want to root for her. But while working on the project, I began to see her loneliness and pain. The director and I often discussed whether we could throw stones at this person, or perhaps even support her.”
She continued, “I think her unfortunate family background and the instinct everyone has to live for themselves create room for empathy. Ah Jin is a character who lives for herself in an extreme way—a person who expresses universal desires in a misguided manner.”
To portray a sociopathic character, Kim Yoo-jung relied more on psychological consultations than on external crime cases or video references. She also referred to gaslighting expressions shared by the director before filming to complete the character. Regarding the ending, she hinted, “The main plot follows the original. Please watch to see what kind of catastrophe unfolds.”

jashin@fnnews.com Shin Jin-ah Reporter