{"id":919,"date":"2025-11-25T10:57:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T10:57:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/?p=919"},"modified":"2025-11-25T10:57:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T10:57:19","slug":"dear-x-episode-1-4-k-drama-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/dear-x-episode-1-4-k-drama-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Dear X Episode 1-4 K-Drama Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The new K-drama Dear X (2025) confidently drops its first four episodes with style. From the start, we are plunged into the world of Baek Ah\u2011jin (played by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm2498552\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Kim Yoo\u2011jung<\/a>), a top actress whose past is anything but glamorous. Her journey from trauma to ruthless ambition sets a tone that\u2019s heavy, unsettling, and compelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The strength of these episodes lies in their willingness to explore the darker side of human nature. The question the drama asks: is Ah-jin inherently bad, or did life force her into the role she now plays?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-image uagb-block-a88db108 wp-block-uagb-image--layout-default wp-block-uagb-image--effect-static wp-block-uagb-image--align-none\"><figure class=\"wp-block-uagb-image__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-10.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"uag-image-920\" width=\"695\" height=\"455\" title=\"Screenshot (10)\" loading=\"lazy\" role=\"img\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_73 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/dear-x-episode-1-4-k-drama-review\/#Setting_the_Stage_for_Dear_X_Survivor_or_Villain\" title=\"Setting the Stage for Dear X: Survivor or Villain?\">Setting the Stage for Dear X: Survivor or Villain?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/dear-x-episode-1-4-k-drama-review\/#A_Web_of_Manipulation\" title=\"A Web of Manipulation\">A Web of Manipulation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/dear-x-episode-1-4-k-drama-review\/#Supporting_Cast_and_Their_Roles\" title=\"Supporting Cast and Their Roles\">Supporting Cast and Their Roles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/dear-x-episode-1-4-k-drama-review\/#Tone_Production_Direction\" title=\"Tone, Production &amp; Direction\">Tone, Production &amp; Direction<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/dear-x-episode-1-4-k-drama-review\/#Themes_and_What_They_Mean\" title=\"Themes and What They Mean\">Themes and What They Mean<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/dear-x-episode-1-4-k-drama-review\/#Our_Final_Verdict\" title=\"Our Final Verdict\">Our Final Verdict<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Setting_the_Stage_for_Dear_X_Survivor_or_Villain\"><\/span>Setting the Stage for Dear X: Survivor or Villain?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As we move through episodes one to four, Ah-jin\u2019s transformation becomes the show\u2019s centrepiece. She becomes a top actress, outwardly charming, inwardly ruthless. The show even flags her as having Antisocial Personality Disorder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her childhood is defined by neglect and abuse: an alcoholic mother, a silent father, and a stepmother who sees her as exploitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is clear that the series wants us to ask: Is she a villain or simply a woman who decided to stop being the victim?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Web_of_Manipulation\"><\/span>A Web of Manipulation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ah-jin manipulates those around her with cold precision. In high school, she pits her rivals, friends, and family against one another. One standout sequence: she uses her classmate\u2019s social status, leaks her father\u2019s affair, frames her for theft, and then watches her fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her strategy is long-term and systematic. Economically vulnerable students become her pawns; teachers and rivals become targets. The series handles this manipulation in a disturbingly compelling way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Supporting_Cast_and_Their_Roles\"><\/span>Supporting Cast and Their Roles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While Ah-jin dominates the narrative, her supporting characters are equally intriguing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Yoon Jun\u2011seo plays her childhood friend-turned-pawn. Loyal, conflicted, and aware of what he is getting into. His moral struggle adds layers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kim Jae\u2011oh is the other young man pulled into her orbit. He has his own trauma and finds a strange solace in Ah-jin\u2019s certainty.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Their dynamic is not simply hero and villain, but something much more messily human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tone_Production_Direction\"><\/span>Tone, Production &amp; Direction<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The show is dark. Very dark. This isn\u2019t a light psychological thriller. The first four episodes question human nature. The production values help: cinematography, sound design, pacing, everything contributes to unease. One viewer summed it up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe very first scene was word-for-word straight from the manhwa \u2026 I\u2019m really hoping it\u2019s a faithful adaptation!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that adaptation pays off. The pacing is tight yet allows for character depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Themes_and_What_They_Mean\"><\/span>Themes and What They Mean<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A central question hangs over the show: <em>Is someone inherently bad, or did their environment make them that way?<\/em> The show clearly leans into the latter. Ah-jin\u2019s upbringing is portrayed as a factory for pain and survival. Her father\u2019s abuse, abandonment, and her mother\u2019s alcoholism do not excuse her actions, but they explain them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, the show explores power. Ah-jin wants safety, respect, and control. She finds it by any means necessary. Yet the show hints that high status comes with a cost. Early glimpses show her stepping into fame even as she discards the connections that helped her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Our_Final_Verdict\"><\/span>Our Final Verdict<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After watching the first four episodes, I am left with both admiration and trepidation. Admiration for the bold storytelling and the lead performance. Trepidation because this story challenges you as a viewer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It makes you question where you stand when the heroine becomes the antagonist. The show is not aiming for comfort or catharsis in a usual way. It is pushing into deeper territory: survival, power, the cost of ambition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you like stories where no one is purely good or entirely evil, where the lead can terrify you even as you watch her rise, then this is a drama worth your time. But if you prefer clear moral lines or lighter themes, be prepared. This ride gets messy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the next episodes keep up this level of craft and tension, we are in for a wild ride. And I, for one, am ready to buckle in. Want more K-drama and K-pop coverage? Head over to <a href=\"https:\/\/saranghero.com\">Saranghero<\/a> for the latest updates, reviews, and deep dives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The new K-drama Dear X (2025) confidently drops its first four episodes with style. From the start, we are plunged [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kdrama"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-10.png",695,455,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-10-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-10-300x196.png",300,196,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-10.png",695,455,false],"large":["https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-10.png",695,455,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-10.png",695,455,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-10.png",695,455,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Paola","author_link":"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/author\/paolalimingmail-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":3,"uagb_excerpt":"The new K-drama Dear X (2025) confidently drops its first four episodes with style. From the start, we are plunged [&hellip;]","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=919"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":921,"href":"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/919\/revisions\/921"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saranghero.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}