Inside mind of ‘Dear X’: Monster made by absence of love

Kim You-jung in a scene from Tving's drama "Dear X" / Courtesy of Tving

Is a monster born or made?

That was the question Ban Ji-un asked herself while adapting her webtoon “Dear X” into a Tving drama.

By the fourth episode of the thriller-romance, it’s clear: Baek Ah-jin (Kim You-jung) wasn’t born a monster. She became one.

As a child, Ah-jin endured brutal abuse — first from her alcoholic mother, then her father and stepmother. By the time she reaches adolescence, the rules of life were clear: No one will protect you, so use them before they use you.

Behind her flawless beauty and sharp intelligence, Ah-jin hides psychopathic tendencies and skill in manipulation, which she uses in her career as an actress as well as when the cameras are off.

Kim plays Ah-jin with unnerving restraint, with a cold gaze and voice. She exploits and discards people, especially men, watching their lives collapse with a smile.

Yoon Jun-seo (Kim Young-dae) is her willing victim. Aware of Ah-jin’s cruelty, he still devotes himself to her, even aiding in the murder of her father.

“If God existed, I’d ask why I fell in love with this devilish girl,” he says in a haunting monologue.

Another victim is Choi Jeong-ho (Kim Ji-hoon), a cafe owner who hires Ah-jin out of kindness and is destroyed for his decency when she frames him for murder. His tragedy underscores one of the show’s darker ironies: Goodness isn’t just powerless against evil, it is ammunition for it.

In the fourth episode, Ah-jin showed flickers of humanity, confessing to Jun-seo that her cruelty stems from the love she never received.

“I couldn’t even have a normal life like everyone else. Since I was a kid, I spent every day wondering when I’d get kicked out, how much I’d get hit. I was just trying to get through it. And now you expect me to care about other people’s pain?”

It’s a brief, almost reluctant admission — and the only hint so far that there may be something human left inside her.

Kim You-jung, right, and Kim Young-dae in a scene from Tving's drama "Dear X" / Courtesy of Tving

Drama critic Yun Suk-jin said “Dear X” depicts the brutality of domestic violence with almost cinematic realism.

“Scenes of parents whipping children and abusing them are portrayed vividly, which sets this work apart from other dramas,” Yun said, though he cautioned that the growing trend of using intense violence to boost ratings could be concerning.

“Dear X” currently tops Tving’s popularity chart, ranks first on HBO Max in seven Asian countries and holds third place on Disney+ Japan.

The series pushes viewers, especially parents, to confront how domestic violence can permanently scar children. Studies have found links between emotional neglect and physical violence by parents against children and the development of psychopathic traits.

The fourth episode ended with Ah-jin taking on the biggest role of her acting career, yet the moment feels more like foreshadowing. A woman who has built her life on acting may finally be stepping onto a stage she can’t control.

“I had goosebumps while writing Baek Ah-jin’s scenes in Episode 5,” Ban said in a recent interview.

The 12-episode drama drops two episodes every Thursday until Dec. 4.