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| 7 K-dramas Like Dear X for Fans of Twisted Minds and Magnetic Anti-Heroines (Photo: Netflix) |
Some dramas don’t just entertain you — they pull you straight into the shadows and dare you to stay there. Dear X (친애하는 X) is exactly that kind of series. With Baek A-jin’s magnetic charm, carefully-crafted persona, and complicated survival instincts, the drama gives you a villainess who is impossible to hate and equally impossible to trust. It’s dark, glamorous, uncomfortably honest, and unexpectedly addictive.
A-jin’s entire life is a maze of rivalry, loneliness, meticulous self-reinvention, and a burning need to rise above everyone who once dismissed her. Watching her transform from a damaged child into a polished, calculating force is both spooky and mesmerising — the kind of character journey that leaves a mark long after the credits roll.
One thing Dear X does brilliantly is peeling back the layers of A-jin bit by bit. Kim You-jung gives a razor-sharp performance, showing how every relationship in A-jin’s life becomes a chess move, and every person around her becomes either a pawn, a shield, or a threat.
And yet, despite everything she does, you find yourself weirdly rooting for her — while also feeling for the men entangled in her rise, especially the characters played by Kim Young-dae and Kim Do-hoon.
If you’ve binged Dear X and want more web of lies, morally grey women, stylish manipulation, psychological tension, and characters shaped by painful pasts, here are 7 Korean dramas similar to Dear X that carry the same intoxicating energy.
ICYMI: Dear X Finale Explained.
1. Anna (2022)
Why it’s similar:
If Baek A-jin rewrote her life through charm and precision, Yu-mi (Bae Suzy) does it through pure reinvention. Anna follows a woman who escapes her suffocating reality by borrowing someone else’s identity. What begins as one tiny lie spirals into a luxurious yet fragile double life she must maintain at all costs.
Suzy’s performance is ice-cold but hauntingly vulnerable, echoing the same “broken girl becomes unstoppable” arc that makes Dear X irresistible.
Childhood neglect, pressure, and desperation shape Yu-mi’s path, creating a heroine who uses appearances as power. Slow, psychological, and character-heavy, Anna is a perfect match for fans of morally grey female leads.
2. The Frog (2024)
Why it’s similar:
Go Min-si’s Yoo Seong-ah is a different type of danger — soft-spoken, unreadable, and slowly unsettling. Set in a rural motel, The Frog begins quietly but builds a thick, suffocating tension as Seong-ah slips into Yeong-ha’s life.
Where A-jin controls with glamour, Seong-ah controls with silence and mystery. Her stillness hides storms, and her presence feels like a warning. It’s a drama about trauma, hidden wounds, and the unpredictable ways people learn to survive.
With its slow dread and morally fractured characters, The Frog offers a quieter but equally gripping darkness.
3. Less Than Evil (2018)
Why it’s similar:
Lee Seol delivers one of the most memorable female masterminds in K-dramas. Her character, Eun Sun-jae, is wickedly smart, calm, and dangerously persuasive — a woman who can charm anyone while hiding steel underneath. Inspired by Luther’s Alice Morgan, Sun-jae keeps both cops and villains guessing.
If you loved A-jin’s sharp mind and the way she bends people to her will, Sun-jae will absolutely hold your attention. The push-and-pull dynamic between her and detective Woo Tae-seok adds an extra layer of psychological tension.
This is a must-watch for fans of elaborate mind games, unpredictable alliances, and women who operate ten steps ahead of everyone else.
4. The Glory (2023)
Why it’s similar:
Song Hye-kyo’s Moon Dong-eun isn’t a manipulator like A-jin — she is the product of deep scars and a lifetime of injustice. The Glory is a revenge epic told with brutal emotional honesty, showing how trauma can turn a quiet victim into a strategist with a single, unwavering goal.
If you were captivated by A-jin’s rise from powerlessness to control, Dong-eun’s long, deliberate revenge will resonate. What stands out is how you end up supporting a woman who embraces darkness to reclaim what was taken from her. The writing is sharp, the characters layered, and the emotional payoff massive.
5. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)
Why it’s similar:
Ko Moon-young (Seo Yea-ji) is one of the most iconic psychologically complex female leads in K-dramas. She’s elegant, unpredictable, emotionally distant, and dealing with her own set of past wounds. Just like A-jin, she’s equal parts captivating and unsettling.
The drama uses fairy-tale imagery to explore how people become haunted versions of themselves — and how they heal. Moon-young’s transformation, her bluntness, her loneliness, and her carefully constructed persona will remind you of A-jin’s duality, but with a more emotional focus.
For those who enjoy dark, stylish character studies with slow psychological healing, this is a top pick.
6. Flower of Evil (2020)
Why it’s similar:
While Flower of Evil centres on a male lead, its themes match Dear X: hidden identities, polished facades, and the terrifying fragility of a life built on lies.
Baek Hui-seong is a devoted husband and father, but beneath that peaceful exterior lies a past full of secrets. When his wife, detective Cha Ji-won, begins investigating old cases, their careful world begins to crack.
If what you enjoyed in Dear X was the thrill of watching a perfectly composed character slowly lose control, Flower of Evil delivers that tension flawlessly.
7. My Name (2021)
Why it’s similar:
For fans who love revenge arcs shaped by loss and personal reinvention, My Name is another strong match. Han So-hee plays Yoon Ji-woo, a young woman who enters the criminal world seeking answers and justice after her father’s death.
Her transformation is physical, emotional, and deeply driven — pushing her into a world where loyalty and betrayal constantly shift. Like A-jin, Ji-woo is shaped by pain, but she learns to use it as armour.
The drama is grittier and more action-heavy than Dear X, but the heart of it — a woman rewriting her destiny — makes it a solid addition to the list.
If Dear X left you craving more women with layered motives, unpredictable choices, hidden wounds, and beautifully crafted darkness, these seven dramas capture that same energy in different shades:
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Identity reinvention
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Emotional scars turned into strategy
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Morally ambiguous decisions
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Stylish psychological storytelling
Whether you want silence-driven suspense (The Frog), polished deception (Anna), slow-burn trauma arcs (The Glory), or manipulative brilliance (Less Than Evil), each drama here lets you walk the fine line between rooting for the heroine and fearing her next move.