Dear X cast and character guide: Who’s playing who?

Dear X is scheduled to arrive on November 6, 2025, premiering globally on HBO Max and streaming in Korea through TVING. The series adapts Ban Ji-woon’s original webcomic Chinaehaneun X, a celebrity-world revenge tale from digital panels to prestige drama screens. So, before the K-drama arrives, here are the cast details of who plays which character.

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Meet the cast of Dear X and their roles

Dear X (Image via X/@tvingdotcom)

A breakdown of each Dear X character and their respective actors.

Kim Yoo-jung as Baek Ah-jin

Ah-jin is a celebrated actress polished to perfection in public. However, she is powered by darker instincts in private. Her childhood forged her as someone who reads people fast and plays them even faster.

Kim Young-dae as Yoon Jun-seo

Jun-seo is Ah-jin’s longtime companion from her childhood, who grew up at her side and never once drifted.

Kim Do-hoon as Kim Jae-oh

He is linked to Ah-jin through shared traumatic history. Jae-oh's role centers on staying by her side and prioritizing her protection under any circumstance.

Lee Yul-eum as Lena

An idol-turned-actress who stands as Ah-jin’s industry counterpart and competitor.

Bae Soo-bin as Baek Seon-gyu

Seon-gyu is Ah-jin’s father, who abandoned her when she was young. The motive was greed. The abandonment left a permanent wound in Ah-jin’s past and shapes her present.

Kim Yi-kyung plays Shim Sung-hee

Sung-hee is an idol-turned-actress and a rival to Baek Ah-jin. She resents Ah-jin openly. Her jealousy is rooted in deep insecurity, and it fuels the rivalry on screen and off.

Kim Yoo-mi as Hwang Ji-seon

Ji-seon is Jun-seo’s mother.

Kim Ji-young as Seo Mi-ri

Mi-ri is CEO of Longstar Entertainment. She is the executive who transforms Baek Ah-jin into a star.

Hwang In-yeop as Heo In-gang (Special appearance)

Once an idol and now an actor, In-gang navigates fame with a buried truth trailing him.

Kim Ji-hoon as Choi Jeong-ho (Special appearance)

Jeong-ho is a former professional baseball player who now has a quieter life as a café owner.

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What is the story of Dear X?

Dear X centers on Baek Ah-jin, a strikingly talented actress who rose to the top by hiding a brutal childhood of domestic violence. She learned to mask her feelings and to read people so well that she can bend them to her will. Ah-jin is generous in public, but she's ruthless in private.

By her side for years is Yoon Jun-seo. He’s been loyal since they were young and will do anything for her. Yet, Jun-seo becomes the instrument of her ruin, too. Also woven into her life is Kim Jae-oh. He, too, has stayed close all his life. Abused by his father, Jun-seo found in Ah-jin a reason to keep living.

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Dear X consists of 12 episodes. It will air on TVING in South Korea at 6 pm every Thursday.

Edited by Shreya Jha