Dear X episodes 5-6 recap: A red-carpet mishap and first kiss pull Ah-jin closer to Heo In-gang as she leans on Jun-seo to win his heart

TVING premiered episodes 5 and 6 of Dear X on November 13th. The series follows Baek Ah-jin (Kim Yoo-jung), who endured childhood domestic abuse and learned to mask her feelings. She survives by reading people and manipulating them. Her looks later propel her to leading-star status.

Yun Jun-seo (Kim Young-dae) is her longtime confidant and the only person she trusts. That ally later becomes the catalyst for her undoing. Kim Jae-oh (Kim Do-hoon) is also tied to A-jin’s past. He shares a background of mistreatment and finds purpose in her. Ah-jin's rival is actress and former idol Im Re-na, who is attracted to Jun-seo.

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Dear X episode 5 recap

Dear X (Image via X/@tvingdotcom)

Episode 5 of Dear X starts with Baek Ah-jin and Heo In-gang arriving together on the Busan red carpet. When her gown got stuck, In-gang helped her by lending a hand, drawing headlines. At home later, In-gang ends his long-running relationship with Re Na. On set the next day, Re Na clashes with Ah-jin.

Elsewhere, In-gang asks producer Mi-ri to let him split officially. Mi-ri urges him to wait until the Hadere campaign concludes, but he still declines. When Mi-ri learns of Re Na’s on-set conduct, she confronts her and warns that a past DUI could jeopardize her career. The exchange is witnessed by the cast and crew. Mi-ri’s manager confirms to Ah-jin that Mi-ri keeps career-risk dossiers on talent.

New character Jun-seo is introduced as a book author. He and Ah-jin cross paths on the drama shoot. Meanwhile, Re Na overhears and begins maneuvering to stay close to Jun-seo. A parallel note shows Jae-oh visiting his younger brother, where a meeting is blocked by his aunt.

A scheduled office inspection prompts Ah-jin to search for the dossiers. Re Na, tipped off by Hyang-i. She intercepts Ah-jin and seizes the files first. Re Na then slaps her in front of Jun-seo. The slap later appears in Longstar Entertainment’s year-end video montage. Mi-ri later calls the footage a staged scene to handle the situation.

It is later revealed that Ah-jin anticipated the trap, arranging for Hyang-i to record the incident without alerting Re Na. At the company party, a waiter (identified as a police officer aware of Ah-jin’s background) signals intent to expose information. Re Na observes this, but Jun-seo watches her closely. The Dear X episode 5 ends with Ah-jin embracing Jun-seo and telling him she wants to learn to love Heo In-gang.

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Dear X episode 6 recap

Episode 6 of Dear X starts with Jun-seo’s mother confronting Ah-jin at his residence. But Jun-seo intervenes and escorts her home. The episode follows with a filmed embrace between Ah-jin and In-gang on set. In-gang tells Ah-jin he began his career as an idol.

He recalled that his bandmate Ji-hyeok once fell ill after eating fan-sent macarons containing nuts. Ji-hyeok’s departure led to In-gang joining the group, marking his rise to the public eye. In-gang admits he knew the sweets contained nuts, but he stayed silent. He says Ji-hyeok’s supportive messages still haunt him. But Ah-jin should not repeat the same mistake with herself.

Ah-jin receives a phone call from the cop asking her to meet at a bar frequented by dealers and revelers. The officer implies her career will collapse when her father’s killing becomes public. In-gang, invited by former bandmates, arrives at the venue. He encounters Ah-jin, objecting to her abrupt appearance there.

Jae-oh is assigned to investigate the officer. During a restaurant meet, Jae-oh diverts the cop, extracting data from his phone. He then traces the source of a claim that ties Ah-jin to her father’s death. The officer later meets reporter Lim to discuss the backstory. Jae-oh monitors the transfer and shares findings with Jun-seo. The two then vow to help Ah-jin.

That night, Jun-seo introduces Jae-oh to Ah-jin. The trio spends time together, and Ah-jin shows signs of her former cheerfulness. Jun-seo researches In-gang online, uncovering the macaron incident and In-gang's ongoing guilt. His background information shows that he lost his father in a car crash at age eight. Moreover, In-gang's mother died by suicide a year later. He and his younger brother were raised by their maternal grandmother.

Jae-oh retrieves the grandmother’s diary and gives it to Ah-jin, who learns more about In-gang's past. Ah-jin later purchases an apartment for her manager in the same building where the grandmother lives. She later visits her grandmother with a rice cake. The grandmother recalls In-gang's family rituals and invites Ah-jin to a memorial meal.

When the grandmother calls In-gang to invite him, she mentions that Ah-jin is also attending. In-gang rushes over, pulls Ah-jin out of the house, and reproaches her for overstepping. Ah-jin replies that the grandmother invited her first and that she cares for In-gang. He then grows visibly burdened by guilt.

Hwang In-youp in Dear X (Image via Instagram/@hi_high_hiy)

At a meeting arranged by In-gang's agency at Geumhwadang, In-gang encounters Ji-hyeok. Ji-hyeok confesses that he knew In-gang had suspected the macarons contained nuts. However, Ji-hyeok admits that he is getting married and wants to move on. He also reveals Ah-jin had reached out about her concerns for In-gang.

Meanwhile, Jae-oh and Jun-seo confront the cop, uncovering evidence of bribes and his daughter's use of drugs in the U.S. to pressure reporter Lim into spreading a false narrative about Ah-jin’s backstory. The cop later sends Lim a message recanting the killing report.

The grandmother apologizes to Ah-jin on behalf of In-gang. At home, In-gang watches a scene he shot with Ah-jin, then messages her an apology and asks to meet. Ah-jin asks Jae-oh to stall In-gang on the way. So, Jae-oh stages a bike accident to delay him. In-gang's car is punctured, and he runs to the pavilion, where Ah-jin waits calmly. She drapes her scarf over him, offering comfort. The Dear X scene ends with the two sharing a kiss.

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Dear X's next batch of episodes 7 and 8 is set to release on November 20!

Edited by Shreya Jha