Celebrated Korean actress Song Hye-Kyo stars in The Glory, a drama about a woman taking revenge on those who savagely bullied her years ago.
It’s safe to say that at one point or another in our lives we’ve all had that feeling of needing to get revenge on someone who has wronged us. There is definitely a tipping point inside all of us when it comes to letting others get away with wicked behavior. Even though the environment doesn’t matter, an outwardly aggressive personality is commonly found in high schools where the youth has no parental supervision. The victims of bullies are afraid to stand up for themselves because of the retaliation that would come from all sides.
A new South Korean drama on Netflix called The Glory takes this epidemic one step further and controversially puts the power back in the hands of the wronged. Following a scorned woman named Moon Dong Eun from the past twenty years up until the present day, the audience witnesses how badly she was severely abused throughout her high school career by five other students.
Stalking Her Bullies In Hopes of Revenge
While these scenes can be triggering for those who have gone through similar experiences, these scarring moments help bring to light the epidemic currently happening not only in that country but throughout the world. Specifically focused on one individual, what The Glory does is show a woman named Moon Dong Eun (Song Hye-Kyo) who is so traumatically engulfed by these events that she dedicates her entire adult life to following these people’s steps. Finding out where they live, what they do for a living, and who they marry is her primary focus. She even strategically places herself as an elementary school teacher in the same classroom as the main bully’s small daughter to intimidate her main tormentor.
The drama does not steer away from the psychological and mental effects placed on Moon Dong Eun either. Even though her plans seem to be well-thought-out and coming together just the way she wants them to, the woman comes down with ailing medical symptoms when present-day triggers force her to slow down and take care of herself first and foremost. Even though she is justly determined to never steer off the path of cold-hearted vengeance, at the same time, she must tend to her own wounds such as the scars that cover her entire body and the anemia affecting her immune system.
The Cast Makes This Show A Must-See
Perfectly balancing a character that the audience cheers for but also holds slight intimidation against, the South Korean actress Song Hye-kyo brings a twisted confidence to the troubled Moon Dong Eun. Similar to Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler, she shows a person that becomes attractive to others only through their darkest intentions.
As such is the case, the characters of Joo Yeo-Jeong and Kang Hyeon-Nam played by Lee Do-Hyun and Yum Hye-Ran respectively, both end up in Moon Dong Eun’s social circle for different reasons. The former is entranced by Moon Dong Eun’s mysteriousness and tries making romantic advances while the latter finds a friend who continuously validates her for what she brings to the table in terms of detective work. The actor and actress both bring a performing repertoire that makes these characters truly memorable. Lee Do-Hyun might be familiar to some as he starred in Netflix’s Sweet Home. Yum Hye-ran has won numerous accolades in her career including Best Supporting Actress and Best Couple Award.
You would not feel for Moon Dong Eun’s plight if it wasn’t for the actors and actresses that brought the evil-hearted antagonists to life. While watching The Glory and seeing these numerous bullies act out their sadistic fantasies on a helpless girl who only wants to further her education, their dedication to these merciless high schoolers drive the audience to root for Moon’s plan to work, no matter how shocking.
The main perpetrator is Park Yeon-Jin, played by Lim Ji-Yeon who has a part in Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area. Ending up in a marriage with a successful construction mogul and operating as a weather forecaster herself, Park Yeon-Jin tries but slowly fails in hiding her overwhelming anxiety when it comes to Moon showing up in her life once more. The actress’s ability to rapidly change emotional tone makes her great for this ever-shrinking character on The Glory.
Flanking Park Yeon-Jin and joining in on the high school brutality that happened many years prior, Jeon Jae-Jun, Lee Sa-Ra, Choi Hye-Jeong and Son Myeong-O all have lavish lifestyles that crumble effortlessly with Moon Dong Eun’s subtle strikes into their social lives. Even though they are all still friends and interact with each other, they snap at a moment’s notice, almost ready to literally kill each other. Even though this is Park Sung-Hoon, Kim Hieora, Cha Joo-Young, and Kim Gun-Woo’s first starring role on a Netflix production, they easily step up to the challenge and encapsulate a group of people whose once fortunate lives are now utterly ruptured in a way they never expected. They not only bring a distinct personality to the cliché rich kid group but also offer up distinct but haunting individual weaknesses for their sole nemesis to use against them.
The first part of The Glory ended on a tremendous cliffhanger that leaves the door wide open for a more revealing take on Moon Dong Eun’s plan for her past ghosts. This will be exciting for fans of the Korean drama when it returns for a second outing on the streaming platform beginning in March 2023. Revenge never felt so redeeming.
