Overview of The Glory: Part 1

Profile

• Drama: The Glory – Part 1
• Genre: Thriller
• Director: Ahn Gil-ho
• Writer: Kim Eun-sook
• Network: Netflix
• Episodes: 8
• Release Date: December 30, 2022
• Language: Korean
• Country: South Korea

Cast

• Song Hye-kyo as Moon Dong-eun
• Lee Do-hyun as Joo Yeo-jeong
• Lim Ji-yeon as Park Yeon-jin
• Yeom Hye-ran as Kang Hyeon-nam
• Park Sung-hoon as Jeon Jae-joon

• Jung Ji-so as young Moon Dong-eun
• Shin Ye-eun as young Park Yeon-jin
• Song Byeong-geun as young Jeon Jae-joon
• Jung Sung-il as Ha Do-yeong
• Cha Joo-young as Choi Hye-jeong
• Kim Hi-eora as Lee Sa-ra
• Bae Kang-hee as young Lee Sa-ra
• Kim Gun-woo as Son Myeong-oh
• Seo Woo-hyuk young Son Myeong-oh
• Ahn So-yo as Kim Kyung-ran

Synopsis

Moon Dong-eun’s (Song Hye-kyo) teenage years were supposed to be filled with laughter, happiness, and fond memories. However, instead of cherishing these moments, she spent most of her time cowering in fear of the group of five wealthy students who made it their mission to make her life a living hell.

Jeon Jae-jun (Park Sung-hoon), Lee Sa-ra (Bae Kang-hee), Choi Hye-jeong (Cha Joo-young), and Son Myeong-oh (Seo Woo-hyuk) were the bullies, following the lead bully, Park Yeon-jin (Lim Ji-yeon). Their relentless torture was excruciatingly painful for Dong-eun, both physically and mentally. They went to extreme lengths to make sure she was the outcast of the school.

They would beat her, verbally abuse her, and even burn her body with a hair straightener. The bullies were ruthless and uncaring about the damage they caused. Dong-eun’s plead for help went unheard, as the community seemed to only protect the wealthy students. Even when she reported the abuse to the police and her teachers, nothing was done to stop them.

Dong-eun was left with permanent scarring from the brutal attacks, and her mental health deteriorated rapidly. She contemplated suicide numerous times, feeling as if there was no way out of the torment she faced. However, she eventually found a new resolve within herself, dedicating her life to getting revenge on those who had made her life a living hell.

She wanted to drop out of school and file school violence as the official reason for her decision. She knew this would impact the reputations of the boys and teachers involved. Yeon-jin’s parents managed to bribe Dong-eun’s mother, who then submitted a personal reason for the dropout, leaving Dong-eun with no family support and a history of violence.

Nevertheless, with a new sense of purpose, Dong-eun planned her revenge, knowing that the bullies would not get away with their cruel behaviour. She was determined to make them pay for what they had done and take back control of her life.

For years, Moon Dong-eun poured all her effort into studying and saving money. Her ultimate goal was to become a school teacher and, more specifically, to become the primary teacher of Park Yeon-jin’s daughter, Ye-sol as the plan of her revenge. In order to achieve this, she dug up dirt on the school chairman and used it as leverage to secure the teaching position.

Along the way, she also formed an alliance with Yeon-jin’s maidservant, Kang Hyeon-nam (Yeom Hye-ran), with the goal of her having her husband killed. Additionally, Dong-eun learned to play the game ‘Go’ to become close to Yeo-jin’s husband with the help of Joo Yeo-jeong (Lee Do-hyun), a medical student who fell in love with her. She also found out the truth that Ye-sol, Yeon-jin’s daughter is an illegal child she had with Jeo-jun. All of these preparations were made with the ultimate aim of becoming a constant source of fear for Yeon-Jin. In between, she also made plans targetting other bullies by using their weaknesses.

Dong-eun also establishes a risky alliance with Son Myeong-oh, leveraging his dissatisfaction with his position in life. Dong-eun reveals to him that Yoon So-hee, a previous victim of their bullying, did not die by suicide, but was in fact murdered by Yeon-jin. Dong-eun coerces Sa-ra into giving her a bag of money by threatening to reveal her illegal drug consumption. She also blackmails Hye-jeong by using details and photographs of her past relationships, when she was about to marry a wealthy man.

Ending Explained

At the end of the season, a sequence of events unfolds. Myeong-oh goes missing and it is assumed that Yoon tried to threaten Yeon-jin with information about So-hee’s murder in order to get money. Yeon-Jin is suspected of murdering him in response. Dong-eun coerces Hye-jeong to report Myeong-oh’s disappearance, which terrifies Sa-ra of potential police questioning regarding her drug dealings. As a result, Sa-ra assaults Hye-jeong.

Dong-eun meets with Yeon-jin’s husband, Do-yeong, to disclose the truth about Yeon-jin’s past activities. Jae-jun comes to the realization that Ye-sol is his biological child, and Do-yeong also begins to suspect this fact.

Interesting Facts about The Glory: Part 1

1. Just two days after its release, ‘The Glory’ became the ninth-ranked TV show globally on Netflix, and by its third day, it had climbed to fifth place among the platform’s most-watched shows worldwide.
2. With 25.41 million hours viewed, the series premiered at number three on Netflix’s Weekly Global Top 10 for non-English TV shows from December 26 to January 1, and then topped the list the following week, January 2-8, with 82.48 million viewing hours.
3. In ‘Forbes magazine’, Joan MacDonald praised Song Hye-kyo and Jung Ji-so for their performance in ‘The Glory’.
4. In his review of ‘The Indian Express’, Lakshana N. Palat appreciated the series’ cinematography, music, and performance by Song Hye-kyo.
5. The series received a 4 out of 5 rating from Pierce Conran of the ‘South China Morning Post’, who praised its plot.
6. ‘The Glory: Part 2′ was released on 10 March 2023, on Netflix.

FAQs

1. When will part 2 of ‘The Glory’ be released?
   ‘The Glory’s Part 2 was released on March 10, 2023, on Netflix.
2. Who are the writer and director of ‘The Glory’?
   The drama is written by Kim Eun-sook and directed by Ahn Gil-ho.
3. What is the genre of ‘The Glory’?
   It is a thriller.
4. What is the Instagram ID of Song Hye-kyo and Lee Do-hyun?

   kyo1122 – Song Hye-kyo and ldh_sky – Lee Do-hyun.