Main Cast
Song Hye Kyo/송혜교/宋慧乔 – Moon Dong Eun/文东恩
Lee Do Hyun/이도현/李到𬀪 – Joo Yeo-jeong/周汝正
Yeom Hye Ran/염혜란/廉惠兰 – Kang Hyeon Nam/姜贤南
Lim Ji Yeon/임지연/林知衍 – Park Yeon-jin/朴妍珍
Park Sung Hoon/박성훈/朴成勋 – Jeon Jae Joon/全在俊 (宰寯）
Jung Sung Il/정성일/鄭星一 – Ha Do Yeong/河道英 (度领）
Cha Joo Young/차주영/车珠英 – Choi Hye-jeong/崔惠廷 (惠程）
Kim Hi-eora/김히어라/金赫拉 – Lee Sa-ra/李莎拉 (蓑罗）
Kim Gun-woo/김건우/金建宇 – Son Myeong-oh/孙明悟 （慏梧）
Ratings for the Show:
Acting: 9
Storyline: 9
Overall: 9
Grade: A+
*Disclaimer: Review contains spoilers. Please read only after you have completed the drama.
“When there’s no forgiveness, there’s no glory” – Dong Eun
Hailed as the revenge drama of the year, “The Glory” which recently premiered its Season 2 on 10 March, had the Netflix servers crashing and has topped the charts to become the most watched/streamed TV series globally.
Search engines and social media platforms are flooded with burning, sensational topics after the finale, from unexpected twists, villains’ endings to the highly discussed “nude” scenes.
If you are a fan of “dark theme” or anti-hero dramas like “Vincenzo” and “The Devil Judge”, you are gonna love “The Glory”.
Brutal and a little gory, the 16-episode binge has been an engaging & mind intriguing one, which challenges our sanity, moral rights & HOW we would react to what happens to us.
“The Glory’ stemmed from the story of an aspiring architect who was being severely bullied by her classmates and suffered lifelong physical, emotional and mental trauma. She then devoted 18 years of her youth to strategise a perfect revenge plot to drag her perpetrators to join her in “Hell”.
“Welcome to My Hell” is the tagline for Season 2.
Revenge is best served slow, steady and piping hot.
Watch and savour the process of seeing how the perpetrators “burn” in hell, as you hop on Dong Eun’s revenge journey.
It is an intense drama that’s infused with a compelling story line, thrilling plot about gratifying revenge, treading the grey lines and warped sense of morals and values, while peeling underlying layers and throwing the raw flesh of serious ingrained societal issues right in our faces.
There could be some attempts for redemption, but also absolute no remorse in other cases.
Possibly one of the most breathtaking KDramas we have binge-watched in recent years. The 43-min episodes were so well paced, creating unexpected twists and building suspense that keeps audience hooked.
No forgiveness, no reconciliation, no chances given, just plainly serving that platter of just desserts.
It ain’t just about seeking revenge, but also unraveling more heinous crimes and past in the process.
It’s one of the few dramas whereby every character carried the show so well, that all of them shone on their own, though some a little brighter.
From its main to supporting cast, the acting was so exemplary that we think all of them deserve an award. Even those with only a few scenes could create a huge presence or impact.
From behind-the-scenes footages, we could tell the cast had an enjoyable time filming, pitting their acting chops and also learning from one another. The atmosphere on set was lively and cohesive, which is a complete opposite of their on screen personas.
It may be 颠覆三观 for many, as you watch how elder and authority figures such as parents, teachers, police (who symbolise justice) choose to condone such acts of violence.
Watching “The Glory” could trigger some of your inert memories and make one feel uncomfortable. You may feel a strong sense of angst as you recall the bullies in your lives, but much satisfaction as you watch how Dong Eun’s perpetrators are being hunted down.
Some learned their lessons, while some never did.
Forgiveness isn’t always a given, though we should try to forge on, while embracing our scars.
Sometimes we don’t outgrow our traumas or bad experiences, we just assume these will fade as time goes by, but it gets rekindled easily with a trigger.
We would all have been victims and perpetrators at some point in life. Choosing to ignore is also a form of being a perpetrator.
While it’s a 狗血 revenge thriller on the surface, it brings to our attention and addresses societal issues such as school bullying, domestic violence, gender discrimination, disparity between the rich and poor, etc.
The fact that school, cyber and workplace bullying, physical abuse, gender discrimination, sexual harassment is so rampant in South Korea that results
in so many suicides per year, brings about global attention.
Such are so deeply entrenched in their roots as a masculine society, that one wonders if anything can be done at all to help the victims. The laws seem to be weak when it come to protecting the normal civilians, but would be more prone in protecting the rich and influential.
“The Glory” explores deeper topics like seeking revenge, poetic justice, karma, lies, betrayal, deceit, etc as well.
How cathartic and gratifying it is, as you watch the “villains” getting their just desserts.
The best part? Dong Eun led them to a road of self destruction without any blood stain on her hands.
The drama is titled “黑暗荣耀“ in Chinese, which would already hint that not all victory is open and aboard. It could be achieved in “darker” ways.
What does the popularity of such dark themed dramas tell us?
There is no hard and fast rule as to how and when karma should be delivered. Is the modern society finally coming to terms with our inner devils?
Serving jail term may be deemed as being too “lenient” for some law breakers, since it cannot reverse the damage done, thus a revenge plan that was being carved out so meticulously, seems “refreshing” to many viewers.
Our protagonist Dong Eun felt that it should be fairer with “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”.
Whatever the means deployed, as long as they achieve the ends.
Note that she didn’t “dirty” her hands much, except some blackmailing, bribing and sowing discord. She plotted the revenge meticulously, waited for her perpetrators to walk right into her trap, by antagonizing them and sowing discord.
To be fair, she gave Yeon Jin an opportunity to atone for her mistakes, but there was utterly no remorse or regret on Yeon Jin’s end.
As with many bullying cases, the victims suffer permanent physical, psychological and emotional trauma, while perpetrators merely shift their targets to others in school or workplace.It is like an addiction they can’t kick. She wasn’t the first victim, neither was she the last, because no one went to put things right.
Warning be served that “The Glory” is rated as TV-MA (TV for matured audience) as there’s a fair bit of violence, abuse, nudity, substance abuse and swear words.It’s highly advised by many viewers that, there should be a disclaimer for those who are currently undergoing similar situations to avoid the drama.
Inspired by True Bullying Stories
Screenplays written by the reknown Kim Eun Sook are bound to be great hits, which comprise of “Secret Garden”, “The Heirs”, “Descendants of the Sun”, “Goblin”, etc.
While the drama is fictional, writer Kim Eun Sook made inference to many victims’ writings and felt the importance to address school bullying, since she has a daughter in high school.
Many victims do not seek compensation but sincere apologies to regain their dignity.
Netizens were quick to match the resemblance to a similar case in 2006 named as the “Cheongju City School Girl Case”, whereby a middle school student was tortured in the same way as Moon Dong Eun was.
Despite legislations being passed to monitor bullying, it has remained the number 1 cause of death for youths since 2007.
There could be more that were inferred from real life cases. 这就是所谓的 “人生如戏，戏如人生”。
Moral of Story/Themes
– Karma goes full cycle, regardless how long it takes
Even if Dong Eun didn’t embark on her revenge plans, there would still come a day when the gang would fall out and 互撕。
– No matter how evil someone is, they may still have a tinge of humanity, when it pertains to their loved ones.
While the perpetrators are a hateful lot, most of them still have love for their family members. That cannot be said the same for Dong Euns’s mother though.
– All we need is a “validation” to feel less guilty
While Dong Eun looks stoic most of the times, she gave Yeon Jin a few chances to own up to her misdeeds and atone for them, but her showing no signs of repentance, “validates” Dong Eun to move forward with her plans.
All she needs is just a reason or excuse to validate her future actions.
– Whatever the means, as long as you achieve the end.
It’s apparent in Dong Eun’s plans, that she would deploy some unorthodox methods in order to achieve the ends. There’s no fair play when it comes to seeking redress.
– The ones who have more to lose will be fearful, while the ones with nothing more left to lose will go all out.
As can be seen between Dong Eun and her perpetrators’ attitudes when their ugly pasts have been dug out.
– Everyone deserves to be loved
Dong Eun thought she didn’t deserve love after being so torn, but she had a bunch of comrades and people who truly care for her around her.
– Never underestimate yourself
天生我才必有用。 Just because someone doesn’t see your potential, doesn’t mean you would not succeed.
We can see this in Ajumma’s case. She’s actually a fast learner and can excel in several roles, if she puts her heart into it.
The Avengers’ Alliance vs The Bullies Alliance, which is stronger?
The bullies are formidable when they torment others collectively, but they disperse like sand when it comes to protecting their self interests.
While the Avengers’ Alliance are bonded by the irreversible pain, hurt and scars that they share, the faith to punish their perpetrators push them forward in life.
They can empathize one another’s pain and they make the most excellent support team, as well as “partners in crime”.
We would remember the events or people who have huge impact on us, be it in the good or bad way.
Much as the perpetrators couldn’t recall how much hurt they have inflicted on Dong Eun, Dong Eun replayed those traumatic moments endlessly in her head.
There was this line in “Itaewon Class” about how perpetrators would have already forgotten about you and moved on with their lives, while the victims are scarred, carry a hatred and fear for life. Even if they see u right in the face, they wouldn’t remember you or what they did to you.
The people that Dong Eun lent a helping hand to, remembered her kindness even though she didn’t. Be it as a victim or someone who was saved, this changed their lives forever.
Connotations of Props to Drama Theme
The devil is in the details. From the props to their lines, its a prelude to whatever’s coming up.
“Go” Game
During the opening song, we could see black stones taking over white stones completely on the “Go Game” and filling the entire chess board with darkness.
Its significance in the drama not just portrays how Dong Eun is going to win this vengeance game against her bullies by strategising every move and inching them to a corner, but also sparked her affinity with Yeo Jeong and Do Yeong.
She mastered the game initially so she could win Do Yeong and gain his attention, but she grew fond of the game because it requires taking strategic moves to expand your territory and beat your opponents.
Silent but aggressive, just like her advances.
The black stones also refer to her conviction in being the one to “lead” and orchestrate this whole ploy.
Her revenge scheme is not foolproof though. She has no financial or influential backing. One wrong move could cost her her life.
Her every calculated move was to infiltrate into their lives, let them sense her “presence” everywhere, torment her perpetrators mentally and to create chaos in their lives.
Just like a constant reminder that they are facing their unavoidable, impending and excruciating doom.
Whatever goes round comes around. She is the karma that they have to face. There’s no way they could avoid or hide.
While it’s a “you reap what you sow concept”, it’s a little extreme for some endings.
The Devil’s Trumpet
Viewers would recall the white and yellow trumpet flowers that Dong Eun’s landlady grow on the rooftop.
Both The Devil’s Trumpet and The Angel’s Trumpet represent a “fresh start”, but are poisonous. They can bring about respiratory depressions, hallucinations and in severe cases, death.
The Devil’s Trumpet would face upwards towards the sky, which seems like arrogance to the Gods and it’s only fragrant at night. Conversely, the yellow trumpet faces down, looking and shining down on Earth.
Both are like metaphors.
Dong Eun being The Devil’s Trumpet who’s living in hell and is looking upwards, hoping for someone who could help save and release her from her agony, while her bullies (Yeon Jin and gang) live a high life and look down on the less affluent.
Serpent
The serpent can be seen as a symbol of evil power and chaos from the underworld, but it can also symbolize fertility, life, healing, and rebirth, on the other spectrum.
It appeared around Dong Eun’s head in the opening and Myeong Oh had a snake tattooed on his thigh.
It means rebirth and healing in Dong Eun’s stance, while sheer evil and chaos for Myung Oh.
A snake crawling out from a religious drawing in church was one iconic scene.
As the serpent also symbolizes a creative life force, it probably refers to Sa Ra’s creativity as an abstract artist, while it’s a 化身 of Myeong Oh in her hallucination.
Dong Eun’s Scars
Albeit the scars imply that Dong Eun’s physical, emotional and mental trauma are lifelong, they are also her badge of honour for being a survivor. That’s probably the reason why she didn’t have surgery to remove them.
From hiding her scars as best as she could for the last 18 years, to openly rolling her sleeves up in public, it showed that she had embraced them as part of her and does not mind how others look at her anymore.
Having the Devil Trumpet tattooed on her arm signifies that she is able to have a new leash of life (flower blooming) while keeping her old scars.
Myeong Oh’s Tattoes
The most obvious one would be the tattoo on Myung Oh’s neck, which already depicted his ending.
“Memento Mori” is a Latin phrase that means “Remember that you will die”, which serves as a reminder to live life to the fullest and enjoy every moment.
Myeong Oh did enjoy his moments of taunting the people around him.
He used to cover the tattoo with a bandage when he was younger. It would then appear as “Me I Mori” which means “I die” in Spanish.
If he had bothered to look up the meaning that Dong Eun was hinting him, would it have saved him? Or due to his greedy nature, it’s more of a matter of when?
Green Heels
Screenwriter Kim confirmed that there was no special connotation to the green heels, except that they found red colour to be too commonly used to project that someone has colour blindness.
Green suits Yeon Jin’s skin tone better as well.
When Jung Hoon ran over to Ye Sol at the traffic junction, the traffic light was also blinking in green.
However, the deep, luscious green somehow reminded me of a green serpent or even a green apple that the evil witch would give to Snow White.
It doesn’t always have to be a poisonous red apple, isn’t it?
Hanging Upside down
While seeing Ye Sol hanging upside down at the playground, Dong Eun asked “Is it because that when the world is upside down, people will understand you even if you can’t tell some colours apart?”
The young Ye Sol already understood how she may be discriminated by being different from others, thus she tried to hide this fact and remarked that Dong Eun’s green shoes are the same as her mother’s.
This colour blindness would serve as Dong Eun’s chip against Ye Jin when Ye Sol’s parentage was uncovered later on.
She didn’t do any physical harm to the innocent Ye Sol, though she felt sorry that she would grow up in an incomplete family.
Opening the Pandora’s Box
All of us want to be perceived in a certain way, and we only wish to show our “better and more glamourous” side to those we love.
Yeon Jin warned Do Yeong not to open the Pandora’s box, so that things would remain as perfect as they seem on the surface.
However, curiosity and Dong Eun’s careful plans eventually led the worms out of the bag.
Would you be able to handle the ugly truth if you saw what’s in that box?
Opening Song and Drama Posters
Even the opening song and posters already gave us clues of what’s to come in the upcoming episodes.
From the green heels, eye drops, lollipop, name tag, scalpel, “Go” Game to the teary eye, mouth being covered and mention of feet in the posters, they carry linkage to what’s looming.
Those on Dong Eun’s side have the white Devil’s Trumpets in the backdrop, while those on the Bullies’ gang have yellow Angel’s Trumpets in the backdrop.
Dong Eun switched positions with her bullies in the Season 2 posters. She became the one looking down at them, while they were looking up at her instead.
She became the Angel Trumpet, while they became the Devil’s Trumpets, which means she would unleash her devil and not relent towards their “punishments”.
Outfits
Outfits play an important role in highlighting the characters’ personalities.
The low profile Dong Eun’s outfits are more to the simple, classic, muted colours, while the attention seeking Yeon Jin dons flamboyant, designer outfits.
Hye Jung’s inclination towards the more sexy and revealing dresses to accentuate her body contours, while Sa Ra didn’t place much emphasis on her attire. Depending on the occasion, she may be in her proper designer clothes or casual outfits.
Yoo Jeong has similar taste as Dong Eun, Do Yeong’s always in prim and proper suit wear, shirts and ties, while Jae Joon has more assortment of colours and styles to suit his loud personality.
Ingrained Societal Issues
There are several prevalent and deeply ingrained societal problems that South Korea faces.
The various aspects that we will dive into include the following: to be socially accepted, bullying, domestic violence, gender inequality, discrimination, cancel culture, toxic families, etc.
To Be Socially Accepted
We live in a collective community, where people are “supposed” to look and behave in similar ways.
In order to be socially “accepted”, many Koreans opt for plastic surgery and they are very brand conscious.
We can see Hye Jung’s struggle up the social ladder by looking for sugar daddies or for a rich man to marry her.
Maintaining a “perfect” image, such as having the perfect job, family, etc seems to be very important to them as well.
From Dong Eun’s senior who hoped that his dad remained as a “reputable” teacher in everyone’s hearts, to Yeon Jin who wanted to show others that she had it all by having the perfect job, husband and family, to Do Yeong who hoped to have everything under the category of “perfect“, it hints at a society that has no room for flaws, mistakes and imperfections.
Nevertheless, human beings are meant to be imperfect. We are all a “work-in-progress”.
Rich and Influential Taking Law into their Own Hands
It’s all about 官官相护。 The rich and influential have all the resources and connections to run away scot free after committing crimes, while the poor and less affluent get penalised for whistle blowing.
This has caused the rich to become more brazen in their antics.
Had the bullies’ parents been stricter with them and righting them from wrong while they were younger, things wouldn’t escalate to a point of no return.
Bullying
Bullying is a deeply rooted problem in South Korea. From school bullying, bullying in army, workplace bullying, cyber bullying, bullying based on societal class, it has become so rampant, yet nothing much was done to combat such issues.
Most victims of abuse are from families of lower socioeconomic status, who have barely any power to retaliate.
They were most likely picked because their parents do not have financial power or social status to protect them from the perpetrators who could easily cover up for their wrongdoings based on connections.
Yeon Jin continued to bully her coworkers to write scripts for her, etc, while Dong Eun was bullied by her superior to complete certain tasks all by herself.
We would all have been bullied at work by seniors, superiors or even peers. It’s only the extent that’s different. Most would remain silent for their livelihood. If it becomes too unbearable, they would leave their roles.
Those at the lowest levels would continue working and be subjected to more verbal and emotional abuse, because they cannot do without a job.
Cancel Culture
It is widely known that South Korea has a Cancel Culture, that not only “cancels” public figures like celebrities and athletes who make “mistakes”, such as personal misconduct, DUI cases, drug abuse, and also allegations of past bullying, but also anyone in general.
These public figures suffered real consequences of being pulled out from all their dramas and endorsements, with no new projects or sources of income, while subject to the public’s “judgement”.
With videos of her past bullying going viral, Yeon Jin knew it would be detrimental to her weather broadcaster career and it would be arduous to salvage her image.
Domestic Violence
Since bullying is already so boisterous in schools, army and the workplace , it’s no surprise that domestic violence is rather prevalent too.
These could be people who have violent tendencies but dare not retaliate at work or in public, but choose to take it out on their family members.
Those with such violent or aggressive behaviour are usually the physically stronger ones. They release their stress, seek relief or consolation by punching, hitting their spouses, children, siblings or elderly parents.
Such toxic behaviour is addictive. There is no end to it once it starts.
Ajumma and her daughter had to put up with the abusive husband, living in torment and great fear daily. If the husband is in a bad mood, they would take it out on them, but they did not dare to retaliate for they would get it worse.
Unfortunately, domestic violence can’t be stopped completely. It’s presumably more difficult to put an end to this since most people would not seek official help to prosecute their family members.
It is deemed as unfilial if you report an abusive parent, while it is disgraceful if you make such dirty linen known to the public.
Some parents may also side with the abusers, leaving victims not much choice but to remain silent if they want to “keep” their families, or they have no shelter.
Moreover, it doesn’t mean severing all ties and you wouldn’t meet each other again. It’s not the same as changing schools or work environment.
You can’t avoid your family forever. Just like Dong Eun’s toxic mother pointed out, you can’t cut away blood ties. You can under extreme circumstances, but most wouldn’t resort to this.
Gender Inequality & Discrimination
As can been inferred from the drama, gender inequality and sexual harassment is another deep set issue.
Even though we are in the modern world now, females are often treated as of “lower” social status. Being devoid of promotion opportunities after marriage and childbirth is common, since they are assumed to be not as 100% committed to work than men.
Nothing much has been done to help those who have been sexually harassed or assaulted as well.
The victims suffer in silence while their perpetrators became 变本加厉 over time.
Kyung Ran was being sexually harassed by Myeong Oh at the boutique but she was too traumatized to spill the beans.
Dong Eun’s mum was groped by her customers when she worked at a hair salon but brushed it off like it’s a common thing, while Dong Eun was being called nasty names by her superior.
Even the Wealthy Cannot be Spared from Discrimination
Thanks to Scriptwriter Kim for reminding us that being ocstracised is not only something that the poor or underdogs get “entitled” to.
Discrimination exists in many forms, be it due to race, skin colour, gender, physical disabilities, etc. Dong Eun would invite additional stares and pinpointing, if she wears sleeveless tops on the streets.
Even the rich are not spared, because there are definitely some things in life they cannot control, for example inborn issues or genetic defects.
This is evident in Sung Joon’s colour blindness and glaucoma problems.
Colour blindness and Glaucoma
The threshold that the general public has towards people who are “different” is pretty low.
People with colour blindness couldn’t’ tell certain colours apart, and could be “ostracized” for being “abnormal”.
Even as young as Ye Sol, she knew that she had to hide her colour blindness, for her classmates may laugh at her they discover she couldn’t tell green and red apart.
Her classmate insisted that her flowers are coloured “wrongly” for they should not be transparent, while Ye Sol claimed that it is her way of depicting the colours.
It is not wrong either. Everyone has different perspectives.
Dong Eun managed to explain to them that there is not a standard colour for flowers. Even if they are transparent, they are pretty no less.
That’s the point of embracing diversity.
People often do not practise what they “preach”
It’s literally a slap in the face for many who “preach” about the respective gods they believed in the drama, yet committing all sorts of “evil” crimes.
Can you actually “cleanse” off all the evildoing and guilt, just by praying and confessing to gods, or engaging the help of shamans?
They probably believed they could be “salvaged” and still go to heaven, as long as they splurge on donations. Nothing cannot be solved without money in their eyes.
Sa Ra’s dad siphoned money from church donations, while Yeon Jin’s mother was in cahoots with the shaman in arranging sponsors and high-ranking prostitution. They are the ones who commit crimes in the name of God.
Yet, the protagonist is an atheist. Dong Eun tried to “appeal” to all gods to save her when she was being abused, but no one came to her rescue.
Perpetrator vs Victim
We would all have been victims and perpetrators at some point in life.
Choosing to disregard any form of bullying is also a form of being a perpetrator.
You may think that it’s just a harmless joke when your classmates are making fun of other peers who are bigger in size, or not as good looking during their adolescent years. However, it can be detrimental not just to their confidence but also mental health if its for a prolonged period.
Bullying exists in various forms, from making fun or throwing verbal assaults at others, making victims to run errands to the canteen, bookshop on a daily basis, copying homework for them, collecting protection money, physical abuse, etc.
Many would choose to keep quiet since it does not affect us directly and standing up for “rights” may get you into trouble as well. This happens in the workplace too.
Revenge prevails in many modes. You can choose to hide away the bullies’ books or stuff so they couldn’t find them, make them miss a step, etc, or even to large scale ones like how Dong Eun has planned them.
One thing we can do from now on, is to learn to be kind with our words and action. Do not just let things pass if we witness any bullying incident.
Please seek help from the relevant authorities or call out for help.
Toxic Families
Families and upbringing shapes everyone distinctively. Not all families are as happy and perfect as the surface is.
Since people do not like to “wash their dirty linen in public“, the subject that most would avoid is about how toxic some families can be.
While both Dong Eun and Ajumma had extremely toxic families, we can see how their personalities shape how they react to their respective dire situations.
After being bullied, Dong Eun became very restrained, quiet and careful of showing any forms of expressions or emotions, but she was brave enough to escape from her mother and lead her own life.
Conversely, Ajumma who suffers physical abuse and lives in fear daily, has a “positive” and “happy-go-lucky” soul. She would still crack jokes and laugh to her heart’s content. However, she did not have the courage to break free from her abusive husband and was resigned to her fate.
Yeon Jin may seem to have it all in life that most would be envy of, however she had to live up to her mum’s expectations.
The inculcation of wrong values and trying to cover up for her misdeeds, led her to a road of self destruction.
A Mother’s Love
A mother’s love is often depicted as noble, selfless, unconditional, supportive, warm and safe. In reality, there’s always an exception. Not all blood is family.
“Mothers would protect their children at all costs” may be a myth to some.
There is a spectrum that a mother’s love can fall on, as we can see from Dong Eun’s mum, Ajumma, Yeon Jin’s mum and Yeon Jin herself.
Having had enough from her own mum, Yeon Jin and her mum, Dong Eun proved that regardless of wealth or socioeconomic status, there are mothers who would betray their own flesh and blood, just to save their own skin.
She staged a “play” where Yeon Jin would walk right in, to witness the ugliest side of her mother’s nature, whereby someone as wealthy as her, had to bow down and chose to save her own skin instead of her daughter.
Despite what an abhorrent person Yeon Jin is, she was totally shaken by her mum’s choice, the one whom she seemed as her only hope to get her out of tricky situations and the love that she thought was unconditional.
This is what Dong Eun meant by “returning an eye for an eye”. Yeon Jin would never understand till she’s being put in the same predicament.
As she broke down eventually from this rude awakening, those eyes were overflowing with mixed emotions of shock, disbelief and resentment.
Both mothers betrayed their daughters.
Dong Eun’s mum betrayed Dong Eun, not once but twice, for the sake of money.
The first was to amend the reason for her quitting school to “inability to adjust” instead of school bullying, so that Yeon Jin and gang would not be penalised. The latter was to create havoc at the school she’s working at, so that she would get the sack.
Although she only had a few scenes, Jung Mi Hee sparked instant public every time she made an appearance and is conferred the title of the “Worst Mum in The Glory”.
The tension and hate between Dong Eun and her mum was so brilliantly portrayed, as if they are foes from past lives.
One leeching on to her daughter at all costs and making her life hell, while the other has immense hatred for her mum, yet being made helpless due to “kinship”, the desperation and despair in the inability to shake her mum off.
She was glad her mum didn’t change all these years, for we guess that she may feel a little regretful in sending her mum to a mental institution.
It’s true that her mother was her 1st perpetrator and it was highly likely that she was also abused by some of her mum’s previous boyfriends too.
Turning a blind eye to what’s happening to Dong Eun in school and running away after getting the money from Yeon Jin’s mum, leaving the helpless Dong Eun to fend for herself at a young age, with no shelter, Dong Eun’s mum deserved no sympathy.
Even after 18 years, her mental state of mind seemed to be clouded by alcoholism. A drunkard who’s barely sober and does the meanest things to her own flesh and blood.
She wrecked havoc in Dong Eun’s school, letting other parents think that she accepted bribes and almost burnt her rented apartment down. She even wanted to torment and attack Dong Eun for she knows her weakness of being scared of all things burning hot.
Both Ajumma and Dong Eun’s mum belong to the lowest social status, but it’s vastly different how they treat their daughters.
One would sacrifice and risk it all to have her daughter sent elsewhere to be far away from domestic violence and have a new leash of life, while the other would hunt her daughter down to leech on her, for she takes it for granted that blood ties cannot be cut that easily.
It’s not a given that children have to be filial too.
By sending her mum to the mental hospital, it’s to ensure that she would have proper “care” and would not be able to haunt her anymore.
Yeon Jin’s mum was never genuinely concerned about Yeon Jin. She had been clearing up Yeon Jin’s mess since young, so that it doesn’t tarnish her reputation.
Instead of correcting her actions and guiding her on the right track, she would blame Yeon Jin for being incapable of getting rid of small fry like Dong Eun.
Yeon Jin tried her best to portray a “good mother” image to Ye Sol and avoided letting see her smoke and tried to cover up her past as a bully.
While she didn’t teach Ye Sol the best values, such as telling her that being rich is more important at such a young age, one can tell she was trying to be a mother who’s more involved with her daughter’s growing up years.
Despite Ye Sol being a child, she was capable of differentiating right from wrong and what shouldn’t be done.
Character Analysis
The Permanently Scarred Moon Dong Eun
This has got to be the role that changed public’s perceptions of Song Hye Kyo’s acting and her most successful transformation & portrayal of her character since debut.
Shedding that girl-next-door or ice queen image, she transformed into Dong Eun who lived solely for seeking poetic justice against her perpetrators.
Possibly due to her childhood and upheavals in her love life, Song Hye Kyo was able to translate Dong Eun’s deep set pain and internal turmoil better.
It is no easy feat to play a character with less expressions and we got to applaud her for this great attempt, though the villains’ acting were all so laudable that they literally shone much more brightly.
“Living well is the best revenge” (Seung Joon’s quote in CLOY) is not the best solution for Dong Eun. Nothing could erase the hatred in her heart, except to let her perpetrators go through hell as well.
For someone to turn from a timid, innocent adolescence to a “devil”, it’s unimaginable the kind of trauma she has experienced.
From those fearful eyes to one that displays stoicism, yet great pain, sadness and angst at the same time, viewers knew Dong Eun has gotten stronger.
Perhaps, it’s her tenacious determination to ensure her perpetrators suffer. She didn’t do that just solely for herself, but also for fellow victims who suffered at the hands of these villains.
The 36 year-old Dong Eun no longer shows fear in front of her perpetrators who left deep and permanent scars in her life, but a confident look that she would make their lives a living hell.
It sparked fear in them this time round.
Apart from the curling iron, steam iron, being kicked around, molested, the most disturbing scene during her high school days was when she was being hit relentlessly by her teacher for standing up for herself and NO OTHER TEACHER went to stop him.
Devastation engulfed her and she no longer trusted or sought help from anyone else. Her teachers, parents and the police have all failed her.
There’s an angst that would not dismiss on its own, scars that would still itch and bleed from time to time, she gradually developed a cold-hearted and hostile world view, with endless cycles of her traumatic flashbacks and being super obsessed with her bullies.
Our hearts cringed as we watch Dong Eun still getting triggered by traumas of her past. Her Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) would act up whenever she hears sizzling sounds from iron or hotplates or see camera flashes.
While Dong Eun is the main protagonist, we may not fully agree with what she did (morally) in order to reach her goals.
Victims are scarred for life and can “never” grow up till justice gets served.
Even though Dong Eun is a grown 36 yr old woman, her mental state was still stuck at the age of 18 years old.
She was trapped in that time zone, going through endless cycles of torment.
While Dong Eun did not commit a crime directly, she has indirectly caused the mishaps of her previous bullies.
We can’t be sure if a mastermind and manipulator like this is scarier than an actual murderer.
She mentioned if there’s both good and evil, she would choose to be both.
Despite her pursuit for revenge, she tried to minimize the harm towards Yeon Jin’s husband and daughter.
While the bullies and her mum are devils in her life, heaven also sent her a knight and some guardian angels like Joo Yeong, Ajumma, her high school nurse and her ex colleague.
When one door closes, another opens.
Ajumma is like a mum that she never had, who showed her genuine warmth, care and concern, taught her to smile and open up.
Love their camaraderie whereby they are each other’s support system, giving comfort and solace as well as the encouragement to forge on, in their own ways.
She returned tenfold to her benefactors as much as she returned to her perpetrators.
Troubled Doctor Yeo Jeong
Still water runs deep.
Pain is not written on Yeo Jeong’s face, but agony was flowing through his vessels and in the air that he breathes. He’s definitely a dangerous man and has the potential to become a psychopath killer, if triggered.
Yeo Jeong’s existence felt negligible in Season 1, but we are glad he has a much bigger role to play than a mere love interest in Season 2.
He was a victim like Dong Eun, but nobody managed to detect how much torment he was going through.
Not all display their pain and grief in the same way, he was so “happy-go-lucky” and bubbly that one couldn’t tell at all.
Having witnessed the gruesome sight of his dad being murdered and his dad’s murderer constantly sending letters to harass him, causing immense mental and emotional distress, the growing resentment propelled him forward, with an aim to kill his dad’s murderer some day.
It took a mental toll on him and thus sought external help by visiting the psychiatrist and listen to the sizzling sound of Vitamin C effervescent tablets to relieve his agony. Nonetheless, his dad’s murderer kept testing his limits.
No one would be able to handle reading such letters of the murderer recounting his glorious past of how he enjoyed killing their loved ones.
He hid his pain, enacted thousand times in his mind how he could kill his dad’s murderer using the same scalpel.
Isn’t it ironic that they are doctors who use scalpels to save lives, but the murderer used the same tool to take away his father’s life?
Kindness doesn’t always beget kindness. He killed the person who saved him.
Lee Do Hyun displayed some good potential in attempting such roles. Be it bawling out loud or giving some chilly gazes at times, he executed them judiciously.
We can almost be sure, he has “killed” Do Yeong countless times in his mind, because he sees him as a formidable love rival.
Despite his personal battles and demons to fight, he was ever-ready to providing any form of support that Dong Eun requires.
Everyone in the casting are veteran 戏精s, thus Lee Do Hyun would require further honing his acting chops to be on par. Wished they had given his character a deeper story line though.
Ajumma Hyeon Nam
Yeom Hye Ran is a veteran actress and a familiar “ajumma” face in KDramas.
She nailed the role of a helpless mother who fails to protect herself and her daughter from domestic violence, but collaborated with Dong Eun to help each other in their respective vengeance quests.
The day she met Dong Eun, she saw hopes of escaping from the clutches of her abusive gambler husband. The desperation in wanting to seek a new life could be seen in her eyes.
Never drive anyone up the wall. No matter how kind they seemingly are, you never know what they may do when driven to their wits’ ends.
The sacrifices she made for her daughter touched many of us.
The complexed emotions she portrayed has so much depth that you would applaud her for her acting chops.
By assisting Dong Eun, she unleashed her potential in being able to do many things. The change from being an ignorant ajumma to an “FBI detective”, investigator and paparazzi.
The scenes between her and Dong Eun were heartwarming yet sad.
She taught Dong Eun how to smile , open up and embrace help from others, became her support system and the family she never had, while Dong Eun taught her that she is still able to dream and do what she wants in the future.
The scene whereby she was crying and laughing at the same time over her husband’s death was pulled off so remarkably.
Tears of sadness from losing her husband (perhaps just a little), but mainly tears of joy and relief that she’s finally free from all the violence forever and that the husband could never be near or harm them again.
Like a pat on her own back for surviving all these nonsense and the husband got his just desserts.
She probably didn’t want him dead initially and harboured some glimpses of hope that he would change for the better.
Even when her loyalty towards Dong Eun was being tested by Yeon Jin, she didn’t relent either.
A sense of delight when viewers get to see how Ajumma hit back at Yeon Jin. Look at that startled face.
The Bullies Gang/霸凌5人组
The chemistry between the cast is impeccable. I particularly love those from the villain gang. They are the villains you love to hate.
The foundation of their friendship is being built upon the co-dependency of doing bad deeds and gloating over others’ misfortune. They do not trust one another and are always competing against one another and gloating over each other’s misfortunes. With just a slight push from Dong Eun, it sparked internal strife which had karma in coming in full cycle.
Even the bullies in the group are being pushed around. Both Hye Jung and Myeong Oh are of lower social class, and they had to try hard to prove their “worth” to remain in this group by being their lackeys. Hye Jung is the poor kid in the bullies group and she tried to gain acceptance by joining them or flaunting her assets, body, beauty.
Yeon Jin The Queen Bully
Oh, how we love Lim Ji Yeon as the detestable Yeon Jin as the Queen bully of the villain gang, who derives sheer pleasure just by bullying people for no apparent reason.
It is definitely her most acclaimed role and it comes as a surprise that this is her 1st time playing the role of an antagonist.
Ji Yeon could finally put behind the image of what most would recollect of her in the R21 film “Obsessed” with Song Seung Heun when she first debuted.
No matter how Yeon Jin ages, she never fails to put on an angelic front, hiding her rotten core beneath.
The teenage version of Yeon Jin had an angelic face and sweet smile but with a nonchalant and devilish personality, which gives viewers a better perspective of what is an “angelic face, evil heart”.
The adult Yeon Jin is more haughty and tends to lose her calm and cool easier, for she suddenly realised she had too much to lose when Dong Eun made a grand entrance back into their lives.
The haughty facial expressions, smirks, abhorrent laughter would immediately instill an unexplainable dislike for Yeon Jin.
Channeling her bullying antics to workplace peers and subordinates, Yeon Jin still enjoys her “Queen” like treatment because of her influential family’s wealth and influence.
A leopard never changes its spots and old habits die hard.
Since her only dream is to be a virtuous wife and loving mum, Dong Eun decided to take them all away from her.
She will have no friends, husband, daughter, or mum on her side at the end of it all.
Likely that she thought Dong Eun wouldn’t pose as a threat initially, but the day she met Dong Eun at the school hall, fear and anxiety gripped her entirely, a premonition that her doom is looming.
She knew Dong Eun meant what she said after realising Dong Eun became Ye Sol’s form teacher.
She was flustered because she had too much to lose as compared to Dong Eun, who had nothing more to lose.
Usually, the one with a lot more to lose will be fearful.
Well, this is a classic case of past karma /her ghost from the past getting back at her.
The one who used to have it all, had her world crashing overnight.
No matter how she tried to hide her heinous past, the truth would eventually reveal and karma got to her ultimately.
The splendid execution in showing how her aloof attitude and confidence being crushed over time, there was terror in her eyes, which became a little trance towards the end due to all the setbacks and traumas.
The confrontational scenes with Song Hye Kyo were intense as both actresses were profoundly immersed in their roles.
We all know it’s acting, but it’s laudable how make-believe it all seemed.
From their 1st meeting at the school hall, several confrontational scenes and the showdown at the church, Dong Eun claiming that she had all the evidence to prove that Yeon Jin’s liable for all the misdeeds, those were all 2-way electrifying performances.
Yeon Jin accused her husband of infidelity, while she was the one maintaining an extramarital affair with Jae Joon for years.
Do Yeong was attracted to Dong Eun no doubt, but he didn’t do anything wrong per se too. It was a great interest level, but obviously it couldn’t go anywhere further due to Dong Eun’s revenge plan.
Is 精神出轨/ emotional cheating acceptable?
The only redemption we saw in Yeon Jin was her love for Ye Sol and how she tried to set a good example and spending more time with her.
Jeon Jae Joon The Wealthy Jerk
Jae Joon’s ranked as my top favourite villain in “The Glory”. Park Sung Hoon resembles Park Hae Jin at certain angles too.
Jae Joon’s a rich, self-entitled, narcissistic, bad-tempered playboy, a jerk and trash true and through. This scoundrel curses and swear at everyone and can get violent when things don’t go his way.
Impulsive, rash, childish and a little ignorant (pertaining to laws especially) at times, some of his scenes could get rather comical though. Dong Eun made use of these traits to lure him into hitting Ye Sol’s sadistic teacher.
Jae Joon has basically everything except that he was born colour blind, which was his major weakness when it came to how things transpired subsequently.
You can’t help but “pity” Jae Joon sometimes for he was never really loved by Yeon Jin (spare tyre who’s never good enough for her) and couldn’t reunite with his daughter. 
Yeon Jin knows better that her daughter would have a better future and more conducive environment with Do Yeong as her dad, that’s why she kept mum about Ye Sol’s actual parentage.
Jae Joon has this softer demeanour when it comes to his pet dog, Louis, and his daughter, Ye Sol.
He dotes on Louis like a splitting image of himself as they are both colour blind. I’m sure many viewers were holding their breath when Jae Joon stared at Louis with a deadly look, but heaved a sigh of relief that he merely went for hair grooming.
The way he looked at Ye Sol, ran across the road to protect her and bought all the shares that she jokingly said she wanted, we could tell he’s not made of a heart of stone.
His saving grace was when he bashed up Ye Sol’s sadistic teacher vehemently, for taking upskirt photos of the young kids.
It shows he actually still has a slight chance of redemption. All the adults could only be that gentle to their kids. They would make better parents than Dong Eun’s mum, who’s undoubtedly the worst parent in the entire series.
Viewers were left to guess even as he had no answer to whether Yeon Jin only knew she was pregnant before (but still decided to marry her husband) or after marriage.
It should be the former since she wouldn’t allow anyone to thwart her plans to marry a perfect chaebol.
Jae Joon may make a nice boyfriend to Yeon Jin since he would always give in to her, but she knew that he’s not husband material since he’s always gallivanting and wouldn’t settle down for anyone. She never felt that he’s good enough in terms of his family’s wealth anyway. It’s more of making use of him as an alibi since he’s willing to do anything for her.
The audacity of an adulterer to push the lawful husband and dad to his limits.
Notably irksome when he tried to provoke Do Yeong, hence he deserved that good bash up.
As for his feelings towards Hye Jung, we knew he was “making” use of her to fight for Ye Sol’s custody, but thought that he would keep her as a companion.
Who knows he abandoned her so heartlessly when she outlived her use?
What a perfect match for Yeon Jin, since birds of a feather flock together.
Choi Hye Jung The Materialistic Air Stewardess
Hye Jung is quite a lovable (yet pitiable) character even though she belonged to the bullies’ gang.
Cha Joo Young’s portrayal of this materialistic, slightly ignorant and sarcastic air stewardess who aims for a high life, yet having a crush on Jae Joon for almost 2 decades, proves to be a more likable “villain”.
Her big, pretty eyes, good figure and cute antics make it hard for viewers to genuinely detest her. Hye Jung’s just plain annoying, as compared to being as evil as some of her counterparts.
She may be more materialistic and is known for being sarcastic and exaggerated, but she’s not the meanest of them all, and doesn’t resort to physical violence.
In fact, she’s one with an inferior complex and being pushed around within her own group.
We could distinctly recollect the rooftop scene whereby she was shamed and humiliated for wearing her customer’s dry clean clothes, which happened to be a bait that Sa Ra threw out to her. She was infuriated and began tearing but still posted on social media, acting like she was well loved by her rich and famous friends for gifting her a branded dress.
It was a quick switch of emotions, but it felt like the agony of being a “clown” in the group.
She was also being snugged for being “ignorant” when she was unsure about the taxes involved in buying drawings, and frequently being the “errands girl” since school days.
She had been reminded time and again of her humble roots and that she was just a plaything to them.
Knowing that her only way of survival is to climb her way up the social ladder, so as to be on better standing with her peers, she utilised her biggest and only asset/weapon – beauty and body, to achieve her aims.
She did not administer physical violence on Dong Eun, but it made her a perpetrator too by not stopping them and gloating at her misfortune.
She was the only one who ate humble pie and apologized to Dong Eun, since she was more worried about not being married to a rich guy.
It has been reinforced several times that Hye Jung would have become the next victim instead of Dong Eun, if she did not stand with the bullies.
As the saying goes, if you can’t beat them, join them.
Isn’t it common in society and the workplace too? There are people who know about unfair treatment going on but they decided to keep mum, for fear of their rice bowl, safety and benefits.
For once, when Hye Jung thought she had the upper hand with the “recordings” and could give her peers a taste of their own medicine and “insult” them in the ways they did to her, things backfired because she hit their threshold.
Much controversy has been going on about Cha Joo Young’s “nude” scenes, but the actress has confirmed that those were more of computer graphics effects.
There isn’t a need to showcase the “nude” scenes though. Showing the back or top of her shoulders would suffice, just like for usual PG13 dramas.
Viewers were delighted that Hye Jung could lift her head up high once in front of her love rival, Yeon Jin. We could understand why the dramatic Hye Jung took off her shirt and threw it right in Yeon Jin’s face.
Was kinda taken aback by the scene whereby she was stabbed in the neck by Sa Ra, for it really meant they never viewed her as a human being, let alone friend.
The hospital scenes whereby she was in despair after losing her voice and getting abandoned by Jae Joon were impressionable too.
The few-minute scenes whereby she turned her furor, despondence and love-turn-hatred which resulted her in taking revenge on Jae Joon eventually, showed her potential in nailing more prominent roles in future.
Was hoping that Jae Joon would finally accept her sincerely, but him being a jerk as per always, did that for other motives. To abandon her at her worst, was really horrible.
It is unknown if she would recover some day, but she is someone who has the ability to survive any ordeal and thrive in any given circumstance.
Lee Sa Ra The Artist with a Drug Addiction
Lee Sa Ra, the drug addict and artist in the group, is the villain with the “lightest” punishment.
Sa Ra has been a long-time drug addict since her teenage years, and became a well-known abstract artist who could hold exhibitions, partly thanks to her family’s connections.
Living under the care of her rich parents, whose dad is also a pastor, it’s absurd how she lives her life this way.
Even her mum suggested to have her doctor help her inject substance in the future instead, which certainly upturned our take on moral values.
Kim Hieora’s portrayal of Lee Sa Ra as a drug addict is just so apt. Those eyes that glitter at the sight of drugs, while remain dazed, locked away in a world of her own during normal times.
The gaze and behaviour when she was having withdrawal symptoms from not having her usual drug consumption, shaking uncontrollably, being jittery, anxious, impatient, slowly going bersek and violent, the agony was so well enacted.
Dark circles, sunken cheeks, being very skinny, sluggish and feeling lethargic are common trait of drug addicts. How much effort Kim Hieora must have put in to maintain that unhealthy physical state.
Her most iconic scene would be the one in the church, with the snake crawling out of the painting.
Definitely a much discussed scene, which shocked many viewers for it’s such a wild and daring scene, that some may deem it as being rude to God.
Perhaps, that’s exactly what the director wishes to portray. Imagine the 违和感 of masturbating under drug influence, in the presence of of a religious painting in the most holy place – church.
That contradictory, yet shocking and impactful mind blow.
While we know that drug addicts can turn violent without their regular intake and we see how she was struggling, none of her friends or parents were really worried about her.
They would have sent her for rehabilitation long ago, if they wanted to.
Over pampering and indulgence as an only child, led her to her final destruction.
She was sober when she stabbed Hye Jung, but that was when she got very agitated for Hye Jung circulated her unglam video in their group chat.
A little shocked with her reaction though, but perhaps she doesn’t like the idea of someone as “lowly” as Hye Jung to have a hold over her.
Myeong Oh The Scumbag
Myeong Oh is another scumbag, who uses his brawn more than his brains, wreaking havoc and chaos wherever he goes.
Kim Gun Woo is a villain face that viewers can recall spotting in other KDramas, such as “Fight for My Way” and “Record of Youth”. However, he is no way like his onscreen persona in reality.
Fun Fact: Kim Gun Woo is the maknae of the villain group and is often assigned to run errands for the cast’s gatherings.
Uncouth, loud, rowdy and 不正经，Myeong Oh is a typical thug / jerk, who dreams of becoming a millionaire through unorthodox means.
Just like Hye Jung, he belongs to the bottom of the socioeconomic pyramid.
Myeong Oh worked for his rich and privilege friends, being Jae Joon’s driver and errands boy, and drugs dealer for Sa Ra. He would do anything for money, including threatening and blackmailing, hitting people up.
He was pretty intelligent since he could take the university exams on Jae Joon’s behalf as a high school graduate.
Had he used his brains on better areas, he would have made it in life too instead of being a lackey and lowly thug.
His friends didn’t bother to look for him even after he went missing, all for their own interests, since they were afraid their dirty secrets would be exposed.
What kind of friends are these people in reality?
Just friends for benefits.
Ha Do Yeong – The “Perfect” Husband
On a different scale as compared to Yeo Jeong’s 痴情小奶狗 cum loving sunbaenim image or the 放浪不羁 bad boy vibes of Jae Joon, Jung Sung Il’s portrayal of Ha Do Yeong is oozing with an air of nobility (贵族气息 ), mature demeanour and intellectual charisma.
It’s true that men age like fine wine.
Ha Do Yeong is a “perfect” chaebol. From wealth, a successful career, looks, physique, happy family, he has it all. At least, that’s what it seems on the surface.
Always poised, prim and proper, and has an answer to almost everything, but he can turn nasty without battling an eyelid when he wishes to.
Up-keeping a “perfect” image is of paramount importance. He doesn’t like himself or the people around him to be at the centre of gossips. He dislikes negative comments or people gossiping about Yeon Jin’s results in school, or to have his wife being put at a disadvantage at work.
If a problem can be solved with money, then it is not a problem.
He doesn’t mind splurging money to place more ads on Yeon Jin’s broadcasting slots, so that she would not be “humiliated” by younger and more popular weather broadcasters.
Hye Jung once described Ha Do Yeon as a “nice” jerk who doesn’t show it outwardly, as compared to Jae Joon whose appearance and mannerisms already said it all.
Do Yeong is accustomed to ordering people around and putting others down since he’s entitled to a luxurious life, but he meant no intentional “harm”.
Other than Ye Sol, he’s the other innocent one who has his world turned upside down overnight due to Dong Eun’s revenge plans.
He didn’t like saying he doesn’t know, but he didn’t have an answer when Dong Eun asked what would he do after knowing about Yeon Jin’s past? However, he also had feelings for Dong Eun. It’s probably love for Yeon Jin, but a “like” and getting to know stage for Dong Eun.
Partly due to true love and the desire to maintain a “perfect” marriage, he wanted to embrace his wife’s flaws and forgive her, before it reached breaking point.
His love for Ye Sol was so great that he would do anything for his daughter.
There’s some form of “affinity” and attraction between Dong Eun and Do Yeong.
It could be mutual “intellectual” attraction between them. His interest in the “Go” game and this mysterious woman who’s above him in the game, was probably the reason for curiosity turned attraction.
While he loves sexy, pretty and outgoing ladies (who’s almost perfect on the outfront) like Yeon Jin, he’s also intrigued by Dong Eun’s 智性美.
Dong Eun and Do Yeong are basically linked by their interests for the “Go” Game and career aspirations.
The 2 would hit it off had they met under different circumstances in a parallel universe.
If Dong Eun did not give up her aspirations, she may have become an outstanding architect under his construction company.
They may have ended up together or she could make use of that to wreck Yeon Jin’s marriage.
Love Lines
“The Glory” may have a revenge plot, but it is also pretty much about loving ourselves and the people around us.
Are the supposedly love lines denoted as TRUE LOVE? It seems to be complicated in how we define Love, or categorise it in this drama.
Dong Eun & Yoo Jeong
Dong Eun and Yoo Jeong’s love stemmed from her getting close to him on purpose, so as to learn the “Go” game, though he has been openly having a crush on her.
From keeping a distance to slowly opening her heart up to this senior who did not have a change of heart after 8 years, and would go all out to be the headsman in her revenge plan, they eventually got together.
Did it start from sympathy or a form of telepathy whereby Yoo Jeong could sense that she was in the same kind of state that he was in?
Both are diverse in terms of family background and how they grew up, but united by the irreversible pain and common “goal”.
The loveline between Lee Do Hyun and Song Hye Kyo is the weakest link, for it wasn’t that convincing that he would risk it all for his crush. There wasn’t much time dedicated to the character build up.
The age gap made it seem less plausible, but “The Glory” isn’t a rom com, so we can try to overlook the somewhat “awkward” chemistry.
It wasn’t love at first sight for Dong Eun, but more of being moved and then fell for this caring guy in the process. Always putting her needs before him, he even built up a tent, to give her a homely feel.
The home that she never had.
They could connect in terms of the immeasurable pain inflicted on them, find solace in supporting in each other, and only they know what’s the best way to love and comfort each other.
Dong Eun is mostly on the receiving end. She only began to want to know more about Yoo Jeong, after she was nearing the end of her revenge.
However, it felt like she didn’t love him as much, since she made another decision initially, till Yoo Jeong’s mum pleaded with her.
Yeo Jeong patiently waited for her till she was ready too. In turn, she reciprocated by being his headsman.
Love Triangle
We could see some form of an entangled love triangle in the bullies gang between Yeon Jin, Jae Joon, Hye Jung.
Was it love between Yeon Jin & Jae Joon?
It should be the case for Jae Joon. He’s always by her side and helping her out whenever she needs, while she thought she loved him (but not enough to get married), until things turned very ugly at the end.
When it’s time to each their own and to fight for the kid’s custody, things changed. Nonetheless, his way of loving her is allowing her to be wilful and disregarding all her evil deeds.
Yeon Jin then realised from Jae Joon’s analogy that it’s love if you can embrace all of the other party’s flaws and would still want to be with the person no matter what happens.
She didn’t wish Do Yeong to know about her heinous past and and attempted to hide it, so that the worst side of her doesn’t prevail. That’s her realisation of love for her husband.
Wanting the best of both worlds, she maintained her affair with Jae Joon, despite having such a perfect and devoted husband and a doting daughter.
Do Yeong seems like her only prized trophy and glory ,which she could be proud of.
In spite of all the chances Do Yeon gave her, she wasn’t conscience stricken at all, except being afraid that she will lose her job and family.
She didn’t deserve any of these men.
Quotes
Please refer to the following link for the 40 Dystopian Quotes of “The Glory””
https://www.livevizlife.com/the-glory-quotes/
Does the ending suggest a potential Season 3, and that there’s no end to revenge?
While it’s human to feel resentment and anger when we meet unjust treatment, deep-seated antagonism is unhealthy in the long term.
We hope that many who are suffering in silence, would be able to seek the assistance and protection they need from relevant authorities, justice from the law and a safe place to reside in.
May they set themselves free with help from those around them and have a new leash of life, away from their scarred past.
Please always be more mindful to be kinder with our words and actions.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Also, please pay more attention to those around you who may be suffering in silence.
We thank the director, screenwriter, cast and backend crew for such a wonderful drama, that sets to allow us to reflect upon our actions, come to terms with our inner demons and embrace our scars.
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