‘The Glory’: How Writer Kim Eun-sook Explored the K-drama’s Painful Bullying Storyline Thanks to Her Daughter
Netflix’s dark K-drama The Glory takes fans into a heartbreaking revenge storyline as the female lead experienced extreme bullying as a teen and finally gets her revenge 16 years later. When it comes to the inspiration behind the painful 19+ story of The Glory, writer Kim Eun-sook’s daughter gave her the spark after posing a deeply rooted and emotional question.
‘The Glory’ K-drama has Moon Dong-eun face the bullies that changed her life
Dong-eun’s story begins during her high school years. In the K-drama’s trailers, fans watch a young Dong-eun being held down by her bullies and in extreme duress. The mere sight of the scene causes stomachs to turn and a chill down the spine. The storyline explains Dong-eun once dreamed of being an architect. But due to the harassment and bullying she endured, her life changed.
Sixteen years later, Dong-eun is hired at a prestigious school as a homeroom teacher. Her new job begins her grand revenge plan that she has been preparing for over a decade. It just so happens that one of her students is the child of Park Yeon-jin (Im Ji-yeon). She was the leader of the group of bullies that tormented Dong-eun.
Dong-eun promises absolute revenge at all costs with a plan catered to each one of her bullies. Included in her journey is Kang Hyun-nam (Yeom Hye-ram), a mother abused by her husband and looking for a way out with her daughter. Dong-eun also meets plastic surgeon Joo Yeo-jung (Lee Do-hyun). He has been interested in Dong-eun for years and joins her revenge plan.
The Glory promises a dark storyline that reaches into the heart’s dark corners. As her daughter started high school, writer Kim developed the storyline when she was asked a question that shook her to the core.
Writer Kim Eun-sook wrote ‘The Glory’ storyline after exploring the moral impact of extreme violence
Beyond romance and comedy, K-dramas have developed riveting and profound stories of violence and bullying. The Glory will take it a step further, especially after learning how and why writer Kim developed the storyline. It all began thanks to her teenage daughter.
“I’m a parent with a daughter going into 11th grade the day after tomorrow. School violence is a topic that hits close to home for me,” explained Kim, according to Soompi. But what sparked the idea for the morally challenging storyline was what her daughter asked her one day.
Her daughter asked, “Would you be more hurt if I beat someone to death, or was beaten to death?” The question had Kim’s gears turning, and she soon had multiple ideas. Besides the storyline for the K-drama, writer Kim looked at bullying cases when deciding on the title The Glory. She soon realized many victims of bullying ask for an apology instead of physical retribution.
“In this tough world, I wondered what there was to gain from a sincere apology. [I realized] It’s not [about] gaining something, but rather getting it back. In the moment of violence, you lose things you cannot see, such as dignity, honor, and glory,” explained Kim. “I thought that you had to get that apology to return to one’s starting point so I made the title The Glory. It’s my encouragement to victims like Dong Eun, Hyun Nam [Yeom Hye Ran], and Yeo Jung.”
‘The Glory’ joins a long list of K-dramas that highlight school violence
School violence has been a long-running issue in South Korea. Over the past few years, there has been a bigger spotlight on the country’s bullying issue and the extreme violence that its youth has experienced. According to an article from The Korea Times, in 2018, school bullying experienced a 25.4% increase.
Korean movies and K-dramas have used their platforms to portray the brutal physical and emotional reality. Besides The Glory, K-dramas like Weak Hero Class 1 display the effects of the endless cycle of bullying, its violence, and its disastrous outcomes. Revenge of Others combines the manipulation of school bullying and murder. One of the storylines in the K-drama has a wealthy bully return to school despite being accused of sexually assaulting another female student. The justice system had failed the victim.
Bullying is seen in even the most popular dramas. True Beauty begins with the female lead being bullied for her appearance to the degree that she considers ending her life.
The Glory’s leading character experiences the same. Actor Song explains, “She’s a character who isn’t protected by anyone, including her school, her parents, or the police. She chooses death but then wonders, ‘Why do only I have to die?’ From that moment on, she plans desperate revenge out of the thought that those who tormented her must be punished too.”
