‘The Glory’: Why Song Hye-kyo Was Stunned the K-Drama’s Dark Storyline Was Written by Kim Eun-Sook

The last K-drama to premiere from Netflix promises a worthwhile storyline of dark revenge and retribution. Netflix’s The Glory stars a riveting cast of actors led by Song Hye-kyo in the leading role of Moon Dong-eun. Sweet Home actor Lee Do-hyun co-stars as a plastic surgeon who helped Dong-eun on her quest for revenge. Writer Kim Eun-sook wrote The Glory about the emotional toll of severe bullying into adulthood, but Song was stunned by Kim’s storyline for a reason.

Dong-eun’s spends over a decade planning her revenge in ‘The Glory’

Revenge stories are a popular theme in K-dramas. Over recent years, K-dramas have not shied away from portraying heavy storylines about the immense emotional and physical impact of bullying among teens. The bullying thread is seen in various genres, from romances like True Beauty, Weak Hero Class 1, and the Korean anime Lookism.

The Glory will take bullying and revenge to new extremes with a storyline that will likely haunt fans in a good way. Dong-eun had grand ambitions for her life as a teenager. But she becomes the victim of a group of bullies from a higher class society. Their extreme bullying changed her life and forced her to give up her ambitions as an architect.

Years later, she still carried the scars of her trauma. She finally enacts her revenge plan when she becomes the homeroom teacher of her main bully’s child. It just so happens that the group of bullies are still close into adulthood. Some are even married.

During the press conference with the cast of The Glory, according to Soompi, Song explained, “Moon Dong Eun is a woman with a broken soul who has a lot of hurt and wounds from childhood school violence. 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.”

‘The Glory’ star Song Hye-kyo could not believe Kim Eun-sook wrote such a haunting K-drama

Alongside the K-drama’s grim narrative, it was reported The Glory would have a 19+ rating due to its extreme violence, private revenge, and sex scene. Song was baffled that Kim wrote such a storyline. At the press conference, she explained, “It was a shock when I first read the script. I read while deeply immersed and thinking, ‘What on earth is this?’ At the same time as I thought ‘As expected of writer Kim Eun Sook,’ it was also so new and refreshing to the point where I wondered, ‘Is this really a script written by [Kim Eun Sook]?”

In an Inside Look by Netflix for The Glory, Song further explains, “I was really surprised when I first read the script. ‘Did she really write this genre in this way?’ I think the aftermath of the shock lasted for a while. I thought, ‘Wow! It’s not the writer we knew.”

There is a reason why Song was surprised more than anyone by Kim’s script. Song and Kim had previously worked together in the hit military romance Descendants of the Sun. The 2016 drama entailed a medical doctor and special ops soldier who part ways but remeet under new circumstances in the army. Descendants of the Sun is well known for its romance story, lighthearted comical moments, and heartbreaking ones.

Compared to Descendants of the Sun, The Glory is a striking change from what Song and fans are used to from writer Kim.

Kim Eun-sook also is responsible for K-drama classics ‘The Heir,’ ‘Mr. Sunshine,’ and more

Besides Descendants of the Sun, writer Kim has created some of K-drama’s most recognized storylines that fans cherish. In 2010, she wrote Secret Garden starring Ha Ji-won and Hyun Bin. Three years later, Kim wrote one the fan-favorite K-dramas, The Heirs. The drama is considered a teen romance classic and a must-watch for new fans.

AfterDescendants of the Sun, Kim write the fantasy romance classic Guardian: The Lonely and Great God. Starring Kim Go-eun and Gong Yoo, the storyline was praised for its growing romance between fated characters. Kim wrote Mr. Sunshine and The King: Eternal Monarch in the following years. So far, all of Km’s work has had lighthearted romantic storylines, star-crossed love, and comedic breaks. The Glory is a drastic and welcome change.

“I have always tried to experiment with different types and variations of drama. This story of revenge was also part of that challenge. And school violence is a topic that is frequently talked about,” explained Kim. Fans can look forward to two riveting installments of The Glory.