Why ‘The Glory’ Actor Bae Gang-hee Looks so Familiar to ‘Alchemy of Souls’ Fans
Netflix’s newest hit K-drama, The Glory, stars a coveted list of well-known South Korean actors like Song Hye-kyo and Lee Do-hyun. The revenge K-drama uses flashbacks to the female lead’s high school years of torment and bullying. While Jung Ji-so, Shin Ye-eun, and Song Byung-geun are among some of the actors who represent the teen version of the main characters, one actor looks familiar for a special reason. The Glory actor Bae Gang-hee played a small yet significant role in Alchemy of Souls.
Who did Bae Gang-hee play in ‘The Glory’?
Moon Dong-eun’s (Song) tragic story began in 2004 when she became the victim of a group of wealthy high school students. She is brutally bullied and tortured by them to the point she drops out of high school. Leading the group of bullies is a teen named Park Yeon-jin, played by Revenge of Others star Shin Ye-eun. The Glory actor Bae Gang-hee played the role of one of the main bullies Lee Sa-ra.
Like her friends, she comes from an affluent family and never sees the repercussion of her actions. In the drama, Dong-eun calls the police on the group of bullies, but none of them get into trouble due to their connections. Like Yeon-jin, Sa-ra has no moral compass for the inhuman actions they inflict on Dong-eun.
Actor Kim Hieora played the adult version of the character in the dark bullying K-drama. But fans have fallen for Bae’s portrayal of the careless Sa-ra in The Glory. But before The Glory, Alchemy of Souls fans will need to go back to the start of the K-drama to remember where they have seen Bae Gang-hee before.
Bae Gang-hee played Jang Uk’s mother in ‘Alchemy of Souls’
According to Asian Wiki, The Glory cast member Bae Gang-hee played another role in another equally famous Netflix K-drama. Bae played the role of Do-hwa in Alchemy of Souls. Is the character ringing any bells? Bae only appeared as the character in the fantasy K-drama’s first episode.
Do-hwa was Jang Uk’s mother in Alchemy of Souls. When the king summons Jang Gang, the king asks him to use the Alchemy of Souls to switch bodies for a short period of time. Unable to oppose his king, Jang Gang agrees. After performing it successfully, fans see the king as Jang Gang visits Do-hwa. Do-hwa is also Jang Gang’s wife. He uses his new body to have intercourse with Do-hwa to produce a male heir before his death.
Jang Gang awakens in the king’s body to see a note from the king. The king reveals he has courted Do-hwa, and the son born from their actions will be his. The events lead Jang Uk to be born as an heir to the throne and under the King’s Star in Alchemy of Souls. Actor Bae does not appear for the rest of Alchemy of Souls after her character’s death.
‘The Glory’ actor is still making a name for herself
Bae Gang-hee has a concise list of on-screen credits. The 25-year-old actor has only appeared in three K-dramas, all of which are greatly popular. Her on-screen credits all take place in 2022, starting with her role in Alchemy of Souls.
Soon after, she played a supporting role in Netflix’s Somebody thriller K-drama. She played server administrator Lee Ha-in. Her character works at the same company as the female lead and is responsible for helping maintain the dating app and its user profiles. Fans barely see the character as she works remotely.
The actor’s latest on-screen work was part of the main cast for The Glory. It is Bae’s first significant role in a K-drama as a fully immersive character.
