Hitmaking writer, director and starry cast in revenge saga ‘The Glory’

CEBU, Philippines —  Capping off this year’s Netflix Korea slate is a series by the fail-proof duo of a hit-making screenwriter and director, featuring an all-star cast in an epic revenge saga. “The Glory”, directed by Ahn Gil-ho, reunites “Descendants of the Sun” writer Kim Eun-sook with Song Hye-kyo, one of South Korea’s top female leads.

This juicy tale depicts teacher Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo, in a departure from her rom-com roles) who seeks absolute retribution against the bullies who ruined her childhood. She schemes an elaborate plot against those who tormented her, as well as those who didn’t lift a finger to help. Plans unravel when she becomes the homeroom teacher to the child of one of her high school abusers. Rising actor Lee Do-hyun (“Sweet Home”, “18 Again”) joins Song in the role of Joo Yeo-jeong, a man with a secret past.

Part 1’s eight episodes is now streaming in 190 countries via Netflix, while Part 2 is set to be released on March 2023.

Kim Eun-sook – known for “The King: Eternal Monarch”, “Mr. Sunshine”, “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God”, “Inheritors”, and “Secret Garden” – describes her latest masterpiece as the story of a rage-filled woman “whose soul is crushed by school violence, and has dedicated her life to a meticulous web of vengeance.”

It is Kim’s first foray into the revenge genre, as most of her flagship work were, in her own words, “melodramatic and lovey-dovey.” Spurred by a conversation with her daughter who will be a high school sophomore next year, Kim says she was concerned she would be bullied by peers due to her mother’s level of fame.

“But my daughter said, no, you’re not that famous. That was the first shock that I had,” she shares during a live-streamed press conference. “Then she said, would you be more in pain if I hit someone or if I get hit? That was the second shock that I had. It was like living hell, at that short amount of time. I talked about this with my daughter, and a lot of things folded out in my head. So that’s why I turned on my laptop and started writing the show ‘The Glory’.”

The title comes from Kim’s interviews of school violence victims who all said they weren’t after material compensation. It was a heartfelt apology that they truly sought.

She explains, “I thought, what would they get out of a heartfelt apology? But then, it was not about what they would get – they wanted to restore something. As they were bullied, they lost things that are intangible like their dignity, their glory…so when they have a heartfelt apology, they go back to when it didn’t occur. Thus the title ‘The Glory.’ It’s my way of rooting for all those out there who are like Dong-eun, Hyeon-nam, Yeo-jeong. I want them to go back to where things didn’t happen.”

Chills down her spine

Kim needed a bit of steering from director An Gil-ho when her first draft veered into romantic territory, which she was more used to in her previous shows.

“It was really challenging because when I have Song Hye-kyo and Lee Do-hyun together, they’re so beautiful. So I tried to come back to the genre show instead of going off to a rom-com. Director An really helped me find my direction,” she adds.

An – who has proven his caliber with gripping thrillers like “Happiness”, “Watcher”, “Stranger” and “Memories of the Alhambra” – thought Song was the only actress who can portray the  duality of being extremely fragile, yet also very strong.

“Song Hye-kyo and Lee Do-hyun’s characters hold a deep hurt and wound internally,” he says. “When they are together, while there is this bright energy, they also needed to carry a sense of loneliness. So I tried to capture those emotions.”

Seeing Song’s performance for the first time gave Kim chills down her spine.

“I was almost in a trance. I didn’t know that Hye-kyo could have those facial expressions. I didn’t know she could walk this way, talk in this way. Everything I saw from, I couldn’t see traces of her former characters. It was completely Dong-eun, so I was elated,” shares Kim before jesting, “And I made sure that I have to be very chummy with her. I never want to be her enemy.”

The show’s male lead likewise held his own, with Kim saying she screamed out loud when she saw him do his thing. “It was literally perfection. I remember our first meeting. I explained to him, I would like for you to play the role of Joo Yeo-jeong for these and these reasons, and he was taken aback and replied, ‘I still don’t know how I get to come by all these amazing scripts, and sometimes I don’t know why so many people show me so much love.’”

“And he brought five different versions of each line and scene…not any actor can do that. He’s such a big guy yet he is extremely detailed and meticulous when it comes to portrayals and expressions of his character.”

Lee says his role is not explicit and clear-cut, and so he himself got curious about who this guy is, and what he has in store while reading the script. He hopes that same curiosity will be sparked within viewers.

Lim Ji-yeon , in her first role as a villainess, plays high school bully Park Yeon-jin who was at the center of the perpetrators who inflicted extreme pain on Dong-eun.

Jung Sung-ill as Ha Do-yeong led a clear and clean cut life. He’s got the money, the power, and the perfect marriage, but later finds out about his perfect wife’s past as a high school tormentor.

Park Sung-hoon’s Jeon Jae-jun is the alpha male who gets pulled into Dong-eun’s plot. He loves partying, beautiful women, gambling, and violence.

Yeom Hye-ran as Kang Hyeon-nam has suffered domestic violence for quite a long time. Her husband wants to hit her daughter, who is everything to her. She crosses paths with Dong-eun, who she places her bets on.

Authentic, but not horrible

When filming violent scenes in “The Glory”, the director made sure not to let go of the narrative’s message. “I wanted to make it authentic but not horrible. The storyline itself was very powerful and so me and the cast just stayed true to the script and wanted to leave the feedback to the viewers,” says An.

He gave props to his stars for pulling off their hateful parts with aplomb. “I mean, they were villains but I was smiling behind the cameras because their performance was great. They have four, five [acting delivery] options so I can ask them to do whatever option and they’re all prepared. I was always very satisfied.”

With K-content now globally recognized after the 2021 phenomenon that was “Squid Game”, does Kim feel the weight of her shows being the next huge thing?

“I actually have no idea how people know how popular a content is on Netflix,” she remarks. “I just know that ‘Squid Game’ was a big hit around the world. How do you capture that? I’m very proud of ‘Squid Game’ as a Korean, and I hope ‘The Glory’ stands next in line.”

The starry cast and compelling tale of comeuppance aside, Kim wishes their message will cut through: That good will always triumph over evil.

“I think this series is the epitome of a vengeance plot and it is very persuasive,” says Yeom, whose role serves as the show’s breath of fresh air. “It truly is everything you want in a vengeance plot.”