The Glory part 2 ending explains Dong-eun, and could tee up season 2

The Glory concluded its epic, 16-episode story of revenge on Friday when Netflix dropped the second half of the Korean drama. The story follows Moon Dong-eun (Tune Hye-kyo) as she units into movement an elaborate plan to enact revenge towards the 5 classmates who severely bullied her as a youngster. It’s a easy plot, elevated by devastating performances, masterful writing, beautiful path, and epic music. And it’s anchored by a central, driving query: Will Dong-eun reach getting her revenge — and ought to she? The ultimate episodes undoubtedly give a transparent reply to these questions, whereas throwing in some surprising twists within the course of (and even teasing a doable season 2).

[Ed. note: As you might expect, this article contains major spoilers for the gruesome ending of The Glory.]

What occurred to Park Yeon-jin and the remainder of the bullies?

Picture: Graphyoda/Netflix

On the coronary heart of The Glory is the dynamic between Dong-eun and Park Yeon-jin (Lim Ji-yeon). Yeon-jin has at all times been Dong-eun’s principal goal, as she was the ringleader in brutally bullying Dong-eun and others in highschool. The voice-overs we hear all through the collection are framed each as Dong-eun’s inside monologue and as letters to Park Yeon-jin. These will not be missives that Dong-eun ever intends to ship to Yeon-jin — that might give Yeon-jin energy over Dong-eun in a method Dong-eun by no means intends to permit once more. Moderately, the letters to Yeon-jin are a manifestation of Dong-eun’s hyperfocus on bringing Yeon-jin to justice, to the exclusion of all else in her life.

Ultimately, Dong-eun makes use of Yeon-jin’s personal crimes and cruelty to trigger her abuser’s downfall. Dong-eun ensures that Yeon-jin is tied to 2 deaths during which she performed a serious function. First, the loss of life of Yoon So-hee (performed by Single’s Inferno contestant Lee So-yi), one in all Yeon-jin’s different bullying targets in highschool. The evening of So-hee’s loss of life, Yeon-jin was together with her on the roof of an deserted constructing; she set fireplace to So-hee’s sweater and, when the lady reached out for assist, Yeon-jin shoved her away. So-hee fell over the roof’s edge to her loss of life.

Yeon-jin additionally performed a task within the homicide of Myeong-o (Kim Gun-woo). When Myeong-o tried to blackmail Yeon-jin over So-hee’s loss of life, she picked up an costly bottle of Jae-jun’s liquor and delivered two exhausting blows to Myeong-o’s head. It’s solely within the remaining episode that we be taught it was truly quiet retailer attendant Kim Gyeong-ran (Ahn So-yo) who truly delivered the killing blow. Nonetheless, Dong-eun makes it clear to Gyeong-ran that Yeon-jin should be Myeong-o’s assassin. In different phrases, for Dong-eun to face accountability for the ache and struggling she has precipitated through the years, she must go to jail for against the law she didn’t technically commit.

Dong-eun’s revenge on Yeon-jin is made extra full by guaranteeing that, when she faces justice and imprisonment, Yeon-jin has nobody by her facet. Yeon-jin’s husband, Do-yeong, discovers Yeon-jin’s infidelity and historical past of bullying and divorces her, transferring with their daughter, Ye-sol, to the U.Okay. Dong-eun additionally manipulates Yeon-jin’s mom, Hong Yeong-ae (Yoon Da-kyung), into killing Kang Hyun-nam’s (Yeom Hye-ran) abusive husband, after which betraying Yeon-jin in an try to avoid wasting herself from jail. It’s clear from Hye-ran’s conduct, each in previous and current, that Yeon-jin realized her cruelty from her mom. When Yeon-jin pushed So-hee off the roof to her loss of life, she advised her mom instantly. Moderately than comforting her daughter or supporting her in dealing with accountability for her actions, Yeong-ae units about scolding her daughter and ensuring Yeon-jin’s half within the tragedy is roofed up. If Yeon-jin has any redeeming high quality as a personality, it’s that she doesn’t go these behaviors onto Ye-sol.

After all, Yeon-jin isn’t the one one dealing with grave penalties for his or her remorseless cruelty. Myeong-o, after all, is murdered. Jae-jun is pushed off of a constructing to his loss of life by Ha Do-yeong, after having been blinded by Choi Hye-jeong (Cha Joo-young). With the homicide, Do-yeong ensures that Jae-jun won’t ever come after Ye-sol, his organic daughter. On a broader thematic degree, it’s framed as punishment for Jae-jun raping So-hee after they have been in highschool.

Elsewhere, Lee Sa-ra (Kim Hello-eora) is shipped to jail for stabbing Hye-jeong within the neck, whereas her pastor father faces penalties for his monetary crimes. Hye-jeong could by no means converse once more, however performs a task within the punishment of Jae-jun, who spurned her. Yeon-jin’s mom goes to jail, and Dong-eun’s mom goes to rehab for her alcohol abuse (which is problematically framed as a punishment for an ethical failing on this collection quite than remedy for a continual illness. Sa-ra’s substance use dysfunction is equally framed, highlighting the cultural variations in how drug use is seen in Korea versus the U.S.).

What occurs to Dong-eun on the finish of The Glory?

Picture: Graphyoda/Netflix

As soon as Dong-eun accomplishes her revenge towards Yeon-jin and the others, she is misplaced.

Do-yeong had beforehand requested her: “As soon as this revenge is over, will you discover happiness?” Dong-eun replied: “I hope so. I want to be comfortable sufficient that I may die. I need to be comfortable, simply by that a lot.” She plans to die by suicide after her abusers face punishment, and so she goes to the roof the place So-hee died. She writes one final letter to Yeon-jin in her head: “Pricey Yeon-jin, who I’ve dreamed of killing: Goodbye. That is my final letter to you. I bid everybody else farewell as effectively.”

However on the final second, Dong-eun adjustments her thoughts. She learns from Joo Yeo-jeong’s (Lee Do-hyun) mom that the person who killed Yeo-jeong’s father has been tormenting him from jail with letters. And so, Dong-eun decides to step off of the ledge. She has a brand new revenge to reside for: Yeo-jeong’s. Six months later, she comes again into his life with a plan. She ensures their goal is transferred to a distinct jail, the place Yeo-jeong will get a job as a physician and Dong-eun works as a trainer.

The collection ends with the 2 strolling into jail for a day of labor and the beginning of their implied revenge plot. We don’t know precisely what it is going to appear to be (that’s for a doable season 2), however we all know they’re collectively and in love. It’s a sort of comfortable ending for Dong-eun, who nonetheless will get to do what she has spent her life coaching herself to do — take revenge — but additionally has somebody by her facet. She even reaches out to trustworthy confederate Kang Hyun-nam, who’s feeling misplaced and alone together with her daughter at college within the U.S.

Some could discover the way in which the whole lot falls into place for Dong-eun unrealistic, however this present by no means promised realism. Moderately, it promised catharsis, for the ache Dong-eun endured as a baby and for the anger that got here when nobody held her abusers accountable for it. It by no means did promise life for Dong-eun after revenge, however we obtained that too — as a bonus. “Thanks a lot for saving me,” writes Dong-eun to the owner she as soon as saved as a youngster, and who saved her in return. “I didn’t develop as much as be a superb individual, however one spring, I’ll totally bloom.” It’s the promise of therapeutic, within the midst of extra revenge.

Often, in revenge dramas centered round ladies, the story makes the protagonist select: On one path, there’s some type of justice. On the opposite, there’s therapeutic. However they’ll’t have each. The Glory doesn’t make Dong-eun select, and there’s one thing sort of superb in that.

Should you or somebody you realize is in disaster, get assist from the Suicide and Disaster Lifeline by calling or texting 988.