A high school student suffers repetitive emotional and physical abuse at the hands of her rich and selfish classmates, while the parents of the bullies buy off school administrators to look the other way and ignore it.  Forced off of the traditional path, the student spends years working and putting herself through school to become a teacher.  But her career path is just one step in an elaborate plan to get revenge on those who hurt her.  Now, after years of careful planning, she is ready to make them pay for all she has been through.  And when she meets a thoughtful young doctor who understands her anger and offers to be a weapon for her in battle, she begins to see a life for her beyond the pain she has carried for so long.  

Lee Do Hyun as Joo Yeo Jung

Joo Yeo Jung first meets Dong Eun when he is still a medical resident.  And their relationship begins when he offers to teach her to play go.  Even though Dong Eun suddenly breaks ties with him and runs away, he never forgets her.  And fate seems to be on his side when he continues running into her through the years.  Now he is a plastic surgeon looking to open his own clinic.  And after seeing Dong Eun’s physical scars, he pledges to be her executioner and tells her to use him in any way she wants.  In her he sees a kindred spirit, because underneath his calm exterior is a similar anger over the wrongful death of his father.  And together, they just might be able to find a strange kind of healing through their revenge.  

Joo Yeo Jung is known as a talented and cool-headed doctor.  His mother is the current director of Seoul Joo General Hospital.  She took over the role from Yeo Jung’s father after he was killed by an angry patient.  Yeo Jung’s warm, calm presence is the perfect compliment to Dong Eun’s steely anger.  Lee Do Hyun is an amazing young actor and he does it again in this role.  He is quietly confident in his delivery and the role sits comfortably on him.  

Park Sung Hoon as Jeon Jae Joon

Jeon Jae Joon was Yeon Jin’s partner in crime throughout high school.  The couple have carried their “relationship” into adulthood, including using each other for sex.  He is the heir of the local country club.  He and Yeon Jin are the actual parents of Yeon Jin’s daughter, although Yeon Jin never told Jae Joon about her.  The gene for colorblindness that Jae Joon hands down to his daughter will be the evidence that exposes that truth.  

 ♥ Clever Scheme

While maybe not altogether realistic, the intricacies of Dong Eun’s plan are beautifully subtle and powerful.  Each step in her revenge is appropriate for the crime each person committed.  And her ability to make it all happen without ever having to do any of the dirty work herself is inspirirng.  I loved the complexitites of this plot and the way Dong Eun never rushed into making a mistake or altering her course.  Each piece was methodical and well-executed.  

♥ Bullies

There is no doubt that these villains are a box of crazy, but I enjoyed watching their characters slowly implode.  The cast was phenomenol, and although this level of melodrama can be tricky, I felt like they all carried it well.  Also a special shout-out to the crew from Season 1 who played their younger selves.  I especially enjoyed Shin Ye Eun as the younger Yeon Jin.  She really sold the role and it was fun to see her step into a villain character.  

Chu Jeong Ho

Chu Yeong Ho is the creepiest character in this whole drama.  Though his role was subtle, and never in the fore-front, his story was enough to make me feel sick.  And I really wish I could have seen him get the punishment he deserved.  Of course, it was implied, but with every crime in this drama getting the punishment that was befitting it, this one stands out as feeling a bit unfinished.  It would have been nice to have a grand moment of reckoning for Jeong Ho.  

Losing Her Job

After years of putting herself through school and sleepless nights working to pay for it, I expected more of a reaction from Dong Eun to the fact that she is fired from her job.  It is true that the job was a means for her to get her revenge, and that part of the plan was pretty much finished, but it still seems like she would have been a bit angry or disappointed about it.  Maybe walking out calmly and leaving Jeong Ho’s career in flames, was her final purpose.

“The Glory” ends with a traditional happy ending for a revenge drama, which, in short, means the villains all get their comeuppance and the lead couple end up together.  In the villain lottery,  Hye Jeong is the clear winner, as the only one to walk away with both her life and her freedom.  Of course, she has lost her voice and bears a nasty scar to remind her of her ill-deeds.  It doesn’t pay to be a guy in this drama economy.  Both Jae Joon and Myeong Oh end up dead.  Sara and Yeon Jin will be spending most of their lives in prison.  And Dong Eun’s mother is tucked safely away in a mental institution.  Once all of these storylines wind down, we see the police detective declare everything regarding Dong Eun’s case to be closed.  It is obvious that he knows not all of these events have been above board, but he chooses to ignore her questionable actions out of sympathy for what she has been through.  After a rocky patch of separation, Dong Eun comes back to Yeo Jung’s house, ready to take her turn as his executioner in a new game of revenge, for Yeo Jung, this time.  In the final scene, we see Dong Eun and Yeo Jung both take jobs at the prison where the man who killed Yeo Jung’s father is being held.  So, here we go again.  Will there be a season 3?  There is definitely a possibility, although no official word has come out yet.