The Glory: Netflix’s most unsettling K-drama is based on real-life nightmares

In recent years, K-dramas have gained worldwide attention for their gripping stories, and The Glory is no exception. Featuring South Korean actress Song Hye-kyo in the leading role, the revenge thriller series follows the transformation of Moon Dong-eun, a woman who was horrifically bullied in high school.

It wasn't just name-calling or isolation, but truly brutal and physical abuse that resulted in physical and emotional scars. Following the traumatic past, Dong-eun dedicates her adult life to taking revenge on the people who destroyed her youth.

The grief she carries is not just emotional. It is physical, visible, and everlasting. The series does not shy away from implicating how bullying can leave scars that far extend the damage done. It also highlights how institutions designed to protect often fail people.

What makes The Glory even more disturbing is that the most horrific scenes were inspired by real events. While the characters are not real people, the cruelty they instilled in Moon Dong-eun resonated and was based on the actual events that took place in actual South Korean schools. This is pretty much the phenomenal haunting legacy of Song Hye-kyo's hit drama.

Keep reading to learn more about The Glory as one of the darkest K-dramas on Netflix.

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Song Hye-kyo's The Glory features a revenge story born out of real events

As previously explained, Song Hye-kyo's The Glory isn't your typical revenge drama with dramatic twists and romantic distractions. Instead, it tells the harrowing story of Moon Dong-eun, a woman who survived horrifying abuse as a teenager.

The series kicks off by introducing her as a soft-spoken school teacher. But behind her quiet exterior is a storm of rage and pain. She was once a target of her rich schoolmates who tortured her the way students are bullied in real-life schools.

In one unforgettable scene from The Glory Episode 1, Dong-eun is shown with fresh burn marks and blood on her body, which is evidence of being tortured with a curling iron. The injuries are severe and spread across her skin, while snow gently falls around her, contrasting the brutality of the moment with the cold stillness of winter.

The visual is haunting, making the scene all the more chilling and emotionally heavy. These scenes in the drama are not exaggerated for shock value. They’re based on a real-life school violence case from 2006, where a similar form of torture happened to a teenage girl in South Korea.

What makes Dong-eun’s journey so powerful in The Glory is change. She doesn’t transform into a vicious monster overnight. Her revenge is calculated, quiet and and planned over the years.

She learns about her bullies’ weaknesses and strikes in ways that affect their status, families, and peace of mind. It’s more than just a mere payback, it’s letting them know how they’ve screwed up their lives as well as that of others.

Writer Kim Eun-sook was inspired to write this drama after her daughter asked:

"Mom, would you be more heartbroken if I beat someone nearly to death or if I got beat nearly to death by someone else?"

That one question led her down a dark path of research, including interviews with real victims of school bullying. The result is a drama that doesn’t just entertain, it unsettles.

Also Read: The Judge from Hell Season 2: Park Shin-hye's hit K-drama officially renewed – Everything to know

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The Glory is the darkest K-drama on Netflix

There’s no question that The Glory is emotionally heavy. It’s not full of jump scares or horror clichés, but it’s still one of the most disturbing shows on Netflix, simply because it feels too real.

The violence isn’t cartoonish, the villains aren’t exaggerated, and the systems that protect them are sadly familiar. What sets it apart is how it portrays trauma. It shows how pain lingers.

In rooting for Moon Dong-eun, viewers are gently reminded time and again that there is no real win when your life is consumed by vengeance. Additionally, Song Hye-kyo's performance brings all of this to life.

The Descendants of the Sun actress is best known for playing romantic roles, but in The Glory, Hye-kyo delivers an incredibly strong portrayal. Her eyes alone tell a story of suffering and strength that words cannot.

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