Posted by The return of the k-drama The Glory in March 2023 was definitely one of the most awaited events on Netflix. The Korean series has caught the spectators in a story of revenge, bullying, and violence that deserved closure. Part 2 did a great job, slowly developing a successful revenge where all of Moon Dong-Eun’s enemies get what they deserve. The most significant curiosity is about what happens at the ending and how it may open the possibility of a Season 2. Let’s clarify everything, fully explained.
You can watch the trailer for The Glory Part 2 here on Youtube. You’ll also need a recap of Part 1 (you find it here) and a characters’ guide, so you can navigate among everyone involved. It’s here for you.
The Glory Part 2 plot: how each villain ends up
What happens in Part 2 of the k-drama The Glory can be easily explained until the ending by describing how all of Moon Dong-Eun’s old enemies end up. The protagonist finds the proper revenge for each of them while having support from other characters involved in the story.
The main antagonist is obviously Park Yeon-Jin: she was not only the leader of the group who bullied Moon Dong-Eun years before, but she’s also responsible for two crucial deaths in the show: Yoon So-hee, the girl who was Park Yeon-Jin’s target before Moon Dong-Eun, who fell from the roof of the school while confronting her bully, and Son Myeong-O, who dies from Park Yeon-Jin’s hand when she discovers he had evidence of her first murder. Revenge against Park Yeon-Jin will develop in all possible directions: she will lose her job, her husband will divorce her, her daughter will refuse her, her mother will betray her, and she’ll end up in prison for both murders. With a fascinating story related to her name tag that deserves a separate discussion (stay tuned!).
Son Myeong-O dies while helping Moon Dong-Eun, and that’s an interesting paradox: he helps a girl who hates him, trying to take advantage of the situation for himself, not noticing how things will soon turn awful for him. Jeon Jae-Jun dies too: first, he’s blinded by Choi Hye-Jeong (Moon Dong-Eun will motivate her to take revenge on him after he left her), then he’s pushed off a building by Ha Do-Yeong, Park Yeon-Jin’s ex-husband. It’s another significant aspect of this revenge story: Moon Dong-Eun manages to put many characters against each other, letting them ruin who deserves it. In this case, the conflict between Ha Do-Yeong and Jeon Jae-Jun is obvious: knowing that Jeon Jae-Jun is his wife’s lover and his daughter’s biological father, Ha Do-Yeong has all the reasons to want him dead. One enemy less.
Lee Sa-Ra is in prison too: not only she’s investigated for tax evasion, but she also tried to murder Choi Hye-Jeong in public. Choi Hye-Jeong is the only one free and alive. But she can’t talk, and her wound will burn forever. The revenge is so complete that also the mothers get involved: Moon Dong-Eun’s mom ends up in a mental health institute under the specific intention of the protagonist, and Park Yeon-Jin’s mother is in prison too for the murder of the man who was blackmailing her. The latter is Kang Hyeon-nam’s husband, someone who deserves vengeance as all the others, for the domestic violence on Kang Hyeon-nam over the years. Even the corrupt policeman will die.
In conclusion, all evil people get what they deserve over the episodes of Part 2. All but one, in fact: that brings us to the ending of The Glory, let’s have it thoroughly explained.
The Glory Part 2 ending explained: can there be a Season 2?
While Moon Dong-Eun’s revenge takes form, we see the efforts of her closest helper, Joo Yeo-Jeong: he’s her executioner, and it’s not just because he’s in love with her. We get to understand that there is an inner motivation inside him related to his tragic story. His father was killed by a man who’s in prison and keeps torturing him with letters where he describes the details of that murder. For Joo Yeo-Jeong, helping Moon Dong-Eun is a way to make justice in this world and a reason to face what he must do with his own story.
Unfortunately, his revenge plan (perpetrated autonomously) fails: he wants to become the doctor of the prison where the killer is held, but his application is refused precisely because he’s a victim’s relative. He’s broken by this failure and dedicates all his efforts to successfully helping Moon Dong-Eun.
After the revenge, we see Moon Dong-Eun and Joo Yeo-Jeong in a moment of happiness: she found peace after all her enemies got what they deserved, apparently. However, we discover that there cannot be a happy ending for her. After dedicating her whole life to her revenge, she has nothing left to live for, and her relationship with Joo Yeo-Jeong is not motivating enough, apparently. She’s about to take her own life, but she’s blocked by Joo Yeo-Jeong’s mother. She spends six months working on herself, then returns to Joo Yeo-Jeong. She claims she needs another revenge motivation to be with him. Still, she kisses him, so we understand that there are genuine feelings between them.
The new revenge on which Moon Dong-Eun and Joo Yeo-Jeong will work together (again with Kang Hyeon-nam – you don’t change a winning team) is precisely the one against the killer who murdered Joo Yeo-Jeong’s father. Moon Dong-Eun will be the executioner this time, but it’s evident that the approach comes from her ideas: they will enact a situation that will cause the killer’s transfer to another prison, and meanwhile, they both end up working in that new prison. Joo Yeo-Jeong is the doctor who’ll take care of him as a prisoner, while Moon Dong-Eun is the teacher for the inmates about to be released. The ending of The Glory Part 2 has explained to us something very clear: someone still hasn’t got what he deserves, but with some patience and a good plan, that can be fixed.
Will we have The Glory Season 2? As usual, Netflix decides that based on the success of the series. Undoubtedly, the story has all the right to continue: the revenge on the killer is something that can be developed slowly in all details. Meanwhile, nobody can ignore that many of the villains from Season 1 are still alive. Most of them are in prison, but they are wealthy and powerful. Would it be that surprising if some of them came out of jail, triggering Moon Dong-Eun’s thirst for revenge again?
