One of Netflix's best original K-dramas has a darker premise than Squid Game's. Part of the reason why Squid Game is so popular is how it uses violence to tell a story that shows humanity at its worst. The real themes of Squid Game were evident throughout the show, and while the Netflix original K-drama is quite violent, nothing is gratuitous.

Whether it was the game makers taking advantage of the poor or the players killing each other off in the dead of night, Squid Game shows how people will do whatever it takes to survive. In that sense, some of the show's most twisted moments are not even that shocking. While Squid Game is undoubtedly a disturbing thriller K-drama, it doesn't particularly take a deep dive into emotional anguish the way that Netflix's The Glory does.

Netflix's The Glory Is Even Darker Than Squid Game

The Glory Is A Revenge Korean TV Show

A critically acclaimed K-drama, The Glory, doesn’t shy away from delving into the worst of humanity. Penned by Goblin’s Kim Eun-sook, the 2022 Korean series follows Moon Dong-eun, an adult whose life was ruined after she was severely bullied by the students in her classroom when she was a teenager. The abuse she went through was so bad that she was forced to drop out of high school, while the people who tormented her went on to live relatively happy and successful lives.

15 Best K-Dramas Like The Glory

The Glory is beloved for its revenge theme– and there are several other K-dramas with similar themes that are perfect for fans of the thriller.

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When Dong-eun contemplated how she was tormented, she came up with a revenge plan against the high school bullies. What makes The Glory such a dark revenge K-drama isn't only the harrowing physical and emotional abuse, although that plays a role in it, but it's the effect that it had on Dong-eun. Even as an adult, Dong-eun rarely smiled and was razor-focused on getting her revenge. For years, she let the hatred she had for her tormentors guide her actions, and wasn't above doing whatever it took to achieve her goal.

The Glory's Realistic Story Makes It A Disturbing Watch

The Glory Touches On Issues That Affect A Lot Of People

What makes The Glory so disturbing is how it realistically portrays how Dong-eun was bullied by her classmates. The K-drama features scenes that are difficult to watch, especially when the characters who tormented Dong-eun are shown enjoying torturing her. One particular scene has Dong-eun being burnt by a curling iron, which leaves her with both emotional and physical scars. Dong-eun’s teenage years were taken away from her because of the abuse she suffered, and that's something she carried with her for the rest of her life.

Song Hye-kyo won the Best Actress award at the 2023 Baeksang Awards for her portrayal of Moon Dong-eun in The Glory.

Perhaps the saddest thing about Dong-eun's experience is that she didn't seek healing because she felt that she was irrevocably broken. That feeling is something that several people who've gone through that kind of abuse can relate to. The bullying scenes in The Glory are heart-wrenching, more so because they feel and look real. Its realism is made even more evident due to how every character in the K-drama did an incredible job of bringing the story to life.

Is The Glory Really Based On A True Story?

The Glory Was Inspired By A Shocking True Story

Moon Dong-eun looking at a flower in The Glory.

With the shocking scenes featured in The Glory, it's hard not to wonder if it has some basis in reality. The revenge K-drama is a fictional story. However, it was inspired by real-life incidents and experiences. The Glory’s creator, Kim Eun-sook, wrote the K-drama after having a conversation about bullying with her daughter. The writer was also inspired by the rising cases of extreme bullying in South Korea.

One of the first scenes in The Glory that shows Dong-eun being burnt by a curling iron actually happened. In 2006, a ninth-grade teenager in Cheongju, South Korea, was tortured for 20 days by her classmates. They burned her and left her hospitalized. The bullies in The Glory might seem too extreme, but that doesn't take away from the fact that people do engage in such behaviors. Due to its popularity, The Glory played a significant part in shedding light on the torment that some high school students endure.