Dong-Eun’s life is filled with extreme violence and abuse she receives from her bullies, and neglect from her own mother, Jung Mi-Hee.
The Glory follows Moon Dong-Eun, a woman in her thirties, seeking revenge on the wealthy brats that bullied her in high school, molesting not just the poor victim but also the idea of what it’s like to be human itself.
Dong-Eun is harassed, abused, and violated by her bullies. At one point, she dares to seek justice, only to receive none from the authorities, or the teachers at the school, who all know the language of money and influence.
Even her own mother, Jung Mi-Hee, chooses money over her own daughter’s education, future, or life. What’s more aggravating though, is that she keeps returning to make her daughter’s life a hellscape.
A mother most terrible
Jung Mi-Hee works in a salon and indulges in affairs and worldly endeavors. She prioritizes these pursuits more than her own daughter.
When Dong-Eun seeks justice against her bullies, she doesn’t get any from the police, who are in the pockets of the wealthy. Neither does she get it from the teachers, with Mr. Kim being so cruel in his treatment that he essentially becomes another bully.
Dong-Eun then decides to drop out of school. However, her dropping out would reflect badly on the school and the wealthy parents, and Yeon-Jin throws money at Mr. Kim and Dong-Eun’s mother to change the reason in her application for dropping out.
They change the reason to “maladjustment”, and get Jung Mi-Hee to sign it, in exchange for money that instantly sways her moral compass away from her daughter. She takes no time in signing the letter and even abandons Dong-Eun, packing her stuff and leaving the place she was staying at.
Grim mother returns
Dong-Eun lives alone and works extremely hard to make something of herself, while also suffering from her scars and injuries. Meanwhile, Jung Mi-Hee becomes a drunkard and mostly remains barely conscious.
When Dong-Eun reaches her thirties and returns to exact revenge upon her bullies, Mi-Hee is contacted by Yeon-Jin, who uses her greed to attack Dong-Eun. It works too, as Dong-Eun finds herself not fierce enough to stand up to her mother, despite all that she was subjected to by her own mother.
Jung Mi-Hee wastes no time taking Yeon-Jin on her offer, and hogs all the cash to go sabotage her own daughter’s career. She reaches her school and starts humiliating her. She then forces herself into Dong-Eun’s apartment and makes a mess.
Dong-Eun tries to resist to the best of her ability, but Mi-Hee has no sympathy to spare. Instead, she abuses Dong-Eun, and later, spreads the rumor among the parents of her students that Dong-Eun takes bribes.
Dong-Eun’s retaliation
This gets Dong-Eun into a tough spot and she finally has to quit the job. However, she finally also musters up the courage to stand up to her mother and solve the issues she poses.
Dong-Eun takes Mi-Hee to a doctor for psych evaluation and he asks certain probing questions to diagnose her with several disorders, all related to visible alcoholism. Dong-Eun signs a form and the visible nurses pin Jung Mi-Hee down, taking her to be admitted.
Kick and shout as she might, Dong-Eun pays little heed to her mother, who’s done enough damage to her daughter’s life and career, and Dong-Eun has no more time or tenacity for any of it anymore.
Also Read: The Glory part 2 ending explained: Does Dong-Eun get her revenge?
