Headlined by A-list Hallyu actress Song Hye-kyo, The Glory revolves around the revenge-driven academician Moon Dong-eun (Hye-kyo) and her dark past. The character chalked up a project that took her years to tackle, premeditating the fate of her teenage foes and perpetrators. Dong-eun is leaving no crumbs as she carefully concocts her long-standing master plan.

Now, The Glory: Part 2 is making a surge on Netflix since its release on March 10, 2023. The series is currently seated on the #1 spot of the country’s top shows today. According to Netflix, the drama amassed 124.46 million hours in views, making it a high-value content in the platform. It caught up with other Netflix originals, ranking 9th in the roster of Netflix’s Most Watched Non-English Language Series of All Time.

The Glory: Part 1 was released last December 30, 2022 on Netflix. The revenge K-drama is directed by Ahn Gil Ho and written by Descendants of the Sun writer Kim Eun Sook. Besides K-content bigwig Song Hye-kyo, the cast includes Lee Do-hyun as Joo Yeo-jeong, Lim Ji-yeon as Park Yeon-jin, Cha Joo-young as Choi Hye-jeong, Jung Sung-il as Ha Do-yeong, Kim Hieora as Lee Sa-ra, Park Sung-hoon as Jeon Jae-jun, and Kim Gun-woo as Son Myeong-oh.

In a press conference, some of the cast members shared their thoughts on the series.

Kim Hieora as Lee Sa-ra Netflix

As to what scenes have stuck with them the most throughout the filming of the series, Kim Heora flashbacked: “I just thought of that scene in the very beginning of filming, together with Dong-eun and Yeon-jin and this villainous group, there was an award ceremony and Dong-eun came to the school to meet us.”

“So, we were just beginning to become friends, and Dong-eun came to the school gym and slapped Yeon-jin in the face,” she proceeded, amused by how pure and raw their reactions were. “With Joo-young, I think we shared emotions because we were kind of appalled and we would look at each other.”

Hieora walked us through how tension built up and how bold and wild the scene and the actors were that she was just simply astounded. “I could see the sparks between the two actresses. [With] that tension and spark, I could feel what The Glory would be about. So, I remember that scene very clearly.”

Cha Joo-young butted in, backing up Hieora’s statement: “Yes! This scene that she just talked about is when Yeon-jin hits Dong-eun in the face and Dong-eun hits her back. And then, when Hye Kyo was doing an interview, she said it hurt a lot,” she revealed, saying that the rough edit had to be reviewed to survey the severity of the scene.

Jung Sung-il, on the other hand, was overwhelmed when the set was realized and finally brought into being. His favorite scene is where he played Go in the park. “When I was reading the script, I was very curious about how they’re going to film this,” he shared. “I saw the set and I thought, ‘Wow this is Netflix.’”

Awestruck, the actor arrived at a realization: Netflix can really go to great lengths to solidify a series’ story. “They actually made the whole set for the game of Go, so I was really impressed by that scene. I was mesmerized by the scale of the whole set because I thought it was there but it was something that they made entirely for the show.”

Kim Gun-woo as Son Myeong-oh Netflix

Kim Gun-woo, lastly, loved the scene where Yeon-jin and Do-yeong got married. To him, it marked the growth of his relationship with his co-actors. “I mean, there wasn’t anything special and we weren’t that close at the time, but we became close,” he concluded, rounding up their shared experience on set.

Jung Sung-il as Ha Do-yeong Netflix

To sum up the show in a singular, all-encompassing term is quite tough, especially for an actor who sees his co-stars as K-drama hotshots. Sung-il describes his wonderful time with them in three words instead. “I would say ‘honpamang (혼파망),’ which means confusion, destruction, and forgetfulness,” he imparted.

As for Gun-woo, he paints the series as a puzzle that seeks to be solved. “I would say, [it is] a riddle,” he shares. “It’s like a riddle that you’re trying to solve and you have to use your brain and you’re going to be happy when you figure out the riddle.” Kim Hieora and Cha Joo-young, however, used the words “the best,” and “jackpot” respectively to rate their whole undertaking.

Cha Joo-young as Choi Hye-jeong Netflix

As people are dying to see what Part 2 has to deliver, the cast’s family and friends cannot help but babble hunches. “A lot of people called me up and texted me. I just said that I don’t remember because it’s been quite some time since I finished filming,” Sung-il started off. “So, I just kept on saying that I don’t know and that I don’t remember,” the actor continued.

Hieora, in contrast, agrees to whatever the onlookers would speculate and enjoys teasing them in turn. “People would ask me about this and that and I would say, ‘What you think is exactly right.’ And then, they would be like, ‘Oh my God! My theory is right.’ I would just say that—‘Whatever you thought is correct.’”

To keep the fans in frenzy, Gun-woo, whose character Myeong-oh added color to the series with his sudden death and disappearance, would kindle the excitement even more to exhilarate the spectators. According to him, he would always say, “Exactly like you said—I’m not dead but I’m not alive. I’m somewhere in between.”

The bloodier, perhaps better, Part 2 was dropped last March 10 on Netflix and it has since landed #1 spot to this day.

Scroll down to see what the cast has to say about the spine-chilling series and its sweeping success:

Fan: Is there a role [in the series] that you wanted to try?

Kim Gun-woo: In the first group meeting, Do-hyun couldn’t be there because of a schedule conflict so I did the reading for Do-hyun and I think I did an okay job, so writer Kim said, ‘You do yours better.’

Jung Sung-il: I actually wanted to try Jae-jun because Jae-jun always kind of has his ways and he’s vulgar, he’s raw, and he can do whatever he wants. But Do-yeong is always kind of restrained. So, I wanted to try Jae-jun’s role for once because he looked very free. He’s very free; he can do whatever he wants.

Park Sung-hoon, Kim Gun-woo, and Yeom Hye-ran @netflixph

Host: Were there particular scenes where you even thought “this is too much” or you were doubting your own character?

Kim Hieora: For me, I think the scene where Sa-ra confronts Dong-eun in church. I felt like the lines were so amazing. I say to Dong-eun, ‘Hey I am saved, and I repented already.’ And I felt like those lines were what pissed everybody off. I felt like people were really upset with that.

Cha Joo-young: In one of my scenes where I was being really mean to a junior flight attendant at the hotel room, and also that particular scene where I’m kneeling before Dong-eun and going back and forth all the crazy mess of emotions.

Kim Gun-woo: For me, one of the scenes where I felt like, ‘Oh man, this is just too vulgar,’ was when Myeong-oh was... you know that scene where he was munching on hard candy and speaking to Dong-eun and saying ‘Hey, what do you want to eat?’ I felt like in that scene, Myeong-oh was particularly vulgar and that scene—the sequence of him ending with taking a shot of soju—I just felt like he wasn’t the nicest of guys.”

Jung Sung-il, Lim Ji-yeon, Kim Hieora, and Cha Joo-young @netflixph

Related Story: The Cast of 'The Glory' and Where You May Have Seen Them Before

Fan: When did you really feel like it was a huge success?

Jung Sung-il: For me, just this moment where I’m sitting next to people who have always been the hottest people in their career—always. You know, this moment makes me feel, ‘Wow, this show, really, has been quite a success.’

Kim Hieora: That exactly was what I wanted to say. I was going to say, ‘Right now in this room, this moment.’ Yeah, being here at a place like this and how many people recognize me on the streets. Yesterday, I went to one of my favorite bagel places with my friend and I ordered, and I saw the cashier become a little tense. And I saw this person come up to me a little later, bringing me so many bagels, giving them as a gift, and I was so touched. I had a feast of bagels yesterday.

Cha Joo-young: I stay home a lot and I am usually just either at home or on set. And people now call me Hye-jeong everywhere I go. So many people on the set of the project I’m currently working on call me Hye-jeong or ask me about the story so I feel it every day as I work on a different project on set.

Kim Gun-woo: For me, when I use the drive-thru and before I get my beverage that I ordered, the person there said, ‘I will only give you your beverage if you agree to take a photo with me.’ So, I actually took a photo. It was actually in Jeju Island. That was a fun story.

Song Hye-kyo and Lee Do-hyun @netflixph

Lead photos courtesy of Netflix