[Stones and Stories] The Four Stones and Stories Prepared by Moon Dong-eun

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] "But Yeonjin, do you want me to tell you the real reason why I like Baduk?"

This is a monologue delivered by Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo) to Park Yeon-jin (Lim Ji-yeon) in the drama The Glory. To resolve the question, one needs to delve into the drama's background. The main thread driving The Glory is school violence. The devilish hands that torment the weak. School is more brutal than the jungle. Money and power create the order.

In that place, the weak are lonely. The pain that burns the skin, and even more unbearable, the trampling of the soul. It is even more shocking that the cases of school violence depicted in the drama are based on true stories from Korea. The world has responded to this 'K-school violence revenge drama.' It ranks number one among Netflix non-English dramas worldwide. What moved people's hearts beyond race and borders? Perhaps it is the desire to support Dong-eun, who endures and overcomes the horror.

The scars of school violence that were as hard as death, or even harder than death. Dong-eun found the reason to live in Park Yeon-jin. The link in that revenge drama is Baduk. The time of reversal, counterattack, and destruction is hidden in Baduk.

What is the real reason Dong-eun revealed for liking Baduk?

"Baduk reveals desire in silence, fascinates and is fascinated, and strips each other bare..." The first sudam (hand talk) between Dong-eun and Yeon-jin leaves a lingering impression.

Yeon-jin's husband (Jung Sung-il) is a wealthy businessman and a Baduk enthusiast. Dong-eun met Yeon-jin's husband at a Baduk institute. This is the second sudam. In the gloomy setting of the Baduk institute, a captivating woman shone alone. A dark aura hung over her face. Yeon-jin's husband was drawn to Dong-eun as if possessed. And a sensory connection more thrilling than rational feelings. Though their fingertips never touched, the two were already close.

The reason their relationship developed like that was also Baduk. Dong-eun originally did not know how to play Baduk. She learned it to prepare the scenario for revenge. The third sudam was with her university senior Joo Yeo-jeong (Lee Do-hyun). They played Baduk sitting on a bench in a park (Cheongju Central Park) where ginkgo leaves fluttered. Yeo-jeong, her mentor, explained the principles of Baduk and said:

"(Baduk) is about building your house well from the edges toward the center, while destroying the opponent's house and gradually tightening the grip. Fiercely, in silence."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Dong-eun responded with a smile that was both knowing and mysterious. "I like that." Yeo-jeong's gaze wavered briefly at Dong-eun's unexpected answer. In this way, The Glory foreshadows and hints at the flow of the work through sudam. There have been past examples of Baduk appearing as a drama theme.

The drama Misaeng, symbolizing the hardships of the irregular worker generation, is a representative example. The title Misaeng itself is a Baduk term. Although Misaeng is permeated with a gray tone throughout, it differs from The Glory. If Misaeng's destination is hope, The Glory predicts a tomorrow beyond the climax of destruction, perhaps even more dreadful.

Empathizing with Dong-eun involves pain. The more viewers immerse themselves in the drama, the more they face the reality of enduring the gloomy atmosphere. In that sense, another sudam hidden in The Glory might be with the viewers. Those who willingly dive into the world of Baduk to connect fiercely with Dong-eun, who tightens her grip in silence.

On March 10, The Glory Part 2 is set to begin... Could this be why this spring feels especially anticipated?