Byun Hui-su was South Korea's first transgender soldier. Byun had a promising career as a cisgender man, but in 2020, she traveled to Thailand for gender reassignment surgery. Upon her return, she was immediately discharged from the military and was not allowed to continue serving. Byun fought this decision in court, but the ordeal led to severe depression. Tragically, in 2021, she was found dead in her home.
Her family took up her legal battle, and in 2024, they successfully had her discharge overturned. Byun Hee-soo became a symbol of the fight for LGBTQ rights in South Korea's military. Her story deeply connects with the narrative of Player 120, highlighting the shared struggles and resilience between the character and Byun's real-life journey.

When translated, it reads "Sang-woo's Fish Market."

Let's remember that Sang-woo died at the end of the last season. He deeply loved his mother but was never able to return to her. This detail highlights that his mother still cherishes his memory. Even though Sang-woo disappeared three years ago, she has not forgotten her son, which is why the fish market bears his name.

His life ended when Gi-hun defeated him in the Russian roulette. The interesting thing is that all of this was foreshadowed in the first season. When Gihoon met the recruiter in season one, the first thing he did was a toy gun at him. Since then they were already hinting that the recruiter's life would end by a gun and that Gi-hun would be standing before him.

Those words were put in this game in particular because in South Korea, in PE and different sporting events, these words were often used to encourage kids. In real life this is a very happy encouraging message to kids just to do their best but when it comes to Squid Game this makes it a much darker message.

I’m not sure if it’s been said before, but in season one, the walls predicted the game they were going to play and I took this picture of the walls in season two so it looks like they might be playing these games next season.

In Korea, rice rolls are never eaten with a fork. You either use your hands or traditional wooden chopsticks. These utensils, like other items provided, were potential weapons the management was handing them tools to fight each other. This mirrors what happened in Season 1 when Ji-hun was served steak with metal knives, further suggesting that the Front Man wanted to encourage the players to start eliminating each other.

When I was watching it, I thought he was some kind of Navy impersonator. However, there is a suspicious factor in his number (not the one on his jacket).

In the scene, he introduced himself as the 1140th Navy. 1140th means the navy you applied for was the 1140th session. If he really was an 1140th Navy, he would have served in the military in 2011, the year that a tragic incident happened in the Korean Navy. In 2011, there was a shooting accident in the Navy. One guy shot his comrade because of abuse. It ended up with 4 deaths and 2 injuries.

If so, we can understand his weak attitude.

I don't know if this was posted before, but when the players ask Gi-hun where the game masters are, and he tells them ''up there'' everyone looks up except In-ho. Just thought it was a nice detail.

Theories have been popping up everywhere but one of the most popular is that these images correspond to a game called Jack and Jill. This game essentially consists of players climbing a hill to fetch water from a well using two buckets one in each hand. Then they must descend a hill with the buckets without spilling the water. The game is simple but if adapted to squid game, it's likely the dolls will detect player movement and the traffic light we will force players to stop and go just like in the first game of the season.

If we pause the image and divide it, we'll notice that the actor Gong Yoo is showing two faces at the same time. On one hand, we have an expression of arrogance - the same one he always maintained throughout the series. He has always been someone confident - look at his mouth - he has an evident smile and there's even a red light illuminating him it's as if he were a demon. But if we look at the other side we'll notice the opposite: he has an expression of fear and helplessness, his smile here doesn't exist, and there's no Eerie red light Illuminating him - just a simple light that makes him look pale and human. He even has blood stains symbolizing a wound. He lost and will die, he knows it.

Was this on purpose as an easter egg for those who know how guns work?

There are three different face masks used in Squid Game, which are a circle, triangle, and a square. The different shapes represent letters of the Korean alphabet. Circles translate to the letter O, the triangle is part of the letter J and then squares symbolise M. According to publication Looper OJM are the initials for the Korean name for the Squid Game, Ojingeo Geim. As well as, it can also be said that the masks are signs on the PlayStation controllers, which resemble the voting buttons and how the entire show feels like a game being controlled. Red is the color most associated with danger and intensity, and luckily for us, that comes in bundles in Squid Game season two.

Player 388 is one of the VIPs/Host in Squid Game.
1. Missing During the First Game
Player 388 is noticeably absent during the first game (Red Light, Green Light). When the voting starts, the announcer calls for Player 388 after Player 390, but Player 389 steps forward instead. This clearly suggests that Player 388 wasn’t even there.
2. VIPs Have Their Own Rooms
As seen in Season 1, VIPs have private rooms within the facility. Player 388, as a VIP, was observing the first game from his own room instead of participating.
3. Strategic First Appearance
The first time we actually see Player 388, he’s conveniently sitting close to Players 456 and 390. This wasn’t random; he intentionally chose that spot to monitor them. Sneaky, right?
4. Annoyed by Player 456’s Plan
In Episode 4, when Player 456 tells others that he intents to tell everyone to choose the triangle if the next game is what he suspects; Player 388 visibly reacts with annoyance.
5. Evasive When Questioned by Player 390
In Episode 5, Player 390 asks how Player 388’s mom could send her only son to the Marines. Player 388 pauses for way too long before awkwardly replying, “It was actually my dad.” Smooth, right? But when 390 digs deeper about his dad, 388 quickly changes the subject, like someone who forgot to rehearse their cover story.
6. His Name = "Huge Tiger"
Player 388’s name translates to “huge tiger.” And what do VIPs love? Animal masks. In Season 1, we saw masks for a lion, buffalo, deer, panther, bear, eagle, and owl. But no tiger. Coincidence? Nah. It’s obvious he’s the VIP wearing the tiger mask, and the name is just his cheeky nod to his real identity.
7. He Knows Player 001 True Identity
In Episode 5, Player 001 jokes about Player 456 being a “hero,” and Player 388’s face says it all. He looks genuinely surprised, like, “Dude, stop dropping hints about who you really are.” He knows Player 001’s true role and can’t believe the guy is this close to giving it all away.
8. Annoyed by Player 001’s Hints
Episode 6 is another giveaway. When Player 001 predicts the next number called will be “2,” Player 388 looks annoyed again. It’s like he’s thinking, “Can you not blow your cover? Some of us are trying to keep this under wraps.”
9. Calm Yet Acting Scared
In Episode 7, when Player 388 decides not to return with ammunition to help the group, he appears calm and unfazed. And honestly, it’s the kind of facial expression that screams “I’m a VIP and probably the villain.” I legit got chills. It’s like the showrunners said, “Here’s your bad guy, folks. Enjoy.”

There you have it. Player 388 is no ordinary participant - he’s a VIP in disguise.

According to many fans of Korean culture, this person is actor Lee Min-ho, famous for the series Boys Over Flowers and many others but what's the evidence? In the scene, we can hear the character's voice and many fans are certain they recognize the actor's voice. If Lee Min-ho were to participate in the series, he could take the recruiter's place who died at the beginning of the season. The actor of this popularity would be ideal for the season of Squid Game. Additionally, in the scene, the character is wearing a suit just like the previous recruiter.

What makes this betrayal so painful is that the girl was the only person who showed him kindness, yet he still chose to abandon her. This moment feels like a callback to Ali's tragic betrayal in Season 1, when Sang-woo tricked him during the Marbles game, leading to one of the most emotional eliminations of the season.

Later, Player 125 allowed the girl to die when Thanos’ friend attacked her. He could have stepped in to make up for his earlier betrayal but chose not to. According to the series director, Player 125 represents the most "human" character of the season, showing how ordinary people might act in the extreme situations of Squid Game.

While rewatching season 2, I noticed something that could insist we are going to see Dongdaemun as the next game. If you go to S2 E1, around 37 minutes in, when Jun-ho is researching Gi-hun, he finds his vehicle registration. Now I am only watching the translated caption version so I don’t understand what part it falls under, but the words “Dongdaemun-gu” show up. Could this have been a clue or is this something in Korea that I’m taking out of proportion?