If you want to make a character lifelike, compelling, and relatable, give them a secret. When a character has something to hide, there’s an opportunity for dramatic irony where the audience holds power. To my knowledge, I’m not sure I’ve seen a better execution of this than in Squid Game 2.

Quite literally, every character has a secret, some characters have multiple secrets, even the boat captain has a secret! Let’s break it down. We’re going to be looking at the nine most interesting characters from Squid Game 2 and their secrets, ending with the most mysterious…

Players with Secrets:

*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR SQUID GAME 2

Every Player

Purely by the nature of the games, every single person in that arena has a secret. It’s the reason that they’re there competing in the games. When these secrets are revealed one by one, even the most minor characters seem interesting and important to the plot. Gradually, we also find out that various characters are connected outside of the games and are there for similar reasons. Some are there “because” of other players.

For example, Player 230, or Thanos, and Player 124 are both in the games because they lost betting heavily on a particular Bitcoin that was recommended to them by Player 333, otherwise known as MG Coin, via his YouTube channel.

Seong Gi-hun (Player 456)

When we realize that a character has a secret and that the other characters don’t know what it is, we feel powerful. This makes us more engaged in the telling. In the case of Seong Gi-hun (Player 456), his main secret is that he’s previously won the games. He does his best to keep this a secret as long as he can so as to not raise suspicion and draw too much attention to himself. He manages to do so through the first game, but when it comes to the first vote, he has to reveal his secret. It’s his best shot at convincing everyone to vote to end the games.

Not only giving your characters secrets but choosing the most opportune moment to reveal that secret creates the maximum excitement in a story. Player 456 has to first prove in the first game that he understands the sinister rules of Red Light, Green Light. Otherwise, when he reveals his secret no one would believe him.

Regardless, when the second game is different than he predicts, everyone turns against him, raising the stakes early to keep us engaged. This brings to mention, even the games themself have a secret. There are new games this time, different from the last time Player 456 played.

Most people, especially new writers, think of plot and character as separate entities. Secrets bind plot and character together by enriching the characters, increasing our engagement in them, and then revealing that part of the character as a plot twist later on in the story.

Hwang Jun-ho (Police Officer)

A secret can make even a good character a liar. Hwang Jun-ho, the police officer from Season 1, has one major secret that forces him to lie to everyone. He has to hide the fact that he knows who the Front Man is. The Front Man is his brother, a former cop and winner of the games, and he’ll do anything to protect him and bring him home. Hwang Jun-ho continues to tell everyone that he never saw his face when he went initially went to the island.

We, as the audience, wonder how long he can keep this going. Does he think that revealing the identity of his brother as the person in charge of the games will only make his case less credible? Is he trying to save his brother from the legal system that will come for him once they find out the truth about the games? Food for thought. Squid anyone?

Kim Jun-hee (Player 222)

Jun-hee (Player 222) has two secrets. First is that she’s competing in the games while pregnant. The second is that MG Coin (Player 333) is the father. Because of her pregnancy, we feel empathy for her and know that she’s having a tougher time in the games than everyone else and is clearly at a disadvantage. We are then more impressed when she continues to play as well as, if not better, than everyone else and survive.

The fact that her baby belongs to Player 333 rather than some random person outside the games increases the overall level of conflict. When Player 333 asks to leave the games with Jun-hee during the next vote. Jun-hee isn’t sure if he’s just after her winnings, or he really does want to make up for leaving and be with her and raise the child together.

Yong-sik (Player 007)

Yong-sik (Player 007) is hiding that his debt is more than he initially implied. He’s also hiding the circumstances surrounding that debt. There are loan sharks after him who want to take out his eyes, liver, and kidneys and sell them to pay off the debt.

This is intense, and it’s because we are unaware of this that Player 007 surprises us when he chooses circle in the third vote, especially after his mother was almost killed in the last game. We think for sure that he’ll vote to go home. Once we find out why he chose to stay, we understand.

Hiyun-ju (Player 120)

The first thing that raises suspicion around Player 120 is that she’s very calm under pressure. That being, the pressure of death. During Red Light, Green Light, we see her maintain her composure and even be brave enough to run back with 456 to rescue another player.

And again, during the second game, when everyone’s freaking out, Player 120 keeps the group sane and keeps everyone in line, showing self-control and leadership.

Later, when Player 120 agrees to join Seong Gi-hun’s attack, we see how adept she is with a gun, taking out pink suits and cameras with single shots. Player 120 reveals that she used to be in the special forces. This is ironic because this is the last person we would’ve expected to be ex-military, let alone special forces. You know it’s true. And Player 120’s bravery and skill is heightened because of its contrast to Dae-ho (Player 388).

Dae-ho (Player 388)

The first secret that Dae-ho reveals is that he’s a marine. He seems tough and formidable initially so this fits, and we believe that he’ll do well in the games, remain mentally strong, and be a capable fighter if he needs to be. Once again, we’re setting up and making room for a twist.

During the mutiny, when the back of the group gets pinned by gunfire from the pink suits, we see the shell around Player 388 begin to crack. When he’s sent back to retrieve more magazines, his mental judgment slows. He becomes confused, and his movements are shaky. In the end, he’s cowering in a ball in the corner.

We see that he’s been hiding, perhaps even from himself, remnants of PTSD. Not only is this a twist, but his actions have consequences. He costs the lives of his team.

Kang No-eul (Soldier 011)

Kang No-eul is one of the most fascinating characters in the Squid Game 2. No-eul is a North Korean defector who’s desperate to find her son still lost across the border.

We see that her first secret is that she prefers to kill the players who the Officer wants alive for organ harvesting. She defies his authority. We learn that there’s a history between them. How the Officer was there the day she broke across the border. He talks about how she was essentially a killing machine. Apparently, he helped her find refuge, perhaps in the games. We also see these skills on display in Red Light, Green Light. She’s clearly a highly-trained sniper.

These circumstances raise 3 key points:

Where did she acquire her combat skills? Was she in the North Korean military? Something else?
Why is she choosing to defy the authority of a man who pays her and has helped her survive in South Korea? Is it simply her moral character? Does she feel it’s inhumane? Or is she planning something else?
Who is this Officer, and why was he there at the border the day No-eul broke across it?

A series of minor secrets reveal even further character depth. First, she’s hiding past suicide attempts when the sick child notices the cuts on her wrist. Next, we believe she’s been selected to play in the games but realize she’s actually a pink suit. Lastly, she’s also hiding the fact that she knows who Player 246 is. She knows he’s the painter from the amusement park she worked at and is the father of a sick girl. We believe Solider 011 is the one who kills 246 in the final episode of Season 2.

All these secrets give her, and us, power.

Sea Captain

In Squid Game 2, even the smallest, seemingly irrelevant characters have something to hide. This is no more true than with the sea captain. Initially, we don’t give a second thought to this guy. He appears to be genuine. After all, he’s been helping Hwang Jun-ho look for this island for two years.

But when we see him eating lunch with Choi Woo-seok shows up with his team, they seem to know a lot about the location of the island. They also have a very detailed and determined plan of how to get there. We see the slightest signs of the sea captain getting nervous at these bits of information. We get the sense that he’s hiding something.

Because of previous disinterest in pursuing the mission, we now become suspicious of the sea captain. Our suspicions are confirmed when he’s caught by one of the crew members tampering with a drone in the middle of the night. The sea captain stabs the man and throws him overboard.

Now, we’re sure he works for the games. However, it makes us wonder, if he does work for the games, why did he save Hwang Jun-ho’s life in the first place? Was he already working for Jun-ho’s brother (the Front Man) and the games? Was he hired later? How will the sea captain keep Jun-ho safe while simultaneously keeping him off the island?

The Front Man (Player 001)

Last but certainly not least, the Front Man. The Front Man’s main secret is that, well, he’s the Front Man. The craziest part about this is the man Player 456 is trying to get to, the reason he’s playing the game, is literally right in front of him the entire time, and he has no clue. This is an enormous twist at the end of episode 3, when the Front Man turns around after selecting for the games to continue.

The Front Man uses his secret to his advantage. We see him manipulating Player 456 and other players in the things he does and says. For example, we see him intentionally botching his gameplay during the second game, giving his team only seconds to pass the finish line.

Also, after the third vote when the votes are tied 50/50, Seong Gi-hun has a great idea, that they should attack first the circle side first once the lights go out because they won’t be expecting it. That’s a good idea. Risky but a good idea.

The Front Man convinces him and everyone else that this isn’t a good idea. Is simply hoping that many of the X players will be killed and the games will have to continue? Is he just trying to keep Seong Gi-hun safe? Why? We also know that no matter what happens, the Front Man, unless by a player, won’t be killed during the games.

However, the Front Man has other secrets. We see him break up the fight between Thanos (Player 230) and MG Coin (Player 333). Then we see him snap a man’s neck during the merry-go-round game. Now, we know that he used to be a police officer and we know that he previously won the games, but he seems to be especially highly trained. Where do these combat skills come from? Could be unimportant. Could be important.

Also, perhaps the strangest of the Front Man’s decisions is when he agrees to go along with Seong Gi-hun’s plan of stealing the machine guns and staging a mutiny against the games. In the process, he has to kill some of the pink suits, his own employees, even to protect Seong Gi-hun. Why does he do this? How do the pink suits feel about this? There is a moment where the one they captured during the siege turns around and recognizes that the Front Man is part of the outlaw group. He’s shocked to see him.

Squid Game 2 - SECRET to Great Characters - Final Thoughts

So, we see that secrets are the lifeblood of good characters, connecting characters to plot, and setting up and revealing plot twists. It’s for these reasons why Squid Game Season 2 has memorable characters, despite having so many.

Next, we’ll be diving into plot structure and different types/popular techniques of plot structure and how they make a story compelling. Let me know if you want to see an article/video on Squid Game or Squid Game 2’s plot structure.

Squid Game 2 - The SECRET to Great Characters