In Squid Game Season 2, the stakes are higher than ever as Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae) decides to take on the deadly games from the inside. His mission? Infiltrate, disrupt, and destroy the system that has claimed countless lives. But as you might expect, things don’t go according to plan. By the time the finale hits, viewers are left questioning who really won the battle—Gi-hun or the shadowy mastermind, the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun).
‘Squid Game’ season 2 ending explained!
This season sees Gi-hun willingly captured by the Front Man and thrust back into the competition. But he’s not just another player this time—he’s there to dismantle the games from the ground up. Unfortunately, his plans hit one roadblock after another, and by the end, Gi-hun is left with more losses than he could have ever imagined. The Front Man, meanwhile, emerges victorious, proving that the twisted philosophy behind the games remains unshaken.
We learn more about the Front Man, aka Hwang In-ho, and his chilling ideology. A former player himself, In-ho won the games back in 2015, walked away with a fortune, and decided to climb the ranks of the organization rather than leave it behind. Following the death of the original creator, Il-nam, In-ho now controls everything. His core belief? Humanity is inherently selfish and cruel, and the games simply bring out the truth.
Gi-hun, determined to prove him wrong, attempts to confront In-ho’s twisted worldview. But instead of ending the games, Gi-hun ends up back in the arena, enduring one horrifying trap after another. To make things more complicated, In-ho even pretends to be a fellow player—disguised as Player 001—to manipulate Gi-hun and test his resolve.
The Mental Chess Game
As the games progress, Gi-hun faces moral dilemmas at every turn. Players become divided into two camps: those who want the games to continue and those desperate to vote for freedom. The tipping point comes when Gi-hun convinces others to stage a revolt, using a mix of cunning strategy and sheer desperation. But this rebellion comes at a cost—Gi-hun sacrifices his ideals of solidarity, allowing allies to die in the hope of reaching the game’s control center.
In-ho, playing the long game, aids Gi-hun just enough to earn his trust before betraying him. By the end, Gi-hun’s idealism crumbles, and In-ho smugly reclaims his position as the Front Man, confident that even Gi-hun has proven his belief: survival comes first.
Devastating Losses
The revolution doesn’t end well. Friends like Jung-bae and Gyeong-seok are brutally killed, and Gi-hun is forced to watch helplessly. Only a handful of players, like Hyun-ju and Dae-ho, manage to survive the chaos, each scarred in their own way. In-ho’s betrayal is the final nail in the coffin for Gi-hun’s revolution, leaving the audience wondering if the games can ever truly be stopped.
The season wraps up with a cryptic mid-credits scene teasing a chilling twist: two giant dolls now stand in the courtyard where “Red Light, Green Light” is played, hinting at even deadlier challenges to come.
Jun-ho’s Return and a Mysterious Ally Turned Enemy
Meanwhile, outside the games, Jun-ho (Wi Ha-jun) is alive and on a mission to uncover the truth. Having survived his brother’s betrayal and a near-death fall, Jun-ho teams up with a fisherman, Captain Park, to hunt down the island where the games are held. At first, Captain Park seems like a trustworthy ally, but by the season’s end, his true colors are revealed. He sabotages the mercenaries’ search efforts, kills a soldier, and disposes of the body during a storm, hinting at his ties to the Front Man.
Whether Captain Park was always part of the games or recruited later remains a mystery, but his betrayal sets the stage for an intense cat-and-mouse game between him and Jun-ho in the next season.
What’s Next?
Season 2 leaves fans with burning questions and shocking revelations. As the games continue, the battle between Gi-hun, In-ho, and Jun-ho is far from over. With betrayal, high-stakes drama, and deadly new challenges, Squid Game Season 3 promises to keep us on the edge of our seats.