In Squid Game‘s first season, a key B-plot followed Hwang Jun-ho, played by Wi Ha-jun—a police detective who pulls away from his official duties to sneak into the competition. But he doesn’t have his eyes on the billion-won prize; he’s intent on finding his long-lost brother, and with some maneuvering manages to slip undercover as one of the game’s pink-clad guards. Of course, what he finds in season one shocks both the character and the audience—and paves the way for Jun-ho’s continuing journey across season two.
Jun-ho’s brother is unmasked as the game’s Front Man in season one, a guy so ice-cold he shoots his own sibling (and sends him plunging over a cliff) when they meet again after a long estrangement. This doesn’t put Jun-ho off from trying to find him (again) in season two; if anything, it makes him even more determined. Of course, trying to triangulate which island hosts the games is no small task.
Speaking to Deadline, Wi explained this is the first time he’s played a character across multiple seasons of a show, and he appreciates the opportunity it gave him to really dig into Jun-ho, flaws and all: “I’m not saying that Jun-ho is a character who is perfectly moral, but seeing how he puts his life at risk to pursue truth and realize justice was something that I really loved about him as a person. I also thought that he’s the kind of person that we need these days. So I learned a lot from him.”
Jun-ho definitely blunders in season two—not being totally honest with Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) about his brother’s true identity was definitely a mistake, as was assuming he and Gi-hun would be able to outsmart the Squid Game bigwigs and sneak a tracking device into the competition. There’s also the small matter of being overly trusting of the (not-so-random, as it turns out) boat captain who cheerfully agrees to ferry him and his well-armed gangster pals around while searching for that elusive tiny island.
Suffice to say there’s a lot for Jun-ho to battle his way through in Squid Game‘s upcoming third and final season—though Wi feels confident in his performance, especially taking into the account the character notes he got from creator Hwang Dong-hyuk. “Hwang gave me the advice that Jun-ho needs to be very well-balanced in terms of emotion,” Wi told the trade. “Even though he’s personally going through a lot of emotional turmoil, he still has to relentlessly search and achieve his goals, to the very end.”
Squid Game seasons one and two are now streaming on Netflix.
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