Warning! SPOILERS ahead for Squid Game.
At the end of Squid Game, Seong Gi-hun/No. 456 (Lee Jung-jae) dyed his hair red — why? Netflix found their latest hit in the South Korean dark comedy centered on a group of people joining a survival game. Written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, Squid Game was immensely popular upon release and quickly became the Netflix's number one streaming offering in several countries.
Inspired by South Korea's penchant for game shows, Squid Game starts with 456 people vying for a massive cash prize. While the show focuses on several players, its true lead is arguably Gi-hun. A divorced chauffeur with a gambling problem, Gi-hun was enticed to join Squid Game after being recruited by the salesman (Gong Yoo). Strapped for cash and hopeful to provide a better life for his daughter, Gi-hun decides to take the offer and try his luck in winning 45.6 billion won. At first, the set-up seemed harmless: contestants compete to play various traditional Korean children's games. However, it soon became clear that there's more to it than that, as each level features an increasingly deadlier twist.
Following several games and countless deaths, Gi-hun emerges as Squid Game's winner. Yet, racked with guilt over how he won, he doesn't touch the money for a full year, and only after his final conversation with Oh Il-nam (Oh Yeong-su), who was on his deathbed. Here, Gi-hun learns that the old man created the gory and horrid competition, which breaks him. At the same time, this helps him come to terms with his experience. Gi-hun finally starts spending his winnings, while also fulfilling his promises to his less fortunate friends who didn't survive Squid Game. This change of heart is represented visually: he starts dressing sharply, with the most striking change in his appearance being his fiery red hair. This decision links back to Gi-hun's nerve-wracking experience playing Squid Game. According to director Hwang in an interview with ZAPZEE, he thought that dyeing his hair red seemed like the craziest idea for Gi-hun to do, so they went for it. The redness symbolizes his inner rage ensuing his traumatic experience.
Looking back, Gi-hun's new hairdo foreshadowed his eventual decision to stay in South Korea to enact revenge on those running Squid Game. He clearly still harbors strong indignation against Il-nam, especially since he genuinely trusted and cared for the old man during their time playing the death games. With the creator of the underground competition now dead, Gi-hun can't even hold him accountable for what he did. Despite his newfound wealth that allows him to reconnect and forge a better relationship with his daughter, Gi-hun seeks revenge against the rich people who enjoy toying with the less fortunate. He didn't want anyone else to be subjected to physical and psychological abuse simply for their entertainment. His red hair symbolizes his anger, as Hwang explained, but it also represents his fierce determination to see the ending of Squid Game for good.
While the ending of Squid Game sets up a second season, Hwang says that he has yet to consider making a follow-up. It doesn't mean that he won't, only that at this point, there are no concrete plans for it. But in the high chance that a follow-up moves forward, expect Gi-hun's newfound assertiveness to drive the story. Seeing as he was mostly a passive person, even while playing Squid Game itself, this time he's focused on his purpose, making it very exciting to see what goes down in his inevitable face-off with the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun).