The biggest tease regarding Seong Gi-hun may not have any payoff in Squid Game season 2. Netflix found its enormous hit show via the South Korean TV genre. Inspired by the East Asian country's love of game shows, the series centers on a group of people joining a survival competition with a large cash prize but also deadly consequences. Squid Game season 2 has officially been greenlit, but it may not address season 1's cliffhanger ending.

Squid Game starts with 456 people vying to win the titular competition. But, while the show focuses on several players, its true lead is arguably Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), a divorced chauffeur with a gambling problem, who joined after being recruited by the Salesman (Gong Yoo). Desperate for money, he tries his hand at the underground game. In the end, and after suffering the pain of seeing all of his friends die, he won the prize money. But instead of enjoying his earnings, Squid Game season 1 ended with a tease of him motivated more than ever to come after the people who are running Squid Game.

Related: Squid Game Season 2 Tease Reveals The Show's Biggest Upcoming Challenge

The cliffhanger obviously sets up a future storyline for Gi-hun, but that may not pan out in Squid Game season 2. According to writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk, he's coming up with more games for Squid Game season 2's story, and while that's exciting, it could mean that the focus on the upcoming year won't be on Gi-hun's revenge arc. Since he won the last round, he can’t just join the next one in an effort to take down the whole operation. Those who are running it will definitely have knowledge of him, and chances are that he won't even be invited to participate. However, if Squid Game season 2 will introduce fresh games, the outing could focus on an entirely different set of players. Assuming that this is the case, it could sideline Gi-hun, saving his personal story for a potential Squid Game season 3.

Squid Game Front Man Identity Twist Header

Instead of picking up directly where it left off, Squid Game season 2 might be a Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) prequel; it can tackle how exactly he won the competition back in 2015 and how he transitioned from being the winner to the competition's facilitator. This would allow Hwang to introduce an entirely new slate of games, not to mention an ensemble cast portraying those who entered the game during that time. As Hwang also mentioned, audiences shouldn't expect any of the dead characters to return in the Netflix show's sophomore year since they are gone. This is a letdown for many considering that plenty of viewers would like to know some of them more. But given the nature of Squid Game, this is the best way for the show to move forward as, not only does it allow the series to revisit its tried and tested format, but it also gives them a chance to answer lingering questions from season 1.   

Going this creative route also better sets up Gi-hun's revenge plot in Squid Game. While many would like to see Squid Game season 2 immediately dive into this plotline, it would be great if Front Man's backstory got established first. While he now runs the games, unlike the VIPs, he isn't born rich. Perhaps he and Gi-hun can even team up against the wealthy patrons of the deadly competition in later seasons of Squid Game, considering that they both went through the same horrible experience.  

Next: Squid Game Season 2 Trying To Bring Back Dead Characters Is A Mistake