Squid Game’s Kang Sae-byeok, also known as Player 067, was a beloved character whose death disappointed many viewers – but can the show redeem her untimely demise in season 2? Squid Game is K-drama’s first foray into the death games genre. Almost immediately after it was released, the show became the most popular series on Netflix. Much of the show's success is due to the stellar performances of Squid Game’s cast, which includes actor Jung Ho-yeon’s breakout role as North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok. Although Sae-byeok’s death means that she won’t be one of the characters who’ll return in Squid Game season 2, she remains to be one of the series’ most beloved players.
The beginning of the end for Sae-byeok was in the last scenes of Squid Game episode 7, which was when the bridge in the fifth game exploded, embedding a large piece of glass in Sae-byeok’s stomach. Along with Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo), Sae-byeok makes it to the sixth and final game, but she’s also dying from the stomach wound. This makes Sae-byeok too weak to fight off Sang-woo, who stabs Sae-byeok in the neck and kills her. In Squid Game episode 8, Sang-woo ends up killing himself, which allows Gi-hun to win Squid Game and get the ₩45.6 billion prize. In fulfillment of Gi-hun’s promise to Sang-woo, Gi-hun gives what looks like a sizable chunk of this fortune to Sang-woo’s mom (Park Hye Jin), with whom he has also entrusted Sae-byeok’s little brother Kang Cheol (Park Shi Wan), which in turn fulfills Gi-hun’s promise to Sae-byeok. This gives Sang-woo’s mom and Kang Cheol another chance at having a family, as well as more than enough money to live comfortably in Seoul.
Squid Game season 2, if it is set sometime in the near future, could make Kang Cheol one of the new players competing in the death games. Growing up with Sang-woo’s mom, and presumably still getting visits or at least calls from Gi-hun, Cheol will have a lot of questions about Sae-byeok that neither adults can answer. This is how Squid Game season 2 can approach reintroducing Cheol as a teen or young adult, which is when he’ll be old enough to start seeking out Squid Game for answers about Sae-byeok. Cheol could even become the next winner of Squid Game, which would redeem Sae-byeok’s death by allowing Cheol to finish what she started.
Moreover, most of Cheol and Sae-byeok’s family are still in North Korea. Cheol could also seek out Squid Game’s prize money for the chance to fulfill his sister’s dream of getting their entire family out of North Korea and into Seoul. If Gi-hun pursues his plans to move against Squid Game in season 2, he won’t be there to stop Cheol, and he might even get the surprise of his life when he sees Cheol competing in the games.
The ₩45.6 billion prize that Squid Game offers would be more than enough to get Cheol and Sae-byeok’s entire family out of North Korea. Not only that, it would also allow them to live a comfortable life in Seoul, similar to what Gi-hun did for Cheol and Sang-woo’s mother. Kang Cheol’s presence in Squid Game season 2, as well as his fate during the games, will decide whether or not Sea-byeok’s death can still be redeemed.