Seong Gi-hun

Seong Gi-hun, also known as Player 456, is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the South Korean survival drama television series, Squid Game. He is portrayed by South Korean actor, businessman and model, Lee Jung-jae. Gi-hun is a gambler down on his luck who gets recruited to play in the Squid Game, a series of deadly childhood games (including "Red Light, Green Light", "Marbles", "Tug of war" and the eponymous Squid game), for a high cash prize, which he ultimately wins.
Gi-hun was based on one of the childhood friends of series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk. Gi-hun and Cho Sang-woo were based on Hwang's own personal experiences and represented "two sides" of himself; Gi-hun shared the same aspects of being raised by an economically disadvantaged single mother in the Ssangmun district of Seoul, while Sang-woo reflected on Hwang having attended Seoul National University with high expectations from his family and neighborhood. Hwang said he chose to cast Lee as Gi-hun as to "destroy his charismatic image portrayed in his previous roles".
Character biography
Seong Gi-hun is a resident from the Ssangmun-dong neighbourhood in the city of Seoul, the capital of South Korea. He is a divorced father, who besides working as a chauffeur, continuously gambles for the purpose of earning money. Living with his diabetic mother, Gi-hun desperately tries to gain custody of his daughter Seong Ga-yeong, who now lives with her mother and stepdad. Trying to be a custodial father, Gi-hun tries taking care of his daughter, but fails due to his lack of money, which he often lends from the bank as well as from loan sharks. Due to his gambling, as well as other different factors, Gi-hun is millions of won in debt, and constantly evades paying back the money he owes to the bank and loan sharks.
One day after winning 100.000 won playing Ddakji with a salesman, Gi-hun gets invited to the Squid Game, an offer he accepts in hopes of winning a large amount of money, paying back his large debts, paying his mother's hospital bills, gaining back custody of his daughter and overall securing a good life for him and his family. Throughout the game, Gi-hun forms an alliance with Cho Sang-woo, Kang Sae-byeok, Ali Abdul (who saved Gi-hun's life during "Red Light, Green Light") and Oh Il-nam. However, due to the former's willingness to let other players die to further advance in the game, Gi-hun and Sang-woo become rivals, and compete against each-other in the final game. Gi-hun beats Sang-woo in the final game but refuses to kill him, offering him a chance to use the game's third clause to save his friend's life. However, Sang-woo decided to commit suicide by stabbing himself in the neck, allowing Gi-hun to be winner of the competition. As a final request before his death, Sang-woo asked Gi-hun to use some of the prize winnings to help his mother. Gi-hun was left heartbroken at Sang-woo's death.
Becoming the winner, Gi-hun receives the prize money and returns to Seoul, but discovers his mother had died and lies next to her body, heartbroken. Gi-hun is left emotionally traumatised from what he went through during the game, living out his old life and not spending any of his winnings. A year later, in December 2021, Gi-hun received a card from "his gganbu" instructing him to visit a sky tower. Gi-hun does so, and is horrified and disgusted at Il-nam's reveal that he was the creator of the Squid Game. After Gi-hun wins Il-nam's bet regarding a homeless man outside, Il-nam passed away. Following this, Gi-hun dyes his hair red, puts Sae-byeok's brother in the care of Sang-woo's mother and gives her a bag containing the prize money. Gi-hun then decides to board a flight to Los Angeles to see his daughter again, but notices the same salesman he encountered playing ddakji with another player, and runs to the platform. He takes the invitation card from the player, and calls the number himself, stating that he cannot forgive the organisers for everything they have done. After being told to "just get on that plane", Gi-hun turns around and walks away, presumably try and take down the game's organisers.
Reception
Gi-hun and his portrayal by Lee Jung-jae received critical acclaim. The New York Times named him their breakout star of the year; stating: "As the protagonist Seong Gi-hun, a gambling addict who is deeply in debt, he gives a wrenching and surprisingly subtle performance as he battles his way through unspeakable horrors."

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See Also

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