Gi-hun always had a line he refused to cross, even for 45.6 billion won. But before ending the game, he asks the guard to vote to end the game and spare Sang-woo’s life. First, he plants the knife in the dirt next to Sang-woo’s head and walks over to the “squid’s head” finish line as a guard trains a rifle on the fallen player. But when it comes to killing Sang-woo, GI-hun can’t do it. Gi-hun eventually pins Sang-woo down and holds the knife to his old friend’s face. Gi-hun’s rage and determination keep fighting through a stab to the thigh and the hand. Gi-hun tells Sang-woo that he won’t let him leave with the money. Sang-woo admits he killed Sae-byeok to avoid her and Gi-hun teaming up against him.

Gi-hun and Sang-woo begin to argue as the rain starts pouring. Before his first attack, a fistful of sand in Sang-woo’s face, Gi-hun reminds Sang-woo that they used to play the violent squid game as kids. Of course, should either of them die, the winner would be the last man standing. To win, he has to make it to the “squid’s eye,” past defender Sang-woo, who needs to push him out of the grid. The final round takes place on the same playground as the first, but Gi-hun takes the offense this time. Even they understand the gravity of the final deathmatch. Even the VIPs’ skybox is plain, all the tacky decorations gone. All the better to use Gi-hun’s pure rage going into the final round. Gi-hun wins the coin toss and chooses offense (Sang-woo will be on the defense) in a dark tunnel, and it looks like the game starts immediately after Sae-byeok’s death. There’s no preamble to the final round, no stair room, no “The Blue Danube.” The episode begins with establishing shots: the squid game field, the two players left on the control room board. All of the artifice drops in the Squid Game finale.

Date a live episode 1 season 1