Cho Sang-woo/Synopsis

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Villain Overview Synopsis Gallery

The story of Cho Sang-woo from Squid Game.

Background

Cho Sang-woo as a child.

Cho Sang-woo is the childhood best friend of Seong Gi-hun and both are from the Ssangmun-dong neighborhood in the city of Seoul, the capital of South Korea. In their younger days, they studied in the same elementary school classroom and Gi-hun used to take Sang-woo to school. They used to play children's games together (such as the Squid Game, Sugar Honeycombs, and Red Light, Green Light) until their mothers call them home for dinner. As result, the two of them developed a very close and brotherly relationship. Because Gi-hun is a year older than him, Sang-woo always refers to him as "older brother" ("hyung"), while Gi-hun affectionately refers to the younger as "Sang-woo-ya".

Sang-woo with his mother during his graduation at Seoul National University.

Years later, Sang-woo enrolled at Seoul National University, where he studied Business Administration, being accepted as the valedictorian of the Business school and graduating as the top of his class. This made him gain fame in Ssangmun-dong, becoming known as a prodigy, and he obtained a high social status, becoming a member of the elite in South Korea. After he started to work as an investment banker, Sang-woo became the leader of Team Two of Joy at Joy Investments, however, he embezzled money from his clients and tried to invest it in derivatives and mostly in futures. Sang-woo failed and lost all the money, resulting in a debt of ₩6 billion.

In 2020, Sang-woo is a 46-year-old man who is hunted by the police after an arrest warrant was issued for him, citing embezzlement, forgery of private documents and other financial crimes. Having used all his and his mother's properties as financial collateral, including his mother's fish store and house, Sang-woo flees from the police and tells his mother that he is in the US on a business trip. Desperate to pay back his clients, to avoid jail time and prevent his mother's properties from being taken, Sang-woo accepts the invitation for the 33rd Squid Game, a mysterious competition with a large sum of money as a prize.

Squid Game

"Red Light, Green Light"

Young Sang-woo plays Squid Game with Gi-hun.

Sang-woo is first seen in a flashblack as a child, during the opening narration of the series. An adult Seong Gi-hun narrates one time he played Squid Game with his friends and explains the rules of the game. Positioning themselves on a grid with the shape of a squid, young Sang-woo plays in the defense team while young Gi-hun plays in the offense team. The offense can only use both feet after crossing the squid's waist, so Gi-hun hops in one foot until meeting Sang-woo at the middle of the grid. Gi-hun briefly confronts Sang-woo and manages to trick his friend, pointing that his mother is there, causing Sang-woo to look behind him. Realizing the trick, Sang-woo turns back to Gi-hun and tries to grab him, but fails.

Sang-woo sits defeated on the ground while Gi-hun claims his victory.

Sang-woo was distracted long enough for Gi-hun to cross to the the other side of the squid's waist, so he is now allowed to use both feet. Gi-hun looks back at Sang-woo and declares "the secret inspector", which is how they call when the offense crosses the waist of the squid. In a final confrontation, all the attackers gather at the entrance of the squid, then they run at the defense. The offense team should step in the squid's head in order to win and the defense should try to stop them. Gi-hun faces Sang-woo again. Sang-woo tries to push Gi-hun off the grid, which will cause an attacker to "die" and lose the game. Sang-woo fails. When Gi-hun moves towards the squid's head, Sang-woo grabs his shirt to stop him. Sang-woo only manages to rip a piece of the shirt and Gi-hun runs to the squid's head, claiming his victory. While Gi-hun and the offense team celebrates, Sang-woo is seen sitting on the ground, still holding a piece of the ripped shirt.

Years later, in 2020, upon being put to sleep and taken to the island where the games happen, Sang-woo is designated the number "218" and the masked workers dressed him in his player uniform before the beginning of the games. After waking up inside the dormitory, Sang-woo is seen with the other 455 players while the masked men welcomes them and explain the rules of the competition. Because of the small doses of information the 456 players received before being taken to the island, some of them question the mysterious staff, including why they are hiding their faces. Sang-woo is one of these skeptical players and tells the masked manager that he doesn't believe in anything that was said. Sang-woo thinks the players are victims of enticement, kidnapping and then confinement, and the staff are just giving excuses for their illegal actions without revealing their identities.

In response to Sang-woo's statement, the manager shows a footage exhibiting Sang-woo playing ddakji with the salesman and being slapped in the face several times for not having the money to pay him upon losing a round. The manager explains that Sang-woo is the former leader in an investing company, but he embezzled money from his clients and then invested it in derivatives and futures, and failed, resulting in a ₩650 million loss. The footage and the manager's explanation causes Sang-woo to lower his head in shame. The manager then shows more footage exhibiting others in the room playing ddakji with the salesman, explaining that the other players have similar debts. He continues by recalling that none of them trusted in the salesman at first, but they all ultimately received the money they were promised upon winning a round of ddakji.

Gi-hun talks with Sang-woo before the beginning of the first game.

Sang-woo continues to listen the staff tell the players the rules and then is seen signing the consent form with the three clauses of the game. Later, he is seen going up spiral staircases with other players, while going to the location of the first game. The location is a room constructed to resemble a field. As the players enter the place, Sang-woo turns when he hears his childhood best friend, Gi-hun, calling out to him. Gi-hun dashes towards his friend and is happy but surprised to see him, asking why he joined the games. Gi-hun says he visited Sang-woo's mother's fish store recently, and she told him that Sang-woo was abroad on a business trip. Gi-hun asks if it is true that Sang-woo, the SNU alum and pride of Ssangmun-dong, is in debt like the manager said. Uncomfortable by his friend's questions, Sang-woo says they will talk about it later. Sang-woo then leaves Gi-hun behind, as his friend is still confused for having no answers.

Sang-woo sees Gi-hun paralyzed and decides to help him in the first game.

The first game is revealed to be Red Light, Green Light and the players have 5 minutes to cross the finish line without being caught by a giant motion sensor doll. During this game, Sang-woo and the other players discover that the losers of a game are killed, as they realize that the participants whose movements are caught by the giant doll are immediately shot by guns placed in many small openings on the high walls of the location. Sang-woo finds out he can hide behind other players to prevent his movements from being sensed by the doll. With less than 3 minutes left, Sang-woo sees that Gi-hun is paralyzed and trembling on the ground after being knocked down by a player who fell over of him. Seeing his friend in distress, Sang-woo decides to help him. Sang-woo approaches Gi-hun and says that his friend should move or he will die. He tells Gi-hun that he thinks the doll is a motor sensor and that he can hide behind others to survive. Sang-woo then walks past Gi-hun and stops nearby as the doll says "red light" again. Hiding behind a player, Sang-woo looks back at Gi-hun and points to the timer showing they have around 2 minutes left, reminding his friend that the time is running out. Gi-hun becomes motivated by this, he hears this advice and decides to move.

Sang-woo manages to run and cross the finish line with less than 20 seconds left. Safe behind the line, Sang-woo places his hands on his knees in exhaustion. He then turns and looks back at Gi-hun, who is running to follow him. The two friends stare each other. Because Gi-hun runs towards the finish line with his eyes still fixed on Sang-woo, he trips on a corpse. As Gi-hun starts to fall to the ground and is almost seen by the doll during the next "red light", Sang-woo is surprised to witness his friend being grabbed by Ali Abdul. Sang-woo watches as Ali holds Gi-hun up with one hand and they both manage to stay still to prevent their movements from being detected. Thanks to Ali, Gi-hun is saved. During the next "green light", Gi-hun, along with Ali, runs and jumps to cross the finish line as the timer expires, landing in front of Sang-woo.

"Hell"

Sang-woo speaks for the begging players, reminding the staff that players can vote to terminate the games.

Returning to the dormitory, all players are silent as they sit on the ground. Sang-woo sits next to Gi-hun and Ali is also seen nearby. Gi-hun thanks both Sang-woo and Ali for saving his life during the Red Light, Green Light game. The masked staff arrives and announces that 255 players were eliminated and 201 remain in the competition. With half of the players killed in the first game, most players became terrified and beg the masked staff to let them go. In the corner of the room, Sang-woo watches the players plead for their lives, including Han Mi-nyeo, who claims to have a baby that she has not even named yet. The manager reminds them that the first clause of the Squid Game consent form says that a player isn't allowed to voluntarily quit the games. When players become agitated, the manager shoots into the air and the soldiers point their guns at the them, causing all players to cower on the floor. The manager proceeds to remind them that the second clause of the consent form says that players who refuse to play will be eliminated. However, Sang-woo stands up from the midst of the begging and terrified players, and speaks for them. He tells the manager that the third clause says that the games can be terminated if the majority agrees. The masked manager confirms that Sang-woo is correct and agrees to allow a vote after announcing the prize money accumulated from the first game.

Sang-woo decides to vote for the games to continue.

The staff reveals that 25.5 billion was accumulated and the final prize will be ₩45.6 billion, but if they quit the games, all the money will go to the families of the deceased players, and living players will be left with nothing. Seeing all the money accumulated in the piggy bank, Sang-woo is really impressed. During the vote, Sang-woo stands before the two available buttons and ponders for a moment about his options. He ends up changing his mind about leaving the Squid Game and votes against the termination of the games. This surprises Gi-hun, causing him to stare at Sang-woo in disbelief. Despite this, the games are still stopped by the majority of votes, which disappoints Sang-woo. Because of this result, the manager announces that the games are terminated, unless the majority later decides to play again.

With the games terminated, the staff drops Sang-woo with Ali on the street at night, with both only wearing their underclothes. As they get dressed, Ali wonders where they are. Looking around, Sang-woo recognizes that they are in Yeouido, which is located in the center of the city of Seoul. Ali asks to borrow Sang-woo's phone to make a call, but Sang-woo sees that his phone needs to be recharged.

Sang-woo helps Ali in Seoul.

Stopping by a store, Sang-woo buys a phone charger and also ramyeon for himself and Ali. Turning on the phone, he is troubled when sees the many messages that he received during the time he was absent, all of them related with his financial issues, including from people who are suing him and the police. Sang-woo then lends the phone to Ali. Afterwards, as Ali is leaving and says goodbye to him, Sang-woo stops him. Sang-woo recalls that Ali mentioned living in another city (Ansan) and couldn't even pay for his own food, realizing that Ali has no money to go home. When Ali tells him he will walk, Sang-woo offers him money for him to take a bus. Ali initially refuses, saying that he can't pay Sang-woo back. But Sang-woo insists and says that he won't ask Ali to pay him back. Ali then accepts and repeatedly thanks Sang-woo for it. Sang-woo accepts the gratitude but asks Ali to stop calling him "sir/boss" ("sajangnim").

Sang-woo watches his mother organizing her fish store, but has no courage to face her.

Sometime later, Sang-woo goes to the Ssangmun-dong neighborhood to see his mother, but is too insecure to approach her. So, he hides behind a tent to avoid being seen by his mother and observes her from afar while she is organizing her fish store. He is surprised by Gi-hun appearing behind him and asking what he is doing here. Startled by his friend's appearance, Sang-woo gives no response. He turns and looks at Gi-hun nervously before glancing back at his mother. Seeing Sang-woo's reaction, Gi-hun sighs and sadly looks at him in understanding.

Sang-woo tells Gi-hun about the real gravity of his money problems.

Right after, Gi-hun buys cups of coffee from a vending machine for himself and Sang-woo. Looking at a crestfallen Sang-woo, Gi-hun tells his friend not to be so worried about his debts, reminding him that he is the genius accepted to SNU Business school as valedictorian and the pride of Ssangmun-dong, so he will certainly earn more money. Gi-hun advises Sang-woo to tell the truth to his mother and start fresh. Sang-woo is not so optimistic and reveals that he owes ₩6 billion. Hearing this, Gi-hun is surprised because the staff of the Squid Game said that Sang-woo's debt was ₩650 million. Sang-woo says that the Squid Game staff doesn't know everything. Gi-hun asks if he lost the money by playing with stocks while working at a securities firm. Sang-woo explains that stocks weren't much, he lost most of the money dealing in futures. Gi-hun becomes confused by the terminology and wonders what kind of future was it for Sang-woo to risk that much money and if there was a girl involved. Annoyed, Sang-woo tells him that it is not this kind of "future", but doesn't explain further. Gi-hun says that Sang-woo could file for personal bankruptcy, as he heard the person doesn't need to pay off debts by doing so. But Sang-woo sadly admits that used not only all his properties but also his mother's as financial collateral, including her house and her store.

Sang-woo tries to commit suicide in the motel room.

During the night, Sang-woo is in a motel room and talks with his mother on the phone. She thinks he is still traveling abroad in the US and asks if he is eating well because she isn't sure if he likes American food. Sang-woo lies and says that there are many Korean restaurants, so she should not be worried. She asks when he is going to return and Sang-woo replies that the work is taking longer than he expected. His mother says she understands, thinking he is working very hard. Sang-woo is then hesitant to say something to his mother when they are interrupted by a customer that arrives at her store. Sang-woo's mother decides to end the call to attend the customer. She tells him that he doesn't need to bring anything to her from his trip and asks him to take care of himself. After the call, Sang-woo dresses his suit and burns charcoal in the bathroom. He drinks and enters the filled bathtub still dressed, trying to commit suicide by asphyxiation with the charcoal smoke. While preparing himself to die, Sang-woo hears someone ringing the bell of his room. Checking the door, he sees a new Squid Game card being slide under it. He sees that there is a new date and time for those who want to rejoin the games, midnight on June 23, at the same location as previous.

With no options to solve his debts and save his mother from financial ruin, at night on June 23, Sang-woo waits for the staff to take him back to the games. At 12 p.m. sharp, a passenger van being driven by a masked worker appears. Sang-woo gets in the van and is once again put to sleep by gas, before being taken to the Squid Game island.

"The Man with the Umbrella"

Sang-woo and Gi-hun agree to form a team for the next games.

Returning to the games along with other 186 players, Sang-woo sees Gi-hun talking with Oh Il-nam and realizes that his friend also rejoined. Sang-woo calls Gi-hun and greets him, saying he didn't expect him to come back. An upset Gi-hun tells him he wasn't expecting to rejoin either. Gi-hun asks if Sang-woo went to see his mother before coming, but an ashamed Sang-woo just lows his head in response. Ali then appears and upon seeing Sang-woo and Gi-hun, he approaches to greet them. Ali once again thanks Sang-woo for paying his bus in Seoul. Gi-hun asks what Ali is talking about, so Sang-woo explains that Ali was going to walk from Yeouido to Ansan. Gi-hun laughs, saying that this is heart-warming and thinks that they all get along together like comrades from boot camp. Thinking about the subject, Gi-hun says they should form a team for the next games. Sang-woo immediately agrees because it is better to have a group and be prepared for anything they might play next. Gi-hun invites Ali to join them, reminding Sang-woo how strong Ali is, as Sang-woo also witnessed him lifting Gi-hun up with one hand in the first game. Ali happily accepts to join the two of them, and Sang-woo again asks him to stop referring to them as "sir/boss" ("sajangnim"). Il-nam then also asks to join the team.

Sang-woo eating with his teammates.

After receiving lunch boxes to eat, Gi-hun notices that the rice is cold and turns to Sang-woo while reminiscing about the time the two of them would use a coal stove of their elementary school classroom to warm their food. Sang-woo tells him to try to figure out what the next game will be about instead of only keep remembering about the past. Gi-hun responds that it is impossible to guess, they will only find out when the game begins. However, Il-nam suggests that it might be another old children's game like Red Light, Green Light. When Gi-hun mentions the names of many children's games that they could play next, an upset Ali reveals that he doesn't know any of these games because children don't play them in his country. Sang-woo reassures Ali, saying the rules of children's games are simple, and they will help Ali if he doesn't know.

In the middle of the night, while the other players are sleeping, Sang-woo is lying awake on his bed when he overhears Kang Sae-byeok and Mi-nyeo talking. Sae-byeok had gone inside the vent in the bathroom to figure out something about the next game, so Mi-nyeo keeps asking the girl what she saw as they walk back into the dormitory. Sae-byeok tells Mi-nyeo she will say in the morning. Remembering this, in the next morning, after everybody received from the workers a wrapped bun and a bottle of milk for breakfast, Sang-woo watches an isolated Sae-byeok from afar. Ali notices Sang-woo is not eating and asks why. Sang-woo replies that he doesn't eat breakfast and gives his bun to Ali, which makes Gi-hun playfully say that geniuses don't eat much. This prompts Gi-hun to also give his milk to Ali as he cannot consume regular milk. Sang-woo continues to observe Sae-byeok when they all hear the announcer saying that the second game will begin soon.

Sang-woo asks Sae-byeok what she saw last night.

As the players go up the spiral staircases while walking to the location of the next game, Sang-woo approaches Sae-byeok and asks what she saw last night, revealing that he overheard her talking with Mi-nyeo. Sae-byeok doesn't see a reason to tell him anything, so Sang-woo explains that while she is a North Korean defector and is not familiar with the games in the competition, these games are the ones he played as a child. Sang-woo says that if Sae-byeok tells him what she saw, he might guess the next game. Convinced that this might also work in her favor, Sae-byeok decides to reveal to Sang-woo that she saw the masked workers melting sugar in large pots.

Sang-woo recalls when he, Gi-hun and other friends saw a street food vendor making dalgona.

The location of the second game is a playground. Gi-hun looks around the place trying to guess the game and asks Sang-woo what he thinks. They then hear announcer asking the players to choose one of the four shapes on the doors (a circle, a triangle, a star, and a umbrella) and stand in front of it. While Ali wonders what those shapes are and Il-nam tells them that they seem familiar, Sang-woo stares at the four doors. Seeing the shapes, Sang-woo remembers what Sae-byeok told him about the sugar and recalls a day of his childhood when he and Gi-hun along with their friends saw a street food vendor making dalgona candies with similar shapes.

Sang-woo recognizes the dalgona shapes.

Recognizing the shapes on the doors, Sang-woo quickly realizes that the game is probably Dalgona (Sugar Honeycombs). Despite this, Sang-woo is around 80% to 90% sure of his guess, because the circle and the triangle shapes were not separated when he played this game as a child. But if this guess is correct, the triangle will be the easiest shape to cut out from the dalgona candy. Gi-hun then interrupts Sang-woo's thoughts, asking him what their team should do. Despite his hunch, an anxious Sang-woo replies he isn't sure. Seeing no reason to tell the others and guide all of them to the easiest shape, Sang-woo chooses to keep his guess to himself. Because of this, when Gi-hun asks if they should move as a team, Sang-woo tells him that it might be disadvantageous if all of them pick the same shape as they don't know what the game is. Instead, he suggests the team to split by choosing different shapes, explaining a saying in investments, "don't put all your eggs in one basket". Hearing this, Gi-hun becomes very proud and praises Sang-woo's intelligence by bragging about it to Il-nam, not knowing that his friend chose to risk the chances of survival of their team and favor only himself. Gi-hun tells the old man that Sang-woo got into SNU as the top of his class and he was a famous prodigy in Ssangmun-dong. Gi-hun happily agrees when Il-nam states that Sang-woo must be a great man. Sang-woo becomes visibly uncomfortable by his friend's compliments but doesn't say anything.

Sang-woo tries to warn Gi-hun about the game, but then gives up and hesitantly lets him go.

Sang-woo is the first one to choose. Although not completely sure if the game is in fact Dalgona, Sang-woo picks the triangle, which seems to be the safest option, and watches his teammates choosing between the three other shapes. After Ali picked the circle, Gi-hun chooses the umbrella, which is probably the hardest shape, making Sang-woo suddenly turn to his friend in alarm. Sang-woo asks why Gi-hun would make this choice. Gi-hun tells him about a past memory about how he would always lose his umbrellas as a child and anger his mother who in the end would give him only the broken ones, so he wished to have a decent umbrella like the other kids. Since everyone in the team has picked a shape, Gi-hun states that they should move and come up with a plan together once they know what the game is. However, when the members of the team walk towards their respective doors, but Sang-woo stays behind. Despite not have a reason to guide everyone to pick the triangle, Sang-woo grows visibly worried about his friend's safety. So, as Gi-hun walks to stand in front of the door with the umbrella shape, Sang-woo calls him, thinking about telling his friend not to pick that shape. However, Sang-woo then becomes conflicted about what to do, not knowing if he should reveal the advantage and also not absolutely sure about his guess. Ultimately, when Gi-hun stops and answers his call, Sang-woo stares at him with concern but ends up giving up on the idea and hesitantly lets him go.

Sang-woo completes the second game.

Sang-woo sees Gi-hun smile at him and give a shake of his fist, wishing him good luck before going to stand in front of the umbrella door. Sang-woo remains in the same spot watching his friend for a few more moments before moving on. Unknown to him, Sae-byeok watches Sang-woo and deduces that he guessed the game, so she follows him when he walks towards the triangle door. After the players received their dalgona candies with the shapes they chose, Sang-woo's guess is proven to be correct as the announcer reveals the game and says that players have 10 minutes to cut out their shapes without breaking or cracking it. After confirming that his guess was right, Sang-woo looks at Gi-hun. Sang-woo sees Gi-hun's distressed reaction upon finding out that the game is Dalgona and he picked the hardest shape. Sang-woo then turns his eyes away from his friend and gazes off with a thoughtful look. Sang-woo carefully cuts his candy until extracting the triangle. He finishes it around 3 minutes before the game is over. He shows the triangle to a soldier and the announcer says that he passed this game. While still standing next to the soldier, Sang-woo looks around to see that Gi-hun is still struggling to cut out his umbrella. Sang-woo sees Gi-hun looking back at him, but avoids his eyes by lowering his head and then leaves the playground. Along the way to return to the dormitory, Sang-woo is seen anxiously looking up as he goes down spiral staircases along with other players who survived this game.

"Stick to the Team"

Seeing Gi-hun and Il-nam returning from the second game, Sang-woo becomes relieved that his friend survived.

After the second game, Sang-woo and Ali are seen in the dormitory waiting for Gi-hun and Il-nam to return. Sang-woo sighs and smiles at the sight of Gi-hun walking into the dormitory with the old man, relieved to see that his friend survived. He nervously apologizes to Gi-hun for suggesting the team to split up but omits the fact that he had guessed the game. Gi-hun suspects that Sang-woo knew the game and decides to let it slide. Gi-hun feigns ignorance, saying that Sang-woo doesn't need to apologize because he didn't know. Gi-hun reminds Sang-woo that he chose the umbrella himself, so it is okay. Sang-woo tells him that he is glad that everyone in their team survived. Following this, they all hear the announcer say that 79 players were eliminated in this round, and witness ₩7.9 billion being added to the piggy bank. With this, 108 players remain in the games.

Sang-woo and Gi-hun approach Player 271, who was beaten by Deok-su.

During lunch time, the workers serve each player only hard-boiled egg and a glass bottled soda. Sang-woo and his teammates receive their lunch and sit down together to eat. But after a few players didn't receive any food because the gangster Jang Deok-su and his gang got in line twice to eat more, Sang-woo and his team witness Player 271 confront the gangster, only to be beaten in front of everyone. As Deok-su leaves an unmoving 271 on the floor, Sang-woo is seen standing with his hand raised protectively in front of Gi-hun (probably having stopped his friend from intervening in the confrontation). As soon as Deok-su moves away from 271, Sang-woo approaches to help him, being closely followed by Gi-hun. Sang-woo attempts to wake 271 up by shaking him slightly. When this fails, Sang-woo checks his pulse and realizes that there is none, so he turns to Gi-hun and tells him that the player is dead. Sang-woo then sees his friend begging the masked staff to do something about Deok-su murdering 271, but the staff ignores Gi-hun's pleas. Instead, 271's death is simply added to the eliminated players and more money is added to the piggy bank, before two masked men enter the dormitory carrying a coffin to take away the player's body. Sang-woo becomes shocked to see that there is no punishment for this murder. Because of this, Sang-woo and the other players realize that killing each other in between games is allowed.

Sang-woo tells his teammates that they should stay awake and be prepared for an attack from Deok-su's gang.

Later, 30 minutes before the lights out, Sang-woo is reunited with his team. Sang-woo tells his teammates that it is too dangerous to sleep tonight because anything could happen after the lights go out. He and Gi-hun look at Deok-su's gang reunited on the other side of the dormitory. Sang-woo thinks that they are certainly planning nothing good. He advises his team to stick together in case of an attack, so they can fight back. Sang-woo turns to Ali and asks him to stay with them if something happens. When the lights go out, Sang-woo is seen lying awake on his bed, preparing for what will happen next.

Sang-woo and Ali save Gi-hun during the special game.

Right after the lights go out, Deok-su and his gang attack other players to decrease the number of competitors, starting a riot where many players kill each other. As the lights start to flicker on and off, Player 413 attacks Gi-hun with a part of the bed, but Sang-woo and Ali appear to save him. While Ali holds 413's metal bar from the top of a bunk, Sang-woo grabs the bar and uses it to attack 413, keeping him away from Gi-hun. 413 lands a punch on Sang-woo, making him fall back next to Gi-hun, but Ali pushes 413 away. Once the attacker is gone, Sang-woo immediately turns to Gi-hun and asks his friend if he is okay. Gi-hun replies he is fine but then notices that Il-nam is missing, so the trio starts to look for the old man. Along the way, Gi-hun is attacked again, this time by Player 113. Sang-woo immediately defends Gi-hun by attacking 113, while Ali pushes the new attacker away from them.

Sang-woo helps Gi-hun and their team to protect Sae-byeok during the special game.

Actively fighting off attackers, Sang-woo and the other two reach Il-nam's bed, but don't find him there. In the middle of this chaos, Sae-byeok seeks their team for protection as she is being chased by Deok-su and his group. Deok-su's gang follows her and confronts Sang-woo and Gi-hun's team. When Sae-byeok is attacked by Player 303, who breaks a glass bottle on her head, Sang-woo defends the girl by attacking 303 with his metal bar. But then Player 040 appears and kicks Sang-woo off his teammate. The two teams face each other in a standoff, when they all hear Il-nam pleading the players to stop killing each other from the top of a high bunk. This is followed by the masked staff entering the dormitory to end the riot.

Sang-woo with his team after the special game.

During the riot, 27 were killed, so now 80 players remain in the games. Right after, team sits together and talks. Sang-woo looks at Gi-hun and says that it is a relief that nobody in their team was badly injured. Gi-hun reminds them that the members of the team still don't know each other's names and asks them to introduce themselves. After Gi-hun said his name, Sang-woo asks Ali for his. Ali introduces himself and says he is from Pakistan. When Gi-hun questions where that is, Sang-woo replies that it is right above India. Ali says that Sang-woo's answer is correct, so Gi-hun once again starts to praise his friend's intelligence while introducing him to Ali. However, as Gi-hun talks about his friend's graduation at SNU, he is cut off by Sang-woo simply telling Ali his name. Both Sang-woo and Gi-hun then turn to Sae-byeok, who is sitting behind them in silence. After Sae-byeok reluctantly said her name, Ali asks for Il-nam's, but the old man stutters, causing Sang-woo and the others to look at him in confusion. As Il-nam has apparently forgotten his own name, he is the only one who doesn't reveal it.

In the following morning, when the lights come up, Sang-woo and his teammates wake up and Il-nam is sitting next to them awake, having stayed up all night. Il-nam explains he was afraid there would be another attack and because he wasn't much help during the riot, stand guard is the least he can do for the team. Following this, they all hear the announcer say that the next game will begin soon. Later, they enter a white room as the announcer says that the third game will be played as a team and players have 10 minutes to form teams of 10. Sang-woo discusses with Gi-hun what the third game might be and who they should invite to join their team. Gi-hun tells him many group games that could be next, trying to guess if the game will require luck or speed. Gi-hun asks his friend what their team should do. Sang-woo concludes that they need more men in their team because they already have a woman and an elderly person. Gi-hun argues that the next game could be one in which women are better at. Sang-woo agrees, but tells him that probably-wise, men are better at most games. Sang-woo reminds Gi-hun that they are risking their lives, so they need to increase their odds to make sure their team wins. Sang-woo then tells the team to split to look for people, with each person being responsible to bring one new member to the team. As everyone agrees with this plan and leaves, Sang-woo stops Ali and advises him to hide his injured hand, which has two fingers missing, as it will make Ali look weak.

While looking for a new teammate, Sang-woo sees Player 069 by himself and decides to invite him to join his team. However, Player 069 reveals that he is not alone, as his wife (Player 070) is also in the games. Player 069 says he has to stick with her and asks if them both can join the team together. Remembering his own advice, Sang-woo refuses and lies about his team already having too many women. As Sang-woo leaves the couple behind, Player 196 approaches him and says that he can join his team.

Mi-nyeo joins Sang-woo and Gi-hun's team.

Reuniting with the group around 1 minute before the time is over, Player 196 joins the team along with Ji-yeong, Player 276 and Player 244. While checking the new members, however, Sang-woo becomes distressed as Gi-hun counts their teammates and notices that they still need one more person because Il-nam didn't bring anyone. Sang-woo asks who brought Ji-yeong to the team. Ji-yeong says that Sae-byeok invited her to join. Sang-woo reapproves this choice, reminding Sae-byeok that he had asked to bring only men. Feeling unwelcome upon hearing this, Ji-yeong says she will leave, but Gi-hun stops her. Gi-hun tells Sang-woo that they don't even know what they will play and they don't have time to look for someone else either, so Ji-yeong can stay. Gi-hun also reminds Sang-woo that they are still missing a person to complete their team. Sang-woo is very pessimistic about their team and says that they look weak, so nobody will want to join them. Sang-woo says that they will probably end up with the person left over. As Sang-woo states this, Mi-nyeo, who was just betrayed and abandoned by Deok-su, approaches them claiming she isn't a leftover and says she will join the team. As Mi-nyeo boasts herself and states she will be better than scrawny girls like Ji-yeong and Sae-byeok, the team stares at her. Sang-woo in particular seems not very happy with Mi-nyeo joining, but he and the others hesitantly accept her as there is no time left to look for new teammates. Sang-woo looks anxious as the announcer says that the formed teams should move to the location of the third game.

Sang-woo and Gi-hun along with their team in the Tug-of-War game.

Arriving at the location of the game, they enter a space where there are two huge towers with platforms forming a bridge-like structure but with the middle missing. Sang-woo sees what he feared come true when the staff reveals that they will be playing Tug-of-War. The manager explains that players should pull the rope towards their platform to make their opponents fall. Two teams, including Deok-su's group, are sorted to play first. Sang-woo and others of his team become horrified as they watch Deok-su's team pull their opponents and make them fall to their deaths. Sang-woo and Gi-hun's team is sorted to play next against team 5, a group with only men. As a very anxious Sang-woo walks leading his team to the elevator to the platform where they will play, they walk past Deok-su's gang, who is leaving the location. Sang-woo hears Deok-su insulting their team, wishing he was the one to kill them.

Sang-woo and Gi-hun preparing to pull the rope in the Tug-of-War game.

Inside the elevator, members of the team, especially Sang-woo and Gi-hun, look very discouraged. However, Il-nam proposes a plan that will allow them to win based on strategy and teamwork, despite them having a weaker group. Arriving on the platform, both teams play Tug-of-War after being shackled by the workers to the rope. Gi-hun is put at the front of the team acting as the leader, and Sang-woo is put right behind him. The team executes Il-nam's plan and it temporary works well. Despite this, the opponent team eventually manages to pull the rope back, dragging Sang-woo and Gi-hun's team close to the edge. As they are about to fall to their deaths, Sang-woo comes up with a last-second tactic to save his team. Sang-woo tells the others to move three steps forward to knock down the opposite team. Mi-nyeo, who is screaming in terror, says that Sang-woo is crazy and his plan won't work. Gi-hun yells that the team should try Sang-woo's idea. As Mi-nyeo is still not believing in this plan, Sang-woo tells her that she has do it or she will die. With no options, all the team members follow Sang-woo's cue and execute this new plan.

"A Fair World"

Sang-woo and Gi-hun after their team won the Tug-of-War game.

Sang-woo's last-second plan saves the team. As they are being dragged and very close to fall on the edge, the team executes the plan by stepping forward. It results in Gi-hun being dragged off the platform and swinging in the air from being shackled to the rope, but it manages to knock down their adversaries. Sang-woo tells them to take the chance to pull back the rope, which quickly brings Gi-hun back to the platform. With this, Sang-woo and Gi-hun's team wins the game by pulling their opponents to fall to their deaths. Following this game, the team is relieved and exhausted for the effort they did to survive. Inside the elevator again, Gi-hun looks at his injured and trembling hands, feeling remorseful after having to kill ten people to win. In the corner of the elevator, Sang-woo looks at his friend in concern. Entering the dormitory, Deok-su's group stare at Sang-woo and his team, as Deok-su and his gang were not expecting Sang-woo and Gi-hun's team to win. In third game, 40 people were eliminated and now 40 players remain in the games.

Later, while eating corn for dinner, Mi-nyeo tells the team how she is amazed that they survived the Tug-of-War. She praises Il-nam's strategy, then turns to Sang-woo and compliments his tactic too, saying that he looked so cool. She asks him how he thought about that idea, but Sang-woo doesn't respond and looks annoyed as he hears Mi-nyeo and eats his corn. Ali mocks Mi-nyeo, reminding her that she panicked and didn't believe in Sang-woo's plan. Mi-nyeo is offended by this and says that they need to restructure the team because Ali is an illegal immigrant, so she addresses Sang-woo and asks if he is the captain. Sang-woo tells her that that there is no captain and everyone is equal on their team. Mi-nyeo is happy with this response and tells them that their team is much better than Deok-su's, because the gangster wants to control everyone as if he was a king. Discussing why Mi-nyeo was kicked out of Deok-su's gang, Sang-woo points out that she was abandoned for strong men as if they knew that the game was Tug-of-War even before it was revealed.

Sang-woo and Gi-hun plan how their team will survive the night.

With 30 minutes left before the lights go out, Sang-woo reminds the team that they should be prepared in case another fight breaks out like last night. Gi-hun tells them that they should set up a barricade, so the whole team helps to move parts of the beds to form a cover around them. 1 minute before the lights go out, all the members of the team are reunited inside the barricade while Sang-woo and Gi-hun plan how they will survive the night. Gi-hun suggests the team to take turns keeping a watch to protect the other teammates who are sleeping. Sang-woo agrees and says that they should do it in pairs in the case the person falls asleep or decides side with another team to betray them. Sang-woo volunteers to go first and Ali offers to join him because he is not sleepy yet. Gi-hun says he is going next, so he asks Sang-woo and Ali to wake him up when they become tired.

Sang-woo and Ali during guard duty.

While staying up together, Ali offers a corn to Sang-woo, explaining that he saved his food from dinner to give it to Sang-woo in gratitude for him saving his life in the Tug-of-War game. Sang-woo is hesitant to accept, stating Ali doesn't need to thank him because he was trying to save himself during the game. Ali reminds Sang-woo once again that he paid his bus fare in Seoul and insists that he accept his gratitude. Sang-woo then takes the corn and gives half of it back to Ali. Sang-woo asks his age and Ali replies that he is 33 years old, so Sang-woo says that Ali can call him "older brother" ("hyung") instead of keep calling him "sir/boss" ("sajangnim"). Ali happily accepts, making Sang-woo warmly smile at him. They bond while sharing each other's stories. Sang-woo asks how Ali ended up in the games. Ali reveals that he had no money, which is why he came to Korea and later decided to join the games. Sang-woo then asks about his family, so Ali says that he has youngers siblings and parents that stayed in Pakistan while he came to Korea with his wife and one-year-old son. Surprised to hear that Ali is a father, Sang-woo says he must miss his family and Ali tells him that he does. Ali returns the question, asking how Sang-woo ended up in the Squid Game. Sang-woo replies that he joined the games for the same reason Ali did, because he had no money.

When Sang-woo and Ali's guard duty time is over, Sang-woo goes to wake up Gi-hun, who will be in the second watch along with Il-nam. Gi-hun wakes up startled and Sang-woo tells him that it is time for them to switch. Sang-woo helps Gi-hun to get up from the bed and notices that his friend woke up disturbed. Worried, Sang-woo asks if he is going to be okay, making Gi-hun look at him confused. Sang-woo explains that his concern is because it looked like Gi-hun was having a nightmare. Gi-hun denies it and reassures Sang-woo. Gi-hun pats Sang-woo on the back and says that he is fine.

Later, Sang-woo is sleeping on his bed when all players are awakened by the lights snapping up and the sound of a siren. Sang-woo and Gi-hun, who have their beds next to each other, wake up and look at each other in alarm. As Sang-woo and his teammates get out of their beds, they see the masked staff entering the dormitory to check on them. Everyone finds out the reason for this before the fourth game begins.

"Gganbu"

After being awakened, all teams stand in lines while being checked by the staff. Then, the announcer says that the fourth game will begin soon. Going up the spiral staircases, Sang-woo and the other players are surprised at the sight of five corpses hanging from their wrists on a giant mobile: Player 111, two soldiers, a manager and a worker. A manager explains that this is the fate of the people who broke the rules of the games for their own benefit and tainted the ideology of equality of the competition.

After Gi-hun rejected her, Mi-nyeo asks Sang-woo to be her partner.

Arriving at the white room, the announcer says that players have 10 minutes to form pairs for the next game. Once two people agree to play together, they should shake hands to become partners. Right after, Sang-woo and his teammates are gathered when Mi-nyeo approaches and begs Gi-hun to be his partner. This fails, as Gi-hun avoids her eyes and doesn't reply, so she asks Sang-woo, who is standing nearby his friend. To convince Sang-woo, she says she will do anything he wants and he will be shocked to find out what she could do for him. Similar to Gi-hun, Sang-woo doesn't even reply to her request, just avoids her eyes and looks annoyed. Watching this, Sae-byeok looks at Sang-woo and Gi-hun, then says that her teammates should just be honest and admit they don't want to play with a woman or the old man.

Sang-woo asks Ali to play with him.

Rejected by the two men, Mi-nyeo leaves, saying that they both will regret not choosing her as a partner. As soon as Mi-nyeo is gone, Sang-woo turns to Ali and asks him to be his partner. Sang-woo explains that the games in the competition require strength or intelligence, so if the two of them team up, they will be able to beat most other pairs. However, Sang-woo notices Ali hesitating to accept. Instead of taking his hand, Ali looks at Gi-hun, who is standing next to Sang-woo. Sang-woo follows his gaze and finally notices a disappointed Gi-hun watching them, as he was about to ask Sang-woo to be his partner. Despite the disappointment, Gi-hun tells them that it is okay. He forces a smile and encourages them, saying that Ali and Sang-woo will be a great duo. Gi-hun says he will find another partner, so Ali takes Sang-woo's hand, agreeing to play with him. Once time to choose partners is over, they walk together to the place of the next game.

Sang-woo finds out that he will have to play against Ali.

The location of the fourth game is a room constructed to resemble a neighborhood with small houses and alleys. The players gather next to the entrance and are asked to follow the soldiers who will guide each duo to their positions in the place. While walking through an alley and following the soldier who is leading them to their position, Sang-woo attempts to reassure Ali, saying that they will certainly win if they work together, so there is no reason to be nervous. Being with Sang-woo also makes Ali feels confident and believe in their victory. Sang-woo states that they will win and get out of the games, then return to their families with the money. Arriving at their position, Sang-woo and Ali's soldier escort gives each a pouch with 10 marbles. The announcer reveals that the pairs will be playing Marbles, however, they will play to win all the 10 marbles of their partner within 30 minutes. In other words, the pairs will be playing against each other, not together. This heartbroken news leaves both Sang-woo and Ali stunned.

Sang-woo teaches Ali how to play a marble guessing game.

When the game starts, a few minutes pass with Ali and Sang-woo just silently standing in front of each other, not knowing what to do. Sang-woo breaks the silence, saying that they should play. Ali sadly responds that one of them will end up dead. Sang-woo reminds Ali that if they don't do anything, they will both die, and asks if Ali will simply refuse to play and die for him. Sang-woo asks if Ali has ever played marbles, and Ali replies he hasn't. As players are allowed to create their own rules in this game, they try a simple game. Sang-woo explains to Ali that he just has to guess if the number of marbles he is holding is odd or even. When Ali wonders what are odd and even numbers, Sang-woo also teaches him about them. Sang-woo then continues to explain that they have to bet some marbles on their guesses. If the guess is correct, the one who guessed gains from the other the amount of marbles he bet. But if the guess is wrong, the player gives the marbles he bet to the other.

Sang-woo plays marbles with Ali.

As the two play the guessing game, Sang-woo grows very anxious seeing that Ali is luckier and keeps correctly guessing if the number of marbles is even or odd. Ali is pained as Sang-woo repeatedly gives him the marbles from his pouch. Not wanting to cause Sang-woo's death, Ali says he doesn't want to do this with him. Ali then turns to the soldier who is watching them and asks to play with someone else, but Sang-woo insists that they should keep playing. When there is only one marble left, Sang-woo realizes he is about to be killed and is consumed by his fear. He angrily accuses Ali of cheating, not believing that Ali could have guessed correctly so many times after saying that he didn't know how to play marbles. A confused Ali replies that he didn't do anything, but Sang-woo grabs him by the collar and yells at him to admit what he did. Sang-woo stops when the soldier watching over them points his gun at him, as a warning not to use any violence in this game.

Sang-woo begs Ali for his life and for his family.

After calming down, Sang-woo gets on his knees and says he is sorry for accusing Ali. Sang-woo cries and begs Ali for his life, because if he dies, so will his family, his mother. Ali also cries, but apologizes because he can't grant Sang-woo's request, as he also has a family that needs him alive. Desperate and with no other choice, Sang-woo decides to betray Ali. Sang-woo lies, saying that if Ali helps him, there is a way they both can survive the Marbles game. To convince Ali, Sang-woo reminds him of everything that the two of them did together and how he helped Ali to get to this point: he paid his bus fare in Seoul, saved him in the Tug-of-War, they kept a watch together at night, and before the Marbles game, they promised to leave together. Ali is convinced and accepts to hear Sang-woo's plan.

Sang-woo tells Ali that some pairs won't be able to decide a winner within the time limit of this game, because neither player might win all the marbles in 30 minutes. Sang-woo falsely tells him that he doesn't believe that all these players will be killed, instead they will make the remaining players compete in teams to decide a winner. Sang-woo points out that this would be the chance for them to play together as they originally planned. Ali asks if Sang-woo is really certain of this. Sang-woo replies that Ali should hear his plan before rejecting it. He claims that if Ali doesn't like the plan, he will simply give Ali his last marble so he doesn't feel guilty about his death. When Ali asks about his plan again, Sang-woo explains that it depends on who they will be up against. He claims they need to find out who will be remaining after the time is over and suggests them to split up to see how the other teams are doing. Sang-woo tells Ali to get information about the other players, saying that knowing their ages is important.

Without Ali noticing, Sang-woo switches his marble pouch for one with rocks, before sending him away.

As Ali is about to leave, Sang-woo stops him and says that it is too dangerous to simply hold the marble pouch while walking around the location, because other players might try to take it during the last minutes of the game. Sang-woo reminds Ali that they will both be dead if he loses his pouch. Sang-woo then asks for it, claiming he is going to make the pouch safe for Ali to carry. When Ali hands his pouch, Sang-woo covers it with his jacket, then takes off his shirt and tears a piece of it to make a strap. Without Ali noticing, Sang-woo picks the rocks from a nearby planter and fills his own pouch with them. Sang-woo and Ali both look over at the sound of a player being shot multiple times, as Player 278 is eliminated from the games. While Ali is still distracted, Sang-woo takes this chance to switch his own pouch with Ali's. Sang-woo handles Ali the pouch with rocks, strapping it around his neck. Sang-woo says it is much safer to carry the pouch like this and Ali agrees. He explains that they will be meeting in this same place when the timer hits three minutes and then they will talk about his plan to survive this game together. Ali nods in agreement, so Sang-woo sends him to check the other pairs.

Sang-woo gets all 20 marbles after stealing Ali's pouch.

Once Ali is gone, Sang-woo picks Ali's pouch, which was hidden under his discarded jacket on the ground. Sang-woo then pulls his last marble from his pocket and adds it to the pouch, completing 20 marbles. He dresses his jacket again, then turns to the soldier who is still standing nearby and was watching them the entire time. Sang-woo tells the soldier that he respected the rule of playing any game without resorting to any violence and was successful in acquiring all of his partner's marbles. Hearing this, the soldier accepts Sang-woo's victory and takes the marble pouch, before accompanying Sang-woo while he walks out the location.

Sang-woo hears Ali being shot before remorsefully leaving the place as the winner.

When Sang-woo is about to leave the place, he hesitates and stops because he hears Ali calling out to him. Ali had checked all the other pairs and returned to the meeting place 3 minutes before the end of the game, as he was instructed to do, and now is looking for his partner. Sang-woo then flinches as he hears Ali being shot, which is immediately followed by the announcer saying that Ali was eliminated. Gathering the strength to move on, Sang-woo leaves the location of the Marbles game feeling remorseful for the loss of his close friend, but without looking behind.

"VIPs"

Only 16 players survived the Marbles game. Along with Ali, 4 other teammates of Sang-woo were eliminated during the game: Ji-yeong, Player 276, Player 196, and Il-nam (but unknown to all players, the old man just left without being killed). Returning to the dormitory, Sang-woo and the other players are surprised to find out that Mi-nyeo, who was left without a partner, was allowed simply to skip the Marbles game instead of being eliminated. Sang-woo looks at the large screen in the dormitory, which shows the total number of players currently in the games, and sees that there are 17 people left.

Later, they all sit on their beds eating after being given a potato and a bottle of water. Sang-woo eats his potato on a bed next to Gi-hun. His friend is very sad after winning the Marbles game against Il-nam, so he just stares off instead of eating his potato. Sang-woo notices this and tries to console Gi-hun by saying that the old man was someone he only knew in the games. Sang-woo then looks at a very depressed Player 069 sitting on a bed to their left. 069 just stares at his feet while his food and water are untouched beside him. Sang-woo tells Gi-hun that 069 was forced to play against his own wife, meaning that this poor man is going through a much worse situation.

Sang-woo confronts Player 069, who wants to terminate the games after losing his wife.

Eventually, Player 069 does breaks down in front of everyone and begs the other players to vote to terminate the games. Hearing this, Sang-woo gets out of his bed and confronts 069. Sang-woo reminds 069 that even if the games are stopped, his wife will not come back to life. He asks why 069 survived the Marbles game instead of his wife, since he is showing such weak determination to continue. Sang-woo tells 069 that if he is suffering so much, he should have let his wife live and die for her instead. He reminds 069 that it was not only his wife who lost her life, many other players died as a result of the games. Because of this, Sang-woo is angry that 069 wants everyone simply to leave and return to a miserable life outside, which would also mean to live carrying the guilt of all the deaths in the games. Sang-woo turns to the other players and challenges anyone who would want to live miserably this way. He tells them to stand up and leave if they wish to do so. However, none of the other players respond to Sang-woo. All of them remain sitting on their beds in silence while 069 continues weeping on the floor. Gi-hun is also quiet while watching Sang-woo's speech and sadly looks at the last marble which Il-nam gave him during the fourth game.

After the lights go out, Sang-woo and some other players sit on their beds awake for awhile instead of sleeping right away. In the following day, all players are woken up by the masked staff entering the dormitory carrying a coffin. Looking around the room, Sang-woo and the others are surprised and saddened (except for Deok-su) to see that 069 hanged himself using bed sheets during the night. Right after, the announcer says that they all should go to the game hall because the fifth game will begin soon. With this, Sang-woo is seen going up the spiral staircases along with the other 15 remaining players. Gi-hun goes up the stairs right behind him and is followed by Sae-byeok.

Sang-woo chooses number 14 before the Glass Stepping Stones game.

Entering the white room before the game, they see mannequis wearing pink vests numbered from 1 to 16. The announcer says that players should choose one of the mannequins and wear its corresponding numbered vest. Sang-woo and Gi-hun exchange anxious looks, as neither is sure what to choose at first. They watch other players picking numbers until the announcer adds that the numbers are the order in which they will be playing the game. With this, Sang-woo chooses number 14, which means he will play before Sae-byeok, who picks number 15. Just before joining the others who already picked numbers, Sang-woo glances at Gi-hun and sees that his friend is still undecided. Gi-hun ends up with number 16, so he plays after Sang-woo and Sae-byeok in the sequence. Moving to the location of the game, they enter a space constructed to resemble a circus tent, where there is a high bridge with 18 pairs of glass tiles. The game is revealed to be Glass Stepping Stones and the announcer explains that each tile is made of either tempered or normal glass. The tempered glass can withstand two players, but the normal glass will shatter with just one person. Players should guess which tiles are tempered and only step on them to cross the bridge safely. They have 16 minutes get to the other side.

Sang-woo tells Gi-hun that he is worried about the time limit while they watch the other players in front of them.

With less than 10 minutes left, Sae-byeok, Gi-hun and Sang-woo are the only ones still on the platform, waiting to move to the glass tiles. Gi-hun counts that there are 10 tiles left to be figured out and there are 11 people still playing, so he expects the three of them to cross safely since each player in front of them only needs to guess one or two tiles correctly. However, Sang-woo tells Gi-hun that this might not be the case, because players can become scared and wasted time, putting them, who are at the back, in danger. Shortly after, with around 8 minutes and a half left, Sang-woo and Gi-hun are shocked to see Player 151 fighting off and being pushed off the bridge by Player 244, who is at the front and stopped to pray, preventing everyone to go on. 244 is pushed by the person behind him, Player 407, allowing the others to continue. Due to the delay of the players in front of him, Sang-woo is only able to move to the first tile when there is around 8 minutes left. When the two after him move to the tiles as well, Sang-woo looks behind him when he hears Sae-byeok revealing to Gi-hun the tile he should step on, as Gi-hun forgot which of the tiles is normal and which one is tempered glass. With 6 minutes left, Deok-su is in the front refusing to continue out of cowardice and telling the other players to go first, which makes Sang-woo curse as this is the exact situation he was referring to. Deok-su eventually is dragged down to his death by Mi-nyeo, who grabs him before jumping off the bridge, allowing Sang-woo and the others to continue.

Player 017 reveals to Sang-woo, Sae-byeok, Gi-hun that he can tell the two types of glass apart.

Less than 3 minutes before the time is up, the majority of players were eliminated for falling into normal glass, with Sang-woo, Sae-byeok, Gi-hun and Player 017 being the remaining survivors. There are 4 tiles to be figured out and 017 plays in the front, but when he stops and crouches on the tile, Sang-woo becomes confused. Sang-woo tells the man to stop stalling and go ahead. 017 turns to Sang-woo and reveals that he worked at a glass factory for 30 years and he can tell which glass is normal and which is tempered. Seeing the man hopping to the next correct tile, Sang-woo becomes impressed to realize that 017 is telling the truth. The trio follows the glass worker, moving foward one glass tile as 017 explains how to differentiate the two types of glass. When Gi-hun asks why 017 didn't say this earlier before all the other players died, 017 adds that he felt no obligation to help the others because they would have killed him if they had the chance. Sang-woo, Sae-byeok, Gi-hun are able to move forward more 2 glass tiles following 017, before the overseer of the games, the Front Man notices the advantage and turns off the lights. There is only one tile to be figured out, and Sang-woo questions what is wrong when 017 takes too long to move to the next tile. 017 replies it is too dark for him to visually distinguish the types of glass. Sang-woo anxiously looks at the timer and sees that they have around 1 minute left.

Gi-hun, Sae-byeok and Sang-woo give Il-nam's last marble to Player 017, to figure out the next correct tile by the sound.

Growing nervous while staring at the timer, Sang-woo looks at Player 017 and tells him to hurry up and make a choice. 017 replies he can figure out the last tile by the sound and asks for something to throw on the glass. Sang-woo pats himself down and finds nothing, so he turns to Sae-byeok and Gi-hun, asking if they have anything. Sae-byeok shakes her head, replying that she doesn't, but Gi-hun offers the marble Il-nam gave him. Gi-hun and Sae-byeok pass the marble to Sang-woo, who gives it to Player 017. After tossing the marble on the next left glass tile, 017 turns to Sang-woo and asks another marble to throw on the right tile. 017, Sang-woo and Sae-byeok all turn and look expectantly at Gi-hun. Sang-woo is stunned when Gi-hun shakes his head, informing that he has nothing else.

Sang-woo pushes Player 017 to his death and completes the fifth game within the time limit.

With less than 20 seconds left, 017 is still squatting and looking between the next two tiles, so Sang-woo decides to take action. Sang-woo jumps onto 017's tile and stands behind him, hearing the man saying he still doesn't know which tile is the correct one. Losing his patience, Sang-woo says that 017 should just go ahead and pushes the man towards one of the tiles. The tile ends up being a normal one, so it breaks and 017 falls to his death, leaving both Gi-hun and Sae-byeok in shock. This, however, reveals the last tempered glass tile. Sang-woo somberly looks down at where 017 fell, before hopping to the last correct tile and then to the platform on the other side, safely completing the game with 10 seconds left before the time is over.

Sang-woo and Gi-hun look at each other after being injured by exploding glass.

Safe on the platform, Sang-woo turns around and watches Sae-byeok and Gi-hun rush to follow him, with Gi-hun getting to the platform as the timer expires. Once the time is over, the three of them are surprised by all the remaining glass tiles suddenly exploding. All of them are hit by glass shards, and Sang-woo gains a bleeding wound on his left cheek. After noticing his own wound, Sang-woo immediately looks behind him at Gi-hun and sees his friend looking at him while holding an injured arm with a bloody hand. Neither men notice that, behind them, Sae-byeok looks down at her own wound in horror.

"Front Man"

Following the Glass Stepping Stones game, the three last players are escorted back to the dormitory by two soldiers. Going down the spiral staircases, Sang-woo walks behind a soldier and Gi-hun comes down the stairs right behind his friend.

Sang-woo and Gi-hun have an argument over Player 017's death, causing the two friends to fall out with each other.

Entering the almost empty dormitory, Gi-hun approaches Sang-woo and asks why he did it. Sang-woo says he doesn't know what Gi-hun is talking about, so Gi-hun clarifies he is talking about Sang-woo pushing Player 017 during the game. Sang-woo replies that Gi-hun is very lucky to have picked the last number and this is making him feel generous towards 017. Sang-woo wonders what Gi-hun would have done if 017 had stalled like Deok-su did. Gi-hun says he is certain that 017 would move because it was the last glass tile. Sang-woo asks how Gi-hun can be so sure. Sang-woo argues that 017 knew how to differentiate between the types of glass, but chose not to tell anyone and simply watched all the other players die instead of helping them. Gi-hun states that they both only survived the fifth game thanks to 017. Sang-woo strongly disagrees with this. He states that he is not sure about Gi-hun, but he only survived this far in the games because he worked very hard to stay alive. Gi-hun says that this is no excuse for Sang-woo to kill an innocent man.

Gi-hun arguing with Sang-woo.

Irritated, Sang-woo reminds Gi-hun that they have to kill everyone else to get out of the games with the money and says that Gi-hun should be thanking him that he did the dirty work for him. Gi-hun then wonders if Sang-woo would have pushed him if he was in 017's place. Disturbed by this last question, Sang-woo becomes visibly angry. In an explosive emotional moment, Sang-woo states Gi-hun's life is pathetic exactly because he keeps asking stupid questions, is a nosy and dumb person that takes too long to realize when he gets into trouble. Unfazed by this criticism, Gi-hun admits that Sang-woo is right, that he is a nosy and slow dimwit that lives off his old mother and this is why he is in the games, it is his fault. But Gi-hun adds that Sang-woo is also in the games with someone like him, despite him being a genius of SNU and the pride of Ssangmun-dong. Gi-hun challenges Sang-woo to answer how he ended up in the games and wonders if he is also going to blame him for it, making Sang-woo even more angry.

Sang-woo and Gi-hun's argument ends when the masked staff enters the dormitory carrying gift boxes. The manager congratulates the trio for successfully making it through five games and becoming the finalists of the competition. For their status, the staff prepared a gift for them. Before the gift is revealed, the manager asks the players to change into the outfits prepared for them and offers the gift boxes to the trio.

Sang-woo during the dinner for the finalists.

Later, Sang-woo dresses the new tuxedo that was gifted to him and is part of a fine dining in the dormitory, which is the reward that the staff prepared for the finalists. The lights are out and the workers lit candles to illuminate the room. Each of the players sit at three long tables, which are arranged to form a large triangle, while they are served dinner. Sang-woo, Gi-hun and Sae-byeok are each served with a large steak and wine. Sang-woo initially hesitates, anxiously looking between the other two players and his own meal, but is the first one to start eating. Because of their earlier argument, Sang-woo and Gi-hun now feel a sort of rivalry towards each other. Seeing Sang-woo eating makes Gi-hun start eating too. As Sang-woo begins to eagerly consume his food and drink his wine, Gi-hun does the same. The two men exchange wary looks while doing so, as if they are competing over who is going to eat the most. When the trio finishes eating, Sang-woo has a clean plate and Gi-hun has an almost clean one as well. Once the dinner is over, the masked staff collects their plates and utensils, but leaves each one of them with a steak knife. Sang-woo stares at his knife, before exchanging a nervous look with the other two players. Sang-woo, Sae-byeok and Gi-hun then pick the knives and keep them with themselves.

Sang-woo and Gi-hun sitting on their beds and staring each other after the dinner.

Afterwards, each of the finalists sits on their own beds clutching their knives instead of sleeping. Sang-woo and Gi-hun sit on opposite sides of the dormitory and still intently stare each other across the candlelit room. Gi-hun eventually gets up from his bed and sits beside Sae-byeok, but while talking with her, he still has his eyes on Sang-woo almost the entire time. Sang-woo watches Gi-hun and Sae-byeok from his side of the room, until he ends up falling asleep.

Sang-woo ends up falling asleep and Gi-hun moves to kill him.

Sang-woo letting his guard down upon falling asleep is immediately noticed by Gi-hun. As Gi-hun decides to leave Sae-byeok's side to check on Sang-woo, Gi-hun sees the other man even dropping his knife. Seeing the opportunity, Gi-hun holds his own knife and moves to kill Sang-woo in his sleep, but is stopped by Sae-byeok. Turning around, Gi-hun then discovers that the girl is bleeding to death from the wound she attained from the previous game. Gi-hun runs to the doors of the dormitory and yells for the staff to help Sae-byeok, but this ends up waking Sang-woo up. Seeing Gi-hun screaming for help, Sang-woo realizes that Gi-hun might end up giving up on the game to save Sae-byeok. Because of this, while Gi-hun is still distracted banging on the doors, Sang-woo gets up from his bed and kills the dying girl by stabbing her neck.

Sang-woo paralyzed near Sae-byeok's bed while holding his knife with a shake hand after killing the girl.

With Sae-byeok dead, the lights come on and the staff enters the room carrying a coffin to take her body away for cremation. At the doors, Gi-hun is surprised upon seeing the coffin and turns around, seeing Sang-woo standing next to Sae-byeok's bed. Realizing what happened, Gi-hun runs to Sae-byeok and upon seeing the wound on her neck, he cries over her body and then turns to Sang-woo in rage. Sang-woo has his face covered in blood and is paralyzed, staring at nothing while loosely holding his knife with a shake hand. Furious, Gi-hun attempts to attack him with his knife. This gets Sang-woo out of his trance and he moves his knife to counterattack Gi-hun. A sodier, however, stops Gi-hun from attacking Sang-woo. The soldier uses the back of his rifle to knock Gi-hun down, then rests his knee over Gi-hun's head to pin him to the floor. Sang-woo glares at Gi-hun yelling at him on the floor, while another soldier uses the muzzle of his weapon to push Sang-woo away, preventing the two last players from killing each other before the final game.

"One Lucky Day"

Sang-woo and Gi-hun facing each other before the final game.

In the following day after Sae-byeok's death, Sang-woo and Gi-hun are still wearing their formal clothes when they are led by the staff to the location of the final game. Arriving at the doors of the place, the manager says he will flip a coin to decide who will play offense and defense. Sang-woo and Gi-hun stand facing each other near the doors. Gi-hun is completely enraged and glares at Sang-woo. When the manager asks them to choose square or triangle to flip the coin, Gi-hun picks the triangle. After the tossed coin landed on Gi-hun's chosen shape, the manager asks him to choose offense or defense. While still giving a death stare to Sang-woo, Gi-hun chooses offense, so Sang-woo will defend. The soldiers open the doors and the manager accompanies the two players while they enter the field, which is the same place where it happened the first game of the competition.

The manager reveals that the final game is Squid Game and explains the rules. Coincidentally, Sang-woo and Gi-hun will each play in the same teams in which they were playing as kids in the opening narration of the series. While explaining the rules, the manager says that if one of the players die during the game, the winner will be the last one standing. Sang-woo and Gi-hun then move to their positions on the grid with the shape of a squid. From his position inside the grid, Sang-woo grabs his knife and prepares himself to defend. Gi-hun hops on one foot outside the squid and meets Sang-woo at the middle. Gi-hun grimly converses with Sang-woo over their childhood memories. He reminds Sang-woo that the two of them used to play this game very often as children. Gi-hun wonders if Sang-woo remembers how they used to call when the attacker crosses the squid's waist. Sang-woo begins to tell him to shut up and play when he is surprised by Gi-hun throwing dirt from the ground in his eyes. While Sang-woo is distracted, Gi-hun slowly walks to the other side of the squid's waist and replies that they called it "the secret inspector". At the same time, rain starts to fall on the field.

As the two of them face off inside the grid, Sang-woo says that he just ended Sae-byeok's suffering quickly by killing her, because she was going to die anyway. Gi-hun doesn't believe in Sang-woo and thinks that Sae-byeok could have been saved. Hearing this, Sang-woo adds that Gi-hun is the main reason why he decided to kill Sae-byeok. Knowing Gi-hun's kind-hearted nature, Sang-woo expected him to give everything up in an attempt to save the girl. Gi-hun is surprised that Sang-woo would go to such lengths to stop him from giving up. Sang-woo explains that he feared that both Gi-hun and Sae-byeok would vote to end the games, making him go home empty-handed. In turn, Gi-hun takes his knife from his pocket and reveals that Sae-byeok was the one who stopped him from using it to kill Sang-woo in his sleep. Determined to win, Gi-hun states that Sang-woo will not be the one leaving with the money.

Sang-woo and Gi-hun fighting each other.

The two men engage in a brutal fist fight. Gi-hun starts the fight, trying to swipe his knife at Sang-woo, who manages to dodge and block his attacks. Sang-woo grabs Gi-hun in a head lock, turning his knife against him. Gi-hun disarms him, breaks free and slices his face. With no weapon after Gi-hun kicked his knife away from them, Sang-woo takes off his jacket and swings it at Gi-hun. When Gi-hun attempts another attack, Sang-woo grabs his hand and disarms him of the knife too. Sang-woo then grabs Gi-hun and tries to push him off the grid, but Gi-hun headbutts him. The two men repeatedly grab and punch each other, and both end up being knocked down on the mud. After grabbing hold of Gi-hun's jacket and taking it off, Sang-woo attempts to strangle Gi-hun with it. When Gi-hun breaks free, Sang-woo tries to push him off the grid again, but this also fails. While they both try to stand up after being knocked down, Sang-woo grabs Gi-hun's leg and starts being punched by him. Sang-woo recovers a knife from the mud, before stabbing his opponent in the leg and then in the belly.

Gi-hun ultimately overpowers Sang-woo and grabs the knife to kill him.

After Gi-hun fell on the ground holding his wounded leg, Sang-woo stands above him, gaining the upper hand. Sang-woo reminds Gi-hun that this is the same field in which they played Red Light, Green Light. He recalls that there were many players during that first game, but they are now dead, except for the two of them. With all those deaths, Sang-woo tells Gi-hun that they have already come too far to stop. Sang-woo kneels on the mud beside Gi-hun and attempts for a final stab. Gi-hun manages to stop the blade by grabbing it, but gets his hand impaled in the process. While Sang-woo still tries to force the knife down, Gi-hun bites his ankle, making Sang-woo recoil. Gi-hun takes the chance to overpower Sang-woo, punching and knocking him down. Gi-hun crawls on top of Sang-woo and punches him in the face repeatedly while blaming him for killing the other players. Defeated, Sang-woo is motionless on the ground while Gi-hun painfully removes the blade which is impaling his hand. Holding the knife, Gi-hun then stabs it down to finish his opponent.

Gi-hun ends up stopping himself from murdering Sang-woo, not being able to kill his childhood best friend.

Sang-woo closes his eyes, waiting for the killing blow, but it never comes. Sang-woo opens his eyes and sees that Gi-hun ended up stabbing the ground, near his head. The two men lock eyes. Sang-woo blinks and stares at Gi-hun, who still holds the knife on the ground with a shake hand and sadly looks down at him. Despite his rage, Gi-hun cannot bring himself to murder his dear childhood best friend. Instead, Gi-hun stands up, leaving the knife beside Sang-woo, and slowly moves towards the squid's head. The manager approaches the unmoving Sang-woo on the ground and points his gun at him, waiting for Gi-hun to claim victory once he is inside the squid's head.

Gi-hun asks Sang-woo to come home with him and Sang-woo hesitantly reaches up to take his friend's hand.

When Gi-hun is about to step in the head, however, he stops again, deciding to save his friend. Gi-hun announces he wants to quit and turns to the manager, asking for a vote to terminate the games, wanting to forfeit the prize money for Sang-woo's life to be spared. Gi-hun then turns to Sang-woo, who is still lying immobile on the ground. Sang-woo becomes emotional and tearfully recalls that he and Gi-hun would always play like this as children until their mothers called them for dinner, which doesn't happen anymore. Gi-hun is also emotional. He softly smiles at Sang-woo and tells him that it is time for them to go home. Gi-hun extends his hand to Sang-woo, and Sang-woo hesitantly reaches up to take it.

Gi-hun breaks down when Sang-woo dies after stabbing himself to allow his friend to win the games.

However, Sang-woo suddenly stops and sadly apologizes to his friend. Instead of taking Gi-hun's hand, Sang-woo grabs the knife beside his head and stabs himself in the neck, choosing to commit suicide for Gi-hun to win the games and take the prize money. Gi-hun is completely shocked by this. He kneels on the ground and cradles his dying friend in his arms. Gi-hun panics, asking Sang-woo to hang on. Sang-woo slightly opens his eyes and uses the last of his strength to plead his friend to take care of his mother, whispering his last words: "big brother ("hyung")... my mom... my mom...". Seeing his childhood best friend, who he considers like a brother, dead, Gi-hun breaks down in tears. He holds his friend's corpse and wails in grief, totally heartbroken and traumatized by the event.

With Sang-woo's sacrifice, Gi-hun becomes the winner of the 33rd Squid Game by default. After the staff took Gi-hun back to Seoul, he barely can speak and react because he is so psychologically scarred by the players' deaths, especially Sang-woo's. Along the way home, Gi-hun comes across Sang-woo's mother, but he avoids even looking at her and is unable to reply when she asks if he has any news about her son. Instead, Gi-hun becomes paralyzed at the mention of Sang-woo's name and his eyes are immediately filled with grief for the loss of his best friend. Gi-hun spends an entire year without touching the prize money, which is a reminder of all who died in the games.

In 2021, one year after the events of the 33rd Squid Game, Gi-hun finally decides to use the money and fulfill the goal Sang-woo entrusted to him in the end. After taking Sae-byeok's little brother out of the orphanage, Gi-hun puts him under the care of Sang-woo's mother (which also fulfills Sae-byeok's dying wish). Before leaving, Gi-hun gives his friend's mother a suitcase filled with a fair share of the prize along with a note which says: "It's the money I owe Sang-woo".