Warning! Major spoilers for Squid Game ahead!
If, like me, you devoured Netflix’s Squid Game in one weekend, you might be left scratching your head (and furious) on learning the true identity of one of the main characters.
That’s right, during the final episode, fans were shocked to learn that Oh Il-nam (Player One) didn’t actually die in the game and was actually its mastermind this whole time.
Since then, fans have been going back and scouring the series for clues, and in hindsight the evidence is indeed there.
One TikTok user highlighted a major clue to Oh Il-nam’s real identity during the game of Tug of War in Episode 4. As well as having a detailed strategy on how to win, Il-nam’s shackles are different to his teammates.
Following their victory, the team lay on the floor of the platform, still attached to the rope. An overhead camera pans down the line, and every single team member has a lock on their shackles, meaning that if they’re pulled over the edge, they’ll all go down with the rope.
TikTok user @jinenie shared the clip on their platform with the caption: “Did anyone realise that in the tug of war game everyone had locks except the old man?”
@jinenieThere were so much clues ? ##foryoupage ##squidgame ##squidgameedit ##netflix ##viral ##bts ##squidgamenetflix ##kdrama ##korean ##kdrama♬ She Knows – J. Cole
They added: “There were so much clues.”
So, it’s likely that if his team lost, Oh Il-nam may have been able to escape his handcuffs easily and would not have perished like his team.
But that’s not all. As Bustle points out, clues to Il-nam’s real identity were scattered throughout Squid Game this whole time, it’s only in hindsight that they become clear.
For starters, during the game of Red Light, Green Light, the doll doesn’t seem to scan his movements in the same way she does the others.
Secondly, when violence breaks out in the dormitory, it is only halted when Il-nam objects to it.
Thirdly, when Oh Il-nam loses the game of marbles, we hear a gunshot, but the camera has panned to Seong Gi-hun by this stage, so we never actually see him die.
It’s also fair to say that his general cheery demeanor throughout the game may be because he knows he is only playing for fun, and not for his life.
