Squid Game Season 3 Creator on Why Dead Character’s Cameo Was Important

Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk recently revealed that Sae-byeok’s cameo in Squid Game Season 3 was always meant to serve a deeper purpose. In a new interview, the creator explained why Jung Ho-yeon’s character reappeared despite her death in Season 1, how it ties into Gi-hun’s final arc, and what it reveals about the show’s central moral conflict.

Hwang Dong-hyuk explains Jung Ho-yeon’s Sae-byeok cameo in Squid Game

In the Squid Game Season 3 finale, Gi-hun sees a cameo vision of Sae-byeok (played by Jung Ho-yeon) when he faces the opportunity to kill other players in their sleep.

Sae-byeok tells him, “You’re not that kind of person,” stopping him from committing the act. Speaking to Variety, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk explained, “That line… is what really wakes him back to his senses. It touches his conscience and his humanity. And they’re very simple words, yet they are the most accurate words that really pierce through him.”

Hwang further added that he intentionally brought Sae-byeok back for this moment because of her moral influence on Gi-hun in Season 1. “In that moment, for Gi-hun to come back to his senses and come back to himself, it had to be those very simple but powerful words spoken by Sae-byeok,” he said. He called it “the strongest tool that could stop his knife.”

Originally, Hwang envisioned a different ending for Gi-hun’s character. “When I had a vague idea… it was actually the exact opposite choice,” Hwang said. “There was actually a very drastic change in the ending compared to when I just had only a vague idea about the story.” He clarified that during development, Gi-hun’s arc became clearer. Gi-hun would not become a villain or take over as the Front Man.

The creator confirmed that the moral clash between Gi-hun and the Front Man, In-ho, shaped Season 3. “The showdown… began in Season 2, and it is about whose beliefs and whose values are right,” Hwang explained. He emphasized how Sae-byeok’s words prevented Gi-hun from abandoning his morality during the final deadly game.

Jung Ho-yeon’s cameo marks a key turning point. It reinforces Gi-hun’s humanity and prevents him from becoming what he opposed.