The highly-anticipated second season of Netflix's Squid Game is set to premiere this week, and fans can look forward to meeting a series of new players entering the game. Only four familiar faces will be returning for the show's second instalment, including Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun, Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho, Lee Byung-hun as Hwang In-ho, and Gong Yoo as The Salesman.
Among the newcomers are a mother-son duo, Yong-sik (played by Yang Dong-geun) and Geum-ja (played by Kang Ae-sim), who will undoubtedly face heart-wrenching challenges as only one player can emerge victorious in the game. Interestingly, this narrative choice by the show's writers bears an uncanny resemblance to real-life events. As reported by Slash Film, the reality TV spin-off, Squid Game: The Challenge, also featured a real-life mother-son duo, Leann Wilcox Plutnicki and Trey Plutnicki.
In the reality show, the pair seemed to enjoy themselves, with Leann making it to the Marbles game in episode 6 and Trey getting eliminated in the penultimate Glass Bridge challenge. However, unlike the reality show where contestants are simply sent home, the stakes are significantly higher in Squid Game season 2, hinting at a tragic fate for Yong-sik and Geum-ja.
In a promotional video for Netflix, Yang described Yong-sik as "an immature, shameless gambler buried in debt" who joined the games alone in a desperate attempt to pay off his debts, reports the Mirror US. Meanwhile, Yang characterised her onscreen persona as "a resilient mother with a deep commitment to providing for her family".
