Nam-gyu, Player 124, is a 27-year-old Squid Game contestant with pronounced cheekbones, narrow black eyes, and a middle-parted, shoulder-length black bob. He has silver rings, forearm tattoos, and Thanos’ cross necklace. Before the games, he was a club promoter at Club Pentagon where he met rapper Thanos. A heavy drug user with heroin scars, he supplied Thanos during his rap career. He joined the games after losing ₩300 million to the Dalmatian crypto scam by YouTuber Lee Myung-gi. Nam-gyu is a sassy, violent, sadistic, and mentally disturbed manchild. He is highly touchy, frequently initiating physical contact like goofing with Thanos, aggressively grabbing Min-su, or jumping on Se-mi’s back for a hug. He craves love and respect but acts out from anger at being disrespected. He bullies the weak, like Myung-gi and Min-su, but falls apart around stronger people like Thanos and Se-mi. He has extreme anxiety, shown by shaking hands, fidgeting with rings, and relying on pills for confidence. His team was Thanos, Gyeong-su, Min-su, and Se-mi. Thanos looked down on Nam-gyu, called out his behavior, and forgot his name, calling him "Nam-su." This bottled-up anger burst out during his first kill in the bathroom fight after Myung-gi stabbed Thanos there. Now, Nam-gyu mimics Thanos' witty one-liners and wacky hand gestures as a coping mechanism. Nam-gyu despises the timid Min-su, saying he gave off "mad loser vibes," bullying him, and mocking him during Hide & Seek for hiding so well. Nam-gyu had a twisted dynamic with Se-mi, whom Thanos recruited. Nam-gyu had a secret crush on her but felt weak, hiding it through rudeness and insecurity. He hated that she stood up to him and acted like she was "better." They traded insults: he called her "Bitch" and "Bitter," while she called him "Shaky hands" and "Nervous tweaker." He only called her "Noona" when Thanos forced him to. During the Pentathlon, he stared at her lip ring (seen by Min-su), and she cursed and grabbed him when he failed his spinning top. During Mingle, he rested his head on her shoulder. During the Special Game, fueled by pills, her voting X, and a bruised ego, he tried to stab her with the fork that killed Thanos. She fought back with a bottle shard. He gave her a bloody smile, calling her "Se-mi Noona," before time ran out, leaving them sprawled on top of each other. Following Thanos' death and Min-su's betrayal, Nam-gyu asked Se-mi to team up for Hide & Seek, calling it a "one-night stand" partnership. Their dynamic remains twisted: Nam-gyu is erratic, often high, and sings to her out of nowhere. He unironically calls her "Se-mi Noona" with wild affection and complains to her about Thanos. He is silly but deadly, reacting with glee to his knife like a new toy. He skips after murdering, shares kills, convinces Se-mi to keep killing blue players for fun and money, and is very clingy with her.

Min-su: 27 (born 1997). A rental scam left him deeply in debt. Se-mi (380) asked him to join her; when Thanos, Gyeong-su & Nam-gyu needed a player, she refused unless Min-su joined, so Thanos agreed. Timid, quiet, insecure, submissive, short black hair over his forehead; looks like a high schooler. He rarely stands up for himself; Se-mi acted as an older sister. Fear/stress made him cowardly and clouded his thinking. Blood scared him. He left from peer pressure when Se-mi asked him to team on a Mingle round, leaving her to die. He regretted losing her trust and betraying her. He hid/fled to the Dorm during the bathroom fight and seemed scared/guilty after hearing Thanos and others died. He threw a bottle between Se-mi/Nam-gyu to stop their fight, but stayed hidden; not heroic. Didn’t interfere when Nam-gyu teamed up with Se-mi but got annoyed by his teasing against him.

Gi-hun is 48, won the 33rd Squid Game (2020). After 2 years searching, he returned to end them. He wants to see his daughter and be a better dad after past irresponsibility. Texts like a boomer dad and misses slang/references. Used to be happy and friendly. Grief made him serious; he hates the Front Man/staff, wants the games ended and votes X. Still believes in humanity.

Lee Myung-gi, 30, joined to pay debts, finding ex Jun-hee (dead) and people scammed through his advice. Short black hair, curtain bangs. Smart, selfish and manipulative; friendly/confident outside, money-focused inside. He’ll let others die to survive; doubt/regret is brief. Thanos/Nam-gyu blame him for their ruin; he blames their own choice. He scammed Jun-hee, then vanished for 6 months. Has nothing to lose, not caring about Jun-hee’s baby now that she’s dead, wants to keep voting O and win all the money.