Squid Game Season 3’s Major Season 1 Cameo Explained

June 28, 2025

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Warning: This article includes MAJOR SPOILERS for Squid Game season 3!

One significant character from season 1 makes a cameo in Squid Game season 3, heavily impacting Gi-hun’s story. After three seasons, Netflix’s hit dystopian thriller-horror has come to an end, wrapping up the Korean TV show while setting up the American Squid Game spinoff. Squid Game season 3, which is unfortunately the most divisive yet among fans and critics, picks up where the story left off. Gi-hun is forced back into the games and handcuffed in his downtime to prevent any further rebellion attempts.

Because Gi-hun has been the driving character in Squid Game since the beginning, it felt like a given that he would make it to the final game, even if he ultimately died. However, his road to get there was certainly still an interesting one. One of the most notable moments brings him face-to-face with one Squid Game season 1 character, who offers him much-needed advice.

Jung Ho-yeon Reprises Her Role As Sae-byeok In Squid Game Season 3

Sae-byeok Appears In Squid Game Season 3, Episode 5, “Circle Triangle Square”

Throughout Squid Game season 1, Jung Ho-yeon plays the jaded but lovable character Kang Sae-byeok, aka Player 067. Using her street smarts and her grit, she makes it all the way to the final three before succumbing to a wound from the bridge’s shattered glass. After Sae-byeok’s death in Squid Game season 1, Jung Ho-yeon wasn’t slated to return. However, Director Hwang Dong-hyeok teased the idea of her coming back at the 2022 SAG Awards (via RFA), saying, “Many characters died in Season 1, but we are trying to bring them back in Season 2. Maybe Sae-byeok has a twin sister.”

Her character remains dead, appearing instead as a memory or vision to Gi-hun in the moment that he needed it the most.

The likelihood of Jung Ho-yeon showing up became even smaller when she didn’t appear in any major way in season 2. However, they found a way to bring her back, as the actor reprised her role as Sae-byeok in Squid Game season 3. Luckily, they didn’t pull an Oh Il-nam twist by making her one of the VIPs or bringing her back from the dead. That would have been unforgivable, considering she’s one of the most likable Squid Game characters. Instead, her character remains dead, appearing instead as a memory or vision to Gi-hun in the moment that he needed it the most.

Why Gi-hun Really Sees Sae-byeok Before The Final Game

Gi-Hun Needed A Reminder Of Who He Is

Gi-hun Player 456 in Squid Game season 3

Gi-hun sees her before the final game after he’s given the opportunity to kill his other contestants. It’s unclear whether he’s remembering their past interaction or if he believes she’s truly in the room with him. Either way, Sae-byeok’s appearance to him is likely induced by the stress, conflicted feelings, and lack of sleep. At the moment he’s about to kill Player 100, she tells him the same thing that she did before the final game in Squid Game season 1: “Don’t do it. That isn’t you.”

The Front Man staring at his brother in Squid Game season 3

Squid Game star Lee Byung-hun, who plays the Front Man, explains why the antagonist saved a new season 3 character in the show’s final moments.

This statement grounded him in the humanity that he’d struggled to hold onto since the failed rebellion. Squid Game season 3 took Gi-hun to a dark place, but Sae-byeok brought him back to the light. From that moment forward, it feels like he’s trying to remain the man that Sae-byeok believed him to be. He might not be able to escape the trauma and anger caused by participating in the games, but he can hold onto that little flicker of who he was before.

Sae-byeok’s Scene In Squid Game Season 3 Brings The Show Full Circle

Sae-byeok Gave Him The Advice He Needed In Nearly Identical Situations

Kang Sae-Byeok dying in Squid Game season 1

In addition to providing fans with a happy cameo, Sae-byeok’s brief scene in Squid Game season 3 helped bring the narrative full circle. Gi-hun had the option to end the games in season 1 by killing Cho Sang-woo while his friend was sleeping before the final game. He and Sae-byeok could have potentially gotten out alive. However, that would have required him to break one of his core values, turning him into someone he’s not. Sae-byeok understood that.

Ultimately, Gi-hun finds himself in virtually the same position at the end of Squid Game season 3. He had the means and the opportunity to slit the throats of every other member to save himself and the baby. However, his actions would have pushed him past his breaking point because he would have had to become a cold-blooded murderer. It only feels appropriate that Sae-byeok would once again remind him of who he is in the final season of Squid Game.