You have a reason to leave this place. But I don't.
Ji-yeong explaining her sacrifice to Kang Sae-byeok in "Gganbu"
Ji-yeong (지영 Ji-yeong?), also known as Player 240, was a contestant of the 33rd Squid Game in 2020.[2][3]
A victim of physical abuse, she was incarcerated after she killed her abusive father in retaliation for his murder of her mother. She later joins the 33rd Squid Game, where she joins Seong Gi-hun's team. There she forms a close connection with Kang Sae-byeok. She was eliminated in Marbles, after she sacrificed herself for Sae-byeok's survival.
Personality[]
Ji-yeong has a rather laid back, unbothered personality despite the intensity of her current surrounding, and not very easily intimidated. However, due to her past trauma with her late father, she is bothered by the religious Player 244, criticizing his beliefs and hypocrisy. She can be somewhat cheerful to people she is closer to, such as Sae-byeok.
History[]
Ji-yeong with Sae-byeok in the marble room
In her youth, she was physically abused by her father, who later stabbed her mother to death. In an act of revenge, Ji-yeong kills her father, a crime for which she served time in prison. Some time after her incarceration, she agreed to participate in the Games to, with little regard for whether she lived or died, as she felt she had nothing to live for in the outside world.[4]
Her father, as Ji-yeong said, was a pastor, and begged God for forgiveness while he abused his daughter and hit his wife. Although he did not pray when he killed Ji-yeong's mother, she thinks this is because he knew he wouldn't be forgiven. It is implied that his father's association with religion caused her disdain for the religious Player 244, as his beliefs and hypocrisy were directly tied to her trauma. Thus, she dislikes Player 244 because he reminds Ji-yeong of her father.
Prior to the third round she was recruited by Sae-byeok to join to the Team 4, and an alliance of contestants that included Cho Sang-woo and Seong Gi-hun. Sang-woo initially disapproved Sae-byeok's choice because he only wanted male recruits, which almost prompted Ji-yeong to depart, but Gi-hun encouraged her to stay.[5] She survived until the fourth-round game of Marbles, during which she was partnered with Sae-byeok. Upon learning only the winner between the two would survive, they opted to wait until the final moment and then play a single round to determine the winner.[4]
Death[]
Kang Sae-byeok! Thank you... for playing with me.
Ji-yeong's last words in "Gganbu"
Ji-yeong being killed by a Soldier as Kang Sae-byeok looks away in tears
As they waited, Ji-yeong and Sae-byeok discussed their pasts, when Sae-byeok asked Ji-yeong what she would do if she won the Games, Ji-yeong realized she did not know. Upon deciding that Sae-byeok had more reason to live than Ji-yeong, since she still had a family to support, Ji-yeong purposefully lost the Marbles game, sacrificing herself so Sae-byeok could advance in the games. Ji-yeong was shot in the head by a soldier, eliminating her from the games.
Trivia[]
- It is implied that she might have been sexually abused, because she mentions her father would do the "unthinkable" to her. It is a theory, but it is likely true as many websites say this and due to her body language in some episodes.
- While she was having a conversation with Kang Sae-byeok, she stated that she doesn't have a family name in Gganbu (episode 6).[4]
- It is confirmed that Ji-yeong is an atheist, because she stated that Player 244 shouldnt be thanking god for his survival, and instead should be thanking his teammates. There are also many other facts that confirm this.
- In the original script, Ji-yeong was intended to be male, and their name would have been Ji-young. At some point in the over-a-decade-long wait for Squid Game, the director decided that the "bond between women" would better fit the script.
Behind the scenes[]
Ji-yeong was portrayed by actress Lee Yoo-mi.
Appearances[]
- Season One
- "Red Light, Green Light" (icon)
- "Stick to the Team"
- "A Fair World"
- "Gganbu"
References[]
- ↑ Assuming the remaining games all occurred on consecutive days after the Squid Games resumed, Marbles most likely took place on June 28, the day before Hwang Jun-ho escaped the island.
- ↑ Red Light, Green Light
- ↑ The overall competition is confirmed to be called Squid Game, and the 2020 game is confirmed to be the 33rd annual game, by the archived files Hwang Jun-ho reads in the episode "A Fair World".
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Gganbu
- ↑ Stick to the Team