Who else wants their tears back after feeling completely bamboozled by the old man Oh Il-nam, aka Player 001, in Squid Game? While some might have caught on that he was more sinister than what he seemed to be, others were completely convinced he was an innocent grandpa till near the end or even up to his reveal in episode 9.
On rewatch, there were many clues in the series that hinted at the old man being the creator of the games.
Keep reading to check them out!
#1 He enjoyed playing the games
Photo from Netflix
A surprising moment in the iconic 'Red light, green light' game was when the affable old man was the only person who instantly resumed playing the game right after the initial massacre.
While everyone was trembling in fear and shock, the old man seemed to be having the time of his life.
We could assume that this was because he had nothing to lose, but it doesn't explain how he wasn't fazed the slightest bit considering no one knew that "elimination" meant losing your life. Even the thug Deok-su, who was acclimated to a life of violence, was visibly unnerved!
#2 The Front Man stopped the fight after the old man's plea
Photo from Netflix
During the 'Special Game', as the game masters cruelly named it, the Front Man ended the fight right after Oh Il-nam started pleading with the players to stop. It might have just been a coincidence as they couldn't have too many players being eliminated, but the timing is suspicious.
#3 He looked scared when the emergency alarm went off
Photo from Netflix
In episode 5, the Front Man discovered that there was an infiltrator in the premises and sounded an alarm that woke the players up. While most of the characters like Sae-byeok, Sang-woo and Gi-hun seemed confused, the old man looked frightened. In fact, besides the player-on-player fight scene, this was the only time he seemed to be in distress.
In hindsight, this makes sense as he knew that alarm meant that something went wrong with the games.
#4 Player 001 is missing from the records
Photo from Netflix
This might be the most telling detail of all. When Jun-ho is looking through the 2020 Squid Archives, the first page on the folder was Player 002!
#5 He's much older than the other players
Oh Il-nam was the odd man out in terms of age. At his seventies, he's decades older than the other players who are between the ages of 20 to 50.
As depraved as the game creators are, surely even they would draw the line at making children, pregnant women and the elderly participate in these games.
Also, his age lined up with when the Squid Games were created in the late 1980s, which is when Oh Il-nam was probably in his mid-forties. Perhaps he had a mid-life crisis and decided to create these demented games to find a sense of fulfilment.
#6 Oh Il-nam's supposed house had the Squid Game symbols on the signage
Photo from Netflix
During the marbles game in episode 6, Oh Il-nam reminisced about his childhood days and proclaimed that the game venue was exactly like his hometown. It was shown briefly that the "house" that he recognised as his had a signage with the Squid Game symbols of a circle, triangle and square.
#7 He seemingly faked his dementia
Photo from Netflix
During the marbles game, Oh Il-nam revealed to Gi-hun that he was actually aware of what was happening the entire time when he had supposedly lost his marbles, figuratively.
It could have been the case where he simply wanted to spend more time with Gi-hun and pretend he was in his neighbourhood. But then again, what sane person would manipulate his friend and make him think it would be his last day on earth? At least Sang-woo's manipulation had the end goal of getting himself out alive, but the old man simply wanted to test Gi-hun, which is a strange thing to do when you have moments left to live.
#8 His elimination was off-screen
It's a well-known TV rule that if it wasn't shown on screen, it's safe to say it might not have happened. Every character that we lost on Squid Game (except Jun-ho *side-eye*) was explicitly shown to be gone for good, either shot or placed in the creepy gift box-shaped coffin - all except for Oh Il-nam.
It can be argued that the show runners wanted to spare the audience from such a tragic sight, but it was pretty sus considering they have no qualms about showing the brutal endings of other players.
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Text by: GirlStyle SG
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