Squid Game’s Wi Ha-jun for his character’s obsessive, relentless search

c Squid gameThe first season of the pivotal B-plot follows Hwang Jun-ho, played by Wi Ha-jun, a police detective who shirks his duties to sneak into the competition. But he pays no attention to the prize of billions; he’s intent on finding his long-lost brother, and with a little maneuvering manages to sneak undercover as one of the game’s pink-clad rangers. Of course, what he discovers in season one shocks both the character and the audience – and paves the way for Joon-ho continuing journey in season two.

Jun-ho’s brother is unmasked as the game’s Front Man in season one, a man so ice-cold that he shoots his own brother (and sends him tumbling over a cliff) when they meet again after a long estrangement. That doesn’t stop Joon-ho from trying to find him (again) in season two; if anything, it makes him even more determined. Of course, trying to triangulate which island is hosting the games is no small task.

Speaking of DeadlineWi explained that this is the first time he’s played a character in several seasons of a show, and he appreciates the opportunity it gave him to really dig into Joon-ho, flaws and all: “I’m not saying that Joon-ho is a character who is completely moral, but seeing how he puts his life at risk, for pursuing the truth and realizing justice was something I really liked about him as a person. Also, I thought he was the kind of guy we need these days. So I learned a lot from him.”

Joon-ho is definitely wrong in season two – not being completely honest with Seong Gi-hoon (Lee Joon-jae) about his brother’s true identity was definitely a mistake, as was assuming that he and Gi-hoon would make it to outwit Squid game bigwigs and sneak a tracking device into the race. There’s also the slight problem of over-trusting the (not-so-random, as it turns out) boat captain who cheerfully agrees to ferry him and his well-armed gangster buddies around as they search for that elusive little island.

Suffice it to say, Joon-ho has a lot to work his way through Squid gamecoming up third and final season— though Wee feels confident in his performance, especially given the character notes he received from creator Hwang Dong-hyuk. “Hwang gave me advice that Jun-ho should be very well balanced in terms of emotions,” Wi told the traders. “Although he personally goes through a lot of emotional turmoil, he still has to relentlessly pursue and achieve his goals until the very end.”

Squid game seasons one and two are now streaming on Netflix.

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