You remember the red light, right? That haunting giant doll? Everyone focuses on Gi-hun or the old man, but if you blink, you’ll miss the smaller stories that actually make Squid Game feel so terrifyingly real. One of those is Squid Game player 124.
He didn't win. He didn't even make it past the first afternoon. But in a show that became a global obsession, even the guys who died in the first ten minutes have a story. Mostly because the actor playing him, Lee Jung-jun, ended up becoming a bit of a viral sensation despite having almost zero lines. It’s wild how that happens. You show up, you run, you "die," and suddenly the internet is hunting down your Instagram handle.
What Actually Happened to Squid Game Player 124?
Basically, he was just another face in the crowd of 456 desperate people. When the game started, he was standing there in that iconic green tracksuit, looking just as confused as everyone else. Then the doll turned around.
The massacre in "Red Light, Green Light" was absolute chaos. Squid Game player 124 was one of the many who couldn't keep their cool. While some players froze in terror, 124 was among the wave of contestants who panicked when the gunfire started. He didn't have a heroic end. He didn't have a monologue about his debts. He was just a guy trying to bolt for the door, and the sensors caught him.
He was eliminated early. Fast. It was a cold reminder of the show's core premise: in this system, you aren't a person with a name; you’re just a number that can be deleted in a fraction of a second.
Why Do People Keep Searching for Him?
It’s kind of funny. You’d think a character who gets maybe thirty seconds of screen time would be forgotten instantly. Nope.
✨ Don't miss: Why October London Make Me Wanna Is the Soul Revival We Actually Needed
The actor, Lee Jung-jun, is the reason. People noticed him. He’s got that "idol" look, and even in a sweaty tracksuit, he stood out to the eagle-eyed fans on TikTok and Twitter. It actually sparked a whole trend of "finding the hot players" in the background of the show. If you look at the credits, he’s listed, but his role was so minor it barely qualified as a cameo at the time. Yet, because Squid Game was such a monster hit, being Squid Game player 124 became a massive career boost for him.
He’s since gone on to do much bigger things, like Cheer Up and Kokdu: Season of Deity. It’s a classic case of there being no such thing as a small role, especially when 100 million people are watching.
The Brutal Math of the First Game
Let's talk numbers because they're honestly depressing. Out of 456 players, 255 were killed in that first game. Squid Game player 124 was part of that 55% majority that didn't even get to see the bunk beds or eat the shitty boiled eggs.
The show producers were very deliberate with who they gave numbers to. Low numbers and high numbers often got more screen time, but the middle-ground numbers like 124 were usually there to fill the "body count" requirement. It makes the world feel lived-in. If every single person who died was a nameless extra with no face, we wouldn't care. But by casting rising actors like Lee Jung-jun, the directors made sure that even the "expendable" characters felt like they had a life they were losing.
The survival rate for that specific round was around 44%. If you were 124, the odds were already against you the moment you stepped onto that fake field.
🔗 Read more: How to Watch The Wolf and the Lion Without Getting Lost in the Wild
What This Tells Us About the Show's Casting
Netflix didn't just hire random people off the street for the background. They hired professional actors and models. This is why Squid Game player 124 looks familiar if you watch a lot of K-Dramas.
- Lee Jung-jun was a rookie at the time.
- The casting directors wanted people who looked "average" but could also convey intense fear without saying a word.
- Most "numbered" players had to go through a specific audition process even if they were just going to be eliminated in episode one.
It's a testament to the production value. They didn't skimp on the details. Even the guy who falls over at the 12-minute mark was a calculated choice.
The Legacy of the "Background" Players
Honestly, the obsession with Squid Game player 124 says more about us as viewers than it does about the character. We want to find the humanity in the background. We want to know that the person in the green suit had a name and a career outside of being a statistic for the Front Man.
There's a specific kind of "Squid Game Fame" that happened. You had the main stars who became overnight A-listers, but then you had this sub-tier of actors like the "Square Mask" guy who took his mask off for five seconds and gained a million followers. Lee Jung-jun (124) falls right into that category. He’s the "blink and you'll miss him" star.
If you go back and rewatch the first episode now, knowing he’s a successful actor in 2026, it hits differently. You see him in the background and think, "Wait, he survives in real life, even if he gets shot in the show." It’s a weirdly meta way to experience a TV series.
💡 You might also like: Is Lincoln Lawyer Coming Back? Mickey Haller's Next Move Explained
Facts vs. Fan Theories
Let's clear some stuff up. I’ve seen some weird theories online about 124.
Some people thought he was a plant or that he was related to the guards. No. There is zero evidence for that. Squid Game player 124 was a victim. Period. He wasn't a secret mastermind, and he wasn't part of the VIP plot. He was a guy who owed money, took a gamble, and lost.
The beauty of the show is its simplicity. Not everyone has a secret. Some people are just unlucky.
Actionable Steps for Squid Game Fans
If you're still down the rabbit hole of identifying every single player from the first season, here’s how to actually track the "background" stars without getting lost in fake fan wikis:
- Check the HanCinema Database: This is the most reliable place to see the full cast lists for K-Dramas. It lists the actors by their real names rather than just their player numbers.
- Look for "The Making Of" Footage: Netflix released several behind-the-scenes clips where you can see the actors during the "Red Light, Green Light" filming. It gives you a much better look at people like Lee Jung-jun before they were edited into the chaotic final cut.
- Follow the Actors, Not the Characters: If you liked the "vibe" of player 124, check out Lee Jung-jun's newer work. He’s a talented actor who has moved far beyond being a number in a death game.
- Verify the Credits: Don't trust every TikTok "theory" video. Most of them invent backstories for players that simply don't exist in the script. Stick to the official IMDB or Netflix credits if you want the truth.
The reality is that Squid Game player 124 represents the thousands of "unseen" victims in unfair systems. He’s a face in the crowd that reminds us how quickly a life can be snuffed out when the stakes are literally life and death. Rewatching his scenes might be a quick exercise, but it highlights just how much detail went into making every single death in that show feel like a genuine loss.
Check out Lee Jung-jun’s performance in Cheer Up if you want to see what he can do when he's not being hunted by a giant animatronic doll. It’s a nice change of pace.