Squid Game Season 2: What was Park Gyu-young’s character’s identity twist? Explained 

Squid Game Season 2 keeps getting better by the minute. The characters in Squid Game Season 2 are top-notch in terms of the screenplay. Alongside Gi-hun and In-ho, there are a host of supporting characters who make the world of Squid Game Season 2 all the more relatable and fascinating. Among the other supporting characters is No-eul, played by actress Park Gyu-young deserves special mention.

No-eul is one of the characters that made her debut in the second season of Squid Game. Although she was initially believed to be a prospective contestant in the games, a twist finally revealed that she was recruited to be one of the guards. She is a North Korean defector who escaped from her country, seeking refuge in the safety of South Korea.

However, in her desperate attempt to escape, No-eul had to leave her daughter behind. Coming to South Korea, No-eul started working as a security guard in the games organized by The Front Man in consort with other VIP guests.

Despite being a guard with the triangle symbol on her mask, and despite being assigned to be a sniper shooting down the unlucky losers of the Red Light Green Light game, the character of No-eul isn't entirely inhuman as was evident from her refusal to be a party to the vicious organ harvesting operation run by a few of the other guards.

Who is No-eul from Squid Game Season 2?

The first season of Squid Game delved deep into the characters of the contestants of the brutal games. While this did serve to make the drama more engaging and replete with pathos, the sizable number of security guards who facilitated the smooth running of the games was left virtually untapped as characters. Director Hwang Dong-ryuk finally bridged this gap in the second installment of Squid Game with the character of No-eul, played by Park Gyu-young.

No-eul is a North Korean defector and a former member of the armed forces. She undertook a desperate attempt to escape the North Korean state and ended up harming her superior in the armed forces. Although she did manage to escape to South Korea, she was forced to leave her little daughter behind.

Squid Game Season 2 introduced No-eul initially as a grieving mother who bemoans the separation from her daughter. She is seen pleading with a private detective and offering him money to find her daughter across the border. She works as a costumed mascot at a children's amusement park. She lives alone and is eventually approached by the organizers of the games with an offer to be a part of the same.

While all along believing that No-eul is just another potential unlucky contestant, the narrative shocked audiences by revealing that she is recruited as a security guard, number 011.

Actress Park Gyu-young opens up about her process

Speaking in an interview for a cover story of L'Officiel, actress Park Gyu-young spoke at length about the Netflix show, her career so far, and her acting process. When asked about facing challenges, she answered:

"I realized that acting in front of cameras is a craft which often asks you to go to battle with yourself. Those moments of challenging myself, to overcome my own obstacles, are when I feel the most fulfillment, I think."

When asked about the secret to maintaining work-life balance as an actor, she stated:

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"I don't worry too much about things that haven't happened yet, and I just try to focus on the projects in front of me. When I'm working, I focus solely on work. On my days off, I try to rejuvenate in my own way through ballet and exercise."

Squid Game Season 2 is available exclusively on Netflix.

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