The South Korean drama ‘Squid Game’ was released on Netflix less than two weeks ago, but it has already proven to be one of the most popular series of the year.
In the show, a group of 456 people who have all struggled financially in life were invited to play a life-threatening survival competition where the winner gets 45.6 billion.
One question that is yet to be answered in Squid Game was the actions of the protagonist (Seong Gi-Hun) after learning that his friend and father figure Il-nam or Number 001, whom he thought was dead is still alive.
He also came to discover that Il-nam himself was actually the mastermind behind the game. Il-nam explained to him that he and a group of other wealthy individuals hold regular Squid Game tournaments around the world.
Following the actual death of Il-nam, Gi-Hun opted to implement drastic changes to his life. After suffering incredible trauma during the game, he returned home only to find out that his mother was dead. He literally stopped living after that!
A year later, he got another Squid Game card. While following the instructions, he got to an apartment and discovered a horrible truth about Number 001. This experience energised him with a new desire to live. He went to a salon to get a haircut and to dye his hair red.
If you are wondering why Gi-Hun dyed his hair red, below are the two major reasons:
Reason 1
After Gi-Hun visited the salon, an employee there noticed that his hair has elongated and asked him for the next thing to do. A catalogue of hairstyles was brought to him and he opted for the only male hairstyle among the photos. He would have probably chosen another one if there were several options.
Meanwhile, the style Gi-Hun selected was fitting for his character. He was someone who disliked the idea of drawing the attention of others, but he also has the potential of bringing the powerful and the corrupted down.
Read: 4 things that makes no sense in the movie Squid Game.
In the course of the season, Gi-Hun discovered that he has the potentials to protect people around him and that was what he did. No one except Il-nam believed that Gi-Hun could emerge winner of the game. Not even Gi-Hun himself! But the victory doesn’t bring his final metamorphosis.
After he discovered the truth about Il-nam, it was as if a veil was lifted off his eyes. He realised that he can’t let his life pass him by. He thought about his responsibilities towards his family and those of his deceased comrades. He got Cheol, the brother of Kang Sae-byeok out of the orphanage and sent him to be with Cho Sang-Woo’s mother along with half of his winnings, just to make sure their future is safe.
Reason 2
In the Korean tradition, red colour is a symbol of masculinity and energy. It could be that Gi-Hun dyed his hair in a brilliant shade of red to demonstrate that he has finally gained a measure of control over his own life. Due to this reason, when he saw the recruiter and realized that the game is not about ending, he decided to take a drastic measure.
Instead of travelling to Los Angeles and reuniting with his daughter, Gi-Hun opted to remain in South Korea and put an end to the horrible game.
