Summary
Squid Gamedominated Netflix when it debuted in 2021, gaining millions of fans worldwide. Some take their fandom to the next level with their couple ships.
Squid Gamefans have created several couple ships from the show since Season 1. Some are based on canon relationships and others on their interpretations. Some of the popular canon relationships are Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon), Gi-hun and Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo), also known as “Gi-Sang,” Gi-hun and Front Man/Hwang In-ho (Lee Byung-hun) or “Inhun,” Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo) and Ali (Anupam Tripathi) which fans adorably called “Sang-Ali,” and Sae-byeok and Ji-yeong (Lee Yoo-mi) to name a few. One of them was featured onNetflixUK’s social media post, and fans went gaga over it.
One Reddit user shared ascreenshot of Netflix UK’s postabout Gi-hun and the Front Man. It includes an overlay that reads, “I would repeat every mistake, so long as it led me back to you.” The original poster couldn’t believe Netflix UK would share such a post and wrote, “No way the Netflix UK account posted this,” with crying and rolling on the floor laughing emojis, seemingly confused about how to feel about it. However, fans shippingGi-hun and the Front Manwere pleased with the fan service. Some said that they should keep up with it. Others were so happy and thrilled that Netflix UK knew what they wanted, so they hoped that it would continue the fan service. Another said Gi-hun and the Front Man’s ship was so popular that it was being acknowledged for the purpose of queerbaiting. Aside from the word “Inhun,” many referred to Gi-hun and the Front Man’s ship as “457,” referring to their number in the tournament since Gi-hun was Player 456 and the Front Man was Player 001 when he took off his mask and pretended to be a player.
Netflix UK indeed shared a clip of canon relationships from various shows on the platform. Aside fromSquid Game’s Gi-hun and Front Man, the post also featuresBridgerton’sPenelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) aka “Polin” andArcane’s Vi and Caitlyn, to name a few. However, the pairing that got most of the attention wasSquid Game’s Gi-hun and the Front Man. While many were completely surprised, they were delighted to see Gi-hun and the Front Man in the post and they were hoping for more. This isn’t the first time fans have been publicly talking about a potential romance between Gi-hun and the Front Man; in fact, there are lots of videos on social media, especially TikTok, featuring the pair.
Gi-hun and the Front Man, aka In-ho, are among the most popular canon relationships fromSquid Game. It was easy to pair the two with the classic enemies-to-lovers trope because of their tense interactions, especially with how the second season ended. Also, there was an obvious contrast in their characters — Gi-hun being passionate and rebellious and the Front Man being cold and authoritative. Also, their character dynamics are visible at first glance, with Gi-hun as the protagonist and In-ho as the antagonist. For some, this only fueled their chemistry. Their interactions inSquid GameSeason 2only paved the way for fans to explore their connection on a deeper level. Although they appear at both ends of the spectrum, they also have common traits, which is somewhat the strong force that could bind them together. For instance, both financially struggled with personal losses, leading them to participate in the deadly game, and they both won. The “Not So Different” trope only fueled fans' interpretations of a potential bond between the two. Although fans knew that it would be impossible to materialize Gi-hun and the Front Man’s relationship in the way they imagined, it was clear that the fan service was enough to satisfy them.
