Sumith Prasad
In the second season of Netflix’s survival series ‘Squid Game,’ the stakes in the titular game increase when the mom-son duo of Jang Geum-ja (Player 149) and Park Yong-sik (Player 007) come across each other as players. One of the most terrifying aspects of the game is that each player is on their own when the rounds begin. Since every activity threatens the lives of the contestants, they need to care only for them to succeed. This understanding does not apply to Geum-ja and Yong-sik, who cannot abandon each other, which makes their fates highly interesting! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Jang Geum-ja and Park Yong-sik Remain Alive in Squid Game Season 2
Since the beginning of the latest edition of the Squid Game, things haven’t been easy for Jang Geum-ja and Park Yong-sik. Since the former is an old woman, she cannot play the game all the way through the end. However, the latter has several secret debts that make him stay for a while to earn more money. In the initial rounds, they find a way to remain alive by hanging on to each other and joining hands with reliable teammates, especially Cho Hyun-ju. Having said that, the son fails to be with his mother from start to end, as he gets dragged by another team during the third round, “Mingle.”
Luckily, Geum-ja gets rescued by Oh Young-il, who is actually the Front Man in disguise as Player 001. After this life-threatening incident, the mother and son realize that they cannot live without each other, which is how they avoid death. Towards the end of the second season of the show, Seong Gi-hun gives birth to a rebellion to fight the organizers of the Squid Game and shut the whole thing down for good. He proclaims that the uprising is necessary to prevent more deaths from happening. His words motivate Yong-sik, who sets out to join them, only for Geum-ja to stop him.
Jang Geum-ja Saves Park Yong-sik From Becoming a Martyr
Throughout the second season, Jang Geum-ja displays admirable compassion by accepting and helping vulnerable players like Kim Jun-hee and Cho Hyun-ju. Despite being an old woman, she sacrifices her food for the pregnant Jun-hee. When Hyun-ju betrays her team by voting in favor of the continuation of the game, she understands why the former does it as a transwoman who is in the middle of her transition. Geum-ja even fights the soldiers to ensure Jun-hee has bathroom access. These reasons are enough to understand that she is an adorable, selfless individual. However, she is a changed person when it comes to her beloved son, Park Yong-sik.
When Yong-sik becomes drawn to the rebellion, which is necessary to save hundreds of people, Geum-ja prioritizes the lives of herself and her son over the lives of ones who can be rescued by an uprising. As far as she is concerned, the safety of her son comes first, irrespective of what comes next. Her actions gradually clarify that she has been telling the truth when she expressed she could not live without her child. Her timely intervention safeguards Yong-sik from death, especially since most of the rebels are eventually killed by the soldiers.
Geum-ja and Yong-sik’s unity is one of the captivating elements of the show’s second installment. Having said that, it has the potential to break many hearts in the already-announced third season, especially if the Front Man resumes the Squid Game. Following the rebellion that terminates many of the organizers’ resources, including numerous soldiers, we may need to wait for the third installment to learn whether he will allow a voting session after each upcoming game. If the Front Man decides against offering a democratic process to the rebels who don’t care for the agreements in place, the surviving players may need to battle against each other to ensure their survival.
Considering how twisted the Squid Game can get, it won’t be outrightly surprising if Geum-ja and Yong-sik are forced to face each other. If such a turn of events materializes, one of them may even consider dying for the sake of the other. In other words, it is too early to be hopeful about the mom-son duo.
Read More: Does Player 246 (Gyeong-seok) Die in Squid Game Season 2?
