Player 120 (Park Sung-hoon), also known as Cho Hyun-ju, is a new character in Squid Game season 2 was a massive success, even when compared to the phenomenon that was the original Squid Game season. The fantastic premise set up by the Korean series has legs, and there was always going to be plenty of story to mine from a game show that pits desperate people against one another in creative and deadly games. Season 2 ups the ante, with Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) returning to stop the games for good.

After winning at the end of season 1, Gi-hun makes it his mission to track down the Front Man and end the games. His quest brings him right back to the room he barely escaped the first time, but now Gi-hun is surrounded by a mostly new cast in Squid Game season 2. Like in the first go around, some are willing to break every moral code to win, and some hope to retain a part of their humanity while playing. This struggle between the heroes and the villains always introduces new people to root for, like Player 120.

Player 120 Is A Trans Woman And Former Special Forces Operative

Cho Hyun-ju Helps Seong Gi-hun During The Uprising

Cho Hyun-ju first appears in season 2, episode 3, "001", as one of the 456 players entered into the new Squid Game. She is one of the first players to question the guards, immediately revealing a certain fearlessness. She's revealed to be a trans woman after Jang Geum-ja (Kang Ae-shim) begins pestering her with a series of inappropriate and potentially offensive questions. Geum-ja's son, Park Yong-sik (Yang Dong-geun), waves his mother away, trying to explain transgender people to her to little avail.

During "Red Light, Green Light", Hyun-ju and Gi-huj work together, which cements her as a friend. It's also revealed that Hyun-ju is ₩330,000,000 in debt. After the Six Legs task, Hyun-ju begins to open up to the others in the game. She explains that before she transitioned, she was a confident, well-liked, and talented sergeant in the army. Upon announcing her wish to transition, Hyun-ju lost her job, her friends, and her family. Hyun-ju hopes to win enough to move to Thailand and live among a more accepting LGBTQ+ community.

Hyun-ju becomes a valuable ally, and when the resistance takes up arms against the guards, Player 120 shows just how effective a soldier she was at one point. She steals a gun, kills a bunch of guards, and then teaches the other survivors how to use the weapons. It's eye-opening to see how good a shot a Hyun-ju actually is, and it's a good reminder that she was drummed out of the military purely for prejudiced reasons. The end of season 2 sees her preparing to make a last stand, but she's talked into surrendering by Geum-ja.

Player 120 Is Alive At The End Of Squid Game Season 2

Cho Hyun-ju Will Begin Season 3 In A Precarious Position

The ending of Squid Game season 2 finds the uprising squashed, and those who survived are put right back into the Squid Game tournament. Thanks to Geum-ja, Hyun-ju made the better choice to live another day. Yes, she is still stuck in the Squid Game scenario, but at the very least, she has a chance of surviving. That was surely not going to be Gi-hun's only attempt to stop the games and confront the Front Man, so if he decides to try again in season 3 or 4, Player 120 should be right there alongside him.

The future is not secure for Player 120, and she, like everyone else in the games, is constantly in mortal peril.

However, the Squid Game is not exactly known for being fair, and it is totally possible that the Front Man and the other elites decide to take their revenge on those who tried to resist in a different way. Perhaps the games will be rigged against the agitators, maybe some will be outright killed as a warning. The future is not secure for Player 120, and she, like everyone else in the games, is constantly in mortal peril. Season 3 will be no different.

There Is So Much More To Explore With Cho Hyun-ju In Season 3

Player 120 Is A Too Rare Example Of A Trans Character Handled Well

Hyun-ju has been a fantastic addition to the cast of Squid Game. She is smart, capable, and a good person at heart. However, she is not just a one-note heroic character. A few times, she has shown she's willing to threaten other players, like when she slapped Seon-nyeo (Chae Kook-hee) and threatened to kill her if she didn't continue the game. However, the times she has gotten aggressive have always been to protect herself and others. She's tough, and she has morals. It's a potent combination and just what Gi-huj needs if he wants to take down the game.

Player 120 is also a frustratingly rare character in fiction, a trans character who is treated with respect by the showrunner.

Player 120 is also a frustratingly rare character in fiction, a trans character who is treated with respect by the showrunner. Hyun-ju's transition is a very important aspect of the character, but it's not the only thing that defines her. Other characters in Squid Game acknowledge her transition, like when characters refer to her as unnie, a Korean word that's an affectionate term for "older sister". The "bury your gays" trope is an unfortunate one, and Squid Game season 3 would do well to avoid killing off an LGBTQ+ character for a "dramatic moment".

Squid Game Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk Wanted To Depict The Struggle Of The Trans Community In South Korea

Dong-hyuk Cast A Cis Man In The Role For A Simple Reason

The creator of Squid Game, Hwang Dong-hyuk, wanted to write a trans character for season 2 because, in South Korea, transgender people are a marginalized group within his home country. He said (via Decider),

"I saw the people who come to the games in Squid Game as people who are usually marginalized or neglected from society, and not just financially speaking. In Season 1, the representative character for that was Ali, who was a foreigner working in Korea, which is one of the most representative minority groups in Korea."

Ali Abdul (Anupam Tripathi) was a fan-favorite character in Squid Game season 1, and he was a representative of the Pakistani population who comes to Korea looking for work. They're a historically marginalized population, much like the trans one. Dong-hyuk went on to say,

"Today, unfortunately, in Korean society, the gender minority is a group that is not as accepted widely within society. Which is why I created the character Hyun-ju as a male to female transgender woman."

It was clearly important for Dong-hyuk to broach this topic in a respectful, but serious way. There was a bit of a stir when it was announced that a cis male was cast as the trans female character, but Dong-hyuk has a pretty good reason for that decision,

"In the beginning we were doing our research, and I was thinking of doing an authentic casting of a trans actor. When we researched in Korea, there are close to no actors that are openly trans, let alone openly gay, because unfortunately in the Korean society currently the LGBTQ community is rather still marginalized and more neglected, which is heartbreaking."

The decision to cast a cis actor was as simple as Dong-hyuk could not find a trans actor in the industry who would work for the role. That lack of representation speaks exactly to why Dong-hyuk knew it was important to include a trans character in his show. If there is no representation in his industry, then he can at least make sure there's representation in the universe that he creates himself.

Park Sung-hoon On Portraying Player 120

Sung-hoon Consulted Transgender People To Help Inform His Portrayal

Park Sung-hoon was selected to play Hyun-ju and was keenly aware of what was being asked of him. He said about being cast (via Variety),

"I was quite amazed at the opportunity — I felt like as an actor it was going to be quite the challenge. I did have concerns about portraying a trans woman because I am a cisgender man, so I really wanted to approach it as cautiously and thoughtfully as possible."

Sung-hoon has previously played gay characters in adaptations of The Pride and Two Weddings and a Funeral, but this was the first time he had played a transgender character. He wisely consulted transgender people to ensure his depiction was accurate and fair. Sung-hoon also hoped that his portrayal would perhaps help people examine their own biases,

"I really hope that Hyun-ju will play a part in maybe getting rid of some of those biases. I hope that people who belong in those communities will no longer feel discriminated against or experience disadvantages within society. I hope that everyone can be true to who they really are and feel confident in doing so."

While it will take more than one performance to shift the biases present in today's society, every act of openness and respect helps build toward a culture that could eventually see a character like Player 120 in more than just a handful of shows. Some complained about the casting of Hyun-ju, but Sung-hoon also heard from fans who appreciated his performance:

"They thanked me for portraying Hyun-ju, for being loyal to her and doing her justice. And I loved comments saying that they had never seen a trans character like this before and how it was empowering for them. So reading these comments, part of me feels relief and a lot of pride."

It would be wonderful if a character like Player 120 in Squid Game could be the norm instead of an anomaly, and it would be great if they could be played by a trans actor too, but until that vision becomes a reality, shows like Squid Game are doing important work.