Is Player 246 Dead In Squid Game Season 2? Gyeong-seok’s Fate Explained

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Squid Game season 2 finale.

Squid Game season 2's finale features a tense moment when the X's are overpowered by the pink guards, but one rebel's survival remains a mystery when it comes to player 246. While the action in Squid Game season 2 may have moved at a slower pace than season 1, the story is inevitably moving towards what promises to be a tense and revealing finale. With so many questions still in the air, Squid Game season 3 has a lot of ground to cover before the show concludes.

Squid Game season 2 saw Gi-hun reenter the games in an attempt to take it down from the inside. However, over the course of three games, Gi-hun was able to do very little to stop the games until the events of the final episode. The season finale saw several X's rise up in order to fight the powers controlling them, and try to put a stop to the games. But, when the Front Man was satisfied that Gi-hun had made it far enough to have hope, he took it all away, and the rebellion was quickly squashed, with almost everyone that participated in the attack being swiftly eliminated by pink guards.

Player 246 Was Shot By A Pink Guard After Surrendering In Season 2’s Finale

The Rebellion Was Put Down Swiftly By More Pink Guards

While Gi-hun pushed ahead towards the control room, most of the rebel forces were left to defend the ground they had secured in the staircases. However, when the reinforcement pink guards came along, they swiftly took out the rebels on the bridge. With no hope of survival, two players, 145 and 246, put their guns down, surrendering themselves to be captured. However, the pink guards shot at 145, and then another small troop of guards approached 246.

246 begged for his life, and declared that he had a sick daughter at home, but despite his pleadings, he was shot by one guard who separated from the group in order to eliminate 246. Clearly, the pink guards were enraged by the losses they suffered on their side, and more than willing to take out their frustrations on the disposable players from the games. But, there could be more to 246's final scene in Squid Game season 2 than meets the eye.

We Don’t See Where Gyeong-seok Was Shot (We Also Don’t See His Body)

The Pink Guards Are Hoarding Bodies

Park Gyu-young's Ne-oul and Lee Jin-wook's Gyeong-seok in Squid Game season 2

When 246, also known as Park Gyeong-seok, is shot, the camera quickly shifts away from him, and onto the pink guard who is doing the shooting. While this could be in order to avoid gratuitous violence, the show made no effort to hide gunshots to the chest in previous moments throughout the season and this episode. Instead, it makes more sense that the show is actually making a conscious effort to conceal revealing where 246 was shot.

Supporting this fact even further, 246's body is not shown at any point after this moment.

There is no doubt that he was shot, because the gun goes off, there is a muzzle flash, and 246 appears to take a step back as it happens. However, it could hint at a larger story that is set to play out in Squid Game season 3. Supporting this fact even further, 246's body is not shown at any point after this moment, which could suggest that the character is still alive, although he is likely 'eliminated' from the games.

How Player 246 Can Still Be Alive In Squid Game Season 3

The Games Aren't Over Yet For The Squid Game Contestants

In earlier episodes, both in Squid Game season 1 and 2, the pink guards have been seen carrying away bodies, and taking some players who are still on the edge of life to a secure area where their organs are harvested in order to make some extra money. So, it's entirely possible that the guards were strategically shooting these rebel players in an effort to harvest their organs later and get a larger payday. However, there is another character in season 2 who may be behind the shooting of 246, which could explain why they didn't try to kill him outright.

Squid Game season 2 featured one of the pink guards prominently, who went by the number 011. This guard actually met Gyeong-seok outside the games, while she was working at an amusement park, and she developed a connection with his daughter. However, 011 was in a large animal mascot costume before, and now wears a face mask with a triangle on it in the games. If this is the guard who shot 246, it's very possible she wanted to spare his life, and decided to shoot him non-fatally in an attempt to safely smuggle him out of the games. However, this can't be confirmed until Squid Game season 3 is released.