How and why does Gong Yoo die in Squid Game season 2? Recruiter’s backstory explained

Season 2 of the South Korean dystopian survival thriller Squid Game premiered globally on Netflix on December 26, 2024. This season, much like the first one, features a star-studded cast. Set three years after Seong Gi-hun’s victory in the deadly competition, the story follows his decision to abandon plans to move to the United States. Instead, he returns with renewed determination and reenters the perilous survival game.

Among the ones who have made a reappearance is Gong Yoo, playing the Recruiter. However, his screen time was limited to the first episode of Squid Game 2 since his character died in the first episode itself. As the character shoots himself, he narrates how he rose through the ranks to become the Recruiter.

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Why did the Recruiter in Squid Game 2 pull the trigger on himself?

Picking up from where Squid Game ended, Gi-hun spotted the Recruiter while on his way to the airport, he decided to stay and employ Mr. Kim, a loan shark, to find him. Despite the order to strictly keep a look at him, Mr. Kim and his subordinate, Woo-seok decided to capture him by force, only to be overpowered.

After forcing Mr. Kim and Woo-seok into a deadly game combining Jokenpo and Russian Roulette and killing them in the process, the Recruiter turned his attention to Gi-hun in Squid Game 2.

While Gi-hun hoped to use the Recruiter to get closer to the Front Man, the Recruiter wanted to make a point instead. Earlier in the episode, he had tested homeless individuals by offering them a chance to win either bread or a lottery ticket, reflecting his belief that people create their own luck and should be held accountable for their misery.

The Recruiter found Gi-hun's motel which he was using as a base to track him. He invited Gi-hun to play a brutal version of Russian Roulette with a unique twist—the odds would not reset, ensuring that one of them would inevitably die after a maximum of six rounds.

As the game proceeded, the Recruiter held the gun to his head with the one bullet left in it. As Gi-hun called him a dog who only obeys his masters, the Recruiter pulled the trigger as per the rules, killing himself.

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How did the Recruiter become who he was?

While playing Russian Roulette, Gi-hun says that the Recruiter was nothing more than a pawn blindly following orders from those in charge. Insulted by Gi-hun's remarks, the Recruiter shared how he climbed to his position.

Gong Yoo's character revealed that his involvement with the games began when he was "a kid," starting at the lowest level as a masked guard tasked with burning the bodies of deceased players in the Squid Game.

Over time, his responsibilities grew. After being entrusted with a gun and ordered to eliminate losing players, the Recruiter felt noticed. Eventually, the Recruiter faced a haunting moment—one of the players he was assigned to kill turned out to be his own father.

Though the details of his family history remain vague, it’s implied that he had been estranged from his father for years.

Without any hesitation or remorse, he shot his father in the head. This brought him to the realization that he was perfectly suited for the role he played in the games. From that moment on, there was nothing he wouldn’t do to serve the organization.

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All seven episodes of Squid Game 2 are available on Netflix.