“Squid Game 2” Lee Byung-hun “Kissing Lee Jung-jae? I don’t feel good about it”
Actor Lee Byung-hun shared his thoughts on the bromance between his character and Lee Jung-jae’s character gaining popularity in Netflix’s original series “Squid Game” Season 2.
During an interview held at a café in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on January 8, he frowned at the reaction of international fans rooting for the BL (Boys Love) of Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae) and Hwang In-ho (played by Lee Byung-hun).
When reporters mentioned “Some fans even suggest the two characters should kiss. Korean fans seem to be shocked by this”, Lee Byung-hun responded “I think I’m one of those Korean fans. I’d be shocked too”, making everyone laugh.
Lee Byung-hun further confessed, “I saw something labeled BL in the Shorts (on social media) and thought it was a typo for BH (his initials). Then I wondered, ‘Is it short for Byung-hun Lee?’”
“Squid Game 2” depicts the intense confrontation between Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae), who returns to the game seeking revenge, and the Front Man (played by Lee Byung-hun), who greets him, as well as the restart of the real game. Upon release, it ranked first globally according to FlixPatrol, a site tracking global OTT content rankings. During the first week of its release (December 23~29), it garnered 487.6 million viewing hours, surpassing Season 1’s record of 448.73 million hours (based on Netflix’s Top 10 official website).
In the “Squid Game” series, Lee Byung-hun plays the role of the Front Man. In Season 1, the revelation that he was the organizer of the game in the final episode created a twist. In Season 2, his participation in the game as “Player 001” while concealing his true identity heightened the tension of the storyline.
The synergy between Lee Byung-hun and Lee Jung-jae also received significant attention. Lee Byung-hun reminisced, “We had previously met during the drama ‘White Nights 3.98’. Even though we worked on ‘Squid Game 1’, there wasn’t much opportunity to exchange lines together. This was the first time we really had a dialogue exchange, and it was a great experience.”
He continued, “We haven’t acted alongside each other before, but since our debut periods are similar, we’ve been long-time friends on a personal level. It felt amazing—like, ‘We’re finally acting together!’”
Lee Byung-hun also delved into the Front Man’s feelings toward Gi-hun in the series. “The Front Man inevitably sees himself in Gi-hun. Watching him abandon a reunion with his daughter to join the game must have sparked a reaction like, ‘Oh, really?’ As someone who has experienced the darkest sides of humanity, the Front Man probably thought, ‘You still haven’t realized’ or ‘You’re still clueless.’ I think he wanted to change Gi-hun’s convictions, and that served as a driving force for him to rejoin as a participant.”
When asked about his self-admiration moments during acting, Lee Byung-hun said “People seem to have a hard time distinguishing whether I’m joking or serious. I just thought it was wit, but they thought it was snobby. It’s a bit embarrassing as someone who tries to be humorous”, causing laughter.
He humbly added, “Of course, there are moments when I watch the work and think ‘That was a great scene’ or ‘I did well there’, but those are mostly the result of brilliant editing. The effects really elevated the acting.”
As a leading figure in “Squid Game 2”, Lee Byung-hun also addressed various controversies surrounding the series. Actor Park Sung-hoon faced backlash after posting a parody AV poster of the show on social media, and actress Park Gyu-young stirred up issues by leaking a major Season 3 spoiler. Lee Byung-hun cautiously said, “It’s a project that draws massive attention, so it naturally sparks more discussions. If it weren’t popular, these issues wouldn’t arise. I think this happens because it’s such a significant project. However, as these incidents are part of individual activities, I don’t feel it’s my place to comment.”
When asked about suspicions that BIGBANG’s T.O.P was cast in “Squid Game 2” due to his connections with Lee Byung-hun and Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun remarked, “I heard the director’s thoughts, and I found the casting interesting, like, ‘Oh? This role? That’ll be fun.’ I didn’t see the need to clarify whether I influenced the casting or not. I wondered, ‘Is it necessary for me to comment on this?’”
