The Salesman’s Backstory In Squid Game Revealed & Explained

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Squid Game season 2, episode 1.

Squid Game season 2, episode 1 reveals the Salesman’s backstory and offers a lot of insight into Gong Yoo’s character. Gong Yoo stole the show in Squid Game season 1 despite only having a couple of scenes. A man in a suit carrying a briefcase and challenging people to play Ddakji in exchange for money, the “Salesman” was the first indicator of how sinister the Squid Games were going to be. Squid Game’s first season offered no context about the Salesman, with Gong Yoo’s character not even having a name.

Casting Gong Yoo, one of his generation’s most successful Korean actors, for a small role in Squid Game showed how much faith Netflix had in the project from the start. However, once Squid Game was renewed for season 2, it seemed logical that the show was now going to focus on some of its major stars who did not get to do much in the first season. That included Gong Yoo’s character, who, despite being killed off at the end of Squid Game season 2’s first episode, had his backstory revealed and was front-and-center throughout the whole episode.

The Salesman Started As A Low-Level Masked Guard

Gong Yoo’s Character Rose Up Through The Rankings To Become The Recruiter

Gi-hun had spent the last two years looking for the Salesman in every train and subway station with the help of Shark Loan Mr. Kim and his men. While Mr. Kim and Woo-seok eventually find the Salesman, they are easily beaten by Gong Yoo’s character and forced to play a twisted version of Jokenpo combined with Russian Roulette. Later in the episode, the Salesman goes to Gi-hun’s office and confronts him. The Squid Games’ recruiter wanted to know what Gi-hun’s goal was, whereas Gi-hun wanted the Salesman to take him to their leader.

Given how dedicated Gong Yoo’s character was to the entire operation, it is easy to see why they kept promoting him.

From Gi-hun’s perspective, the Salesman was nothing but a dog doing whatever his owners wanted him to. Offended by Gi-hun’s words, the Salesman began to explain why he does and what he does, and how he became one of the most important members of the operation. Gong Yoo’s character revealed that he had been part of the games since he was “a kid,” and that he spent years “burning bodies.” This all but confirmed that the Salesman started as a low-level masked guard who was responsible for burning the dead bodies during the games.

The Salesman started to work as the games’ recruiter in 2020, a year before Gi-hun participated in the competition.

After a while, Gong Yoo’s character was given a gun. He described it as “finally being seen,” suggesting that, by that point, his entire existence was already dedicated to the games. He continued to rise through the ranks of the organization until they made him the recruiter – someone who would look for desperate people and invite them to play the games. Although Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk had talked about the Salesman’s backstory about someone who started as a low-level masked man before, this had yet to be shown or referenced on screen.

The Salesman Had To Shoot His Father During One Of The Games

The Soon-To-Be Salesman Didn’t Hesitate Shooting His Father

One of the most sinister aspects of the Salesman’s backstory in Squid Game is that he had to kill his father during one of the games. At some point after being given a gun – which means he was now responsible for killing players who lost a game – Gong Yoo’s character realized that one of the players he was supposed to get rid of was his father. It is unclear what happened between the Salesman and his family, but it is implied that he had not seen his father in years.

The man Gong Yoo’s character was supposed to kill “looked familiar,” and after a while, he realized it was his father. Still, the soon-to-be Salesman did not hesitate in killing his father. After shooting his father in the head and feeling no remorse about it, the Salesman realized he was made for that job. From then on, there was nothing he wouldn’t do for the games. Given how dedicated Gong Yoo’s character was to the entire operation, it is easy to see why they kept promoting him until he became the recruiter.

The Salesman Hates Miserable People And Sees Them As Trash

The Recruiter Doesn’t Feel Bad About Playing With People’s Lives

While the Salesman’s backstory explains how he went from a masked man to a recruiter, it may still sound strange why someone would be willing to participate in such a horrifying thing. Squid Game season 2’s Guard 011 story suggested that a lot of guards are simply there because they are desperate for money, meaning that they are not so different from the players. However, Gong Yoo’s monologue in Squid Game season 2, episode 1 made it clear that he never did it for the money. Instead, the Salesman believed miserable people needed to be wiped out.

The Squid Games’ recruiter thought of miserable, desperate people as trash that needed to be cleaned up and didn’t deserve to live. To prove his twisted, evil take on humanity, the Salesman would do things like offering homeless people the choice between receiving bread or a lottery ticket. This is why Squid Game season 2’s first episode is called “Bread Or Lottery.” From the Salesman’s perspective, the fact that most homeless people were picking the lottery ticket only confirmed that they would rather leave their faith up to chance, thus justifying the games’ premise.

The Salesman Dedicated Most Of His Life To The Squid Game

Gong Yoo’s Character Was Willing To Die For Them

Even though we don’t get any flashbacks of the Salesman’s past, Squid Game season 2’s first episode does a great job at explaining why he does what he does as well as why he believes in what the games mean. Gong Yoo’s character dedicated most of his life to the Squid Games, and we can assume that he became one of the masked guards at a very young age. Assuming he was “raised” within the games and found in this twisted operation the validation he was looking for, it makes sense why the Salesman was willing to die for them.

Squid Game never reveals the name of Gong Yoo’s character.

This is why the recruiter did not hesitate to play a game of Russian Roulette in which the odds would not be reset. The Salesman’s twisted take on destiny and the value of life made him the perfect man for the job – someone who would be willing to play deadly games to prove a point. He even had the chance to shoot Gi-hun and put an end to it all, yet he continued to play the game down to the last round. Between Gong Yoo’s performance and his backstory, the Salesman was the highlight of Squid Game season 2, episode 1.