'Squid Game' Finale’s Biggest Puzzle: Why Is the New Recruiter Playing a Korean Game in America?

The finale of Squid Game — unfortunately — is not about justice. Gi-hun dies, the system isn’t overthrown, and even Detective Jun-ho, who remained the viewers’ last beacon of hope, couldn’t change anything.

The only change happened to the audience: it became clear that this whole hell is not a one-time event, but a stable, well-planned structure that will continue to exist worldwide.

Naturally, fans after such an ending all share the same thought running through their minds: "Why?" Why couldn’t the heroes at least get a chance to survive?

But there’s another question that remains unanswered for now:

"Why are the recruiter and a passerby in America playing a Korean game?"

Recall that in the finale, the manager arrives in the US to deliver Gi-hun’s winnings to his daughter. On the way, he meets the recruiter played by Cate Blanchett, who is playing "ttakji" — the very game the Korean recruiter offered everyone (by the way, check out why he chose this particular game and how it spoils the plot).

But now both characters are clearly not Korean, and the action takes place in the States, so why suddenly use a game that, in theory, isn’t widespread in the country? Something like "rock-paper-scissors" would seem much more logical.

There are two possibilities here. One is boring: the creators just didn’t bother and left a recognizable element as fan service.

But there’s a second, more interesting possibility: what if the games really originated in Korea, and the country is considered the "main headquarters"? Then "ttakji" is not just a childish game, but a ritual and tribute.

This theory is partly supported by the fact that the new recruiter knows the Korean games’ frontman, who himself orders to continue.

And here’s where it gets interesting: it means somewhere else — Germany, Chile, Egypt — someone is getting hit in the face if the blue envelope couldn’t overturn the red? Well, there’s something chillingly symbolic about that: different countries, but the problems, the games, and the price of victory — are the same.