Rating: E
Relationship: Hwang In-ho x Seong Gi-hun
Summary: “This is going to be a party you’ll never forget,” In-ho said to his lover. His eyes flicked downward, then up to Gi-hun’s face again. “Tell me, how does it feel?”
“Feels kinda weird,” Gi-hun answered.
“You will get used to it,” In-ho assured, knowing full well what he had planned.
OR
Hwang In-ho tricks Seong Gi-hun into wearing a vibrating sex toy during his birthday party. Read here on AO3!
A collaborative, late submission from me and @redflaggreenlight for @inhunafterdark! This was meant to go up on 10/31 in honor of Gi-hun's birthday, and it also fits the Free Day theme. We hope it gives you a good laugh! :3
1, 3, 10, 12, 13, 15, 23, 25, 26, 30 (what do you imagine his fav movie/show is, if any?) for Sang-woo ♥️
Thank you, my love ( @ryukiethebored / @redflaggreenlight ), for asking! Here are my belated answers about our boy Sang-woo!
1.Why do you like or dislike this character?
I like Sang-woo for a multitude of reasons! For one thing, I feel he comes across very misunderstood. I imagine a lot of viewers might not like him, especially when watching Squid Game for the first time. In many ways, he’s an acquired taste, like coffee. ☕️
He is a perfect foil to Gi-hun, being smart, brooding, and introverted, while Gi-hun is extroverted, rushes into things, and generally positive despite having lots to feel sad about. They’re both reckless in their own ways, resulting in the Ssangmun-dong boys having crippling amounts of debt.
I also like Sang-woo because I can relate to him on a small level with that burnt out genius trope. In certain moments, I can feel like I haven’t reached my full potential despite doing well in college. So, my heart goes out to the genius prodigy who went to SNU for business and still ended up with a mountain of debt. 🥺
P.S.: I fully believe he has a secret, gay crush on Gi-hun in canon. 🙈 That’s why he has such “high standards” when it comes to dating women.
3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?
My least favorite thing about Sang-woo is his lack of loyalty toward Gi-hun and Ali. I do believe he cares about them, but he prioritizes his own survival over them, despite having suicidal tendencies. Perhaps you could view this as Sang-woo being greedy, too, once he sees all that prize money.
Regardless, I understand why he betrays both men from a logical standpoint, but it hurts since I also love Gi-hun and Ali. 😭
It also kills me how he murders Sae-byeok. While I realize she was in bad shape from her injury and her death was inevitable, I feel his main motive was to keep playing the game.
10. Could you be best friends with this character?
Probably! I’m friendly and can get along with most people. I don’t know if Sang-woo would have any interest in being friends with me, though. 😅 I could imagine us doing well together on a project in college, only to never talk to each other again once we graduated.
12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?
I imagine Sang-woo being great at platformers and shooter video games. I picture Gi-hun would want to play arcade games back in the day but suck at them. While I imagine Sang-woo not having an interest in them initially, he would get invested in them because of Gi-hun and have a natural knack for doing well at the levels. He’s so smart, so he’d memorize platformers fast and do well! I picture him kicking ass at Demon’s Crest in particular and liking horror in general.
13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?
😒 I picture Sang-woo being perpetually annoyed, so I associate this one with him! Conversely, I could see him not using emojis as often if he’s mostly texting business associates or his mom. He’d probably use the emoji most with Gi-hun, but in canon they probably both barely text each other.
15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)
SANGIHUN! I’ll scream about it from the rooftops. 😅 I totally do view this as an unrequited love in canon for Sang-woo. I love AUs where things work out for them, like in this one shot I wrote for Sangihun Week 2025. However, I also enjoy Sangihun angst. My partner and I currently have a long-standing RP (no game AU) where Gi-hun only sees Sang-woo as a friend, and their lives both get super complicated as a result. 😭
23. Favorite picture of this character?
He’s so pretty, so it’s hard to pick, but I’ll go with this one since it lives rent free in my head! 🥺 Look at how he’s staring up at his idiot best friend—a look of exasperation and poignant sadness all at once. Be still my heart!
25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?
I thought Sang-woo was cold and a jerk, but I was still captivated by him since I have a thing for asshole characters in fiction and wanting to understand them. Now I love him! He’s one of my favorites. With each rewatch, it’s easier to see Sang-woo’s perspective and motives.
26. What's something the character has done you can't get over? Be it something funny, bad, good, serious, whatever?
The sexism he shows when trying to recruit players for the tug-of-war game. 😅 It totally makes sense from a strategic point of view, though.
30. FREEBIE QUESTION!! What do you imagine his fav movie/show is, if any?
I imagine Sang-woo liking something complicated with elements of horror! Ngl, Twin Peaks came to mind right away. I could see him appreciating the late David Lynch’s work. Perhaps he’d also be a fan of Stanley Kubrick’s work, too, and watch movies based on books, like A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
