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**Likewise Ali sincerely thanks Sang-woo for letting him borrow his phone to dial his family after they are dropped off together on the mainland, as well as a bowl of hot ramen and a bus ticket. Sang-woo keeps saying with embarrassment he wasn't doing it to be nice; he did it because he wasn't going to let a man that saved his childhood friend's life to walk several miles to another city.
*[[Beware the Nice Ones]]: Ali is a [[Nice Guy]] who makes his mark by saving Gi-hun during the first game without second thought. He's also still a strong guy, and not a pushover. Case in point, he mauls his boss by accident while fighting to get the wages that are owed to him, and later he defends Gi-hun during the nighttime riot using a metal bed beam, wielding it like a caber.
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*[[Drama Queen]]: Mi-nyeo makes her entrance by getting on her knees and begging the guards to let her go home after the Red Light Green Light game, claiming that she has a newborn that hasn't been named yet. Then she proceeds to vote for the games to continue. The old man notes she returned for round two, and wonders dryly if she named her nonexistent kid yet. Sae-byeok even notes that Mi-nyeo has been burning bridges because she can't pick a side, or know when to be serious.
* [[Even Evil Has Standards]]:
** The Front Man is definitely a hypocrite and a remorseless killer who will gun down his own men for breaking the rules. He is, however, sincere that the players need a fair chance. That's why he gets mad when he busts the guards for {{spoiler|feeding the doctor knowledge about the games in exchange for his help with organ donations}}. Later, he refuses to let {{spoiler|Gi-hun register for the games again when Gi-hun announces his intentions to take them down, telling him he won and should go fly to America and be with his daughter}}.
** {{spoiler|Il-nam, the old man}}, is horrified and closes his eyes when {{spoiler|the guillotine comes down to slice the tug-of-war rope for a team with women and a middle-aged man who lost to Deok=su and his gang. This didn't seem to be an act, as he spent most of the games smiling, including when he participates in the tug-of-war}}.
* [[Everyone Has Standards]]
**Gi-hun does not like killing. Unless a game demands death and the other choice is to get shot or dragged off a platform to await a long fall, Gi-hun would rather keep to himself and not have blood on his hands. {{spoiler|Il-nam pinpoints that he didn't spend the money after winning because he feels guilty about the other 454 that died for it to happen, and tries to rather bluntly point out that Gi-hun did earn it with his luck and skill}}.
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**Episode 1, "Red Light Green Light" has players 324 and 250 form a fast friendship, despite having just met in the barracks. Both are excited when they learn the title game is their first challenge, claiming it will be a cinch. They rib each other affectionately that they're going to win and bet a million won and who crosses the finish line first. Then 324 gets ahead of himself literally, and doesn't stop in time during Red Light, Green Light. Cue a gunshot, and 324 collapses. 250's first reaction, once he hears green light, is to run and check on 324. The poor guy is bleeding and coughing up blood, making the players realize this is a ''death game''. Cue the [[Mass "Oh Crap"]] where hundreds of players panic and try to run for the locked doors, banging on them. They end up getting shot in succession, until corpses line the field. Gi-hun survives only due to sheer luck, while Sang-woo has the sense to stay still and analyze the situation.
**Episode 6, "Gganbu", may as well be titled this trope. Players are ordered to pair up for the challenge while each is given a bag of ten marbles. {{spoiler|They have to play to win the other player's bag of marbles, and the loser is shot in the head}}. Sang-woo technically {{spoiler|loses to Ali, who is apologetic but wants to try and find another solution. Sang-woo betrays him and leaves him with a bag of stones}}. Gi-hun panics and tries to {{spoiler|scam the old man when Il-nam's dementia acts up, only for Il-nam to reveal he was faking it to test his Gganbu. As Gi-hun cries and prepares to forfeit his life as an apology for succumbing to weakness, Il-nam forces him to win, saying that he wasn't in it for the money, but to have fun, and it was nice while it lasted}}. Then we have Sae-byeok and Ji-yeong, who have a long conversation about their lives before they play. {{spoiler|Ji-yeong throws their game without hesitation, telling an anguished Sae-byeok that she has nothing to live for, except for debt and pain, but her new friend has a brother, and dreams. Her sacrifices means that at least she was able to do some good, and give her life meaning. The guard allows a tearful Ji-yeong to say goodbye to a sobbing Sae-byeok before shooting her}}.
*[[Hero Antagonist]]: While some players like Deok-su are definitely villainous, others like {{spoiler|the tug-of-war team going against Gi-hun's group doesn't seem to have bad people. Sure they're a little smug when they're chosen, because they're all strong men and Gi-hun's team has the old man and three women, but they're not evil. During the tug-of-war, they're pulling for their lives and didn't cheat the way that the doctor and Deok-su did. Indeed, Gi-hun feels no joy while sending them to their deaths}}
*[[Heroic Sacrifice]]: {{spoiler|Ji-yeong}} throws the marbles game and forces {{spoiler|Sae-byeok}} to win. In an [[OOC Is Serious Business]] moment, {{spoiler|Sae-byeok slams her into the wall, shouting at her to play again and take a real shot because she doesn't want her new friend to just give up her life like that. Turns out there's nothing to be done; Ji-yeong remains firm in her decision, and the guards force Sae-byeok to leave her at gunpoint, though the one that executes Ji-yeong allows her to say farewell}}.
*[[The Leader]]: Gi-hun is seen by this as default after the tug-of-war, where he encourages his alliance to not attack anyone in the barracks and instead form a barricade, with shifts to watch over the sleeping members. Even Sang-woo defers to this strategy, agreeing it makes more sense to ensure everyone gets some rest. Other players took notice of the fact that he dangled off the edge of the platform but kept his footing and his nerve; Player 062 tells Gi-hun that he was awesome, and turned down a few other offers to team up with him for the fourth game. This no longer applies after the fifth game, given the dwindling numbers.
*[[Let's Get Dangerous]]:
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**The Front Man is a monster. There is no doubt about that with how he runs the games, and especially when he engineers a riot to cull the "weak players", something that even alarms {{spoiler|Il-nam who shouts for it to stop}}. Jun-ho is naturally wary of him and is prepared to fire on him if necessary while undercover. {{spoiler|He also doesn't kill Mi-nyeo when she doesn't have a partner for the fourth game, allowing her to rest in the barracks and sit out the death match. The players are shocked, even if she's hurt on principle that no one wanted her}}. In the season one finale, when {{spoiler|Gi-hun is declared the winner by default, he gets medical treatment for Gi-hun's impaled hand and escorts him back to his hometown in a limo. While gruff, he advises Gi-hun to think of the experience as a dream. Later, when Gi-hun dials the number on the business card, the Front Man refuses to accept him for the 2021 games, ordering him to get on the plane and go see his daughter. That makes more sense with the revelation that the Front Man was also once a winner.}}
**One nameless guard respects {{spoiler|Ji-yeong's [[Heroic Sacrifice]] when she throws the marbles game and forces Sae-byeok to win, saying that her death will mean more than her life knowing she's helping Sae-byeok reunite with her little brother. He gives Ji-yeong a moment to thank Sae-byeok for playing with her and say goodbye, before executing her.}}
*[[Reality Ensues]]:
** Gi-hun tries doing a sensible thing after the group vote allows everyone to go home. He goes to the police while still traumatized and tells them about the horrific events that he and Sang-woo suffered. The cops ''do'' take a report and his information down which they later relate to Jun-ho, while dialing the number on the business card, but they don't believe him. As one puts it, 456 people were knocked out, transported to a strange place, ordered to play a lethal version of Red Light Green Light, and then released after voting to go home? Gi-hun himself admits that the story is hard to believe.
** Something that the Front Man mentions when {{spoiler|he and the Square Guards corner Jun-ho on the deserted island. Jun-ho shouts that he is police and they're under arrest, saying he already called for backup, which he did}}. The Front Man acknowledges the call might have gone through, but emergency services in real life don't come the minute you call them. Police have little incentive to be efficient.
***{{spoiler|Gi-hun walks off the plane that would take him to see Ga-yeong and maybe a new life.}} He promises the Front Man over the phone that he will not forgive them for the people they killed, or the pain he suffered.
***With the Host {{spoiler|officially dead and gone,}} the Front Man has free reign to design the 2021 games as he sees fit, with no interference. He will likely have more safety measures against intruders this time.
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