“Unlocking Secrets: ‘Squid Game’ Director Reveals Hidden Gems for Your Season 1 Rewatch!”

With Squid Game season 2 approaching, director Hwang Dong-hyuk is highlighting the subtle elements fans should pay attention to during their rewatch of season 1.

In an exclusive discussion with PEOPLE, Hwang shares that fans will encounter recognizable characters and settings as he hints at what audiences can await in the forthcoming chapter of the Emmy-winning series.

“There are characters from season one who will reappear in season two, thus it should be quite enjoyable to spot them,” he notes. “You’re bound to be taken aback seeing them once more in the second season, particularly [Park] Jung-bae [Lee Seo-hwan] who plays a significant role in this regard.”

In the inaugural season, viewers were introduced to Park, the long-time companion of protagonist Seong Gi-hun [Lee Jung-jae], who declines to lend him additional funds for his gambling debts. Hwang adds that other recurring roles will feature the loan shark [Kim Pub-lae] whom Gi-hun borrows from and the North Korean defectee broker who Sae-byeok [Jung Ho-yeon] consults in her quest for her mother.

“So that’s going to be an exciting aspect to watch for,” Hwang hints.

As passionate viewers get ready to binge-watch the eagerly awaited second season, the director also emphasizes the “most significant differences” between the first and second installments.

“In the first season, the narrative followed a relatively straightforward path, centering on Gi-hun as he participates in Squid Game and examines his survival, his experiences, and challenges.”

“In contrast, season 2 presents a Gi-hun who is highly motivated and still believes in hope for humanity and the optimism that remains in the world, as well as the conflict between this Gi-hun and the Front Man, who will stop at nothing to shatter Gi-hun’s faith and trust.”

Squid Game‘s debut season chronicled Gi-hun’s quest to triumph in a high-stakes competition rife with lethal adaptations of children’s games. Among the 456 competitors who commenced in the contest, Seong was the final one remaining.

After devising plans to leave behind the traumatic memories from the games and reunite with his daughter in America, Seong alters his intentions upon spotting a game representative at a railway station. Instead, he opts to pursue the Front Man and the masterminds behind the games to eradicate them once and for all.

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Squid Game season 2 premieres on Netflix on Dec. 26.