Squid Game spoilers follow.

Squid Game star Jung Ho-yeon has discussed the scene that made her cry while reading the script, and if you've seen the series, you can probably guess which one it was.

In the show's sixth episode, the remaining contestants are forced to play with marbles to eliminate their partner. Jung's character Sae-byeok is paired with Ji-yeong (Number 240), played by Lee Yoo-mi.

While the other pairs start to play against each other, Sae-byeok and Ji-yeong instead use most of the time to talk about their lives, including their pasts and their plans for the future.

squid game kang sae byeok played by hoyeon jung and ji yeong played by lee yoo mi
Youngkyu Park//Netflix

Related: Squid Game includes heartbreaking detail that non-Korean speakers probably missed

In the end (and in heartbreaking fashion), Ji-yeong lets Sae-byeok win, believing her partner has more to live for. She tells Sae-byeok to reunite with her mother and get her brother – as well as go to Jeju Island.

Jung told TIME that she got emotional when she got to the part where the pair opened up to each other, explaining: "The scene that made me cry was when Ji-yeong and Sae-byeok were talking to each other.

"I felt that the lines themselves were very well written by the director, and I saw this interview where he said that he envisioned this scene to be one with two people who are the most innocent out of all the contestants."

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Jung continued: "When I read the script, I was sobbing. It was one of the big excitements for me to meet Ji-yeong in person – because at that time, I had to imagine Ji-yeong from the script, but when I met [Lee] at the table reading, I just felt that she's the one."

The interview by director Hwang Dong-hyuk that Jung was referring to may have been the one posted by Netflix Korea.

"[Sae-byeok and Ji-yeong are] the most innocent people, in a way," he said at the time. "People who are on the verge of life fight and kill each other to climb up but if there were some that weren't like that, I wanted them to be these two.

squid game, jung ho yeon as kang sae byeok
Netflix

Related: Netflix's Squid Game star has a connection to Blackpink

"They're complete strangers but there's some kind of friendship between them – a bond formed in a short period of time, empathy and understanding of each other.

"I thought they would be the perfect example to portray such feelings."

There's no word on whether there will be a second season of the show, but Jung – who downplayed a possible return given what ends up happening to her character – suggested that fans should wait and see.

Squid Game is available to watch on Netflix.


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