SaeByeong

"You can do it. Don't die in here, okay? And go... and go meet your mother. Go get your brother too. And go to Jeju Island. [...] Kang Sae-Byeok! ...I'm honored... that we were partners."

- Ji-Yeong's final words to Sae-Byeok in "Gganbu"

SaeByeong is the femslash ship between Kang Sae-Byeok and Wie Ji-Yeong from the Squid Game fandom.

Canon
Sae-Byeok and Ji-Yeong meet each other at a remote island while they're both participating in a mysterious survival game. At first, the both of them don't even interact, as they both seem to be "loners". However, they meet for the first time during the 3rd game/challenge. This one requires teams of ten and has a time limit of ten minutes. Sang-woo, the self-proclaimed leader of the group, proposes they each bring in one man, since he claims that men tend to be better at most games. Later, Team Gi-hun is short of one player, as Sae-Byeok is still searching for one. Finally, that's when Sae-Byeok meets Ji-Yeong for the very first time. She spots her sitting by herself at the stairs. Ignoring Sang-woo's claim, she asks Ji-Yeong to join their team.

The game is revealed to be a Tug-of-War, where the losing team will plunge to their deaths. Their team ends up winning, and when they come back from the big tower, Ji-Yeong asks for Sae-Byeok's name since up until then, they haven't even exchanged that. When Sae-Byeok asks her why she wants to know, JiYeon replies that it's because she wants to call her by her name. Since SaeByeok replies then that she shouldn't call her, JiYeon mentions the fact Sae-Byeok seems to be really secretive. Then, Sae-Byeok asks Ji-Yeong to leave her alone, to which she replies that it was Sae-Byeok who approached her first.

The fourth game requires teams of two. This causes even more misogynistic responses from most players, but also a fair amount of discord since nobody wants to team up with anyone they perceive to be weak. Since Sae-Byeok wasn't interested in any of the remaining players, she stayed put, looking around. Ji-Yeong approaches her from behind and asks her to team up with her. Although Sae-Byeok is reluctant at first, she accepts Ji-Yeong's offer since she says that she has to win no matter what. And the two of them make a team. Ji-Yeong seems to be excited about the game until the twist is revealed. The partners have to play against each other, and the first one to remove all of their opponent’s marbles in the game wins. This turns up being a major problem for the two of them, since losing means death.

Ji-Yeong then suggests they just "kill time", ending the game in one round, betting it all. She suggests they just talk until the time comes, and Sae-Byeok and her start sharing details of their backstories, opening up to each other. They talk about how they got there, their families, and their dreams. Sae-Byeok sees she dreams of visiting JeJu Island, to which Ji-Yeong replies that they should go there together. They keep talking until time is close to end, so they decide to determine the winner and loser of their game by seeing who can throw one marble closest to the wall. Sae-Byeok finally reveals her name to Ji-Yeong, as she does the same. And the two of them prepare to play.

Finally, Ji-Yeong sacrifices herself for SaeByeok by dropping the marble at her feet. When Sae-Byok desperately asks her why she is doing this, Ji-Yeong reveals that she has no reason to win as she feels she has nothing left in her life for her, whereas SaeByeok still has her family. Ji-Yeong asks SaeByeok to make sure to leave the place alive, to meet her mom and brother again, and to go to JeJu Island. As a guard takes Sae-Byeok away, Ji-Yeong calls her name as she always wanted, and thanks her for playing with her. Then, Ji-Yeong is shot dead.

Afterwards, Sae-Byeok is seen deeply affected by Ji-Yeong's death. When the surviving players return to the room where they sleep, they're handed a boiled potato to eat and feed themselves. Sae-Byeok is so affected that she is seen fumbling with the potato, not wanting to eat at all.

Fanon
SaebYeong is the most popular ship within the fandom. Not least due to the show's lack of "official" romance and the seemingly incredible chemistry between the two. Many fans online made the ship even more famous by doing edits, TikToks or other fan content, where people expressed their support for the ship and discussed possible homoerotic connotations in their relationship. One of the most iconic scenes that most fans remember of this ship is when Ji-Yeong sacrifices herself so Sae-Byeok can survive. The ship has became so famous, in fact, that it already has, of currently, 209+ works in AO3 while SangHun being the second, despite the fact the series started airing recently.

Quotes
"I've been thinking about what I should do once I get out since you asked me. But no matter how muc I think, I can't think of one. Someone who has a good reason should leave. That's the right thing."

- Ji-yeong telling Sae-byeok she has no reason for leaving in "Gganbu"

"Make sure you leave this place alive. And... meet your mom, bring your brother back. And go to Jeju Island too. Kang Sae-byeok! Thanks.. I am honored for having you as my partner."

- Ji-yeong's final words to Sae-byeok in "Gganbu"

Fandom
FAN FICTION



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