Netflix's Squid Game featured a real-life phone number belonging to a Korean man, who is now reportedly receiving thousands of calls per day.
The South China Morning Post claims the man on the end of the line is being bombarded with endless calls, both day and night, after his phone number was allegedly exposed in the first episode of the hit Netflix series. The owner of the number, who's in his 40s and lives in Gyeonggi Province, told MBC news that he's currently getting around 4,000 calls a day.
The man's phone number apparently made an appearance in Squid Game's debut episode, where it was found printed on multiple business cards. A mysterious man handed out the cards, which contained the eight-digit number, to multiple characters, offering them the chance to compete in a deadly survival game and potentially win a big cash prize.
It seems some viewers called the number out of curiosity, with many of them registering their interest to "be in the game." According to local newspaper Hankook Ilbo, Netflix is "in negotiations with the phone number owner to resolve the issue," though another outside party has stepped forward and offered to take the situation into their own hands.
South Korea's National Revolutionary Party's honorary chief, Huh Kyung-young, has reportedly offered to buy the phone number for 100 million won ($85,000 USD). "I heard that the owner of the phone number showed on a business card in Squid Game is suffering serious damage from prank calls," he said on Facebook. "I would like to buy the number for 100 million won."
The owner of the number is said to be reluctant to give it up as he has been using it for 10 years and it is linked with his business. However, he may have a change of heart as Squid Game's popularity continues to grow. In fact, at the time of writing, the dystopian thriller is on track to become Netflix's biggest show ever — if the early viewership figures hold.
IGN awarded Squid Game a 9 out of 10, calling it "one of the most exciting series to hit Netflix in some time." We praised the way it unravels the story to deliver "a white-knuckle thriller, drama, and episodic psychological breakdown with a sickly pastel veneer," which is "equal parts gut-wrenching and squirm-inducing" for both the players and the audience.
Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.