'Game of Blood X' Lee Taekyun and Lee Jinhyung: "A Successful Betrayal Is a Good Betrayal"

"Game of Blood X": Interview with Lee Jinhyung and Lee Taekyun

Survival Strategies from the Winners of Seasons 1 and 2
Behind the Scenes of Team Battles, Looting Day, and Deathmatches
"The One Who Survives Is the True Winner": Their Philosophy of Competition

On the 19th, Lee Jinhyung (left) and Lee Taekyun, participants of 'Game of Blood X,' met in Yeouido, Seoul, posing with trophies. Provided by Wavve

On the Wavve survival variety show "Game of Blood," being smart and good at games isn't enough to survive to the end. You need the ability to craft strategies, the skills to win people to your side, and sometimes you must weigh the cost of betrayal. Season 1 winner Lee Taekyun (31) and Season 2 winner Lee Jinhyung (31) cited "desperation" and "savvy political maneuvering for practical benefit" as the most crucial factors for survival. The two, who reunited on August 19 in Yeouido, Seoul while holding their championship trophies, said, "A survival game is a setting where personal interest is pursued above all," adding, "Betrayal that guarantees clear personal gain makes for brilliant strategy."

The two winners defined the winning conditions for the game differently. Lee Taekyun analyzed, "To make it to the finals, you need not only the ability to perform in games, but also political skills—an understanding of human psychology and the ability to recruit allies." In contrast, Lee Jinhyung emphasized desperation, saying, "The ultimate winner is not the most outstanding player, but the one who most desperately wants to survive."

This season's introduction of team competitions brought significant changes to their gameplay as well. Lee Jinhyung, who emphasized his independent tendencies, explained, "I originally preferred acting alone, but participating as part of a team made me experience a strong sense of camaraderie among contestants." For Lee Taekyun, the team served as a safe space where he could freely share strategies. He said, "Thanks to this group with a shared fate and no risk of information leaks, I could focus fully on strategy building." But there were also regrets. Lee Taekyun shared, "Though I wanted to team up with Lee Jinhyung from the start, I had to follow the majority within my team, so I couldn't pick my counterpart based solely on my own judgment."

The weight of the word "team" became even clearer when they talked about the sudden departure of Lee Sangmin, who was with them in P1. On the first day, when Lee Sangmin volunteered for the deathmatch, Lee Taekyun tried to dissuade him and took his place instead. He said, "It was tough to lose a teammate I had worked to protect," adding, "I would end each night chatting at the table with my teammates before going to sleep, so the absence was really felt." Although Lee Sangmin's departure wasn't the direct cause of defeat, Lee Taekyun acknowledged, "It was a psychological blow."

During the mafia game, Lee Taekyun confessed that after Kwak Beom became suspicious of him, he intentionally acted awkwardly. "Immediately after my identity was exposed, I deliberately behaved even more awkwardly in order to hide the real killer," he explained. He also expressed some regret about being suspected from the start. "I'm usually on the side of catching liars, not actually lying myself. If I'd been in the role of exposing lies, it would have been much more comfortable for me," he said.

Regarding the physical clashes during the program's main twist, "Looting Day," the boundaries were clearly defined. When asked about physical scuffles involving contestants such as Shin Seungyong, Lee Taekyun stated, "Allowing a certain level of physical force in the game doesn't mean such unlawful or unethical acts are tolerated in society," adding, "You should play aggressively to win, but if someone gets hurt, even if it wasn't your intention, it's right to stop immediately."

On the 19th, Lee Jinhyung is posing during an interview for 'Blood GameX' held in Yeouido, Seoul. Provided by Wavve

On the 19th, Lee Taekyun posed for a photo during an interview for "Game of Blood X" held in Yeouido, Seoul. Provided by Wavve

The standards for betrayal as a survival tactic also differed interestingly. Lee Jinhyung emphasized, "A successful betrayal is a good one; a failed betrayal is a bad one." He added, "Survival games are ultimately about pursuing individual benefit. If you have a justifiable reason, it's rational, and you get your desired return, it's fine. But if you achieve neither justification nor practical gain, then you're just someone who tried betrayal for its own sake."

Lee Taekyun believed that you must calculate what comes after betrayal as well. He said, "If you get a definite benefit from betrayal and that leads to your survival, that's a rational betrayal. But the person you betrayed might hold a grudge, which could influence the next game. If you've considered that risk and it still serves your survival, then it's a good betrayal."

Even for the champions, the deathmatch was a serious hurdle. Reflecting on the deathmatches in previous and early current-season episodes, Lee Taekyun said, "I watched and felt confident I could win if I had to compete." But once he actually faced it, he realized it was impossible to predict his opponent's psychological tactics perfectly. "It was a contest where the outcome could change drastically depending on who you faced," he recalled. "What I learned was that you should avoid the deathmatch at all costs."

If he could turn back time and change one move, Lee Taekyun said he would have picked a different opponent for the deathmatch. He revealed that he received the most direct messages from viewers about his decision to select Seo Cheolgu instead of Yunbi. "At the time, I thought it was only natural to face the strongest competitor to secure victory," he said. "But if I could go back, I'd pick Yunbi." Nevertheless, he emphasized, "I have no regrets about this season."

Lee Jinhyung never let his guard down against new participants, such as the rookie team and challenger team members, since newcomers could be huge variables. "I had no intel on what weapons or talents they might be hiding, so it made me even more tense," he said.

Lee Jinhyung admitted it was tough dealing with the immediate reaction from viewers after season 2. "But it gave me a chance to view myself objectively through others' evaluations," he explained. "When I think about how many others wanted this spot, I knew I couldn't slack off just to protect my image. It's better to win twice than to go home after making a cool exit."

In closing, the two said, "The value lies not in defending the champion's title but in the process of taking on a new game itself," indicating they would willingly participate in another survival program if invited.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.