The latest strange-a-thon binge series just got a heavy dose of IRL.
With echoes of “867-5309 Jenny” (look it up, kids), a phone number recently used in the popular Korean series, “Squid Game,” turned out to be actually connected to a real human.
Without going into the spooky details of the series, characters are given a mysterious card with a phone number on one side.
As Kotaku reports, the creators of "Squid Game" thought the number in the show was safe because "the first three digits of the number were removed. However, since the last eight digits were provided, it was possible to phone the number as a local call, and the number would connect automatically without the first three digits."
And you guessed it -- the owner of that phone number has been getting thousands of calls every day since the show started airing on September 17.
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“After 'Squid Game' aired, I have been receiving calls and texts endlessly, 24/7, to the point that it’s hard for me to go on with daily life,” said the phone number’s owner who wisely didn’t give her name.
“This is a number that I’ve been using for more than ten years, so I’m quite taken aback," explained the woman. "There are more than 4,000 numbers that I’ve had to delete from my phone, and it’s to the point where, due to people reaching out without a sense of day and night due to their curiosity, my phone’s battery is drained and turns off. At first I didn’t know why, but my friend told me that my number came out in 'Squid Game,' and that’s when I realized.”
The phone number owner has told local South Korean media that she cannot change her number because she uses it for work to contact clients.
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According to Reuters, the owner has turned down an offer of one million won ($842) in compensation. She has since been apparently offered five million won ($4,178).
Netflix Korea did not comment on the status of compensation for the phone number. They did however promise they will immediately edit the number, and are asking viewers not to call the current number.
“Together with the production company, we are working to resolve this matter, including editing scenes showing the phone number where necessary,” stated Netflix Korea.
Hey, I wonder whatever happened to Jenny…?
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