Overview, and Gyuri’s notes
Maybe everything would have worked out eventually, is the premise of this short fan-fiction series. The Korean drama 설강화 (“Snowdrop”) ended with 16 episodes on the 30th of January 2022 and still too many unanswered questions. This four-part series attempts to tackle all of those and expand the storyline to what I believe is the original plot, a 20-episode series.
Gyuri’s hypothetical episode 17 starts from the end of episode 16, and shows how Kangmu, Hanna, Youngro, and the others are after the crisis before going back to where things get murky.
Things have been left in the air that could have been something that furthers the beautiful storyline into even greater significance with regards to art, politics, and philosophy. The drama had been well-written and artfully executed with a solid set-up, that is until its last episode that felt a premature ending to what could have been perfect. This is in no way the perfect version, only a complete one. I had originally thought of this to be a slightly long one-shot written work that starts from where episode 16 ended until to where the ending, I believe, should have been shown as. However, as I start writing, the more I realise are the things that were not included but should have been—plot elements that were of significance, one level or another, but were seemed to be abandoned without a clear point—are far too many to work at in one day or one written piece lest they be again only scratched at the surface.
I’d also want to stay a little longer in this world and writing about it has been such a relief from this past weekend so I’m giving myself 4 attempts to continue the story to a more justifiable end.
설강화 / Snowdrop
Directed by 조현탁 Jo Hyuntak
Written by 유현미 Yoo Hyunmi
By JTBC, Disney+
imdb | wiki | website | production website
(Feature photo is a screenshot of an episode trailer from JTBC’s Youtube channel)
Episode 17 (café gyü version)
Kangmu and Hanna take the longer route on the way to the cemetery. There’s not much they have with them: just a stem of white chrysanthemum.
For loyalty and honesty, Hanna explained earlier in the flower shop. There was a proud smile on her face as she looked as her husband with eyes holding back tears. Kangmu gave a faint smile back and nodded. He lived well, he did what was right. Always.
His own words linger in his mind, still wondering if he could say the same about himself, about everything.
Hanna takes one hand off the wheel to put her side window down and motioned Kangmu to do the same. “Weather’s nice today, isn’t it? Not too cold anymore.”
“Isn’t spring your favourite season?”
“Oh, you remember.”
—
Kangmu places the flower in front of the gravestone and steps back to the space beside his wife. Hanna takes Kangmu’s hand.
“Gal Sangshik. Undercover to uncover the truth,” Hanna reads. “I made sure they get every word right. You know for someone who’s willing to do anything for the job, he would get really sensitive about misquotations.”
“Say one word wrong—”
“And he would stop everything to correct you.”
A momentary stop: they smile, keeping to themselves the memories that had led to this point. Hanna wonders how they ended up at opposing sides at the start when their philosophies should have matched all the while. What would have happened if she let him get away the first time, exposing the crown prince and ruling party before things went further south?
He squeezed her hand, bringing her back to reality.
“No wonder he was… really good at his job.”
Hanna nods. “Gal Sangshik, it was fun working with you.”
—
When the two get back into the car, the last few notes of the mobile radio are already fading but they only needed to hear a second of noise before realising that someone’s calling their secret frequency.
—
Youngro has been blacked out for weeks. She does not need any specially-made coffee to not remember her time locked up in an ANSP cell, repeatedly being asked where the money is, what the code was, what else she knows. Day in and day out, they would remind her to keep quiet once she’s out, if you’ll ever get to leave, yet at times they’d ask her if she knows any other spy or protester. Haven’t your friends abandoned you already? Might as well give us their names…
She does not have to try to keep her mouth shut. She could not speak at all, nor move much besides clenching her fists and then putting them together to pray whenever no one’s in the room.
If I pray, will it be answered?
As a tear falls down her cheek, and another would follow. But you answered me when I asked to see him once more. You answered too when I prayed for my dad’s recovery. Why can’t you answer the one wish we prayed together?
A week after Eun Changsu’s imprisonment, they finally let her daughter go. Her grandmother waits for her outside the ANSP building with a tin can of her favourite rice cakes.
As she walks toward her grandmother, Youngro looks around and stops when she imagines seeing a familiar figure watching over the two of them by the corner streetlight. “Your 언니…” she said turning to the same direction she was looking at but neither of them could see anyone anymore.
“언니*…?*” Youngro called out with a scratched voice that’s barely audible.
Her grandmother sighed. “Nothing, dear. Let’s go home now.”
Jeongmin, leaning on a tall wall at the opposite street, wiped the tear that had escaped from the corner of her eyes. She took a deep, heavy breath and then stood up straight. “Seolhee, let’s go,” she said to crying one beside her, face buried in both hands.
—
Youngro’s grandmother puts a bowl of hot seaweed soup, and then opens the television before leaving the room. A popular music program is playing old acoustic songs. Youngro’s empty gaze at the wall behind the television shifts to the pendant resting on her heart as a familiar song plays—the same sweet melody that someone once played for her in the Hosu University Dorm attic. Her shaking hand wraps around the pigeon-and-red-bead charm and she closes her eyes shut. Tears start flowing out of both eyes again. “Suho…” she says, her first word after weeks.
No matter how hard it is you have to live.
She shakes her head but his words resonate. You have to live.
“Everyone, please be happy! See you next week!” says the earlier singing voice from the television.
With eyes barely opening as tears won’t stop flowing, she takes her other hand to pick up the spoon and slowly eats, pigeon necklace still firmly in her grasp.
—
As days pass by, spring takes over and Youngro starts to regain the strength she lost in winter.
“I’m so happy, my child,” her grandmother would tell her every time she would finish a plateful of a hearty meal. “Do you want seconds?”
Soon enough, she is able to leave her room and help out with making rice cakes in the kitchen and with selling in the store.
One day while watching over the rice cake business, someone orders a hundred boxes.
“Hey, are you sure this is good?” says the one who placed the other.
Another came with the person and replies, “Stop pretending this isn’t your favourite.”
Youngro hesitantly looks up from her book. She stands up as three familiar figures approach her.
“언니… Seolhee…”
“Youngro!” the third person finally says with a smile before bursting into tears. “I missed you!”
Seolhee runs toward the shocked Youngro for a hug.
“You’re all— you’re here…”
Hyeryeong has her arms crossed. She rolls her eyes, “Well, this is a rice cake shop and I need to buy rice ca—”
“Youngro, how are you?” Jeongmin joins in the hug. “I’m sorry it took us this long.”
—
“After… everything, they let all the students involve take a short leave to rest for an extended winter break. Everyone except some seniors and Shin Gyeongja went for it. We all had to anyway since they closed the dorm, people need to find some other place to stay in,” Jeongmin explains.
“What, they’re closing the dorm?”
Seolhee takes a bite of another piece of rice cake and then nods. “But not forever! They’re reopening next fall.”
Youngro sighs in relief. “Oh, that’s… good news, I guess.”
“How about you, Youngro? What’s your plan now?” Seolhee asks.
Youngro looks at all three before turning her gaze toward the door. She imagines sitting down in Rome Café and when the door opens, she’d turn to it expectedly. She sighs, looks down, and with a soft smile says, “I just got the letter the other week informing me that the university won’t renew my scholarship anymore—”
The three gasp. “Oh no—”
“N-no, it’s okay. Thankfully they aren’t making me pay for the cost of my first year since they’re aware my grandmother and I wouldn’t have any means of paying for it. Besides, I don’t think I suit being an English Literature major.” She laughs, and the others are unsure whether they should open the sad smiles on their faces. “No, really! I’ve thought about it even as I was getting kicked out of the dorm. Why did I even take it up in the first place?”
Hyeryeong nods, and while grabbing for a refill of the tea they’re sharing says, “Anyway! I really they take this time to fix everything. I’d love new furniture and a new set of telephones.”
“Hyeja, aren’t you leaving this summer?”
“You—”
Jeongmin dodges Hyeryeong’s slap.
“언니, you’re leaving?”
“I’m graduating, remember? And I finally got that scholarship abroad I’ve been waiting for to take my masters.”
“Make sure to pick just one things time, okay?” Jeongmin says, “I don’t think you can two-time scholarships.”
The four of them laugh together like they have always done in Room 207. Except things aren’t quite the same anymore: Youngro now laughs less loudly and the other three notice but all four of them know that in any case, what matters is that now they are back together again even if for just a moment.
A knock comes from behind the round table where they sit in. “Girls,” says Youngro’s grandmother. “I hope you aren’t too full yet. Try this new batch of honey rice cakes I made.”
In unison, they respond cheerily with a loud “Yes!” as Youngro’s grandmother puts the round winnower with the moon-shaped treats on the table.
“Youngro, don’t you have a friend who loves this kind?” the old lady asks.
Youngro stops for a moment before picking up one piece with a small smile. “Ah, that’s Bunok 언니.”
The four of them wonder to themselves how the young telephone operator has been since they escaped the dorm.
—
DAY OF THE ESCAPE
Kim Sangbeom walks uneasily along the dark road where the car dropped him off. Every five or six steps, he would stop, put one hand on his waist and another on chin then on his head.
“What just happened?”
He had known all along that his father, Kim Mandong, is a terrible parent. “He’s never home, pretends to have a limp, and… ”
Mom! Mom, what happened? No, mom, no!
Son… your father…
Kim! Sang! Beom! Come out of that room and wash your hands.
“Where did he run off to?”
He continues walking to where he remembers the van went to.
—
Bunok stops at the door.
She hesitates to pull the knob and moves aside to think instead: I wonder how he is…
She recalls the look on Gyeokchan’s face, the last time they see each other and they don’t even get to talk. “He was cute, but…” She shakes her head and takes a deep breath before entering the room where her dad is confined.
A tall figure in black bends over Bunok’s mother who is lying on the makeshift bed by the wall. Bunok approaches, “Excuse me, who…”
The tall figure looks back in surprise.
“Ms. Pi? What are you doing here?”
BONUS
Youngro knocks on Room 207 and enters when no response is heard. She enters, albeit still hesitatingly, looking around first to make sure no one is in the room yet. She gathers her washbowl and a throw pillow and puts them down on the bed.
The window blows strongly, making the curtains fly off to one direction. Youngro walks to the window to put a tie around the curtains. Looking down on the ledge of the window, she sees her snowdrop plant: one almost in bloom, and another, a new sprout. She smiles at the blossoming plant, “I’ve almost forgotten about you.”
She picks it up and sees that Suho’s blood had almost faded underneath it.
The door opens, surprising her. She puts the plant back down.
“S-Seolhee! Sorry, I just…” She rushes to her bed to pick up her items while Seolhee stands by the door, looking down. “I just went in to take my stuff. I’ll be going n—”
“Youngro.”
Seolhee approaches her, puts Youngro’s things down, and then holds her hand with two. She faces Youngro and with a worried smile asks, “How are you?”
More of Gyuri’s notes
Might continue after or while I rewatch the whole thing first. I need to get more details from the previous episodes, but recovering from episode 16 took a while. Like more than a week later while.
A random realisation too: that I barely have any idea who Youngro really is. As in I don’t know her intentions, her motives, any semblance of her inner world. There’s none. No one knows what she has in mind. Who is she? Woah…
[TBD] Episode 18
[TBD] Episode 19
[TBD] Episode 20, gyuri’s version of the finale
Notes On 설강화 (Snowdrop) Episode 12