One way ticket to the blues...
Snowdrop (Korean: 설강화; RR: Seolganghwa) is a Korean Drama that aired on JTBC from December 18, 2021, to January 30, 2022. It ran for 16 episodes. It is also available on Disney+ in selected regions.The story is set in 1987 when South Korea's authoritarian regime is still in power, but centered around a freshman at Hosoo Women University, Eun Yeong-ro (Kim Jisoo of Blackpink) who met Lim Soo-ho (Jung Hae-in), a University of Berlin grad student who came back to Korea to work on his master's thesis, on a blind date with their friends. After said blind date, Yeong-ro met Soo-ho again but he was covered in blood and the police are hot on his trail. Thinking that he is a student who protested the authoritarian regime, Yeong-ro (with the help of her roommates), hide Soo-ho and nurse him back to health in their dorm. Unbeknown to her, Soo-ho is actually not what she thinks he is.
On the other hand, Agency for National Security Planning (ANSP) elite agent Lee Gang-mu (Jang Seung-jo), who is dubbed as the 'Black Tiger', returns to South Korea from Germany to capture "Taedong River 1", an elite North Korean Spy who he has been chasing from Germany. He seeks to arrest Taedong River 1 to avenge his fallen comrade. He suspects that Taedong River 1 and his comrades have arrived in South Korea due to some intel that he received that the North spies are about to kidnap an opposition party's professor.
Meanwhile, the ruling party, Aemin Party, is on the mission to maintain its power. Led by their Secretary-General Nam Tae-il (Park Sung-Woong), and Director of ANSP Eun Chang-su (Heo Joon-ho), they will use any method to do so, even if they have to work with their bitter Arch-Enemy, North Korea.
Snowdrop provides examples of the following tropes:
- 0% Approval Rating: Even though Gye Bun-ok is already treated as All of the Other Reindeer by the other students, at least Yeong-ro is still her friend. That is well... until she accepted Kang Cheong-ya's offer to be her eyes and ears to the student. She was given a pistol and used it to threat other students, threaten to shoot Yeong-ro (her only friend), and almost shot Ms. Pi (her employer), had the gun not emptied earlier. Her reputation plummeted much worse after that.
- Also Yeong-ro after it was revealed to the other students that her father is Eun Chang-su, the director of ANSP who trapped them inside their dorm.
- Action Girl: Jang Han-na, since she is an ANSP agent.
- Also Kang Cheong-ya, who is actually a North spy codenamed Moran Hill 1.
- Actor Allusion: An Ironic Echo example, when Soo-ho said to Yeongro (Jisoo), that she is a good actress, but not a good singer.
- Actually Pretty Funny: When Yeong-ro was singing and dancing along while listening to "One Way Ticket" by Eruption very loudly in the Evergreen Bookstore, everybody laughs at her. Even So-hoo, who is at the bookstore as well, can't hold back a chuckle.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Gye Bun-ok, the dormitory telephone operator. She is seen lowly by the other students due to being not a university student like them. In turn, she often acted cold towards them. Except for Yeong-ro, who genuinely sees her as a friend.
- Because You Were Nice to Me:
- Lee Eung-cheol, one of Soo-ho's comrade, has a Undying Loyalty to him due to the latter saving his life when they were in training camp. As one of the instructors ordered the trainees to kill each other, Soo-ho protested this. Although, Soo-ho faces his own consequences later, all of the trainees' life at that time were spared, including Eung-cheol who was scared to kill his own comrades.
- Kang Cheong-ya a.k.a Moran Hill 1 is also this to, again, Soo-ho. As the latter saved the former's life when she was about fall from a snowy cliff and was shivering due to the cold. This reason alone is enough for an elite agent like her to betray her country.
- Bittersweet Ending: Soo-ho and his comrades died as their country desired. However, Kang Cheong-ya is still free and carrying the money that was meant to be given to the North by the South. Aemin Party's candidate still wins the election, despite the hostage crisis surrounding their figures. Said figures (Nam Tae-il, Eun Chang-su, & Ahn Gyeong-hui), however, are arrested due to the hostage crisis. Since all of the hostages are freed, they can give the true story regarding the hostage crisis. Lee Gang-mu and Jang Han-na are seen in a car together, possibly finally living together. Finally, Yeong-ro was spared by the ANSP, just like Soo-ho wished. Albeit, Yeong-ro is still deeply saddened by the death of her love.
- Corrupt Bureaucrat: The Agency for National Security Planning (ANSP). They framed innocent people who unknowingly have a connection to the North as a North agent. Then, they subject those people to cruel torture until either they admitted to the false accusation, too crippled to answer any question, or was Driven to Suicide. Ms. Pi, the dorm's housemother, learned this the hard way when she was young. While the real North agents are roaming freely right under their noses. This is what instigated Lee Gang-mu's Heel–Face Turn.
- Chekhov's Gunman: The old man who manages the facilities in the dorm, Kim Man-dong has the ability to picklock any door in the dorm and knows every secret entrance to the dorm. Turns out he is a North Korean spy tasked to kill any agents that failed or betrayed the country.
- Hope Spot: In Episode 9, the injured Eung-cheol is knocked out cold, Gyeok-chan is locked in the basement, Cheong-ya is locked on the rooftop, and Soo-ho is successfully incapacitated by Gang-mu. Every hostage quickly rushed out to the entrance and was about to get out when Gang-mu defused the bomb on the entrance... until Cheong-ya shows up with the detonator and reveal herself as a North's spy to everyone.
- Hospital Hottie: Dr. Kang Cheong-ya, a doctor at Hankuk University Hospital and Nam Tae-il's personal doctor.
- Hostage Situation: This happens for the majority of the series by Soo-ho and his comrades to the residents of Hosoo Women University's dorm. Initially, a spontaneous plan, however ANSP (and by proxy the President of South Korea) decided to use this as Propaganda Machine to help them win the hearts of the people and the election (which will be held 10 days from then).
- Hostage Video: ANSP requested the North spies to record the hostages in suffering to show how cruel the spies are. However, since the students and other residents have been told the truth about the Propaganda Machine by Soo-ho & Gang-mu, they instead show themselves eating fried chicken in joy. Which made Nam Tae-il furious.
- I Have Many Names: A usual norm for the North spies.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Invoked by Soo-ho. He wishes that he is just a normal Korean man and not a spy so he can have a date with Yeong-ro and live happily with her.
- Also by Cheong-ya who wishes to be a housewife and mother who lives happily with her family.
- Red Baron: Lee Gang-mu is known as "Black Tiger".
- Secret Room: Ms. Pi has one in her room which she uses to tap on the students.
- The Stinger: Every episode has one, either giving a flashback or an unseen scene.
- In Episode 1, Soo-ho is singing with his friends on the rooftop. While his comrade, Gyeok-chan, is installing something in the telephone cable.
- In Episode 2, In their hideout, the North spies Geum-cheol, Gyeok-chan, and Soo-ho are having a chat. Geum-cheol asked them what they want to do when they come back to North Korea, as he wants to drive to downtown Pyongyang with his mother. Gyeok-chan didn't answer, but Soo-ho did, as he said he wants quickly go home to hold his sister Su-hui's child. Geum-cheol asked again about their mission "It'll go alright, right?" Soo-ho didn't answer but showed an uneasy expression.
- In Episode 3, Cho Seong-sim and Dr. Kang Cheong-ya are in Charlotte's boutique. Mrs. Cho is giving a new suit and skirt as a gift to Dr. Kang. However, Dr. Kang politely rejects the gesture, saying that such fashion does not suit her. When Dr. Kang went back to the dressing room, Mrs. Cho compliments her as someone who is simple and frank. Charlotte asks if she is Nam Tae-il's doctor, which Mrs. Cho confirms. Charlotte then warns Mrs. Cho to not let such a young & pretty girl near her husband, fearing an affair might happen. Mrs. Cho explains that Dr. Kang is the one who saved Mr. Nam's life when he had high blood pressure after coming home from the US. She also consulted to the fortune-teller about Dr. Kang who told her to keep Dr. Kang by her side like a talisman. Dr. Kang, who overheard this, smiles mysteriously.
- In Episode 4, Yeong-ro is looking at the pictures of the Dorm's Open House one last time. Until her eyes stopped at the picture of her and Soo-ho. She was about to take the picture until she was interrupted by Jeong-min who told her that everyone is ready to take a picture with her one last time before she left the dorm.
- In Episode 5, Ms. Pi quietly walks through the corridor where she gets walked past by Gyeok-chan and forcefully-taken Yeong-ro. She then went to her room, opening a secret cabinet, and taking a small key with her. She then went to what appears to be a door to a Secret Room. Then, the episode ends.
- In Episode 6, ANSP agents were carrying a diorama of Hosoo Women University and Mt. Ogong. While Tae-il and Chang-su are still arguing about their different approach of taking care of the hostage crisis. Tae-il wants a quick resolution before the spies blew themselves up, while Chang-su prefers a careful approach so all of the hostages can be saved. Tae-il then says an indecisive and soft boy like Chang-su can never serve the country. While Chang-su replies that Tae-il who always blame others and killed his superior on the pretext of serving the country is no better than him. They ended up badmouthing each other for the rest of the episode.
- In Episode 7, Soo-ho reveals to Eung-cheol that the doctor who treated him is another comrade, Kang Cheong-ya a.k.a Moran Hill 1. Eung-cheol was happy and in disbelief.
- In Episode 8, Yeong-ro and her friends were having a secret supper after the Open House party. Some of her friends complimented how good Soo-ho looks and asked to set them up with Soo-ho's friend. Yeong-ro replied that she will talk to him when he calls her. Hye-ryeong almost slipped up that Soo-ho is being chased, until she diverts everyone's attention to the new necklace that Yeongro wears. She confirmed that it was from Soo-ho. Then they enjoyed the rest of the meal.
- In Episode 9, Gyeok-chan is clearing the explosive traps on the stairs from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor of the dorm for Bun-ok, which left her impressed.
- In Episode 10, reporter Gal Gang-shik poses as a bellboy of a hotel. He entered a room that seemed to have a Wild Teen Party. In the room, there is a man, who seems to be high on drugs, playing piano accompanied by two girls (one of which is a famous singer). It is revealed then that the man is the son of the President of South Korea. The man was enraged when Gang-shik took some pictures of him and called guards. Jang Han-na then came and demanded Gang-shik to give her his camera, which he refuses. Then a chase happened between the two. When Gang-shik was about to get out, turns out the body of the beaten guards block his way. Han-na, who manages to catch up, delivers a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown to Gang-shik and tells him to stay out of the affairs of the President's family. She then breaks Gang-shik's camera but took away the film.
- In Episode 11, someone with pink gloves is opening the dorm's fridge that is full of raw chicken meat. They scrape through the chickens until they take one that looks like a walkie-talkie had been shoved in.
- In Episode 12, a newly promoted Ahn Gyeong-hui is quietly checking a safe box containing many valuables, such as cash (in Korean Won & US Dollar) & gold bars. He then takes a case from the safe, opens it, and takes a bank passbook inside it. He checks the balance, which has 100 million KRW. He then laughs.
- In Episode 13, Cheong-ya is in a hotel room with Linda Young. Turns out Linda Young is a persona created by Cheong-ya. Her real name is Gong Gil-sun, a scammer nicknamed "Threatening Gong" who used to scam US soldiers in Osaka.
- Stockholm Syndrome: Bun-ok is this to Joo Gyeok-chan, one of the North's spies who taken her and the dormitory residents as hostages, due to his fierceness. In return, Gyeok-chan also felt the same way to Bun-ok.
- Unwitting Pawn: The North Korean Spies are this. They are expendable pawns that will be killed once they are deemed useless. And they would still think they are doing service to their country
- Lee Gang-mu is also this by the ANSP before his Heel–Face Turn.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Lim Soo-ho and his comrades are this. After betraying the North, they are ordered to be killed. At the end of the series, all of them are killed.
- Averted by Cheong-ya. Despite her betrayal to the North by stealing their money and having her cover blown to the South, she was ordered to be taken back to the North (possibly due to her status as "National Hero"), unlike her comrades who were ordered to be killed.
