This scene appears in the episode but the dialogue was pared down considerably in a way that (I felt) made it unclear how Gang-mu even got to Han Yi-seop and why he presumed Daedong-gang 1 had any connection to the professor (since, if you’ll recall, Han Yi-seop was framed by those running Operation Phoenix and had no genuine ties to North Korea).
Originally, the POI in this scene was Professor Choi Seong-mook of Humboldt University in Germany and Han Yi-seop was only one of the many acquaintances and associates being investigated in connection with him (The photo book that came with the Blu-ray contains an image of Han-na holding up an entirely different photo in this scene). Therefore, the ‘individual’ presumed to have helped Daedong-gang 1 enter Seoul under the radar was actually Choi Seong-mook, who’s based in Germany (where Soo-ho primarily operates) and has ties to the North Korean Workers’ Party.
In the episode, this scene follows right on the heels of the Rm 207z dancing to ‘After My Love Left,’ but in the script, it’s actually sandwiched between the bangting and Young Ro and Soo Ho’s meeting in Evergreen Records. In either case, as of April 1987, Gang-mu is looking into Choi Seong-mook and associates, and only really hones in on Soo-ho as a likely suspect on the other side of our 6 month time jump to November.
Though the scene was pared down, some viewers may still recognise the name ‘Choi Seong-mook’ since he’s mentioned again EP15 & EP16 in connection to an entirely different character...
n.b. The script for <Snowdrop> was written by writer Yoo Hyun-mi and is the intellectual property of JTBC Studios and DRAMAHOUSE Studios. Intellectual rights to the translation belong to yours truly .
| Scene 73 | ANSP, Gang-mu’s Office |
| Dong-jae, Seung-joon, Il-geun, and Agent 1 are seated at a meeting table. Gang-mu sets a black-and-white photo(*a man who appears to be in his mid- to late-60’s) down before them. | |
| Gang-mu | This individual’s highly likely to have aided in the bastard’s recruitment op! |
| Just then, Han-na throws open the door and enters the office. | |
| Gang-mu | (looking at her coldly) |
| Han-na | (smacking Dong-jae upside the head) You should’ve told me there was a meeting! |
| Dong-jae | (“Aya!” looking at Gang-mu with a wronged expression) |
| Gang-mu | I’m sure I said I don’t need an employee like you? |
| Han-na | (heedless) Flight passenger lists and ship manifests [of vessels] entering the country from Germany in the last month or so- |
| Dong-jae | (O.L./stiffly) We looked into all that, though? |
| Han-na | I figured you would’ve, so I looked into stowaways too, y’know? There wasn’t anyone remotely suspicious! |
| Gang-mu | (flabbergasted) |
| Han-na | I even went through all the agents-in-place we’ve flipped but nothing stood out. (she says, swiping the photograph out of Dong-jae’s hand and looking at it) Who is he? |
| Gang-mu | (knows her obstinacy. Hoo~) |
| Han-na | Is he someone connected to Daedong-gang 1? (she says, glaring at Gang-mu) |
| Gang-mu | (looking back at her in distress: ‘What am I to do about this extreme obstinacy?’) |
| Dong-jae, Seung-joon | (looking at each other like, ‘Why’s Han-na being like that?’) |
| Gang-mu | (reckoning they ought to get down to work) Professor Choi Seong-mook of Humboldt University in Germany! He’s known to be a philosopher of outstanding erudition, intellect, and even character but, after he became a naturalised German citizen in ’74, the man made frequent jaunts to North Korea and even pledged himself to the Workers’ Party! |
| Han-na | (glaring a hole in Gang-mu, with resentment) This bastard, this son of a bitch, must have helped Daedong-gang 1, then? |
| Gang-mu | (ignoring her like he can’t tell) It’s possible Choi Seong-mook aided him when he infiltrated the country, as well. (handing them each a report with a roster of names) This is a list of every relative, friend, and acquaintance familiar with this individual* in Seoul. *Choi Seong-mook |
| Seung-joon | If we each take one and surveil them closely, something out to shake out. |
| Gang-mu | As for Choi Seong-mook’s relatives, (indicating Dong-jae and Seung-joon) you guys take them– |
| Han-na | (O.L.) I’ll take his friend, Professor Han Yi-seop. |
| Gang-mu | (looking at her) |
| Han-na | Isn’t this chap the core brain of the opposition party leader, Choi Dae-young? I’ve seen him a couple of times running recon.* *lit. keeping tabs on (public opinion/opposition party) trends. |
| Gang-mu | (flabbergasted) He knows your face, but you’re gonna keep close tabs on him? |
| Han-na | He thinks I’m an out-of-work reporter. A reporter who tore into the ruling party and got fired for it. I can get the inside scoop on him.* (standing abruptly) Keep at it, boys! *lit. ‘I can enter the inner room of this house.’ n.b. Her ‘Keep at it, boys’ is in banmal, and therefore directed exclusively at Dong-jae and Seung-joon. |
| she says, picks up her bag, and exits the meeting room. ‘That obstinacy, that pluck, is the same as ever,’ Gang-mu thinks, his heart wavering. Over a shot of his face, upbeat disco music layers in ... |
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