A Snowdrop Blooms Twice

Chapter 8: When A Flower Blooms Tall To The Yearning Sun

Author's Note: Hey y'all welcome to the longest chapter I have ever written for this fanfic. I wanted to make up for being absent and you guys have an extra long chapter to enjoy. I definitely found this chapter to be really emotional and I will say the end is coming soon! They're going to meet again soon... in about 2-3 chapters. This chapter focuses on Soo Ho's perspective and story line a bit more but I decided to write something a little more fun for this chapter. You'll see once you read it. Alright guys! Enjoy! This chapter is around 15,500 words or so, so I will mostly likely cut things down back to the original average length lol. I enjoyed all of your comments from the last chapter and yeah I will say that I kinda projected on Yeong Ro in the last chapter and that's why she was a bit out of character, but she's back to her normal grieving emotional self in this one.

In the face of adversity, a flower must bloom tall in order for everyone to see the beauty, the grace, and the perseverance of the flower. There are many who may try to shame the flower for its color, its petals, or even what it represents, but that's all up to interpretation. A snowdrop, along with every other flower knows its own bloom, the petals it forms, and the color it chooses to be. Sometimes, a flower must bloom tall in order to prove that its story is real and its growth is real. Encouraged by her love for Soo Ho, Yeong Ro does exactly that.

Back at the university, things were starting to get a little more exciting and hectic since things were starting to come back to normal. Yeong Ro came back with Kang Moo and Hanna, but she didn't mention where she went exactly to her friends. Hye Ryeong was gathering her things in her room in order to wash up when she noticed a pile of papers on the table. Stepping closer, Hye Ryeong examined the papers and found that they were lyrics accompanied by music sheets for the melody.

"Huh, did Yeong Ro write this?" Hye Ryeong recognized her writing and read the lyrics. In retrospect, she probably shouldn't have read this because this is something personal of Yeong Ro's, but to be fair, she did leave this out in the open, "she wrote a song? Friend..." Hye Ryeong read the music sheets and the name of the song. Then, she sang the melody out loud in an operatic tone. Hye Ryeong glanced over the lyrics and then she realized who this song was for. Her eyes softened and Hye Ryeong put the papers back on the table and smiled knowingly.

"The melody is actually pretty nice," Hye Ryeong hummed the melody to herself before leaving the room to join the others.

Kang Moo, Hanna, and Ms. Pi were called for a meeting at the JBC news station to discuss the public opinion of the Hosu Women's University and the whole hostage situation. To be frank, people were still very confused by what the heck was going on during the hostage situation that warranted the use of a tank in order to take out "seven" spies. The trio had already cleared up the fact that it was three and not seven since the other 4 were already captured or killed. However, it did require a little bit more pushback in order to convince the network executives that the previous government ended up holding everyone in the dorm hostage, including the spies. Everyone was convinced that the ANSP did try to save the students in the dorm and they managed to get out the remaining students. It was an underhanded use of propaganda because it was Hanna who had saved them, and she was still technically an ANSP agent, a rogue one, but an ANSP agent nonetheless. Even though Hanna cleared that up and they all tried to convince the network executives that they were acting of their own volition for the people inside the dorm regardless of affiliation, they wouldn't have it.

"Then what in the world do you want us to say?! We already explained to you what happened, why in the world do you want to frame it as if the ANSP are the heroes when the new Democratic power already won?" Hanna looked tiredly at all the network executives with a tinge of annoyance. Kang Moo sighed into his clenched hands and lifted his head up to talk to them.

"If you won't believe our words about what happened, then what do you suppose we do in order to clear up the public opinion?" Kang Moo asked and everyone thought about ti for a moment before Ms. Pi had an idea.

"Why don't we have the students tell the story then?" Ms. Pi said to them as a matter of factly and everyone looked at her with this expression of revelation, "we can have a special documentary about the university hostage situation and interview the students on their perspectives."

"A documentary? That's a great idea!" One network executive exclaimed as they started to write notes about what the documentary could encompass. Kang Moo and Hanna looked at Ms. Pi with an appreciative smile and she nodded back to them with a small smile of her own.

"But it can't be a dry documentary, it needs to have something special! A central theme of sorts," One of the other network executives exclaimed and everyone thought about what could be the core of the documentary. Kang Moo thought about it and asked himself, what was the most prevalent thing about the hostage situation other than the political upheaval? What was the core of the hostage situation? What reasons drove the hostage situation to happen? Suddenly a smile came onto Kang Moo's face as he thought about the two people that made the core of the hostage situation: the love story of Lim Soo Ho and Eun Yeong Ro.

"I think I have an idea," Kang Moo looked to his fellow former agents with a smile and they all looked at him with confused looks.

Meanwhile, Cheongya and Soo Ho were leading the operation to save their fallen comrades' families in Japan. Luckily, Cheongya is half Japanese so with her as a guide, it really shouldn't be a problem. The group had made it to Japan and they were meeting up with Cheongya's contact who knew how to change identities. Walking through the streets of Kyoto, Soo Ho looked around and he couldn't shake off an unsettling feeling. Sui Hui noticed this and walked closer to her brother to whisper discreetly.

"Oppa... what's wrong?" Sui Hui asked as she kept an eye on the parents, they passed many different unique and oriental buildings. They all sold different things and people were calling out what they were selling. Soo Ho looked around and his gaze went over several different people and he looked ahead at the path that they were taking to the hideout Cheongya had.

"I feel like we're being watched, I've had an uneasy feeling ever since we left Pyongyang," Soo Ho voiced his concern to Sui Hui, who nodded and agreed with him.

"I do feel like we came out of that a little too easily, perhaps there are people waiting to see where we would go," Sui Hui looked around and looked cautiously at all the people that were bustling and hustling through the streets. Soo Ho nodded and pulled ahead so he could take to Cheongya.

"Comrade Kang, I think we're being watched, we need to get to your contact as quickly as possible," Soo Ho murmured into her ear and her eyes widened slightly at the implication and she nodded. Turning her head slightly to the other members of the group to relay to them Soo Ho's observation.

"Everyone, we need to move faster, there's a chance we're being watched. There's a quick path through downtown to our rendezvous point, if we go up this hill here," Cheongya handed the map to all of them and there was a scenic path way that went alongside a lake up to a Shinto temple. Through there, they can cut back through the sakura gardens back to the upper district of Kyoto. Cheongya pointed out the route and they all nodded before they proceeded to weave through the crowds to cut into an alleyway to get out to the lakeside. The clamor died away and they weaved through the alleyways to get out to the lakeside.

"Wow! It's so pretty!" Sui Hui exclaimed as they made their way to the lakeside path and the path was line with cherry blossom trees and red Shinto gates leading up the temple. The other women gathered around the lakeside and Soo Ho and Cheongya stopped a moment to admire the tranquil and serene beauty of the lake and gentle sakura petals falling to the water, "You know, if we weren't on an extremely dangerous mission right now, I would really appreciate this better," Sui Hui sighed and the two moms agreed before Gyeok Chan's father urged them to keep moving and the group fast walked up the path to the temple. The group made their way up the hillside on the path, passing by a couple of passerby and they reached the temple at the top of the hill overlooking the lake. They entered the courtyard for the temple and Cheongya looked at her map again and gestured them to head to the series of temples on the left. Cheongya spotted the temple that they needed to go to and they walked up the steps that were lined with Shinto gates to the entrance of the temple. There were no doors so they could see the worship space inside.

"I always heard that Shintoism was a religion that consisted of so many different gods, but these statues so intricate and interesting," Sui Hui pointed out to Cheongya as they all stepped inside to find different statues of animals lined along the walls, each with plates of offerings on their table. At the back of the room at the center was a grand statue of a woman dressed in golden clothing with an encompassing sun ornament behind her head as if she was shining. By her side was a silver statue of a wolf, "Ah! I feel like such a tourist! Right? Oppa?" Sui Hui asked her older brother, who stopped tensing for a moment to appreciate the temple with her.

"Yeah it's all really exotic," Soo Ho cracked a smile at his sister's curiosity and a shrine maiden who was praying to the statues finally noticed them and lifted herself out of her praying position to talk to them. Cheongya nodded at them to wait and spoke with the shrine maiden for a few moments. Soo Ho and Sui Hui taking note of the way Cheongya was speaking to her in Japanese and the shrine maiden looked past her for a moment to look at them. Then, the shrine maiden walked past them to take a look outside to see if there were any visitors. Afterwards, the shrine maiden walked back and reached behind the altar that housed the statue of the sun goddess to take out an ornate shield, "A shield?" Soo Ho wondered and the shrine maiden placed the shield into a slot on the wolf statue's back and turned it clockwise, fitting it into place. Then a sound could be heard behind the altar and the shrine maiden guided all of them to the back to reveal that a secret passageway had opened. Everyone looked at it in amazement as Cheongya thanked the maiden and gestured all of them to go into it. It was a passageway that led into the mountain and it eventually led to what would be the back of a travel company store in the middle of downtown. A Korean Japanese man was waiting for them and he beckoned them inside to the back room of the agency.

"So each of you want to have new identities in order to escape to South Korea, is that right?" The man asked and all of them looked at each other and nodded. The man looked at them before looking around a few files in the room and brought out application forms for everyone, "you will all need new names and a form of contact in the place you're escaping to so that we can set up a place for you to stay before you all can find a permanent residence." All of them nodded and understood as they all were given pens and they got to work to filling out their applications. Sui Hui looked over at her brother's application, curious to see what he was putting down.

"You're going back to your original name? Ri Tae-san?" Sui Hui asked and Soo Ho nodded as he continued to write down the reason for his identity change.

"Mmm... I figured I might as well use my birth name, but I'll still keep the name Soo Ho like a nickname since I've had it for as long as I remember," Soo Ho explained and Sui Hui hummed in acknowledgment, going back to fill out her own papers. Sui Hui showed her papers to her brother and Soo Ho looked over to see that she changed her name back to Ri Tae-hee, "you're using your birth name as well?"

"You and I had the same idea because great minds think alike," Sui Hui smirked at her brother and Soo Ho nodded before he looked over at Cheongya, who was pacing around the room while periodically filling out her papers.

"Comrade Kang, where are you going to escape to since I remember you said that you wouldn't come to South Korea until things have settled down," Soo Ho recalled and Cheongya walked over to them and sat on top of the cabinet next to him before handing him her file and crossing her legs. Soo Ho looked curiously at her file and found that she changed her name back to Kim Eun-hye and that she was moving to either Austria or the U.S. "Austria or the States?"

"It really depends, I'm leaning more towards Austria since the U.S. is pretty strict on security and I can't go to Switzerland either since they're looking for me for that whole stealing 300 million won incident," Cheongya murmured tiredly and Soo Ho bit his lip and cocked his head slightly because she did have a point.

After a while of filling out the information for their emigration, Soo Ho and the others started hearing a commotion from the front and there was screaming. Soo Ho, Sui Hui, Cheongya, and their contact came out to the front with guns at the ready to come face to face with someone they didn't think they would be seeing. Soo Ho came out to encounter a squadron of soldiers whose uniforms he recognized and Sui Hui gasped as she recognized them as North Korean soldiers. There were a few bodies strewn about the ground and there were people running outside. In the center was someone who he was hoping not to see but at the same time, Soo Ho knew he had to confront sooner or later. The stern and uncompromising woman stood at the center and she narrowed her eyes at Soo Ho.

"You.... Choi Suryeon..." Soo Ho grit his teeth and Cheongya let out a small gasp as she looked between the two of them. She never believed the fact that there was nothing between these two, there had to be a reason why he had reacted that way to hearing that name. Right here right now... she was about to find out why.

"Lim Soo Ho... or should I say... Ri Tae-san?" Suryeon's lips curved slightly upwards in a malicious smile and Soo Ho felt a mix of fear as well as anger because of a variety of things. The fact that it was his mother who came all the way here to kill him as well as the fact that it was his mother of all people who led this operation. Cheongya looked at Soo Ho, who had a deadly serious expression on his face and it hadn't connected how the Vice President knew his real name, "So this... is where my son was hiding..." Cheongya let that sink in for a moment before looking incredulously at Soo Ho.

"Soo Ho... is Choi Suryeon's son? Then that would mean..." Cheongya looked at Sui Hui who still had her gun raised and the expression on her face was one of an emotional fury as she looked at her mother. Cheongya looked between the three family members and she felt her heart sink, "Oh no..."

Yeong Ro sat atop the mountaintop where both her mother and brother were laid to rest and she just needed to get away for some time to think. Ms. Pi and Kang Moo had announced to the university that they were going to do a special documentary on the recent hostage situation and everyone had rather mixed feelings about it, especially Yeong Ro. They want to use this documentary in order to clear up some misconceptions about the hostage situation and yet there was something about it that made Yeong Ro so opposed to it. Perhaps it was because the love story between her and Soo Ho would be at the center of it all and that was why she was scared. Just looking out over the mountain range made her feel at peace, the mist that swirled over the mountains was so crisp and soothing that Yeong Ro felt like she really could sit here forever, breathing it all in. Suddenly, she heard a pair of footsteps and she looked right to find someone surprising: her older brother Yeong U.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Yeong U asked as he sat down on the other side of their mother's grave and smiled at her. Yeong Ro blinked for a moment before quickly looking left to remember that her brother's grave was literally next to her. Yeong U wasn't wearing his military outfit, but he was wearing a white polo shirt and a gray cardigan along with beige slacks.

"You came... I didn't think it would feel this nice just to imagine you sitting next to me," Yeong Ro smiled gratefully at her brother, who reached over to bump her shoulder with a smile. She could see the gesture, but she couldn't feel it.

"Of course I would make time for you, you're the one that went to visit Mom without me," Yeong U pouted at her causing her to giggle slightly before she noticed his bright expression turned softer and slightly more serious, "if it's that nice to imagine me, then I'll stay as long as you want. However, I can tell that there's something else going on with you."

Yeong Ro looked at him with a small but knowing smile because her brother could see right through her, "Yeah actually... I needed some advice because my university is planning on doing a documentary about the hostage situation that I was recently in..." Yeong Ro looked to her right again to find a baffled expression on her brother's face. Safe to say, Yeong Ro didn't exactly have the best reaction to that idea, especially when Kang Moo told her that the central theme would be her and Soo Ho. The expression on her brother's face was the exact same one she had. However, she had told them that she needed space to think about things and that's when she found herself here at her family's gravesite. Everyone else didn't need much convincing to join this project but there was just a different level of exposure that no one considered.

"You were in a hostage situation?! When I went to visit you last time, everything was fine! How did that even happen?" Yeong U exclaimed and Yeong Ro winced at his words before looking guiltily at her brother and he immediately knew what that expression meant, "What did you do this time?"

"It's a long story ok? Could you just pretend to know all of that so I can get to what the problem is?" Yeong Ro begged her brother, who thought about it thoughtfully and smirked nonchalantly at her.

"I mean I can... you're remembering me as someone who didn't know all of this because I didn't. However, if you want me to, yeah I can if it will make things easier," Yeong U reassured her and Yeong Ro sighed before thanking him.

"Thank you, that would make things easier," Yeong Ro nodded at him and he nodded back at her in confirmation.

"Ok give me a sec, woahhh...." Yeong U immediately processed her request and looked at her with an expression she couldn't quite read. It was a mixed of intrigue, sympathy, and brotherly love all at the same time. Yeong Ro felt like that for the first time, someone that she actually wanted comfort from understood her and saw her suffering for what it was, "Yeong Ro-ya... you... really went through a lot didn't you?"

Yeong Ro smiled tearfully at him and nodded, "Yes... yes I did..."

Yeong U looked like he was about to cry and he took a deep breath to ask again, "So this documentary... they're asking you to tell your love story with Soo Ho-ssi... actually can I just call him Hyung?" Yeong U asked hopefully as Yeong Ro looked at him in surprise with his request and laughed.

"Yes, yes you can," Yeong Ro laughed and Yeong U laughed with her before continuing.

"They're asking you to tell your love story with Hyung for all of South Korea to see? And yet you don't want to?" Yeong U clarified with his sister and she nodded, "Why?"

"I just... I just don't think I'm ready to share such a traumatic love story with strangers, with even people who know me as well. I just feel like it's going to make matters worse for me since there are still people who still hate and scorn me for what happened," Yeong Ro explained and Yeong U looked at that as if that was the stupidest thing he had ever heard.

"How can people hate you? You're literally the most caring, bravest, and brightest girl this town has ever had. And you're my sister! It's just my luck that you're also the most annoying in those aspects," Yeong U smirked at her and Yeong Ro looked at him in indignation but she could tell that he meant the compliments that he said.

"Yah! I know that you missed my nagging a lot because I always tell you to take better care of yourself and now you're..." Yeong Ro stopped herself before she could finish that sentence and she felt the familiar emotion of grief fill her as her brother looked at her sadly. She looked at him with that same mirrored expression as she continued, "I mean... Oppa, you know how people can change... in times like these, it doesn't matter if you're caring, nice or bright, you will find out who's truly on your side. And it turns out... I had less people than I thought..." Yeong Ro sighed wistfully with a tinge of bitterness and turned back to look out over the mountains and her brother did the same.

"Ok then... then let me ask, if you were to tell your story, ignore the reactions of the public, but what do you think will happen to you if you just let it all out in the open?" Yeong U asked and Yeong Ro seriously considered his question and thought about it to herself. To her, their story just felt like something she didn't think anyone would understand. The only ones who truly understood were her and Soo Ho and now he's gone. It felt so personal to her and unique to her that if she were to tell the story out in the open, Soo Ho would just end up becoming an anecdote. A story with a moral to remember, simply a memory. Yeong Ro didn't want that, because then, it wouldn't feel like their story would belong to them anymore.

"I suppose... for me, I'm worried that if I tell our story in this manner, I feel like I'm going to be letting a part of me go... a part of us go you know? It feels as if I'm giving up a part of myself for the world to see and I'll never be able to get that back. It's as if I'm going to be selling myself and Soo Ho-ssi out for the judgement of others and I feel like I'm going to be betraying him in that way..." Yeong Ro started out slowly as she thought about how she could form her explanation together and she let the tears that were building in her eyes flow.

Yeong U processed that for a moment before preparing his own response, "Yeong Ro-ya..." Yeong Ro scrunched her eyes shut at the way her brother said her name. How she had missed it so, "I don't think think telling the story will betray the memory... in fact I think it will be the only thing that will keep Hyung's spirit alive. As long as you are honest and believe in the truth you say, people will listen I promise," Yeong U scooted a little closer so that he could rest her hand on top of hers and Yeong Ro felt his comfort and the words that she believed he would say. He did have a point but Yeong Ro's fear was overcoming her courage to do it.

"But what if people don't like the truth they hear? What if they can't accept the fact that a North Korean spy helped save all of our lives? I just don't want Soo Ho's memory to be treated like that. He deserves better than that," Yeong Ro ranted and she almost pleaded with her brother and he only had a solemn but understanding expression on his face.

"You're not alone.... you're not the only one who knows who Hyung really is. I've seen everything that he's done as well and I'm thankful that he kept you safe in my stead," Yeong U nodded to himself, grateful for Soo Ho's deep love for his sister and Yeong Ro couldn't help but focus in on the words 'in my stead.' It made her remember that her brother isn't really here and that he's dead.

"I wish you were here... I miss you a lot," Yeong Ro said, her voice barely above a whisper and she suddenly thought of something she wanted to ask him as he looked fondly at her, "hey Oppa?"

"Hmm? Yeah?" Yeong U asked.

"I was just wondering... what were you going to write to me in your letter? Before you... you know..." Yeong Ro tried to ask carefully, more for herself since it was hard remembering how her brother was in the middle of writing her a letter before he passed away. Yeong U raised his eyebrows at her in amusement and smiled thoughtfully as he looked out over the mountains.

"I was going to write about how much I missed you and your nagging. How I hope that you're making friends and keeping them despite both of us hiding who we are. I wanted to write to you that the new Eruption album came out from our favorite band and that I couldn't wait to listen to that with you when I get dismissed from the military," Yeong U listed fondly and Yeong Ro felt her face freeze in an expression of guilt and he laughed from just how transparent she was, "Yeah I know you listened to One Way Ticket without me, but I understand," Yeong U reassured her and Yeong Ro laughed while her brother kept going, "I also wanted us to visit Halmeoni to make those lotus rice cakes that we both love and I would take a bunch with me when I go back with you," Yeong Ro remembered that they would always help Halmeoni with the shop on weekends and their grandmother always loved and appreciated working with them. Those times seem so long ago now.

"I... would have loved to see that letter arrive for me..." Yeong Ro sighed as she thought about all the times she had thrown paper airplanes with words for her brother out the window, hoping that they would somehow reach her brother in any way. Even if they couldn't get physically far enough, she was hoping at least he could feel her beloved words for him on the winds that would carry them all the way to her brother. It would have been nice to at least get a letter from him at least once.

"Lastly, I also... would have told you that we have to stay strong for each other and believe in the day we can be reunited since I know it's hard for both of us to be away from each other for so long," Yeong U said suddenly and slowly at the same time and Yeong Ro looked at him expectantly with a teary expression. He didn't turn to look at her and yet he kept his hand on top of hers.

"Are you just saying that? Because that's how I felt about being away from you, but was it the same for you as well?" Yeong Ro asked and he turned to look at her with a knowing yet confused expression as well.

"That should be obvious! You know me right? My last words.... were about you, so of course it was just as hard for me," Yeong U chided his younger sister and Yeong Ro nodded vigorously and smiled to herself.

"That's right... I'm sorry, it's just that I'm not sure if you could forgive me for indirectly causing your death..." Yeong Ro said quietly and Yeong U decided that enough was enough with these doubts and regrets.

"Yeong Ro-ya, look at me," Yeong U asked softly yet firmly and Yeong Ro turned to look at her brother, "I'll ask again... you know me right? What would I say to you if you were to beg for my forgiveness?"

Looking into his earnest and kind eyes, Yeong Ro didn't take much time to think about what her brother would have said to her. This is closure in a sense for her since she never got to say goodbye to him, "You... you would have said there was nothing to forgive.... you wouldn't have blamed me at all.... Oppa... thank you..." Yeong Ro's voice broke off in a whimper and Yeong U smiled wider at her and leaned back so they were both sitting upright again.

"Then there you go! All that matters is that you believe in that, and you have to accept it," Yeong U reassured her and Yeong Ro nodded. She noticed that he never said he would forgive her, and that it was up to her to answer the question. Yeong Ro was vaguely aware of the fact that it was because her brother can't technically answer that question for her because he's gone now, "One more thing," Yeong U remembered and his sister turned her head to acknowledge him, "if you can't let Hyung's passing go... then at least do all you can to keep him alive, because you owe it to him, to yourself, and to me." Yeong U looked seriously at his sister and she didn't answer to that. Yeong Ro sighed and looked out over the mountain view again and kept silent as she considered his request. After a while, Yeong Ro slowly stood up and looked at her brother, who was still peacefully looking out over the valley.

"I know what I need to do... I have to go now ok Oppa?" Yeong Ro looked at her brother's grave and reached down to caress the tombstone. Yeong U looked fondly at her gesture and scooted over so that he was sitting right next to his own grave.

"I'll be waiting for you Yeong Ro-ya... and.... good luck," Yeong U said softly and Yeong Ro nodded before turning to leave. As she walked down the mountain path, Yeong Ro took one last look at the gravesite to find no one there. Yeong Ro sighed and gave one last small smile before heading back to the university.

"See you again... Oppa..."

Meanwhile back in the travel agency in Japan... Suryeon, Soo Ho, and Sui Hui stared each other down as as the North Korean soldiers had their guns raised and it was a stalemate full of questions, speaking through only the eyes, and a fated unhappy reunion.

"Ms. Suryeon, I take it you came all the way here to hunt us down yourself?" Soo Ho tried to ask calmly but his eyes and his slightly shaky stance was betraying him. He didn't see any emotion or sympathy within the woman, the woman he once called his mom.

"Naturally... A mother should be responsible when her traitorous children misbehave," Suryeon raised an eyebrow at her son and Soo Ho immediately rebuked her for those words.

"You don't get to call yourself that, not after abandoning us to climb the ladder and leaving us for dead," Soo Ho spat out at her and he shook his head as he kept his gun trained on her. Suryeon seemed unaffected by Soo Ho's accusations as if she had no remorse for issuing those orders. Sui Hui shot a worried glance at her brother and Suryeon finally noticed her daughter and scoffed at her, "Not to mention the fact that it was both you and Lim Ji Rok who ordered to kill me."

"Sui Hui, what do you think you're doing? Turning traitor for your brother? Do you honestly think I would have killed you if your brother had failed his mission?" Suryeon asked, referring to the order for Soo Ho blow up the dorm with everyone in it or else Sui Hui would die. Sui Hui knew exactly what she was talking about and scoffed at her notion that there was any trust between them.

"To be honest I think you would have because right up until now, you completely forgot you had a daughter," Sui Hui sighed and pressed her lips into a thin line. Suryeon didn't even flinch at her own children's remarks and looked at Soo Ho once again. Both her son and daughter had grown so much and matured into people who no longer need her. That was assuming that Suryeon even wanted to be needed by them. She had already left them long ago and right up until this point, Suryeon had considered them dead.

"You're right, I had completely forsaken my own children and now... you two are nothing more than traitors in the eyes of the North who must be killed," Suryeon pulled out her own gun and pointed it at Soo Ho and both sides were getting ready to have a shootout. Soo Ho sighed and there was a look of determination in his eyes that was different from before. It was different from when Soo Ho had gone through his training, that kind of determination was fueled by loyalty and the desperation to prove himself to his country that he was a warrior. Now, it was different and Suryeon noticed that. It was a fire in his eyes that was fueled by not only loyalty, but a love that would never die.

"You're wrong... I'm not going to die today, none of us are going to die today," Soo Ho started and every single word he spoke was filled with a trembling courage as he felt his body fill with adrenaline and a warmth that made him feel alive, "Because unlike you.... I have people I have to live for. And I won't let them suffer anymore because of me." Suryeon looked curiously at him for his words and cocked her head slightly as she readied the trigger.

"Are you assuming I have nobody to live for?" Suryeon asked at an almost threatening tone and Soo Ho shot her a look of disdain as if that question should have been obvious.

"No... because as far as you're concerned, your entire family is dead, and I'm saving my sister from the kind of life that you put on both of us," Soo Ho said and he looked to Sui Hui who just as determined as he was and he could tell that she agreed with him. Suryeon noticed this glance towards his sister and she felt the need to ask him another question.

"Do you think you're saving your sister from that life? A life full of bloodshed? Violence? Espionage and lies? Or are you just dooming her to this one?" Suryeon asked as she gestured to their guns, the fact that they're in a travel company to escape to another country, having to live in fear of being chased and hunted by their country. Soo Ho shook his head and cocked his gun at the ready.

"I am saving her from that life, even if it takes all of that to get to the light at the end of the tunnel. Stop trying to act as if you care that Sui Hui's a fugitive, we both know you're going to end up killing us both," Soo Ho replied back with a cold and sharp tone that told Suryeon that the time for talking has passed. Then without further ado, Suryeon quickly moved her finger towards the trigger and Soo Ho moved to get all of them to duck as bullets rang out within the agency. The parents of their fallen comrades were hiding in the back and a gunfight broke out. Soo Ho brandished his rifle and moved so that he would fire blind shots into the fray without exposing himself. Cheongya hid behind a filing cabinet and was shooting from her hiding place and Sui Hui was hiding behind a fallen table that she used for cover. Soo Ho quickly moved to a kneeling position so that he could see better and shot over the counter and he heard shouts of pain as some of the soldiers fell.

"Lim Soo Ho! When you escape! Take this route down to Kazuchi Beach! There should be a shack where one of our associates are and show them your applications! He'll help you onto a ship to South Korea!" Their contact explained as he handed a map to Soo Ho, who looked at it quickly before nodding in thanks and putting it into his bag. Soo Ho fired shots from around the corner of the counter instead of over the counter at some of the legs of the soldiers to get them to fall and Sui Hui finished them off. There wasn't a lot of them left and Suryeon was still alive. Unfortunately, just as their contact was looking over the counter to check for any more soldiers, Suryeon fired a shot just he came out and he was hit in the head. The man yelled out in pain before crashing back to the ground and the three former Northern spies looked at him in alarm.

"Ahjusshi!" Soo Ho yelled before turning right back around the corner to find Suryeon almost retreating into her hiding place and shot her in the thigh just as she was about to move back.

"AAHHH!" Suryeon yelled out and she fell to her knees as she tried to herself armed, trying not to drop the gun from the pain. Sui Hui grit her teeth and aimed carefully before shooting a shot right at Suryeon's arm, causing her to drop the gun and collapse to the ground, bracing herself against a table. Cheongya looked around the storefront before telling them it was ok to come out and they all gathered to where Suryeon was, who was looking up at them with a burning hatred, "You... you know what will happen if you kill me here..."

"I'm...." Soo Ho pointed a gun right at Suryeon's head and he bit his lip as he considered finishing the job, "I'm going to live my life just like Abeoji would... a life full of music, love, and happiness and it's unfortunate that you will never be part of that," Soo Ho murmured, his voice full of remorse and Suryeon was instantly taken back to the life that she used to have before she left everything behind. There must have been a reason why she chose political power over her own family, but in this moment, she really couldn't think of the reason. She was just so desperate to leave her family behind and start anew that Suryeon forgot what really mattered in life. However, even in this moment, she still hasn't found that answer and perhaps she never will. Regardless, Suryeon was glad at least that her children had found the answer.

"I won't kill you here..." Soo Ho took a deep breath and Sui Hui looked at him knowingly. Cheongya just looked like she straight up disagreed with his decision, "But for the sake of Abeoji's dream, I hope you'll let us go and everything else you think you own..." Soo Ho murmured and lowered his gun before turning back to leave. Sui Hui took one last look at her mom who was on the floor and sighed before turning to leave with her brother. Cheongya picked up the gun that Suryeon had and shot Suryeon in her other thigh with a shout of pain following. Soo Ho and Sui Hui looked back at her in alarm since they thought that Cheongya had killed her or Suryeon had somehow shot the gun.

Cheongya crouched down to Suryeon's level and pressed the barrel of the gun up against the chin of the woman, "In case if you have any ideas about following us with only one leg to stand on... now... you have none..." Cheongya murmured before standing up and motioning for Soo Ho and Sui Hui to escape the agency before the Kyoto police came. Suryeon gasped in pain as she looked at the retreating figures of the people she once called her children. This is simply what it must be now, there was nothing she could say to make up for it now.

The group escaped with the families to the beach after hours of trekking and they found the place that their contact was talking about. The associate had led them to a ship located on the other side of the beach and the group got on. As Soo Ho stepped onto the ship, he released a breath he didn't even realize he was even holding and he stumbled onto the ship, losing his balance. Sui Hui immediately noticed and steadied him as they all got onto the ship and she looked at him worriedly.

"Oppa are you ok?" Sui Hui asked as everyone settled on the ship and Soo Ho took deep breaths before smiling appreciatively at his sister.

"Yeah, I'm... I'm fine, don't worry," Soo Ho reassured her even though his voice was a little strained and Sui Hui still kept her worried expression since she wasn't entirely convinced. However, she didn't push it any further and she helped him over to a crate to sit as they all set off to South Korea. This was one big step further to the peace that would soon embrace them all.

Yeong Ro walked back into the university clutching and praying to her necklace for strength and she walked back into the headmistress' office to find that Ms. Pi, Kang Moo, Hanna, the girls, and the rest of the network executives still there discussing the documentary. Their attention turned to her as she slowly walked back in and she closed her eyes before looking earnestly at all of them.

"Everyone.. I've changed my mind and I think I have an idea of what we can do... to make this documentary honest and true," Yeong Ro looked to Hye Ryeong, who looked guilily at her because Yeong Ro had found out earlier that Hye Ryeong had looked at the song she wrote for Soo Ho when she was humming the melody in the washroom. Kang Moo looked at Ms. Pi for approval and she nodded back as Yeong Ro took a seat at the meeting table.

"Glad to have you on board Yeong Ro," Ms. Pi smiled softly at Yeong Ro, who sighed for a moment before smiling back at her. To be honest, Yeong Ro still wasn't entirely sure if doing this is going to bring justice to Soo Ho, but she was going to try her best to do it for his sake.

The entire university had gone to work on the documentary for about a week, planning out the documentary, shooting the documentary, and scheduling the interviews that everyone would have. Yeong Ro also spent this week preparing for the plan that she had to make the documentary special. She had met with Hye Ryeong and the musicians of the opera company she had applied to in order to arrange and sing the song that she wrote for Soo Ho. Yeong Ro had always imagined having piano, cello, guitar, and woodwind instruments for the arrangement of her song "Friend" and they had also met with a studio for artists in order put the song together. Yeong Ro had planned to perform the song at the university in a performance dedicated to Soo Ho and everyone had supported her decision to do so. Ms. Pi and Bun Ok had given the director of the documentary a tour around the university and planned which rooms would be showcased and who would be interviewed. They also had to tell the executives the general story about the hostage situation and leave it up to the reporters on what specific questions to ask the students and former hostages about Yeong Ro and Soo Ho and about the hostage situation in general.

Meanwhile, Soo Ho and his group had managed to make it to South Korea after a few days since they set off and they had helped the families of their fallen comrades start the immigration process in South Korea. Cheongya had been in contact with Kang Moo concerning the refugees and had told him that saving their families was one of Soo Ho's last wishes. Kang Moo had been a big help in helping the families find sanctuary. The filming for the documentary was done in about a week and Kang Moo was in an office within the university getting ready to watch the documentary with everyone when he thought to call Cheongya one more time because he was aware that she had been staying in South Korea to help the families settle down still. Kang Moo rang Cheongya's number and within two rings, the woman picked up.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this call Mr. Lee Kang Moo?" Cheongya picked up the phone and sat down at the table within their former base that Soo Ho came to after he got out of the dorm the first time. Soo Ho and Sui Hui were also there and they came over to the table to listen into their call. There had been something that had been bothering him ever since he had come back from North Korea. Kang Moo had thought about it for a while and he was sure that the voices he heard in the records room were Cheongya and Soo Ho. He was surprised that Cheongya was still in South Korea ever since they helped the families of Gyeok Chan and Eung Cheol settle down. There must have been another reason why she was still here and Kang Moo thought he figured out the reason. It was that she was also helping somebody else tie some loose ends in South Korea as well. Kang Moo had surmised that it would have been Sui Hui, Soo Ho's sister and yet he recalled there was three people within that group.

Kang Moo took a deep breath and decided to go ahead and ask the question concerning the issue that's been nagging at him ever since he came back from North Korea with Yeong Ro and Hanna, "Lim Soo Ho..."  Soo Ho's, Cheongya's, and Sui Hui's eyes widened as they waited for him to continue and Kang Moo smiled when he didn't hear a response, "He's listening right?"

When Soo Ho heard Kang Moo address him as if he knew he was there, he honestly felt like he was at a loss for words. Cheongya and Sui Hui looked at him expectantly, but Soo Ho noticed that they didn't make any moves to prevent him from talking. That meant that it was time, "Yeah... Hyung, I'm listening..." Soo Ho smiled because he knew at this moment, things were going to look up because someone else he cared about knew that Soo Ho was alive.

Kang Moo heard Soo Ho's voice and he couldn't help but let out a chuckle that Soo Ho could hear. Kang Moo blinked a few times to clear the teariness in his eyes and smiled because his hunch was right, "It's good to hear you boy..."

"Likewise, it's good to talk with you again Hyung, it really was a miracle," Soo Ho moved forward so Kang Moo could hear him better and the two other women moved aside so that Soo Ho could talk, happy that his presence was known again.

"I can imagine... considering it's taken you this long to let any of us know you're alive," Kang Moo murmured with a bit of salt and Soo Ho bit his lip for a moment before sighing.

"Yeah, there have been some challenging obstacles and I wouldn't say that I'm particularly in the best condition, but I'm getting there Hyung," Soo Ho felt like being honest and Kang Moo had an empathetic expression that Soo Ho couldn't see but he could feel it through the line. Kang Moo rapped his fingers against the wood of the desk and looked outside because it was about to be time for the broadcast of the documentary.

"I think I have something that might help you, Yeong Ro actually prepared a surprise in your dedication, so if I were you, turn on the TV and switch to the JBC station," Kang Moo murmured with a smile and he hung up before Soo Ho could say anything else. Soo Ho looked at the phone in confusion and he felt a small smile beginning to grow on his face at the thought that Yeong Ro had a surprise for him. Without saying anything with Cheongya and Sui Hui's confused looks, Soo Ho picked up the remote, turned on the TV, and found the JBC station just in time to see a bunch of very familiar people sitting on interview chairs in rows. Everyone's eyes followed to the screen and Soo Ho's eyes caught onto a very familiar and warm sight: Eun Yeong Ro that made his breath get slightly taken away.

(So for this beginning sequence, use the OST "Hosu Women's University" theme from the Snowdrop album! Enjoy!)

"Hello everyone! We're the cast of A Snowdrop Blooms Twice, a special documentary surrounding the recent Hosu University's hostage situation and its collusion with the presidential election," Yeong Ro introduced the documentary and she was wearing a beautiful light yellow gown with white lily designs swirling around the gown. The sleeves were loose and the frilly collar covered her entire neck and she wore minimal makeup on her face, just enough to make her look natural. Soo Ho had always thought she looked beautiful in everything she wore, but this definitely put a smile on his face, "My name is Eun Yeong Ro, an English major at the university but you may know me as the daughter of the former ANSP director. Now everyone! Why don't you introduce yourselves?"

Cheongya scoffed in disbelief as she leaned forward to see if she heard her correctly, "A documentary about the hostage situation? Lee Kang Moo... if this was your idea, you are one crazy bastard," Cheongya let out a small laugh as Soo Ho and Sui Hui looked incredulously at what was going on.

"Lee Kang Moo, a former ANSP agent and team leader," Kang Moo saluted to the camera with a two finger wave and Soo Ho noticed that he changed his hair up for this interview. If it wasn't possible, Kang Moo just looked even cooler. (Author's Note: If you're wondering what haircut it is, it's the one the actor had at the first script reading)

"You may call me Ms. Pi, I'm the headmistress of the Hosu Women's University," Ms. Pi bowed slightly and Cheongya couldn't get over seeing this woman with long straight hair for this documentary or at least for this interview. It was just extremely unnatural.

"Kang Hanna, I'm a former ANSP agent and I was part of Mr. Lee's squad," Hanna waved to the camera and she looked over at the next person to introduce themselves.

"I'm Ko Hye Ryeong and I'm a senior in the Music and Voice major at Hosu Women's University, please get my good side," Hye Ryeong flipped her hair at the camera and the other girls couldn't help but roll their eyes jokingly at her antics.

"Hello! My name is Yoon Seol Hui, it's so exciting to be here!" Seol Hui waved with both of her hands and leaned back into her seat to smile giddily to herself.

"Yeo Jeong Min, I'm a History and Political Science Major at Hosu Women's University, it's an honor," Jeong Min closed the book she was reading and waved to the camera. Next to her was....

"Uh hello! I'm Gye Bun Ok, I'm a telephone operator at the university and this is my first time being on camera and wearing such fancy clothes," Bun Ok smiled and waved at the camera while putting her new baby pink dress on display but then she noticed the eyes of the girls on her, "What?"

"This is not your first time wearing such clothes..." Hye Ryeong shook her head at Bun Ok and the girl was quick to correct her.

"Wearing fancy clothes without the sense of shame," Bun Ok corrected her and all the girls sounded a collective understanding 'Ohhh...' before they gestured to introduce the next member of the cast.

"Oh Gwang-tae, I am a Civil Affairs major and I was also a hostage!" Gwang-Tae introduced himself enthusiastically and Soo Ho had to muffle a laugh at the way he said it. Seol Hui smiled at Gwang Tae but Soo Ho noticed it was a little bit pained. A thought to save for later.

"Choi Byung Tae, I used to be a military cadet, but I recently changed careers to be a therapist," Byung Tae said and Sui Hui couldn't help but burst out laughing with Soo Ho following suit. Everyone looked down the row at Byung Tae with an incredulous expression and he looked back at them with an equally confused expression, "What?"

"How come you didn't tell any of us this?" Hye Ryeong asked and Byung Tae looked even more confused if that was even possible and he asked probably the dumbest question he could ask as a therapist in the making.

"Why? Do any of you have a need for therapy?" Byung Tae asked and everyone pressed their lips into a thin line and they all looked knowingly at each other, and then everyone turned their attention to Yeong Ro in particular. Sui Hui cackled out loud and leaned on her brother for support as Soo Ho and Cheongya watched in amusement at this hot mess in the making. Soo Ho really shouldn't be laughing at this now that everyone was turning their attention to Yeong Ro.

"Well uhh... anyway!" Yeong Ro tried to deflect the interruption until Hye Ryeong called out 'Hey that's my line!' and Yeong Ro quickly shushed her with a forced smile, "Shut it! As you can see, we're a pretty diverse and lively cast of former hostages, but the focus for this documentary is not just about the circumstances around the hostage situation, it's also about how love managed to bloom within it as well," Yeong Ro said that last part hesitantly and Soo Ho stared at the screen for a moment before realizing what she just said. Suddenly, the picture that was taken of Soo Ho and Yeong Ro at the day of the Open House was shown on the screen and Yeong Ro continued to explain.

"This documentary will showcase the love story between a former North Korean spy and a South Korean girl, and how their love persevered even in the most impossible of circumstances," Kang Moo looked over at Yeong Ro and she nodded. The former North Koreans who were watching from their hideout really couldn't believe their ears, Soo Ho specifically. Yeong Ro was really going to expose their relationship here for all of South Korea to see. He honestly didn't know whether to feel happy or anxious about it.

"This hostage situation may have been a plot with the government but it was more importantly a test for Lim Soo Ho and Eun Yeong Ro and their love and their willingness to risk everything to be together," Ms. Pi said in her smooth yet curt manner and Yeong Ro nodded thoughtfully at her before looking back brightly at the camera.

(Author's Note: So for this entire sequence of the documentary, I listened to Melody of Spring by Sondia from the Youth of May soundtrack to write this part because I hate myself and also it fit really well with the vibe I was trying to create with this documentary.)

"Without further ado, this is the Hosu Women's University after the hostage situation, enjoy!" Yeong Ro commenced the documentary and the screen slowly faded out before showing the steps leading up to the university and two men walking up to them. Gwang Tae and Byung Tae sighed and smiled at each other and walked up the steps. Soo Ho heard the faint yet relaxing song playing in the background.

"It's been a really long time since we've been here..." Gwang Tae murmured to Byung Tae who nodded and smiled thoughtfully.

"Yeah, but I figured we should at least visit them to see how everyone's doing right? So let's go! Hye Ryeong-ssi and Seol Hui-ssi should be waiting for us," Byung Tae clapped Gwang Tae on the back and they noticed two women coming out of the doors of the university. Hye Ryeong and Seol Hui waved at them to come up and they greeted them.

"You guys! It's been a while! As an exception for this documentary, you guys are allowed in and we'll show you how things have been ever since the whole hostage mess!" Hye Ryeong gave them both a hug and Seol Hui followed suit before she gestured all of them to follow her inside. Hye Ryeong looked back at the camera and guided the cameraman into the dorm and both girls stepped back as they gestured to the bustling university. Soo Ho noticed that the metal bust of the headmistress had been rebuilt and the chandelier had been returned to its rightful place. The two men looked around saw that the bullet holes from all the shoot outs had also been fixed as well. Hye Ryeong and Seol Hui showed them all around, to the washrooms, the offices, the first and second floor classrooms, and finally the cafeteria. The second floor and the cafeteria had been fixed and remodeled ever since the bombs went off. The tables were placed back in place and there were people eating, talking, and laughing.

"During the hostage situation, they used the cafeteria to keep all of us in line and there were some pretty intense moments that happened here," Hye Ryeong spoke to the camera and gestured with her hands for the camera to follow them and. Seol Hui continued to talk in Hye Ryeong's stead.

"This was also where Yeong Ro-unnie made a really brave stand against Lim Soo Ho back when he initially took all of us hostage. She tried her best to have him let us go, and she had to resort to some pretty crazy things," Seol Hui shook her head just thinking about it and the reporter asked her a question. Soo Ho's lips pressed into a thin line hearing that because that was the second time he had pointed a gun at her head and the sheer hatred and disbelief in her eyes at that time almost made him crack. Later on, Yeong Ro had put herself into even greater danger by picking up the gun Gyeok Chan had and putting herself at a stalemate with his comrade. Soo Ho felt so helpless that he put her in that position and yet there was nothing at the time he could do to ease her anger.

"Any captor who would have been in a hostage situation would have silenced her immediately, what do you think stopped him and the other spies from doing so?" The reporter asked and Hye Ryeong answered for him. Soo Ho thought that even though it was unfortunate that he and Yeong Ro had to meet again in that manner. However, Soo Ho felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of what would have happened if it was anyone else besides him that took the university hostage.

"It was because they already had a personal relationship before the whole hostage situation started. They had met on a blind date and she saved his life after all," Hye Ryeong crossed her arms and Soo Ho felt himself smile at the memory of the blind date and the nights that they spent together in the attic room, "that was the reason why he hesitated... and if you really think about it, Lim Soo Ho never ended up killing any of the students because of her so if anything, we owe both of them our lives," Hye Ryeong said before flipping her hair and beckoning them to follow them again and the shot changed to the Rome Coffee Shop and Soo Ho noticed that it panned to the table where he had first met Yeong Ro. Yeong Ro, Bun Ok, Gwang Tae, and Byung Tae sat at the table wearing the same outfits that they had that day except for Byung Tae since he wasn't there. Soo Ho's eyes softened when he saw Yeong Ro building a matchstick tower, carefully placing each match in its rightful place as she slowly but surely stacked up the matches.

"Why did Lim Soo Ho go on this blind date to have this fateful encounter?" The reporter asked and Yeong Ro and Gwang Tae looked at each other, having a telepathic conversation before Gwang Tae spoke up first while leaning back in his seat.

"Technically speaking, Soo Ho-ah went on the blind date in exchange for getting connections to Professor Han to get him to defect to the North. However I don't think he expected to fall in love at first sight," Gwang Tae noted as Yeong Ro nodded in agreement and chimed in softly.

"It was the same for me, I had wondered if that is what a first love would feel like when we both tried to stop a matchstick tower just like this from falling," Yeong Ro added as she placed enough matchstick on top of the tower and looked at the camera.

"You know... I wonder just how differently things would have gone if I hadn't taken the paper airplane from you that day?" Bun Ok swirled the drink that she had in her hands and Soo Ho didn't want to admit it but he did curse the fact that she had taken the airplane from the girl he was actually interested in. Judging from the look on Yeong Ro's face, Soo Ho could tell she felt the same. After all, knowing what she said on her tape, Soo Ho also thought it was a shame that they didn't get together then.

"I'm not sure how different things would have been if I did choose his paper airplane... but all I know is that it would have sealed my love for him sooner," Yeong Ro answered thoughtfully and Bun Ok smiled, satisfied with that answer. Soo Ho heard Sui Hui squeal and he looked to his right to find her giddily smiling with her hands clenched up to her mouth.

"That is so sweet! She's such a romantic! Like you!" Sui Hui cried and fanned her tears that were already coming over of her eyes.

Soo Ho laughed and thought to himself about how those feelings were already there by the first time their eyes made contact. If she had picked his paper airplane that day, Soo Ho probably would have been done in by love a lot sooner and he probably would have found it a lot harder to leave her. The four of them enjoyed their drinks while answering other questions and soon the interview was passed on to Ms. Pi, Kang Moo, and Hanna.

"On the day of the Open House, I could tell he was very nervous because he didn't want to get Yeong Ro in trouble," Ms. Pi recounted the day when she caught Soo Ho and Yeong Ro. Soo Ho chuckled at the memory because he was so busy smiling and looking at Yeong Ro like an idiot that he didn't realize Ms. Pi was even there until about a second too late. When Soo Ho tells you the rush of panic that went through him at that moment.

"I had actually received a report on that day that Soo Ho was supposedly heading back to the North and yet there was something there was off about it," Kang Moo explained when the reporters had asked about why they were there ok the day of the Open House, "as it turns out, there was another spy within in the dorm by the name of Kim Man Dong."

Yeong Ro continued the interview from there from basement, sitting in the seat that Man Dong used to work at, "I didn't think he was a North Korean spy honestly... and to think that he framed Ms. Oh for being the mole during the hostage situation. He had always been so kind to me and he loved the oat rice cakes I brought for him," Yeong Ro commented, picking up one of the trinkets that Man Dong used to fix. Soo Ho saw the conflicted expression on her face and felt sorry that one person after another kept on stabbing her in the back, "I wonder though.... If his identity was exposed, would he have killed me?" Yeong Ro turned to look at the camera and asked knowing that there wasn't answer to that, at least not for now. When Soo Ho had that last talk with Man Dong before he died, the fact he hesitated and killed the other spy when Soo Ho had pleaded to him that Yeong Ro would be danger told him all he needed to know.

"He almost killed me actually, when he found out that I knew about his identity," Shin Gyeong Ja recalled as her body shook from the thought. She was sitting in the room where it had almost happened, "if it wasn't for Yeong Ro and Ms. Pi, I probably would have died. They didn't know it at the time but they did save my life by staying me so I appreciate them a lot," Gyeong Ja sighed and Soo Ho felt a little bit guilty that the situation was that bad and yet he was already going to leave at that time.

"I kinda wonder where his son went because he never showed for the documentary even though he was one of the hostages. He didn't even come at the fact that he would have been paid for this," Byung Tae noted and Bun Ok next to him had a look of disgust on her face as she remembered that unruly and crass man, "because God knows that gambling addict bastard can't leave it alone."

"You said it, the amount of times that he harassed me about the money that the spies had was really annoying. Thank god that other spy came to save me every single time," Bun Ok pinched the bridge of her nose and she sighed in relief as she recalled that one broody and handsome spy. Soo Ho noticed that she almost looked happy that Gyeok Chan saved her that many times and then he immediately understood. Cheongya seems to have understood as well and sighed at that remark.

"The girls in that university have such a weird taste in guys. Are South Korean guys that unappealing?" Cheongya asked genuinely and Sui Hui let out a laugh at that. Soo Ho felt himself choke on his own spit as he coughed and Sui Hui jokingly patted his back in comfort.

"I would definitely say I was surprised that Mr. Lee and Lim Soo Ho worked together to save the hostages because neither of them wanted anyone to die because of the election scheme," Hanna noted in another interview and she pulled out a tape recorder, "this is part of the proof that the ANSP was going to kill us all," Hanna played the tape for the reporters to hear and they jotted down notes about who was in the recording. Hanna sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"Were you particularly fond of working with a North Korean spy?"

"It was weird at first, but I actually felt relieved because I did feel like I could trust Soo Ho with it. There was something about the earnestness and honesty in his eyes that gave me no reason to doubt him. Hell I ate fried chicken with him and Kang Moo while we discussed how we were going to stop the ANSP. Trust me, it was a really weird yet comforting experience," Hanna answered the question and nodded to signify that was the end to her answer and Soo Ho smiled softly at that.

"Trust me, it was as weird for you as it was for me," Soo Ho muttered under his breath. Soon the documentary went on into the other details like the bombings, the raid on the university on the last day, the attempts to make it out alive. Then came Yeong Ro's exclusive interview on the relationship between her and Soo Ho. The TV had announced that Yeong Ro would have a special program during the documentary specifically for her one on one interview about her love story. Soo Ho was nervous for this because he felt afraid that it was putting Yeong Ro on the spot. Soon a soft piano played in the background at the documentary came back on screen and it showed panning shots of Yeong Ro walking into three different places: the attic, the roof, and the midway floor of the stairs. The narrator had announced that Yeong Ro had prepared a song in tribute to the hostage situation story and Soo Ho. Soo Ho felt his breath catch in his throat as he remembered how happy she looked when she found out that he loved to sing. His heart filled with an indescribable feeling of love and so many other things. Yeong Ro had written a song for him? In honor of his sacrifice and the promise that they shared that she would listen to him sing? She was going to perform it on live television to display her love for all of South Korea to see? Soo Ho was worried that it would have been too much for her, but he remembered how strong Yeong Ro really is and her heart would conquer that fear. Soo Ho felt like his heart was cheering her on to sing her heart out, and he had never felt so connected to someone in such an overwhelming and romantic way. Soo Ho faintly heard Sui Hui gasp in adoration as the performance began.

There were three Yeong Ro's as the performance started: one was standing on the roof of the university with softly falling snow, one was sitting in front of a piano at the midway floor of the stairs with the moonlight shining down on her through the large window, and the last one was sitting in the attic room with warm and sunny lighting at the window. Soo Ho's eyes widened when he realized the outfits she was wearing for each setting. Yeong Ro was wearing the pink knit sweater with the white collared blouse and matching skirt inside the attic. She was wearing the light baby pink dress she wore on the day of the Open House on top of the roof. On the stairs at the piano, Yeong Ro was wearing the black button up blouse on the day that they met but this time, her skirt wasn't beige, but it was also black as well. He felt touched by the attention to detail, and Soo Ho had his mouth open in a dreamy smile by the fact that she looked just as beautiful as he remembered. Soo Ho just felt himself get overwhelmed by the memories of the moments with her in each of those outfits as Yeong Ro lifted her hands to play the beginning notes.

(Hey guys! I'm going to be using the Romanized Korean lyrics for this part instead of the English lyrics because it looked and sounded better in my head when I was imagining it. You can listen to the song and imagine it as Yeong Ro goes on! Soo Ho will also remember certain memories based on the lyrics so look up the English lyrics if you're confused about he thinks about a certain memory at a specific line. Also the romanized lyrics may not be spelled correctly, I just cross referenced multiple sites so keep that in mind.)

"Amado.... nega unneungeon jogeum seulpeoseo ilkka..." Yeong Ro sang at the piano and gently pressed gently on the keys and the Yeong Ro in the attic sang the next line as the melody continued.

"Jeonbureul al su eopseume bieo beorindeuthan maeum," Yeong Ro sat at her spot on the window sill and sang, looking thoughtfully out at the bright window. Zooming in on the bright sunny window in the attic, the rays quickly turned from warm to cool again as the shot came back to the stairs. Yeong Ro kept singing at the piano, gazing thoughtfully at it as if she was wondering what could have been. Soo Ho felt the contrast right away with the sunny and moonlit lighting, and the difference was just mesmerizing. The lyrics had already hit a place within him knowing that this is how she felt about him. Whenever he smiled at her, comforted her, or told her that everything was going to be ok, there was sadness behind it that would never fade. Soo Ho knew not very deep inside that it was because he was afraid. He was afraid of losing her and the one moment where he truly felt alive was going to be lost to him. Soo Ho wished she could see a smile from him without a trace of sadness, but one of pure joy and elation knowing that he could spend all his time with her.

"Eonjenga," Yeong Ro's fingers danced over the higher keys and Soo Ho could hear the emotion within her voice; almost as if this song was too difficult to sing out loud in this manner and he could see that on her face, "mundeuk tto dasi nareul chajaondamyeon..."

Yeong Ro picked up a paper airplane that was sitting next to her and looked at it with a sad smile, "Seotureun pyeonjireul..." Yeong Ro brought her other hand up to trace the weary paper edge of the airplane, looking at the letters of promises that were written on it.

"Yeogi jeogeodulteni..." The flowing cloths and garments flowed out in the wind to reveal Yeong Ro looking hopefully up at the sky as she sang. Yeong Ro closed her eyes as she hummed the last note as the snow fell gently around her. Soo Ho was instantly reminded of the day he gave her his necklace for the first time and he had genuinely meant what he said that day. Being uncertain that he would ever see her again, Soo Ho felt at peace when he kept that image of Yeong Ro wearing his beloved necklace in his heart. The letter was definitely a reason why he came back because Soo Ho always felt like he was drawn in by her desire to see him once again. It's only fair since his heart had always yearned to keep her within his sight. Yeong Ro had always made her feelings clear and honest and that was one of the things Soo Ho loved most about her.

Yeong Ro played the ascending chords on the piano and sang the chorus with a light gentleness, "Du soneul japgoseo..."

"Eodideun nungil danneun goseuro...." Yeong Ro held her palms to her chest and the lyrics flowed like a river when she sang as the wind and snow gently blew past her hair and the faint whipping sounds of the curtains and garments could be heard. Soo Ho felt himself slightly swaying to the song when the cello came on and Sui Hui had the giddiest smile on her face as she swayed with him.

Yeong Ro held her hand up to the light in the attic and examined how the rays felt on her skin for a moment before slowly closing her hand, "Sesang bandaepyeonui gireul," Soo Ho could hear the harmonies of the other Yeong Ro joining in at that word as the shot switched to the other Yeong Ro's as soon as she hit that note, "ttara gaja uri eum" All three of them closed their eyes as they softly murmured out that last note before the music swelled up again and Yeong Ro's voice came back beautiful and strong.

"Come walk with me!" Yeong Ro called out before walking out of the clothesline area and stepped near the edge of the roof, "Eoduun baljaguk namgyeodugo..." Yeong Ro sang out over the rooftop, her voice carrying on the winds over the city.

Yeong Ro held up the paper airplane to the light before sending it flying through the little attic, watching it fondly as the weary edges deterred it from flying far, "Maeil bam kkumkkudeon geu goseseo..." When Soo Ho had met Yeong Ro for the first time at the blind date, he had hoped that she would pick his paper airplane. Seeing this proved to Soo Ho just how much their time making paper airplanes had meant to her. They had exchanged the different ways that they had made paper airplanes and Yeong Ro had always teased him about making airplanes that looked less aerodynamic, but he proved her wrong. Soo Ho had remembered he asked her to watch him as he proved his airplane design was superior, and Yeong Ro was amazed by his origami skills despite the fact that she still wouldn't give in.

"Manna..." Yeong Ro played the ending notes of the chorus on the piano, taking a deep breath and Yeong Ro joined in on the roof with the ending line. Soo Ho could see Yeong Ro clutching his necklace fondly on the roof, singing as if she were speaking to it, "with you... my friend..." Soo Ho was instantly reminded of when she had told him that she would loved to listen to him sing every day. The Rome Coffee Shop and the fourth floor attic room were the two places that Soo Ho dreamed of singing to her. That night... when they had kissed for the first time, Soo Ho felt so happy that he was seriously considering singing his joy. However, the two of them felt so content, happy, and shy that they just kept talking about their good and bad memories as they drank coffee throughout the night.

Yeong Ro stood up from her seat next to the iconic window and walked around the attic, keeping a hand on the necklace around her neck while she ran her other hand over the furniture and the curtains of the other windows, "Neoege... Modeun maeumeul seolmyeonghal su eomneungeon..." Soo Ho felt himself smile at the soft guitar that played with the piano and he wondered to himself if he could also learn to play this song with her once day. The melody was so soothing and nice to his ears that he could listen to her voice all day.

"Oppa, you play the guitar too! Wouldn't it be amazing if you two sang this together?" Sui Hui asked and clasped her hands together as if she was begging him to considered it and Soo Ho felt his smile grow wider at that face.

"Yeah it would..." Soo Ho murmured thoughtfully as he continued to listen to Yeong Ro sing. Cheongya gave props to the girl for being brave enough to do something that came with so much exposure: a song dedicated to their story that bloomed in such trying circumstances.

"Sumaneun byeoreul sel su eomneun iyu," Yeong Ro found a snow globe with two flowers inside it sitting on top of one of the cabinets and held it close to her heart for a moment before she looked straight at the camera at the viewers. The piano started building up again in emotion and power and Soo Ho felt like he was getting swept away by the emotions and serenity of it all. He almost felt like he wanted to cry. The fact that she said this line that she couldn't explain everything felt directed at him. During the hostage situation, Soo Ho felt like he was going crazy from the fact that he couldn't tell Yeong Ro everything because he didn't want her to take on more than she could handle. Despite his chagrin, Kang Moo went ahead and literally told her EVERYTHING that was going on and Soo Ho felt like he wanted to punch the man for putting so much pressure on her. Soo Ho was really stubborn to the fact that Kang Moo had been right at that time, since it was his love for Yeong Ro that was making it so difficult to figure out what she should or should not know. Perhaps if Yeong Ro had known more during that situation, maybe things would have gone differently.

"Geureongeoya!" Yeong Ro belted out at the piano and as she held the note and her hands played the octave chords up to the chorus. The shot panned out and Soo Ho saw the slight shine of a bomb tripwire at the stairs. The other Yeong Ro's joined in with this last word and each Yeong Ro held each consecutive descending note before the chorus began again. Soo Ho felt like his breath taken away right at that moment since her voice sounded so strong yet so gentle as if she had been meaning to vent out her feelings through this song for a while. Soo Ho knew that she deserved to prove people wrong and set things right. Soo Ho understood her resolve to do exactly that at the end of the verse and he felt a tear fall down his cheek at that fact.

"Come, walk with me! Eodideun nungil danneun goseuro," Yeong Ro stepped back from the edge of the rooftop and ran back into the midst of the flowing clotheslines. She danced around the linen sheets and spun around amidst the snow. Yeong Ro danced through the linen sheets and looked through them as if she were looking for someone. She really did look ethereal as the dress spun around with her in the snow and she swung her hands up in a graceful motion and danced. The way she was reaching out with her hands and spinning around with the lyrics of the song felt so purposeful and deliberate. Soo Ho felt it was almost like Yeong Ro was reaching out with her hands to grasp on to the love and the memories that they had.

"Sesang bandaepyeonui," Yeong Ro closed her eyes and sang at the piano and the moving rays of the moonlight started to show the presence of more bomb trip wires that were appearing at the stares and they were starting to appear even closer towards the piano.

"Gireul," In the attic room, Yeong Ro took over from there and softly to the snow globe as the shot zoomed in on the flowers and snow falling inside the little object, "ttara gaja..."

"Uri eum..." Yeong Ro moved her hands quickly up the scale of the piano and hummed the last part of the melody as she played the keys on tempo. At the final note of the measure, Yeong Ro called out on the roof as the snow was starting to fall harder around her.

"So, walk with me," Yeong Ro sang as she could hear the accompanying woodwind instruments on the wind with that note and she looked around the snow and various clotheslines for the person she wanted to dance with, but there was no one there, "Eoduun baljaguk namgyeodugo..." Soo Ho realized it was very reminiscent of the time where she had that dream sequence moment when they both got corralled to the dance floor and it looked as if she was dreaming of dancing with someone. Soo Ho felt terrible that he couldn't join her and save her from that, but he really did want to dance with her.

Yeong Ro looked around the attic room with the snow globe in her hand and walked back to the seats at the window, but she didn't sit down, "Maeil bam kkumkkudeon geu goseseo... Manna..." Soo Ho saw tears falling from Yeong Ro's face to the glass of the snow globe and took a deep breathe through his nose to prevent himself from breaking. Yeong Ro played softly played the remaining notes the measure and she looked around to find that bomb tripwires were set up all around her. Yeong Ro let a tear fall down her cheek as more tripwires revealed themselves, getting dangerously close to her fingers, arms, and head. Soo Ho knew that these tripwires were simply props for the performance, but he couldn't help but feel anxious.

"With you... with you..." All the Yeong Ro's sang together and Yeong Ro on the roof held the necklace fondly with a soft smile.

"Domangchideut," Soo Ho and the others heard the sound of thundering footsteps echo throughout the attic room and the door to the inner room suddenly broke open to reveal a horde of armed soldiers. They broke into the room to find Yeong Ro and Sui Hui gasped as they all pointed their guns at her. Soo Ho clenched his jaw and bit his lip as he got flashbacks to their final moments in that room. He remembered her face, her tears, and her screams of protest calling out for him. It astounded and angered him that those soldiers at the time were even willing to kill Yeong Ro as well as him. The ascending piano started on a powerful, moving note as Yeong Ro started to play again, her hands a little firmer on the keys and the bounce of her arms were coming dangerously close to the tripwires.

"Tteonan eojedeure," The snow started to swirl harder around Yeong Ro on the roof to the point where it was almost a blizzard, but Soo Ho and the others could still see her in the midst of it. The garments and linens were starting to flail about and Yeong Ro looked desperately around the storm while clutching onto the necklace tightly, "Seulpeohaji ana..." Yeong Ro played more passionately on the piano and the more she moved on the piano, the more anxious Soo Ho was she might somehow trip the supposedly fake bomb wires. These lyrics told him that despite all her chances to leave him, despite all of the times Soo Ho had told her to not be near him, she had chosen to stay with him to the end and she didn't regret it one bit. To Soo Ho, it had felt like a warm nod to when he told her in his tape that he never regretted meeting her since Yeong Ro was grateful and not regretful that she was able to spend her remaining time with him.

"Gajireonhi!" Yeong Ro faced the soldiers with a tearful courage in her eyes as she clutched the snow globe tightly. The song was building up to the climax and the soldiers readied their guns at her, their fingers resting on the trigger.

"Heuteojin maeumeul," All three of them belted out those last lyrics leading up the climax. Yeong Ro braved the swirling storm around her and faced the soldiers with no regrets as one of them pulled the trigger and the scene immediately cut to Yeong Ro playing the ending scale to the climax, singing her heart out. Soo Ho felt his body reflexively react to the trigger and Sui Hui grabbed his hand to comfort him as he gazed emotionally at the screen. This wasn't real and yet he felt like he could feel Yeong Ro's pain and love through the screen. Soo Ho took shaky breaths as the song calmed down and he felt himself let out a quiet, choked sob seeing just how emotional and heartbroken Yeong Ro looked on screen. Sui Hui rubbed her brother's arm soothingly as she leaned her head onto his shoulder.

"Eonjedeun..." Yeong Ro reached her arms over each other to finish playing the scale and a single gunshot rang out in the solitary, lonely university. Yeong Ro had raised her hands and brought them down in a gesture of command to stop the blizzard from swirling and it seemed as if everything had stopped in midair, "Tteona jul su isseo..."

"Promise, I will always be... your friend..." The two remaining Yeong Ro's sang together as the one on the roof held her necklace fondly and the one at the piano closed her eyes in a pensive and emotional moment before opening them again and playing the ending chords to the song in a soft tone. The harmonies of her voice layered on top of each other as Yeong Ro looked towards the attic room on the roof with a sad yet knowing expression. The shot showed the inside of the room with seemingly no one inside, the iconic window shining softly, casting the sun rays on the floor. The shot then slowly panned to a broken snow globe on the floor, the glass shattered across the floor and the water spilling out into the wood. Soo Ho felt his heart break when a bloody hand came into the picture resting near the snow globe, its fingers almost touching the flowers. Soo Ho didn't think he could take it if the video had panned up to her face, but he could tell by the bloody pink sweater that it was Yeong Ro. Luckily, they only showed her arm, body, and parts of her flowing hair before it moved back to the Yeong Ro on the roof, looking out over the distance. The shot zoomed out on both the roof and the stairs and Yeong Ro was alone in both shots in the final chords of the song before it ended with Yeong Ro raising her hands and playing the final note before the song ended. By this point, Soo Ho felt so overwhelmed and emotional that his face just kept breaking between a teary smile and a full out ugly cry. He honestly couldn't decide what he wanted to go with so he ended up being a mixture of both. Having the performance be the last part of the documentary was everything to Soo Ho and it had felt like all at once, his walls fell down and all the emotions he was trying to keep at bay about everything was released. Then, the screen brightened again to show Yeong Ro alone in the attic room with the same outfit she had for the beginning interview. Soo Ho saw Yeong Ro tearfully smiling at the camera and she took a deep breath before starting.

"I have some words... that I would to share with all of you as well as my beloved Soo Ho-ssi," Yeong Ro said softly, her gentle voice resounding in his ears and Soo Ho tried to break his sobs into a teary smile as he listened to what the love of his life was trying to say to him. Soo Ho would take these words with him in his heart until he got to meet her again.