Operation White Snow Continues

**Operation White Snow Continues** is the sixteenth episode of the show *Squirrel and Hedgehog*.

## Summary

On Bat Isle, Geumsaegi has received reports of the occurrences that took place during the previous episode, including the death of Aekku and Juldarami's grievous injuries. He decides to take it upon himself to complete Operation White Snow.

Commander Jogjebi in the meantime, examines the false film brought to him by Juldarami. Pleased with the images on the roll, he feels he now has the key necessary to make a move on Flower Hill. He becomes even happier when his secretary informs him that Geumsaegi is returning with even more information from Bat Isle.

However, he errs on the side of caution and wishes to validate the roll and decides to speak with Juldarami when he regains consciousness.

Juldarami has just come out of surgery and currently remains in recovery.

Geumsaegi, on his flight home is concerned for his friend's well-being, recalling that the two promised to defend Flower Hill together, and becomes tearful over the possibility that he might not make it or be too injured to fight on.

Mulmangcho and Oegwipali take a moment to mourn passing of Scout Commander Aekku only to be disturbed as a helicopter lands nearby. Investigating, the mice are horror-struck to see Geumsaegi emerge. Aware that he knows their faces, they are in trouble.

Oegwipali cries in panic and even Mulmangcho seems at a loss, before he is briefly visited by a vision of Aekku's vengeful spirit who urges him to find a way to fight on and seek revenge upon Flower Hill. Still, Mulmangcho is in despair and wonders how he can possibly get revenge with Aekku dead.

As Aekku's memorial picture begins to drift away with the wind, the mice attempt to catch it to replace it on his grave before a knife thrown from afar lands by their hands and pins the picture to the ground. A voice orders Mulmangcho to obey him from now on.

As Oegwipali cowers behind his brother, Mulmangcho nervously demands to know who this stranger is. The stranger advises Mulmangcho to look at the knife, upon which is a small chain with an emblem marked with symbol of their Secret Corps.

The stranger states that they don't need to see his face at this moment, but with the knife there are instructions to a safe place to hide from Geumsaegi. The mice weep tears of joy for a way out of their predicament, as the stranger tosses them a handful of bullets that appeared to be of weasel make that had been pulled from Juldarami.

The pair are ordered to investigate him. Mulmangcho, full of renewed purpose, makes his plans.

Geumsaegi reports to Jogjebi and presents his information from Bat Isle. The tape shows footage of mice training in the snow, swimming in frozen waters and burrowing up through the frozen surface, and being able to discretely attach themselves to passing tanks and disembark undetected. Finally, a group of mice hidden in the treetops loop their tails together and leap into the open, helicoptering as they fire machine guns in a deadly spiral of bullets.

Jogjebi is very impressed, and announces he is convinced the troops on Bat Isle are ready for deployment on Flower Hill. All he has to do is to confirm the validity of Juldarami's film. Geumsaegi is alarmed and asks what Jogjebi means.

In their hiding spot, Oegwipali and Mulmangcho think on their task at hand. Mulmangcho comes to realize that the behavior of Juldarami had been rather suspicious for a time, recalling how he had attacked Aekku after Mulsajo's death during the events of S01 E14.

The mice consider that if Juldarami is actually a Flower Hill spy, then the information he has provided would be fake and Jogjebi's entire operation will be ruined. Oegwipali suggests they bring the shell casings to Jogjebi, but Mulmangcho refuses, citing it would not be enough to convince him. He decides instead to abduct Juldarami in order to give Jogjebi reason to doubt his loyalty.

Geumsaegi attempts to clarify Jogjebi's meaning behind his intention to validate Juldarami's documents when the office receives a call. Juldarami has not regained consciousness but is in stable condition. With this news, Jogjebi allows Geumsaegi to visit him in hospital, which Geumsaegi happily agrees to.

However, upon being brought to his recovery room, Geumsaegi and the doctor are stunned to see that the room has been trashed and Juldarami is missing. Geumsaegi sadly laments that he must find Juldarami at all costs.

Jogjebi is livid to hear the news of Juldarami's abduction and an island wide search is ordered immediately.

Juldarami groggily wakes up to find himself in a basement, and is uncertain of his surroundings. However he can hear Oegwipali and Mulmangcho giggling over the chaos Juldarami's abduction has caused. Eavesdropping, he hears Mulmangcho discuss his plan to present Jogjebi with the shell casings and a doctored photograph of Juldarami without his mask. Oegwipali wants to call him instead. Mulmangcho kicks the phone away, stating that without visual proof, Jogjebi will never believe them.

Mulmangcho takes his leave and orders Oegwipali to watch over Juldarami. However, Juldarami takes his moment, attacks Oegwipali and seizes the phone, calling Geumsaegi for aid. He quickly tells him that the mice intend to meet with Jogjebi, but is interrupted when Mulmangcho returns and easily incapacitates the injured squirrel. Oegwipali wishes to kill him, but Mulmangcho refuses, stating he is useful alive.

Geumsaegi, now aware of Mulmangcho's role, decides to examine his file. He discovers that Mulmangcho is a field mouse who specializes in burrowing, and in particular has a talent for burrowing into solid rock. Geumsaegi decides to use Mulmangcho's talent for burrowing against him. He asks Jogjebi for permission to hold a "game" for the soldiers - a contest in burrowing for a fabulous prize which Mulmangcho will not be able to resist.

With permission granted, the game is announced and Mulmangcho is eager to participate in order to not only win the grand prize, but meet Jogjebi. However, The stranger appears and orders them to disguise themselves before participating, to which they both agree.

Oegwipali grooms and clips Mulmangcho's fur and removes his glasses, much to his brother's disdain, not appreciating his new look. However, when it is Oegwipali's turn to be groomed, he is shocked to see Mulmangcho pull out a knife. Mulmangcho teases that he has to slice off Oegwipali's remaining ear, but instead settles for Oegwipali hiding it beneath his cap.

At the game, Geumsaegi looks out for Mulmangcho but cannot seem to spot him. As the game commences, tests of speed, strength and stamina take place, and the mice struggle with all of these feats, Mulmangcho particularly as without his glasses, his vision is remarkably poor. However, when they reach the burrowing contest, Mulmangcho's talents finally outs him in Geumsaegi's eyes.

Geumsaegi asks Jogjebi to step out in order to catch him, and Jogjebi, fully trusting Geumsaegi, readily complies. As Mulmangcho wins the race, a female mouse leads him to Jogjebi's quarters only to find it empty. However, he opts to put his evidence inside the pocket of Jogjebi's Haori for him to find later.

Geumsaegi watches from afar.

The female mouse returns with a large giftbox containing Mulmangcho's prize. She informs him Jogjebi will meet with him later. As he leaves, Geumsaegi inspects the files left in Jogjebi's Haori to find the image revealing Juldarami to be a squirrel.

Mulmangcho and Oegwipali gleefully ride back to their hideaway to open the giftbox. A pair of armed crows burst forth and hold the mice at gunpoint, calling Geumsaegi to inform him of their location in the hospital basement. Whilst waiting for Geumsaegi's arrival, the mice quickly overpower and kill the crows and make their escape.

As Geumsaegi enters the basement, the door is shut and locked behind him, trapping him.

Mulmangcho finds his exits are surrounded, Geumsaegi's men expect him to burrow trough the stone and to be mindful. Cursing his bad luck, Mulmangcho and Oegwipali are forced to turn back.

Geumsaegi finds Juldarami's wounded form on the floor and tries to awaken him just as Mulmangcho returns.T he mouse knocks Geumsaegi aside and points his gun to Juldarami's head. He announces if he allows the mice to leave, he will allow Juldarami to live. Geumsaegi rebuffs him, stating there is more to them than just self preservation. Angered, Mulmangcho open fires. Alarmed for his friend's safety, Geumsaegi leaps to take the bullet for him and is shot. A stray bullet breaks open jars of medical alcohol and ignites it, sparking a fire that quickly spreads through the basement.

Oegwipali warns Mulmangcho that the oxygen tanks in storage will surely explode and the must escape. As if on cue, The stranger drops forth a rope for the mice and they scramble to escape. The stranger points out their escape route and the pair obey as Juldarami notices the stack of boxes leading to a potential escape.

Geumsaegi and Juldarami, in spite of their wounds, struggle to make a climbable tower to escape from, but fight over who should escape first. Eventually it is decided Juldarami must go first if Operation White Snow is to succeed. They struggle to get Juldarami to safety as the flames lick higher and draw closer to the oxygen tanks.

As Juldarami finally makes it to safety, the boxes they used to climb collapse and Geumsaegi has moments to act before the tanks finally explode. Juldarami bursts into tears as he presumes his friend dead. He recalls their old missions, their old friends, the late Scout Goseumdochi who gave his life for the mission, Murori who would have given her life for the mission.

Weeping and vulnerable, Juldarami lets his guard down as the mice return with their rope, and Mulmangcho, seeing his chance, loops a noose and tosses it for Juldarami's neck.

## Characters

### Heroes

* Geumsaegi
* Juldarami
* Commander Darami ***(Cameo appearance)***

* Commander Goseumdochi ***(Cameo appearance)***

* Commander Murori ***(Cameo appearance)***

### Villains

* Mulmangcho
* Oegwipali
* Geomeunjogjebi ***(First appearance)***

* Commander Jogjebi