Chapter 8

GHOST

 

REVEAL JIYONG

               He is standing in front of Bae, watching. Quickly, Carl 
               begins punching commands into the computer. He is setting up 
               the dummy account. Rita Miller, #926-31043.

               INT. LOFT - THE SAME NIGHT

               Dara, in a short terrycloth robe, is sitting in a chair. A 
               magazine is on her lap but she is staring vacantly into the 
               loft. She seems lost in the vast space. Ji is pacing back 
               and forth. There is a melancholy look in his eyes.

                                     JI
                         Why can't you hear me, Dara? I need 
                         you.

               Suddenly the BELL rings. Dara jumps.

               Dara's finger is on the intercom. She seems unsettled.

                                     DARA
                         Who's there?

                                     BAE
                        Dara, it's Bae. Can I come up?

               Ji freezes.Dara is surprised. She hesitates a moment and 
               then pushes the buzzer to let him in. We hear Bae bounding 
               up the stairs.

                                    JI
                         Don't open it. He's a murderer, Dee!

               There is a KNOCK. Dara opens the door. Bae seems buoyant, 
               almost celebratory. He has a bag of fruit in his hand. He is 
               still in a suit and tie.

                                     BAE
                         Hi. Thanks. I know it's late. I'm 
                         sorry to disturb you. I felt bad 
                         about last night. This supernatural 
                         stuff just makes me so uncomfortable. 
                         I don't even read horoscopes.

                                    DARA
                         Don't worry. It's okay.

                                     BAE
                         No it's not. You needed me to hear 
                         you and I didn't and that was wrong. 
                         I want you to know that I'm your 
                         friend, Dee.

                                     JI
                         You were never our friend.

                                     BAE
                              (holding out a paper 
                              bag)
                         Hey, I brought you some Japanese 
                         apple pears. I know you like them.

                                     DARA
                              (taking the bag)
                         Oh, that's so sweet.

                                     BAE
                         Listen, can I come in for a minute? 
                         I won't stay long. I've had one of 
                         those days. Maybe a cup of coffee?

                                     JI
                         No, Dee. Don't do it. Don't let him 
                         in!

                                     DARA
                              (hesitating)
                         Sure.

               

               INT. LIVINGROOM - NIGHT

               Bae, in shirt sleeves and Dara in her robe, are sitting on 
               the couch drinking coffee. We notice that Bae is wearing 
               yellow suspenders. Ji is beside himself, watching them.

                                     DARA
                         Are you alright? You look nervous, 
                         upset.

                                     BAE
                              (glancing at her thighs)
                         What can I tell you. It's been tough. 
                         Hell, you know. It still hurts so 
                         much.
                              (he poses sadly)
                         Then on top of it all... it's the 
                         responsibilities. They've given me 
                         my own accounts, but I've had no 
                         time to adjust. My mind has been 
                         reeling.

               Dara reaches out and pats his arm. There is an awkward pause.

                                     BAE
                              (continuing)
                         Where were you this morning? I thought 
                         you were coming to the bank to sign 
                         those papers.

                                     DARA
                         I didn't have time.
                              (beat)
                         I went to the police, Bae.

               Ji looks at her, amazed. Bae, on the other hand, stiffens. 
               He laughs nervously.

                                     BAE
                         You're kidding. You really did it? I 
                         don't believe... What did you tell 
                         them? What did they say?

                                    DARA
                         You were right, you know. I felt 
                         like such a fool. They brought out a 
                         file on this psychic woman ten inches 
                         thick. It was awful.

                                     BAE
                              (relieved)
                         A ripoff artist, huh?

                                     JI
                              (shocked)
                         Dara, no.

                                     DARA
                         The sad part is that I believed her. 
                         I believed her, Ji.
                              (pause)
                         It was all a sham.

                                     JI
                              (relaxing)
                         Sometimes we need to believe.

                                     DARA
                         Why?... I was a fool. I don't believe 
                         anything anymore. Why would people 
                         do such things?

               Ji is devastated.

                                     BAE
                              (milking it)
                         It's hard to face reality, Dee, the 
                         hard cold facts of it. What you have 
                         to remember is the love you felt. 
                         That's what's real. You have to 
                         remember how good Ji was. How much 
                         he loved you.

               Dara holds back tears. Bae reaches out tenderly and  
               her hair.

                                    BAE
                              (continuing)
                         You were everything to him, Dara. 
                         You were his life.

                                     DARA
                              (finally crying)
                         I feel so alone.

                                     BAE
                         You're not alone. You're young. You've 
                         got so much talent. You're 
                         fantastically gorgeous.

                                     DARA
                              (appreciating his 
                              words)
                         Oh God, I don't know what's real 
                         anymore. I don't know what to think.

                                    BAE
                         Just think about Ji. Think about 
                         what he meant to you, the years you 
                         had together, how wonderful they 
                         were.

               Bae glides his hand slowly, lovingly across her cheek.

                                     BAE
                              (continuing)
                         Let your feelings out.

               Almost imperceptibly, his hand moves down to the nape of her 
               neck. As she moves, her robe opens slightly. Bae notices, 
               glimpsing her ness beneath it. jI notices, too. He 
               freezes.

                                     BAE
                              (continuing)
                         Life turns on a dime, Dee. People 
                         think they have forever, that they'll 
                         always have tomorrow. But it's not 
                         true. Ji taught us that. We have to 
                         live for now, for today.

               Dara can barely contain her tears. Bae moves toward her 
               moist cheeks and kisses them gently. Slowly, he guides his 
               lips to her neck and kisses it, too. It is all hateful and 
               sensual at the same time. Ji turns away.

               Dara feels Bae's tenderness, needs it. She does not notice 
               his hand reaching for the cord on her robe and slowly pulling 
               it toward him. With a little tug the cord unravels and the 
               robe falls open. Dara is confused, aroused, not sure what 
               to do. She starts to pull it closed. He holds her hand. For 
               a moment they do nothing. Then his fingers reach for her 
               thigh. Her body quivers. Bae feels her openness and pulls 
               closer, his hand rising gently up her  body.

               Dara's eyes close. She says nothing.

                                     JI
                         No!!!

               

               ANGLE

               Ji charges wildly at the couch and begins flailing 
               uncontrollably at the two of them. Unexpectedly his foot 
               kicks out and hits a framed photograph of him and Dara that's 
               sitting on an end table. The picture CRASHES to the floor, 
               the glass SHATTERING.

               Dara jumps up, the mood suddenly broken. She sees the photo 
               and recoils. Bae reaches for her. She backs away.

               Ji is stunned by what has happened. He jumps up and tries 
               kicking over another picture but nothing moves. His foot 
               goes right through it.

               Dara looks at Bae, drying her tears.

                                     DARA
                         I can't. I'm sorry. I can't. It's 
                         too soon... You've been great Bae, 
                         but... I need you to leave. Please. 
                         I need you to.

                                     BAE
                         Sure. It's okay. I understand. I 
                         really do.

               She reaches out and takes his hand.

                                     BAE
                              (continuing)
                         Look, what if we have dinner tomorrow 
                         night? Just talk. Can I interest you 
                         in that?

                                     JI
                         NO!!!

               Dara hesitates a moment and then nods her head "yes". Bae 
               smiles.

               INT. SUBWAY STATION - NIGHT

               Ji rushes madly down a flight of stairs into a subway 
               station. A train is just leaving. He jumps on board.

                                                                  

               INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - NIGHT

               Ji begins quickly casing the aisles, looking for something. 
               It is not there. Another train can be seen speeding past the 
               window. Ji takes a running leap and jumps onto it, passing 
               through the walls.

                                                                    

              

               ANGLE - JIYONG

               disappointed. Suddenly, an express train passes alongside 
               his local. Ji sticks his face inside it. Suddenly, he smiles 
               and rushes onto it.

               

               Ji does not have to stand there long. Within seconds, the 
               terrifying Ghost he had seen before comes charging at him. 
               We notice him more clearly now. He is wearing a dark blue 
               pea coat. There is a grizzled look about him. He has stained 
               teeth and seems perpetually unshaven.

                                     GHOST(T.O.P)
                         Get off my train!

               This time Ji does not back away. He holds his ground. The 
               Ghost lets fire every trick in his arsenal. Posters come 
               flying off the walls. A bag of groceries topples from a 
               woman's arms, an old man's cane flies across the aisle, a 
               boy's Mets cap flips off his head. People on the train move 
               quickly to other cars.

               Unable to frighten him, TOP kicks Ji in the stomach. 
               Ji recoils, feeling it, but gets back up again. He is angry 
               now. He begins raging at the other Ghost. The TOP is 
               shocked.

                                    JI
                         Teach me how you do that! I want to 
                         learn! I'm not leaving til you teach 
                         me!

               TOP, exhausted, looks up at him and smiles with 
               appreciation.

                                     GHOST(T.O.P)
                         You stubborn .

               Ji nods in agreement.

                                                                    

               JI AND T.O.P

               sitting in the corner of a deserted subway station. Ji is 
               trying desperately to push a bottle cap with his finger.

                                     T.O.P
                              (continuing)
                         What are you doing? What are you 
                         doing? You can't push it with your 
                         finger. You're dead.

               The Ghost demonstrates, kicking a garbage pail onto its side. 
               Ji can't quite tell how he did it.

                                     JI
                         I don't get it.

                                     T.O.P
                         It's your mind, you idiot. It's all 
                         in the mind. The problem is you think 
                         you're still real, that you're 
                         standin' on the floor, that you're 
                         wearin' those clothes. Bull! You 
                         don't even have a body anymore. It's 
                         all up here. You wanna move things, 
                         you gotta use your mind. You gotta 
                         focus! You hear what I'm saying?

                                     JI
                         How do you focus?

                                     T.O.P
                         I don't know how you focus! You just 
                         focus!

               With surprising energy, the Ghost flicks a bottle cap and 
               sends it shooting across the subway platform.

                                     T.O.P
                              (continuing)
                         It's all in the anger. You gotta 
                         direct it. You gotta channel it.

                                     JI
                         I'm angry all the time. It doesn't 
                         do a thing.

                                     T.O.P
                         Cause you're angry all over. You 
                         gotta be angry here, in the pit of 
                         your stomach. Bring it down here. 
                         Let it explode.
                              (he makes an explosive 
                              gesture)
                         It's like a reactor, you know. Pow!

               He kicks a Coke can toward Ji. Ji tries to kick it back 
               and misses. TOP laughs. Ji gets angry. He tries again 
               and falls on his head. TOP laughs louder. Now Ji is 
               really angry. We see him forcing the anger down into his 
               stomach. He holds still for a moment and then kicks at the 
               can with all his might. To his shock and amazement, it sails 
               right through TOP's head. TOP smiles.

                                     JI
                         I did it!

                                     T.O.P
                         Way to go.
 
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Comments

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YellowTaco
#1
lol! I was scared when I saw the poster but I realize its DaraGon! Is it?
Maude-ish
#2
your chapter poster looks like top.. i thought it was not until i realized it was dara and gd..hahaha followed you on twitter btw .. XD
Rawr_Tabi
#3
LOL just watched this yesterday at HBO XD ~Ooohh my love my darling I hunger for your touch!~ :)))) \m/
darayong
#4
Cool! Just watched Ghost earlier too! Goodluck with the fic! :) *thumbs up*