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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