Chapter Text
He made one last effort to search in his heart for the place where his affection had rotted away, and he could not find it.
—
In the distance, the clamoring of drums and gongs spilled over the village, a feverish dream. Their echoes poured into the shrine with the heat of summer as Baek Saheon curled into himself on the wooden parquet.
The stench of sour wine lingered in the air. Gold-leafed motifs on the ceiling, garish paintings on the walls-- everywhere he looked, Saheon was met with revolting sights. His vision spun; he rolled over to his other side, but the shrine only closed in on him further.
Meanwhile, the swollen mass in his throat heaved upwards, upwards.
"F-fuu-, oohh-- f... Mmmh--"
Hands flying to his throat, his legs buckled, sandals chafing against the floor. Saheon's head was pounding uncontrollably-- sweat was springing up on his face-- out, he just had to let it all out, he just...
"--hhkk..!"
A hooked leg had raked against his tonsils. Saheon's mouth parted involuntarily, saliva trailing down his chin. With a lethargic spasm, the warm bulk swelled against his palate; Saheon's tongue pulled back on instinct-- his jaw strained wider, corners tearing raw; and with another convulsion, antennae protruded out of his lips.
At this moment, a--
SCRIPT
Nickname : Viper.
An employee of Daydream Inc. in <Dark Exploration Records>
Final rank - Section Chief
Total number of Exploration Records - 106
Written by : [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
Copyright © [][][][][] [][][][][][][]
FINAL VERSION
Confidentiality Notice:
The contents of this document and any supporting or attached information is confidential and privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please be notified that disclosing or making use of the contents without permission is prohibited. If you receive this document erroneously, please contact [][][][][] [][][][][][][][][][][] immediately.
MAIN CAST
(in order of appearance)
BAEK SAHEON
A simple and devout village boy. Aged fifteen, later twenty-five.
BAEK SAYUN
A simple and devout village girl. Aged seventeen.
KIM SOLEUM
A sinister, thrill-seeking salaryman. Aged twenty-seven.
GO YOUNGEUN
A medical school dropout turned salarywoman. Aged twenty-nine.
CENTIPEDE
A centipede.
--
The story is set intermittently between the past and the present.
INT. BAEK FAMILY HOUSE - DAY
An orange goldfish lies, soft and rotting, on the wooden parquet near the front door. Ants are swarming around it, pulling at its scales. A pair of sandals pause besides the goldfish. It's BAEK SAHEON, aged fifteen, standing next to a table with an empty fishbowl. Disgusted, he stares down at the goldfish, then steps over it. The bells of the front door jingle as he exits the house.
CUT TO...
EXT. JISAN VILLAGE - DAY
...the bustling main square of Jisan. As rooster-brooched villagers gather, BAEK SAHEON is careful to stay at the back of the crowd. The gold-tipped roof of the shrine is almost white in the brutal sun; BAEK SAHEON squints, sweat trailing down his neck.
A gong cuts through the air and four villagers step out of the crowd. Their heads are obscured by cloth even in the suffocating heat. Meanwhile, the background noise of the crowd continues; however, one person's voice is discernible.
CLASSMATE 1: Ugh...
BAEK SAHEON watches her out of the corner of his eye, expressionless.
The four villagers have started to ascend the steps of the shrine, movements oddly in-sync. As they rise to the platform, an older woman places a hand on CLASSMATE 1's shoulder.
WOMAN: Your father is freeing us from the truth of the world, Yiseo-ah.
Concurrently, a hand taps BAEK SAHEON on the shoulder. Standing behind him is BAEK SAYUN, wearing a cotton dress.
BAEK SAYUN: (voice low) Is that Joon Yiseo?
BAEK SAHEON: Yes. Good riddance to her father, right?
BAEK SAYUN: What? What do you have against him?
BAEK SAHEON: Well, if someone had to die, I'm just glad it's someone from that family. Maybe they'll start running out of members to inbreed with.
At this, BAEK SAYUN hits his arm harshly.
BAEK SAYUN: Don't say that kind of shit in public.
Although he knows she's right, BAEK SAHEON slaps her back vindicatively.
BAEK SAYUN: I'm serious, don't say that!
BAEK SAHEON: Fuck off, I know.
VILLAGER: Shhh!
Another gong cuts through the air as the four villagers take their places in front of wooden stools. Above them, frayed nooses dangle from the upper scaffold of the shrine.
The murmurs of the crowd have decayed into silence. Then, all of a sudden:
CLASSMATE 1: (voice cracking) Sansanbaekjisanbokjisanbokjisa!
It kickstarts everything.
CROWD: Sansanbaekjisanbokjisanbokjisa! Sansanbaekjisanbokjisanbokjisa!
Cheering and clapping fill the air as the villagers climb on top of their stools. One by one, they place their heads through the nooses.
After BAEK SAYUN violently elbows him, BAEK SAHEON starts clapping and sullenly mouthing the cheer. His face is pale, and another bead of sweat drips down his temple.
One by one, the villagers kick over their stools and swing from their nooses.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Their necks are broken, bent at an impossible angle.
Expression blank, BAEK SAHEON keeps clapping and mouthing the cheer. But his eyes dart to the side -- at the golden rod sticking out of BAEK SAYUN's chest pocket.
INT. BAEK FAMILY HOUSE - DAY
The orange goldfish is still rotting next to the front door. It's more brown than orange, now, and the ants have made fine work out of it. The bells of the front door jingle. A set of sandals walks past it, while a second set pauses just before the fish.
BAEK SAYUN: Can you clean this up?
BAEK SAHEON: (not looking back) You're closer to it. Clean it up yourself.
BAEK SAHEON takes off his sandals and wanders into the kitchen. Irritated, BAEK SAYUN does the same as BAEK SAHEON pours a glass of water.
BAEK SAYUN: Hello? It's your fish.
BAEK SAHEON: It's the family fish.
BAEK SAYUN: Okay, but you asked Gomo for it.
BAEK SAHEON: I'm not your servant just because you're going to kill yourself next year.
A beat as BAEK SAYUN just stares at him. Avoiding eye contact, BAEK SAHEON brings his glass up to his mouth.
BAEK SAHEON: Well, I'm not taking it back. It's true.
BAEK SAYUN: Stop saying things like that, I'm serious. How can you be so stupid? A coward like you should know--
BAEK SAHEON: I only say them to you!
BAEK SAYUN: Well, you can't say them to me anymore.
BAEK SAHEON: What? Are you just giving up now that you're dying next year? Did they indoctrinate you when they dragged you into the--
All of a sudden, he stumbles back, and the cup of water in his hand spills over the floor -- BAEK SAYUN has shoved him. She's frighteningly pale, and her hands are shaking. Without saying another word, she turns around and heads into the living room. Even though the sun is still shining outside, she draws the curtains over the window.
From the kitchen, BAEK SAHEON watches her silently. Then, he grabs a paper towel from the counter. As he heads towards the front door, BAEK SAYUN remains in front of the curtain, standing unsteadily as if lost in contemplation.
BAEK SAHEON bends down to scoop up the goldfish with the paper towel. His face is screwed up with disgust -- it feels squishy and smells rancid, and most of all, it is covered with ants. With his bare feet, BAEK SAHEON steps on the rest of the ants on the floor.
BAEK SAHEON: I think about it all the time, you know. What to do if I... I mean, if we got chosen. Maybe --
BAEK SAYUN: (snapping) How many trash ideas did you come up with?
BAEK SAHEON: The Bureau idea was not trash, Noona! It's not my fault you're a bad actor!
Irritated now, and gingerly pinching the ends of the paper towel, BAEK SAHEON stalks back into the kitchen to drop the goldfish into the trash. BAEK SAYUN turns towards him.
BAEK SAYUN: They're professionals, Saheon, how can professionals ever think it's natural to pluck an unknown object from some random--
BAEK SAHEON: Okay, well, you could have seduced some outsider to do it. Do I have to do all the heavy lifting here?
BAEK SAYUN: (abrasively mocking) I’m well aware of your little fantasy. Some girl, madly in love with--
BAEK SAHEON: (face turning red) It's not like that...! What, are you mad that I didn't offer to take it from you? Whatever. Since I'm so kind, I'll try to think of something else for your ungrateful ass.
He turns around to head towards his room. Behind him, BAEK SAYUN's expression is unfocused. She has become unnaturally pale, her hands trembling.
BAEK SAYUN: D-don't...
Off-screen, the bells on the front door jingle. BAEK SAHEON pauses in his steps. A flicker of nervousness crosses his face before it settles into forced neutrality. BAEK SAYUN startles, color returning to her cheeks as she turns around.
BAEK SAYUN: Gomo!
GOMO -- their aunt -- is a middle-aged woman with the same light brown hair. She takes her slippers off at the door, stepping barefoot on an ant in the process.
GOMO: (frowning) You two... What were you two arguing about? Today is a happy day, and you're arguing? I could hear it from outside the door. (beat) What is Saheon offering to take from you, Sayun?
BAEK SAHEON: [Chores.]
BAEK SAYUN: [over] N..nothing.
A long pause. It's clear why BAEK SAHEON accused her of being a bad actor.
GOMO: I... see.
Another long pause.
GOMO: Well... I suppose you got the idea from your friends. A lot of families around here are like that. And... There's nothing wrong with it, but in our family, we don't marry with the same blood. There are a lot of [risks and complications that--]
BAEK SAHEON: [over] Oh my God.
BAEK SAYUN: [over] That's not-- we weren't planning on--
GOMO: (insistent) No, there's nothing wrong with it. It's just that our family--
INT. BAEK FAMILY HOUSE - NIGHT
An awkward dinner. The air is filled only with the scraping of utensils. They're eating at a small, cramped table in the kitchen, laid out with various traditional dishes. Among them, the main course stands proudly at the center. It's cod fish, soaked in hazel broth and sprinkled with garlic, chives, and chilli pepper.
Eventually, GOMO opens her mouth.
GOMO: We’re so blessed to have had two sacrifices in the family. Sayun-ah, I am truly so proud of you. Over all of these years, watching you blossom into a young woman... You’re following in your mother’s footsteps, yet it feels like I’ve raised you myself.
At this, BAEK SAHEON stifles a snort but quickly sobers up. BAEK SAYUN just keeps her gaze fixed on the bowl, shifting the food around with her chopsticks. The silence grows long.
GOMO: Come on! It's a happy day, you two, be happy! Our family has been chosen to offer ourselves to Jisan. Isn't it nice? Knowing that through our dedication, the village will receive Jisan’s favor and blessings?
No response.
GOMO: Are you, perhaps... afraid, Sayun-ah?
BAEK SAYUN: (too quickly) No.
GOMO: (ignoring her) Well, don't be. They may teach you at school to fear foolish things like death, but the people of Jisan... We are the luckiest people alive, do you understand? To be able to worship Jisan is no laughing matter. And you, especially, are fortunate to have been chosen by the lottery. Chosen ones like you and your mother -- as long as you devote yourself to Jisan, Jisan will grant you endless opportunities on this Earth.
BAEK SAYUN: You mean, in the traditional band?
GOMO: What else?
BAEK SAYUN: Uh... No, you're right.
GOMO: You like music, don't you, Sayun-ah?
BAEK SAHEON: (under his breath) She's not very good at it.
BAEK SAYUN: Shut up. (politely) I do, Gomo.
GOMO: There's no need to be jealous, Saheon-ah. There's always next year's lottery.
BAEK SAHEON: (against himself) Is that right? I guess I'll only get the chance if I don't throw myself into the well like Appa did.
As soon as the words come out of his mouth, he visibly regrets it. BAEK SAYUN kicks him harshly under the table.
A long pause.
GOMO: Whatever happens, happens because Jisan wills it to be. I'm sure... Jisan is putting your father to good use.
BAEK SAHEON doesn't respond, just avoiding her eyes. Silence returns to the table as the scraping of utensils fills the air again. In between stealing glances at BAEK SAYUN, GOMO starts silently crying.
EXT. FOREST - DAY
The woods reverberate with a low hum as dappled light shifts over the undergrowth. BAEK SAHEON, twenty-five, walks aimlessly on a dirt path.
Above him, through the gaps in the canopy -- a legion of breathtakingly golden fish. Their scales flash like coins as they swim below the clouds. As their shadows ripple over BAEK SAHEON's eyes, their snouts unhinge in a chorus.
FISH: Ay-ee-oooo, ay-i-ay-ii oooo...
Without realizing it, BAEK SAHEON has stopped walking, head tilted back to watch the fish glide through the sky. After a second, he glances back down. A large black ant is crawling across his foot, pausing intermittently as if bewildered by his sweat.
BAEK SAHEON blinks at it slowly. For a moment, he simply stands there. Then, with the ant still clinging to his ankle, he lifts his gaze and continues walking.
As BAEK SAHEON heads deeper into the forest, each step is slow and disorienting. Flies have started to infest the air. He grimaces and clasps a hand over his nose. On his lower leg, the giant ant has been joined by several smaller ones, surveying the hairs of his calf.
And then, under a patch of sunlight --
Overripe flesh, pocked with red and brown. Maggots churn through an arm-like lump and beetles scuttle between patches of exposed fat. A familiar cotton dress is keeping the rest of the body futilely modest; its upper half is caked in mud, and its lower half carries the darker stain of feces.
BAEK SAHEON's expression does not change. As he makes his way towards the body, each step flattens half as many ants that crawl up his sandals.
At last, BAEK SAHEON kneels beside the carcass. With quivering fingers, he eases the figure's greasy locks over its shoulder, exposing its unnaturally crumpled neck.
BAEK SAHEON hesitates, then reaches out again to tilt its head towards him. Half-eaten and speckled with dirt -- it's his own face, utterly ruined.
Involuntarily, BAEK SAHEON's mouth parts.
BAEK SAHEON: Hgk...!
Yellow chunks splatter across the corpse's cheekbones before dripping down, washing the ants in bile. Above in the sky, the goldfish --
FISH: Ay-ee-oooo, ay-i-ay-ii oooo...
INT. DAYDREAM APARTMENT - NIGHT
BAEK SAHEON, aged twenty-five, bolts upright in a dark room. His room. It's impersonal and neutral, more like a hotel than the company dorm. He lets out an unintelligible moan as he presses a hand to the medical eyepatch that now covers his left eye.
After a moment, his hand drops to grope blindly around his bedside table. At last, he picks up his phone and squints at it. It's 4:03 AM.
Suddenly, in his ear -- the buzz of a mosquito, or maybe a fly. BAEK SAHEON ignores it, swinging his legs off his bed to sit upright. His phone lights the way as he staggers to his bedroom door.
When BAEK SAHEON pulls the door open, he pauses. A faint light flickers from the living room down the hallway. The television is on.
VOICE OF CHILD: For the kids at home, say it with me now! I-ri-de-scent.
VOICE OF KIM SOLEUM: (dutifully) Iridescent.
VOICE OF CHILD: Fantastic job! Say, how is this beetle iridescent, Professor Yeon?
VOICE OF ADULT: That's a great question! Beetles actually do not produce any specialized pigments. Instead, the cuticles of beetles physically trap and redirect...
Each step is slow and disorienting. As BAEK SAHEON trails closer to the living room, he sees that the screen has -- bark-like insects, scuttling between patches of slick fat. BAEK SAHEON brings a hand to his mouth as if to vomit. However, with another blink, the beetles morph into a turquoise oil spill on an ADULT'S palm.
BAEK SAHEON: (involuntarily) Ah...?
KIM SOLEUM jerks his shoulders up and whips around. Within a split-second, his shoulders relax again -- it's like BAEK SAHEON was imagining it.
KIM SOLEUM: You're up early.
KIM SOLEUM turns back towards the television, but his eyes flicker down to the rabbit plushie sitting on the table. KIM SOLEUM rotates it to face him.
BAEK SAHEON: Good morning, Supervisor-nim.
KIM SOLEUM: (distracted) Mm-hm.
BAEK SAHEON's hand hovers over the light switch on the wall, then drops. Better to let the psychopath take the lead on the lighting.
Suddenly, in BAEK SAHEON's ear: the same buzz from before. BAEK SAHEON ignores it again. He walks over to the kitchen and takes a mug from the counter. But as he heads towards the sink, BAEK SAHEON pauses mid-movement. He looks down at the empty cup while his other hand trails towards his medical eyepatch.
Thirty seconds pass. KIM SOLEUM looks over at him.
KIM SOLEUM: Are you just going to stand at the sink all day?
BAEK SAHEON startles. Then --
BAEK SAHEON: (impulsively) Do you think I'm getting fat?
KIM SOLEUM's expression remains carefully blank. After a moment, he turns back to the television.
KIM SOLEUM: I can't say that I ever paid attention. Go buy a scale.
BAEK SAHEON: Right. Sorry, Supervisor-nim, I don't know what got into me.
Suddenly, in BAEK SAHEON's ear: the same buzz from before. BAEK SAHEON twitches, and he looks back down at the mug in his hand. He slowly sets it back down.
BAEK SAHEON: There's a fly buzzing around in here.
KIM SOLEUM: Okay.
BAEK SAHEON: I've seen ten ants this week alone. There are probably more.
KIM SOLEUM: Okay.
BAEK SAHEON: I think we have an infestation or something.
The television illuminates KIM SOLEUM's face as his gaze flickers to the pink rabbit plushie on the table again.
KIM SOLEUM: Go buy repellents, then.
A pause.
KIM SOLEUM: And send me the receipt.
It's uncharacteristically generous. BAEK SAHEON stares at him for a moment.
BAEK SAHEON: Yes. Okay. Thank you, supervisor-nim.
KIM SOLEUM ignores him, seemingly bored. He picks up the television remote and switches the channel. Drums and gongs fill the living room as dancers stride across the screen, golden ribbons trailing behind them.
BAEK SAHEON is struck by a wave of nausea. He looks at the mug near the sink again, then turns away to walk unsteadily back to his bedroom.
INT. HIGH SCHOOL - DAY
Sunlight spills through the windows of the classroom, bright and relentless as chatter fills the air. The JISAN STUDENTS cluster together in one corner of the room.
In the foreground, BAEK SAHEON, fifteen, hunches over a workbook at his desk. CLASSMATE 1 -- the girl from the festival -- sits morosely at the adjacent desk. Between them, THREE OTHER CLASSMATES stand clustered together in conversation.
CLASSMATE 2: --But this year, a kid our age got chosen, right?
CLASSMATE 4: Yeah, the girl who keeps applying to paint the school mural. Honestly, I don't know why she keeps applying. She can barely draw a straight line.
CLASSMATE 2: Ah, really? I think I've seen her around. Baek Sayun, right?
CLASSMATE 3: Too bad we won’t be seeing her around anymore. Good for her, I guess-- but kind of a loss for the rest of us. She’s pretty cute.
CLASSMATE 2: What? She gets to skip out on school?
CLASSMATE 4: She has more important things to do, you know. Probably. I don't know what they do at the shrine all day.
CLASSMATE 3: Man, I wish I won the lottery, that sounds like a dream.
CLASSMATE 4: Hang on, isn't Baek Saheon her brother?
BAEK SAHEON has been ignoring them for the entire time, but at the mention of his name, he looks up. Giving them a polite smile --
BAEK SAHEON: (uncharacteristically softly) I'm sorry? I wasn't paying attention.
It is a lie. He totally was.
CLASSMATE 2: Wow, so hard working-- you're making the rest of us look bad, haha.
CLASSMATE 3: Now that his sister's been chosen, I guess he has to find a wife like the rest of us.
CLASSMATE 4: Oh, that's true. No more backup plan, right?
BAEK SAHEON's face flickers with incredulity. In the background, CLASSMATE 1 lifts her head from her desk before quickly dropping her gaze again, fingers twisting in her skirt. Meanwhile --
CLASSMATE 2: Hey, what does your sister do now that she's not going to school?
CLASSMATE 4: Oh, that's a good question. Like, does she get trained? Is she practicing rituals?
CLASSMATE 2: It's kind of cool, isn't it? The shroud of secrecy. Appa never told me anything about it when he was selected.
Pencil resting still in his hand, BAEK SAHEON watches them from beneath his eyelashes.
BAEK SAHEON: Yes, it's very cool. Anyway, Noona doesn't tell me anything about it either, so--
CLASSMATE 3: (cutting him off) But you're so close in age, surely you know something?
BAEK SAHEON: Um... I just know that she goes to the shrine every day. She doesn't talk about it. She's probably not allowed to talk about it... They have their own restrictions, you know.
CLASSMATE 2: I'm kind of curious now. Has anyone tried to follow one of the sacrifices to see--
CLASSMATE 4: That's sacrilegious, isn't it?
CLASSMATE 1: I just wanted to say, um--
The JISAN STUDENTS all turn toward CLASSMATE 1, who has been quietly sitting at her desk until now. She flushes under their gaze
CLASSMATE 1: Um, sorry. I just wanted to say-- congratulations Baek Saheon-ssi. (beat) Your family must be very proud of your sister.
CLASSMATE 2: That's right, we never said--
CLASSMATE 4: Yeah, congratulations, Baek Saheon-ssi.
CLASSMATE 3: Sansanbaekjisanbokjisanbokjisa.
BAEK SAHEON's eyebrows knit briefly before his expression smooths over. He nods politely at everyone then offers CLASSMATE 1 a bright smile.
BAEK SAHEON: Thank you.
CLASSMATE 1's flush deepens as she turns away and the others drift back into idle chatter. Smile fixed on his face, BAEK SAHEON considers CLASSMATE 1 for a beat before finally lowering his eyes to his workbook.
CUT TO...
EXT. JISAN VILLAGE - NIGHT
...Moonlight pooling across the main square of Jisan. Sitting against the shrine wall is BAEK SAHEON, expression blank and arms folded over his knees.
At the faint shuffle of footsteps, he rises to his feet, an uncharacteristic warmth flickering over his face. CLASSMATE 1 rounds the corner just then, clutching her bag to her side.
CLASSMATE 1: (flustered) You... wanted to talk to me?
BAEK SAHEON ducks his head, offering her a shy smile. His hands twist together in front of him.
BAEK SAHEON: Um... Thank you for coming. There’s, ah... something I wanted to ask you.
CLASSMATE 1’s cheeks flush a deep red. She nods quickly, almost too quickly.
BAEK SAHEON: Let’s walk somewhere quieter?
CUT TO...
INT. COMPANY ELEVATOR
...BAEK SAHEON, twenty-five, standing in the corner of the elevator. In the opposite corner, a young woman with a short brown bob.
ROBOTIC VOICE: Going up.
Suddenly -- a high-pitched buzz in BAEK SAHEON's ear. He swats at it reflexively.
GO YOUNGEUN: (coughing politely) Is there a fly in here?
BAEK SAHEON: ...Do you think I'm swatting at thin air?
GO YOUNGEUN: I was just wondering if it was a mosquito or something.
She looks annoyed.
CUT TO...
INT. DAYDREAM CONFERENCE ROOM
... a coldly lit conference room. Employees are gathered around a long wooden table, while a woman stands alone at the head, manila folder in hand.
EMPLOYEE 1: -- are forbidden from exiting, while said rules are mostly established on a case-by-case basis. Previously, we have only allowed one participant from each Team, but the Research Department --
GO YOUNGEUN sits across from BAEK SAHEON. As EMPLOYEE 1 talks, BAEK SAHEON visibly zones out. GO YOUNGEUN's own gaze flits around the room, and she startles when a bulbous fly lands on BAEK SAHEON's left cheek.
He doesn't seem to notice. The fly crawls further up his cheek until it almost reaches the boundary of his eyepatch.
Discreetly, GO YOUNGEUN kicks BAEK SAHEON under the table. BAEK SAHEON startles -- had he not slept well? -- and quickly shoots a glare at her.
GO YOUNGEUN points at her right cheek. Confused, BAEK SAHEON's hand drifts up. As he does, however, the fly burrows under BAEK SAHEON'S eyepatch. GO YOUNGEUN cringes, but somehow, BAEK SAHEON doesn't seem to notice that either.
EMPLOYEE 1: -- with all that being said, do we have any questions?
Silence.
GO YOUNGEUN: (raising a hand) No questions about the Darkness, Supervisor-nim. Could we have a few minutes before entering the Darkness, though? I'd like to use the restroom.
EMPLOYEE 1: Yes, go ahead. Let's regroup in five.
GO YOUNGEUN: Baek Saheon-ssi, could you show me where the restrooms are?
Having zoned out again -- rather uncharacteristically -- BAEK SAHEON startles.
BAEK SAHEON: What? I don't know where --
GO YOUNGEUN: (loudly) Great. Thank you, Baek Saheon-ssi, let's go together.
INT. EMPTY MEN'S BATHROOM
BAEK SAHEON stands awkwardly between the sinks and the urinals as GO YOUNGEUN flips the lock on the bathroom door.
BAEK SAHEON: ...What is this? Are you prepositioning me?
GO YOUNGEUN: (turning around) Huh? Don't be disgusting. I just wanted to tell you a fly crawled into your eye.
BAEK SAHEON: I'm sorry?
GO YOUNGEUN: Um. A fly crawled into...
She points at her right eye.
GO YOUNGEUN: Sorry, I guess it would be your eyepatch.
BAEK SAHEON stares at her, frozen for a second, then curses, ripping the medical eyepatch off of his face.
GO YOUNGEUN: (surprised) Oh, you got another one.
BAEK SAHEON ignores her, whipping around to stare at his reflection in the mirror. In the normally-hidden socket -- the prosthetic that KIM SOLEUM traded him has rotted into a sludge. White maggots churn through a slick, dark gel, and just as GO YOUNGEUN said, a fly nips away at the glisteningly violet iris.
BAEK SAHEON's face twists with sheer revulsion. GO YOUNGEUN just peers over his shoulder with a strange indifference.
GO YOUNGEUN: I guess that's why you didn't feel it. Can you tell if the fly is, er, in there?
BAEK SAHEON: (slowly) Can I tell if... Go Youngeun, are you kidding me right now?
GO YOUNGEUN: (offended) I wouldn't know how the nerve endings work for a prosthetic.
She has a point. Hand rising to his face, BAEK SAHEON tries to sink his fingers into the sludge, only to meet a slick, transparent film -- the fly is buried under the cornea. He lets out a frustrated breath and attempts to tear the membrane with his nails, but his fingers glide uselessly over the insect.
BAEK SAHEON: Fuck! Why can't that fucking fly--
GO YOUNGEUN: We only have 2 minutes left, Baek Saheon-ssi. Let me try.
BAEK SAHEON lowers his hand and stares at her reflection, then turns obligingly towards her. However, GO YOUNGEUN just steps to another sink and starts washing her hands.
BAEK SAHEON: What are you doing? We only have 2 minutes left.
GO YOUNGEUN: I'll be able to do it. Just let me sterilize my hands.
BAEK SAHEON: It's not like it matters.
GO YOUNGEUN: (irritated) That attitude is why you lost your eye, Baek Saheon-ssi.
The faucet shuts off with a squeak. GO YOUNGEUN shakes the water from her hands, then turns to BAEK SAHEON. She steps in close, her face impassive, and raises one hand to cradle the edge of his right cheekbone.
BAEK SAHEON's shoulders are stiff, but he doesn’t move away.
GO YOUNGEUN's other hand rises, thumb and pointer carefully pinching into the bottom of his eye socket. Then, with a quick movement, her fingers sink along the underside of the eye. When she extracts them, a bulbous fly wriggles in her hand.
A sudden light-headedness rolls over BAEK SAHEON.
The bottom of his eye socket. Was that where it was? But no, what about the one nipping at his pupil? On reflex, BAEK SAHEON turns to look at the mirror, but GO YOUNGEUN is still gripping his head in place. His eyes roll frantically towards the glass --
No sludge, no maggots, just his ordinary prosthetic.
Meanwhile, GO YOUNGEUN flicks the injured fly into the sink, but oddly enough, she's still cupping his cheek. The reason soon becomes clear as her hand returns to his eye and presses a thumb directly against the slick surface of the eye.
BAEK SAHEON: Ghk..!
Before BAEK SAHEON can react, GO YOUNGEUN lets go of his head. BAEK SAHEON staggers back as GO YOUNGEUN frowns, lifting her thumb to her nose.
BAEK SAHEON: You-- You freak! What the fuck are--
GO YOUNGEUN: (cutting him off) The smell. It's foul. That's why the fly crawled into your eye.
BAEK SAHEON: ...I'm sorry?
GO YOUNGEUN: I don't know where or when you got it, but if this isn't normal, you should get it checked out. The abnormality might spread outside of the prosthetic.
Although it's evident that she dislikes him, her words are firm and professional.
GO YOUNGEUN: If you're not sure, you should just get rid of it.
A sickly pallor clings to BAEK SAHEON’s face. After a long pause, his lips part stiffly.
BAEK SAHEON: That won't solve it. But... thank you anyways for your help. (beat) Miss Goral.
GO YOUNGEUN is startled by the sudden courtesy.
GO YOUNGEUN: Huh? Oh. You’re welcome.
She gives him a strange look before walking out of the bathroom, not checking to see if he follows.
BAEK SAHEON stares after her for a moment, as if lost in thought. Then, he reaches into the sink and crushes the fly beneath his thumb before following.
EXT. RURAL ROAD - DUSK
The sky unspools in a cascade of orange and pink behind magnificent golden clouds. The heat of the summer day is decaying into the night. Against the brilliance of the sunset, BAEK SAHEON, fifteen, pedals past a field -- his expression is blank, almost bored.
INT. BUREAU OUTPOST - DUSK
A small office tucked into a concrete building. A BUREAU EMPLOYEE sits behind a desk. Across from him, BAEK SAHEON seems uncharacteristically shy, fidgeting with the strap of his bag.
BAEK SAHEON: (voice quivering) Um... I came here because there’s a situation. A contamination? Whatever it is that you people call it.
He slides his phone across the table. Looking dubious, AGENT presses the screen. A grainy video plays: nighttime footage of the outside of a girl's bathroom in a school. The microphone catches a girl’s muffled voice, delirious, trembling. Her face is never shown.
VOICE OF GIRL: How much longer do I have to look at this mirror?
VOICE OF BAEK SAHEON: Until it starts looking weird.
VOICE OF GIRL: ...It started looking weird a few m--
BAEK SAHEON reaches over to press pause on the video.
BAEK SAHEON: (high-pitched) This was just a stupid dare. But then...
He fast forwards into the video, where his past self had dropped the phone. VOICE OF GIRL is shrieking. He pauses the video again.
BAEK SAHEON: And then she wouldn't wake up for a whole day. And now that she's up, she's been acting... Um. I don't know, she's been weird.
BUREAU EMPLOYEE: (squinting) Who is this?
BAEK SAHEON: (beat) My sister. The point is-- it’s getting worse. She's not behaving like herself. She's a musician, right? But lately, all of her compositions sound... I don't know, they're demonic. It's nothing like what she used to play. And she's an artist, too, and she keeps drawing these--
BAEK SAHEON takes his phone in hand again and swipes to an image.
BAEK SAHEON: These-- creepy things. I don't even know what they mean.
The BUREAU EMPLOYEE leans over to peer at the screen. It's BAEK SAYUN, proudly standing next to her proposal for the school mural. The painting shows a ring of children smiling and holding hands, except their faces are wrong-- like crude human expressions grafted onto flesh-colored carrots. Their hands are grotesquely oversized, and the circle they form is more like a collection of bodies crammed into the outline of a perfect cage.
BAEK SAYUN, who holds a v-sign in the photo... is evidently very, very ill.
BUREAU EMPLOYEE: (beat) I'll send a dispatch request.
EXT. BAEK FAMILY HOUSE - AFTERNOON
A golden butterfly flutters in the foreground as BAEK SAHEON leads an AGENT down the narrow dirt path. His eyes flicker nervously towards the windows, but seeing that the curtains are closed, he relaxes imperceptively.
As they approach, the warbling of an untuned piano drifts into the air. BAEK SAHEON pushes open the front door and sees...
INT. BAEK FAMILY HOUSE - AFTERNOON
...BAEK SAYUN hunched over the piano. She's singing something under her breath, painfully off-key, and appears to be trying to replicate the melody on the piano.
Sheets of music are scattered across the floor around her. BAEK SAHEON stoops to pick one up, then lifts it toward the AGENT with an expression of deep unease. It's an original composition.
BAEK SAHEON: (reading) I wanted to evade a love, and that's what made that I-- made that I?-- escape and see the sky-- the sky, color of... roses? (under breath) See how incoherent she's become?
BAEK SAYUN: (without looking up) Stop looking at my music.
She bangs out a final note and swivels on the stool. However, the moment her eyes land on the AGENT lingering awkwardly by the doorway, BAEK SAYUN startles.
BAEK SAYUN: Who the fuck are you! Saheon, who the fuck is he?
BAEK SAHEON: He's, uhh-- well, he's a doctor, Noona.
Then, BAEK SAHEON shoots her an infuriating smile. It's clear that BAEK SAYUN doesn't believe him, and it's clear that BAEK SAHEON knows it. The AGENT clears his throat and steps forward, drawing from his bag a red ball of yarn strung with tiny golden bells.
AGENT: Excuse me, Baek Sayun-ssi. Would you stand up, please? I just need to check something.
BAEK SAYUN: (growing pale) Um... No thanks.
But then she lurches forward -- BAEK SAHEON has shoved her off the stool, forcing her to stagger to a stand.
BAEK SAHEON: You're not in your right mind, Noona. Just trust me.
BAEK SAYUN: What are you--
The golden bells tinkle as the AGENT begins coiling the yarn around BAEK SAYUN’S torso. She freezes.
BAEK SAHEON: Trust me, Noona, this will fix everything.
BAEK SAYUN: Y-you...
With each pass of the yarn, BAEK SAYUN's breaths become more short and ragged. As the yarn tightens around her ribs, the blood drains from her face, sweat condensing on her forehead. BAEK SAHEON doesn't notice. He's carefully watching the AGENT's hands.
As the AGENT ties the final knot, BAEK SAYUN's body begins to lock up, joints stiffening unnaturally. At this, BAEK SAHEON looks up and meets BAEK SAYUN's unfocused gaze. She looks terrified.
BAEK SAHEON: (belatedly) Shit. Untie it.
AGENT: The ritual requires--
But BAEK SAHEON has already reached out, looking more frustrated than anything as he fumbles with the knot. It quickly loosens, and the red yarn falls to BAEK SAYUN's feet. She gasps, stumbling forward as color rises to her face again. Then, she shoves hard at BAEK SAHEON's chest, making him crash to the floor.
BAEK SAHEON: Hgk--!
Above him, BAEK SAYUN's face is red with fury and terror as she takes a deep, shuddering breath. BAEK SAHEON just looks irritated as he picks himself up.
AGENT: Look, your sister is clearly still contaminated.
BAEK SAHEON: (snapping) I was the one who made the distress call, wasn't I? I’m no longer in distress. She's been cured. You're no longer needed.
And despite her anger --
BAEK SAYUN: Of... Of c-course. Yes... Much better. Actually... another girl was involved. You need to cure her.
AGENT: (beat) Your brother didn't report that there was another victim.
BAEK SAYUN: Her case... is a lot more severe. And... It's also very different. (beat) She's in the house that's... Saheon, tell him.
BAEK SAHEON: Ugh. Go outside, take a right, walk until you see a dead tree, take a left, and it's the third house on your left.
AGENT: I'm sorry? (beat) Look, I understand that you're still worried about your sister. But I'm not familiar with the layout of the village. Would it be possible for somebody to accompany--
BAEK SAHEON: Some strange adult man, when it's nearly dark outside? No way.
BAEK SAYUN: I’m sorry sir, we're orphans. And-- uh-- we don't live... with... Actually, we do live with somebody else, who will notice if you... do anything. Or, well they can't really... help you... or us? Um...
Realizing she's only digging herself in deeper, BAEK SAYUN shoots BAEK SAHEON a look. He rolls his eyes, then starts pushing the AGENT towards the door.
BAEK SAHEON: If you get lost, just knock on random doors and ask for Joon Yiseo.
INT - BAEK SAYUN'S ROOM - NIGHT
Moonlight seeps through the curtains, making the fabric glow a faint silver. In front of them -- the silhouettes of the siblings, side profiles visible in a thin wash of light. Their voices are low as they bicker.
BAEK SAYUN: -- motherfucking asshole.
BAEK SAHEON: We have the same mother, idiot.
BAEK SAYUN: You dragged your own classmate into this? You risked her life, Saheon! She could have died!
BAEK SAHEON: (blasé) Everyone in this village is going to die anyway. They don't seem to care whether it's sooner or later. Why shouldn't I press the advantage?
BAEK SAYUN: ...You sound so stupid. Would you murder someone because they smoke cigarettes? Do I really have to explain this to you? You’re such a... I can't. Don’t involve anyone else in this again, Saheon!
BAEK SAHEON: I really love how you're forgetting that I'm doing all of this for you!
BAEK SAYUN: I--
CLOSE-UP. Half-lit by the filtered moonlight, BAEK SAYUN looks as though she’s about to be sick.
BAEK SAYUN: (voice getting caught in throat) I-- I-- d--duh-- I-
She stops short, hand rising to clutch at her throat. She looks terrified.
BAEK SAHEON: Yeah, whatever, I get it.
It surprises him to hear the frustration in his own voice.