Memory Den

By Albert Tanguilig

--

INT. BUSAN HIGH RISE APARTMENT - NIGHT

We hone in on a heavy oak door. Dull thuds echo.

Thud

It grows louder. More intense.

Thud

THUD

Then...

CRUNCH

JINTAE splinters the door with his fireman's axe. He and his partner MINHO kick through it. Both are broad-shouldered, eyes filled with determination. They find themselves inside the threshold of a handsome high-rise apartment. They speak in Korean.

JINTAE

Take the next apartment over on the right!

MINHO

Yes chief!

They split up. Jintae sprints to the opposite end of the apartment. He's confronted with large glass pane windows and a balcony with an immaculate view of the city. He slides the glass pane and walks out onto the balcony.

EXT. BUSAN HIGH RISE APARTMENT - NIGHT

Jintae scans to his right and...she's there! The WOMAN IN THE WHITE SLIP.

JINTAE

Team 1 to Team 2! I have positive visual on the jumper! 14th floor! She's on a ledge!

TEAM 2 LEADER

Delay her! The crews are setting up the rescue cushion! We're approaching from one floor above now!

Jintae removes his firefighter helmet and his turnout coat. He climbs up and over the balcony railing and onto a narrow ledge separating the apartments. He slowly approaches the woman. She sits on the edge. Her hair is knotted in a bun. Her thin, white slip blows freely in the wind.

WOMAN IN THE WHITE SLIP

Don't come any closer...

JINTAE

Miss...I just want to talk. Can we talk?

WOMAN IN THE WHITE SLIP

Talk? That's all I wanted...but he wouldn't...he thinks he can just leave...and now he's with that crazy bitch!

The woman's head sways. Jintae curses. He sees Minho peek from the next balcony over.

JINTAE

Be careful! She's drunk!

WOMAN IN THE WHITE SLIP

And you...you think you're better? Men are the worst...and...STAY BACK!

JINTAE

Take it easy. We're just talking. I'll sit here with you.

Jintae crouches low. He moves deliberately to maintain his balance. Minho creeps onto the ledge from the opposite direction slowly. The woman continues to sway haphazardly. Her white slip dances against the night.

JINTAE (cont'd)

Hey, look at me. He's an idiot. Any man would be lucky to have you.

WOMAN IN THE WHITE SLIP

You think I'm...am I pretty?

JINTAE

Yes. Yes you are.

WOMAN IN THE WHITE SLIP

You...think so?

JINTAE

Yes. Here, take my hand.

Jintae extends his hand towards her.

JINTAE (cont'd)

How about I invite you over for drinks?

WOMAN IN THE WHITE SLIP

..You want to take me out?

JINTAE

Yes. You ever been to Jeju island?

WOMAN IN THE WHITE SLIP

No...that bastard...he never...

JINTAE

Hey! Look at me. Forget him. I've got a boat. I'll take you to Jeju. It's beautiful this time of year. You'll love it.

Jintae glances over the woman's shoulder at Minho. He's close and has a decent foothold.

WOMAN IN THE WHITE SLIP

...I've never been to Jeju...I want that bastard to know...but...why did he...

The woman trails off. He can sense he's losing her. He cranes his neck upwards, looking for signs of TEAM 2 on the floor above...then-

WOMAN IN THE WHITE SLIP (cont'd)

Did you have a hard time while I was gone?

JINTAE

What?

He snaps back to the woman only...she's no longer the same woman. There's something strangely familiar about her. Her hair is no longer a bun. It's long and flows freely. Her eyes are softer. Her chin more pointed. Her voice soft. He notices something that wasn't there before. A silver bracelet on her left wrist.

WOMAN IN THE WHITE SLIP

If I leave again...will you come find me? Like last time?

JINTAE

...Haemi?

One slight motion. The woman in white plunges gracefully. Minho reaches for her instinctively. Jintae registers every millisecond of it.

We focus intensely on his eyes. He closes them shut.

The screen cuts to black. The sound of waves crashing is all that we hear. It continues...louder and louder until-

INT. SHENZHEN ELECTRONICS SHOP - DAY

We focus on Jintae's closed eyes. He opens them. His eyes seem different. More weary. We pull back to see he's reclined on a chair, a high-tech headset rests atop his head.

Jintae sits up. The fluorescent lights blind him. A SHOPKEEPER helps him from his disorientation. They speak in Mandarin.

SHOPKEEPER

Pretty sharp huh? Shame you failed the level...it happens. Most people grab the jumper. You gotta remember it's just a game.

Jintae takes a moment to scans his surroundings. He's in a stall. Other shoppers scan for electronic wares. The ceilings hang quite low.

The shopkeeper helps Jintae remove the headset. Jintae sweats profusely. He looks at his hands. They shake involuntarily.

SHOPKEEPER (cont'd)

So what do ya think? The graphics are photorealistic, even in VR. The dialogue is dynamically generated with AI. You'll never hear the same line twice. The new integrated processors inside are on par with this gen's Nvidia GPU's. 12,000 for the whole kit, controllers included.

Jintae struggles to find words. Then his eyes narrow.

JINTAE

Can they...be used to play through memories?

SHOPKEEPER

Huh? What do you mean?

JINTAE

I mean...can memories of people...of places...can you play through them?

SHOPKEEPER

What? No buddy, the levels are pre- programmed. You visit the e-shop and download new levels. It's all self- contained.

Jintae stares at his hands.

FLASH TO: A FERRY ON THE OPEN WATER. A YOUNG CHILD GRIPS TIGHTLY ONTO A RAILING ON THE EDGE. SHE WEARS A WHITE SUMMER DRESS AND A SILVER BRACELET ON HER LEFT WRIST. HER DRESS FLOWS FREELY IN THE BREEZE. SHE LETS GO.

JINTAE

(in Korean)

Somehow...I'm not so sure...

FADE TO BLACK