Don t Leave Me Here Alone. Jae Hyuk Yun.

Transcription

1 Don t Leave Me Here Alone By Jae Hyuk Yun Jae Hyuk Yun jaeyun2007@u.northwestern.edu

2 INT. BUS - NIGHT In rainy weather where a cold crisp breeze surrounds the city, a town bus runs through a bumpy street of Seoul City dimmed with red car lights. Surrounded by the bus roaring engine sounds, (18, female) and (18, female) sit side by side in the far left corner. Saehee draws a person s face on a frosted window with her finger. Saehee finishes her drawing and pats Hyunju s left shoulder without even looking at her. Hey, look at this. Isn t it good? I think it s pretty good. (in a weary voice) What is it? (in a teasing voice) Aw, can t you tell just from looking at it? It s you, silly! Saehee looks back and forth between the face on the window and Hyunju s face. Yup. It looks just like you. Saehee realizes that Hyunju looks sick. Oh... are you not feeling well? I don t know... my head hurts a little... Worried about Hyunju, Saehee purposely says in a light mood. Here, why don t you lean on my shoulder and rest a bit? I ve got shoulders that are perfect for you to nap on. Like a man s for his girlfriend. Embarrassed, Hyunju looks around her to check whether anybody in the bus heard it. She blushes as some people glance at her.

3 CONTINUED: 2. Hey missy, why you bein so shy? Saehee toughly pulls Hyunju s head towards her and gently lays it on her shoulder. Hyunju is startled but shortly closes her eyes as if Saehee s shoulder is cozy. Saehee cups her chin in her right palm and swivels to glance outside the window. A silence follows. Suddenly, surprised Saehee wakes Hyunju and pulls her up. Oh shoot, we re already at my stop! I can t believe I almost missed it. Here... let s get off the bus. There s a pharmacy nearby where we could pick up some aspirin. As a rattling bus rear door opens with an annoying beep, Saehee takes Hyunju s hand and pulls her out of the bus. EXT. BUILDING NEAR S APARTMENT - NIGHT Saehee pulls Hyunju to the nearest building. Saehee brushes the raindrops off Hyunju s school uniform. Through the rain streaks, a pharmacy neon sign glitters across the street. As Saehee was covering Hyunju with her both hands, she is soaked with rain. Saehee turns to Hyunju. Aw man, of course it would rain on the day that I don t have my umbrella. Wait here, and I ll go and buy some aspirin and bring it to you, alright? What? No, I m the one who needs it, so I ll go. Hey, you re sick. Besides, I m already wet. It s alright! I ll be right back. Saehee smiles and turns around, running into the rain. After trying to stop Saehee for a moment, Hyunju sighs and sits on the edge of the flower garden which surrounds the building.

4 CONTINUED: 3. A raindrop splattering in the puddle below the roof spoils the white forehead of Hyunju s shoes. (murmurs in a quiet voice) Aw... she didn t have to do that... Hyunju rests her chin between her knees and draws lines along the gaps between the brickpavement. Looking around her, Hyunju finds out (18, male) sitting around the flower garden, too, though little far from Hyunju. Minsoo recognizes her and approaches to her. Hyunju... is that you? Hyunju blushes and tilts her head down to avoid Minsoo s glance. However, Minsoo comes along and tries to check whether she is Hyunju. Sorry... are you not Hyunju? Oh... no, you re right. It s me... What were you doing here? Oh what, me? Umm... well... the truth is...i was waiting here for Saehee. I... wanted to tell her something today... Tell her...what? That...I ve liked her... I often sat to myself in the corner of the classroom, but she would always come by to say hi. She has such a beautiful smile. Minsoo recalls Saehee s face and chuckles with a happiness. He realizes that he chuckled in front of Hyunju and clears his throat to pretend that nothing happened. It may have been nothing to Saehee, but I was thankful for her each time that she greeted me so warmly.

5 CONTINUED: 4. That s just how Saehee is. She s good friends with everyone. I mean... probably nothing will happen... but I at least want to tell her how I feel. As Hyunju does not say a word, Minsoo gets embarrassed. He sputters out the words from the top of his head. Well... I don t even know if I ll be able to get the words out right... Hyunju abruptly interrupts Minsoo s words. Saehee won t like it. It is the first time Minsoo saw Hyunju talking that loud. He is shocked. Oh... won t like what? (in a high-pitched voice) Did you even check if she had a boyfriend or not? Does Saehee... have a boyfriend already? Well, no... but I m just saying, she could have had one. Then you would ve been in a bad situation with whoever Saehee was dating. Hyunju blushes when she realizes that she was shouting at Minsoo. (speaking haltingly) So what I m trying to say is... I ll tell Saehee for you... I ll let her know how you feel and then get back to you with her response. In the meanwhile, you should probably head back home...

6 CONTINUED: 5. No... I m already here and I don t want to just leave... I brought flowers, too... Just go! I promise, it ll be worse if you stay! Oh... okay. You re her best friend so you know her character better than I do. Then I ll head back. I ll count on you, Hyunju... Minsoo walks away and heads his home with regret. Hyunju waves away Minsoo as he keeps tilting his head and looking back. When Minsoo goes out of sight, Saehee walks out of the pharmacy and crosses the street and walks towards Hyunju. Hey! What are you doing, just standing there? What? Oh... it s nothing. Alright. Here, take some medicine and get better. That way I won t be bored playing by myself. INT. BUILDING NEAR S APARTMENT - NIGHT Hyunju and Saehee sits on a bench in the building. Breaking the silence, Hyunju carefully starts conversation. You said you told your parents yesterday, right? Yes, but they don t understand. You shouldn t have told them. I would have told them sooner or later. There s nothing to hide anymore.

7 CONTINUED: 6. It would ve been better if just the two of us know about our relationship. Are you really okay with just staying in that bubble? Here! It s your birthday present. Saehee shoves white furry mittens to Hyunju. You were probably busy studying for your midterms... you didn t have to take time out to get me something... And you re probably sick right now because you haven t been keeping yourself warm. Saehee peels off the gift wrap and put the mittens on Hyunju s hands. Saehee pinches on Hyunju s cheek. Hyunju s heart flutters, and she tilts her head down. INT. CLASSROOM - EARLY IN THE MORNING - FOLLOWING DAY Minsoo looks nervous, having been waited Hyunju in a classroom alone early in the morning. When Hyunju comes in, Minsoo stands up abruptly and pounds his kneecap under the desk. Oww... Minsoo rubs his kneecap and forces a smile. Hey Hyunju... (taken aback) Oh, hi Minsoo. You re here early... How did it go?

8 CONTINUED: 7. Oh, that. So... Hyunju contemplates about what she should say for a long time. She says she doesn t like you. She... doesn t like me? At all? She says you re just a good friend... she doesn t see you as anything more than that. There is a short pause. I m sorry. No... it s okay. I thought... I thought that would be the case. There s no reason she d like me. It was all just... in my head. Minsoo bites his lip for a moment and his head falls. A small teardrop falls to the ground. Minsoo goes out through the front door and walks away. Hyunju stares emptily at Minsoo s footprint leaving dirts on the hallway. EXT. SCHOOL S FRONT ENTRANCE - NIGHT - FOUR MONTHS LATER In a winter night, wet reddish leaves are hung on a rusted school fence. Saehee and Hyunju lean against the fence. Saehee became emaciated. She shoves her hands in her pockets and stands there in silence. Her skinny thigh is streaked with blue bruise beaten by her mother. Hyunju looks at Saehee pitifully. Lately you haven t been coming to school. What s going on? Saehee does not say anything.

9 CONTINUED: 8. Well, say something... Look, Hyunju! It s been really hard for me, too! My relatives and other friends keep asking me if there s any reason why I don t have a boyfriend yet. Whenever my mom hears that, she just sits quietly in front of them, but then when she gets home, she spews out everything on me. If you start getting on my case, too... I don t know what to do. I can t take it. Saehee regrets what she just said. I m sorry. I didn t mean to say these things in front of you. Saehee turns back and walks away. Hyunju tries to catch her but she thinks she does not deserve to stop her. Tears from Hyunju s eyes streak down her cheek silently under her glasses. Hyunju stayed there for a while, despite freezing coldness. She pulls out her cell phone from her pocket and pounds Minsoo s phone number with her blistered fingertips due to the coldness. EXT. BUS STOP - EVENING - TWO YEARS LATER Saehee, Hyunju and Minsoo wearing graduation gowns stand at the bus stop near their high school after their graduation ceremony. Saehee looks bright, but Hyunju looks a little dark. I m sad that Hyunju is not going to the same university with us. The three of us could ve hung out at campus together. Yes, that would have been a lot fun. Hyunju smiles at them emptily.

10 CONTINUED: 9. Yeah, I wish that happened, too. Oh, here comes the bus. INT. BUS - NIGHT The three of them steps on the bus. Saehee sits besides Minsoo on the same seats she had seated with Hyunju before. Hyunju feels sad that the seat by Saehee s side is taken by Minsoo. Saehee falls asleep shortly. When Saehee is asleep, Minsoo whispers to Hyunju. Thank you so much, Hyunju. If you didn t text me that night and hadn t told me what Saehee likes and so on, this would have never happened. Hyunju smiles without a word and looks straight ahead. When the bus arrives at Saehee s apartment, Minsoo wakes Saehee up. Minsoo and Saehee prepare to take off. Alright Hyunju, I ll call you soon! Saehee and Minsoo step out from the bus. Hyunju waves her hand towards them through the window without any energy in her. Hyunju is on her way home alone. Hyunju looks sick. It starts raining outside. Cloudy frost spreads over bus windows. Hyunju mutters to herself. I have a headache again. Hyunju takes out an aspirin bottle that Saehee gave her three years ago and throw bunch of pills in her mouth. Hyunju pulls up her indexfinger and draws something on the window.

11 CONTINUED: 10. It s so cold. (grabbing her chest) Here. Hyunju pulls out mittens Saehee gave her and holds them strongly against her chest. As if she felt Saehee s temperature, Hyunju smiles. Around Hyunju s ear, Saehee s voice echoes. (V.O) Here, why don t you lean on my shoulder and rest a bit? Hyunju smiles and leans against illusionary Saehee but falls off to the ground. Thud! FADE OUT FADE IN Hyunju fell to the ground. The bus screeches to stop. A bus driver runs towards Hyunju and shouts out at her. An empty aspirin bottle falls from Hyunju s pocket and rolls toward the bus front. A streak of raindrops crosses the face Hyunju drew on the window. The face on the window overlaps with weeping Hyunju at the school s front entrance. INT. BUILDING NEAR S APARTMENT - NIGHT - FLASHBACK Saehee pinches on Hyunju s cheek. Hyunju s heart flutters, and she tilts her head down. I love you, Saehee. (V.O) I love you, too. FADE OUT