F O RY O U R C O N S I D E R A T I O N
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
SCREENPLAY BY
BONG JOON HO AND HAN JIN WON
PARASITE
Screenplay by
Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won
Story by
Bong Joon Ho
1 TITLE SEQUENCE OVER BLACK 1
Accompanied by dark but curiously upbeat MUSIC.
At the end of the credits, the MAIN TITLE, in strange calligraphy, fills the screen --
“PARASITE”
MUSIC FADES.
A dank semi-basement apartment. KI-WOO, 24, runs from corner to corner searching desperately for a Wi-Fi signal. Various networks pop up, but they’re all password-protected.
ADJACENT ROOM --
Lying on the floor of the narrow room, KI-JUNG, 23, barely moves her lips -- ‘Fuck.’
ANOTHER ROOM --
Also lying on the floor, CHUNG-SOOK, 49, the mother, scoffs at their collective misery.
She kicks KI-TEK, 49, who is sleeping at her feet.
She kicks him again.
She treats Ki-Tek like shit, but it doesn’t bother him. He rises with the most serene, enlightened smile, then plods over to the --
LIVING ROOM SLASH KITCHEN
Where he removes a bag of white bread from the sad, empty fridge. The bread is nearly gone too. Only the ends remain.
Ki-Tek takes a piece and picks off the moldy parts. He chews on the bread as he watches his son’s Wi-Fi dance.
He raises his hand high.
Ki-Woo raises the phone high as he heads into the --
BATHROOM
The bathroom is long and narrow and has a raised ‘altar’ at the far end where the toilet sits. The odd placement is necessitated by the semi-basement’s lower position in relation to the septic tank.
Ki-Woo walks in and climbs onto the toilet seat. He continues to fish for a signal when --
Ki-Jung barges in and walks over with her phone held up.
Ki-Jung climbs onto the altar and squeezes next to Ki-Woo. The siblings look ridiculous. Head touching the ceiling. Huddled on top of the toilet seat.
Chung-Sook pops in.
The family sits among piles of UNASSEMBLED PIZZA BOXES and folds them in silence. The crunch of cardboard is the only sound as the cheap Pizza Time logo comes in and goes out of the foreground.
They hear a truck rattling closer. Through the window, they see a STREET FUMIGATION TRUCK spewing gas as it passes by. The fog rolls closer to the window.
Ki-Woo, who was about to close the window, sits back down.
The FOG quickly envelops the family as they continue to fold. It’s rather poignant. A family braving through tear-inducing fumes just to make a meager living.
Ki-Tek continues folding despite his red, bulging face. He desperately holds back his cough.
Ki-Woo goes to the bathroom and returns moments later with his phone. He shows the family a GIF he downloaded.
The GIF shows “The World’s Fastest Pizza Box Folder,” a WHITE GIRL with dazzling box-folding skills. She’s fast.
The family watches in awe. Inspired by the clip, they start folding with renewed vigor.
Ki-Tek also picks up speed, but he lacks the dexterity of the others. He’s getting more and more sloppy.
Through the half-open door, we see the female PIZZA SHOP OWNER standing outside the entrance. Quirky appearance. Pizza Time T-shirt.
The Owner shows Chung-Sook a botched corner.
One out of four? The family all look at Ki-Tek.
He just smiles. Innocent as ever.
LATER --
Ki-Woo helps a MAN load boxes into a van.
Ki-Tek looks out from the apartment window, watching Chung-Sook squabble with the Pizza Shop Owner.
Ki-Woo quickly steps in, diffusing the situation with an easy smile.
The Owner just stares at the smiling siblings. What the hell are these people?
The Owner senses a trap and tries to get out of it. She takes out a few bills from her fanny pack and starts counting one by one.
The family all stare. It’s been a while since they’ve seen money.
The ‘master bedroom’ next to the entrance. Wall adorned with pictures of a young Chung-Sook competing at a national track and field championship as a student athlete. A SHOT PUTTER. Great upper body glimpsed through tight uniform. No pictures of Ki-Tek.
Early evening. It’s darker. The four family members are gathered around a table filled with various store-bought foods.
Ki-Tek tries to deliver a heartfelt speech like a TV patriarch but severely lacks the gravitas. Chung-Sook and Ki-Jung are already drinking their beers.
The family turns to see --
A DRUNK MAN teetering toward the semi-basement window.
Their faces slowly fill with dread.
The Drunk Man hasn’t unzipped his pants, still hovering uncertainly in the dark corner.
Ki-Woo gets up, still unsure, when --
VOICE (O.S.) HEY, MISTER!
A VOICE booms from afar. Behind the Drunk Man, we see a handsome, well-built young man climbing off a fancy scooter. This is MIN-HYUK, 24. He walks over with a LARGE BOX in his hands.
Ki-Woo is surprised to see Min-Hyuk, who continues to yell at the would-be public urinater.
Cowed by Min-Hyuk’s presence, the Drunk Man quickly skedaddles away.
Ki-Tek taps Ki-Woo on the shoulder.
A smitten Ki-Jung admires Min-Hyuk as he walks over to the apartment. He enters.
Ki-Jung smiles shyly as she nods.
Ki-Woo searches through his text messages.
Min-Hyuk shows Ki-Woo the box.
Ki-Jung lifts the flap to see a UNIQUELY SHAPED STONE and a wooden display stand inside.
Ki-Tek picks up the large stone.
Ki-Jung stabs Chung-Sook with her finger. Fortunately Min-Hyuk didn’t hear.
As a beaming Ki-Tek continues to show off useless stone trivia --
Min-Hyuk and Ki-Woo sit at a portable table outside the store, drinking soju and chasing it with chips. Min-Hyuk’s expensive foreign scooter is parked behind him. It visually clashes with the old grocery store and run-down alley.
Ki-Woo downs a shot of soju.
Min-Hyuk looks at Ki-Woo. He has something to say. He takes out his phone and shows Ki-Woo --
A picture of a brightly smiling TEENAGE GIRL. High school uniform. Innocent.
Min-Hyuk nods.
That gets Ki-Woo’s attention. He looks at the picture again.
Ki-Woo studies Min-Hyuk.
Min-Hyuk picks up his glass to drink when he suddenly becomes thoughtful. He smiles.
Min-Hyuk and Ki-Woo start conversing in English for no reason. They’re fluent.
Ki-Jung is working at the computer, clicking the mouse and tapping various keyboard shortcuts with dizzying speed. She’s like a magician. On the monitor is a document --
“Certificate of Enrollment.”
With laser focus, Ki-Jung refines the edges of the red certification seal.
The siblings work discreetly in the corner of the large internet café.
Ki-Tek is on the floor laying his head on the viewing stone. He admires the freshly printed enrollment certificate.
Ki-Tek sits up.
A slightly awkward and embarrassing moment. They all know Ki- Woo did nothing to be proud of.
Ki-Woo finishes touching up his hair in front of the mirror. He picks up the fake certificate.
A quiet road snaking up the hill of a wealthy neighborhood. High walls. Not a pedestrian in sight. Except Ki-Woo, who consults the map on his phone as he walks up the hill, backpack strapped. He looks around. Walks faster.
Ki-Woo stands in front of the gate, which is at the top of a steep stairway. He waits through the MELODIC DOORBELL until a VOICE finally answers. The voice is middle-aged, female.
CLANK. The gate is unlocked, and Ki-Woo walks into --
A GORGEOUSLY MANICURED GARDEN LINED WITH MAJESTIC TREES
Ki-Woo stops midway and admires the trees, overcome with awe.
MUN-KWANG, 45, fashionable and poised enough to be mistaken for the owner, leads Ki-Woo inside.
Ki-Woo carefully follows Mun-Kwang inside. Indeed, the interior is stunning. But not excessive. The furniture and decorations are all tasteful.
Ki-woo is blank.
Mun-Kwang stops just short of the fabulous living room overlooking the garden, arriving at the equally fabulous and spacious --
KITCHEN / DINING ROOM
She seats Ki-Woo at the large wooden table.
Mun-Kwang exits, and Ki-Woo is left alone in silence. He quietly gets up and looks around.
There’s some kind of AVANT-GARDE ART hanging on the wall. Next to it, he sees a typical Korean FAMILY PORTRAIT taken at a studio.
Ki-Woo walks over to the window, which overlooks the backyard. He sees --
A WOMAN dozing off at the patio table. English magazine open on the table. Head tilted comically. Only her soft white neck is visible. This is YON-KYO, 41.
Mun-Kwang walks over and CLAPS her hands loudly next to Yon- Kyo’s ears.
Yon-Kyo sucks her drool in and slowly raises her head. We hear their muffled voices through the window.
Yon-Kyo sits with Ki-Woo at the dining table. She pulls out the fake certificate halfway, glimpses at it, then puts it back in.
Ki-Woo is nervous. Even the DOG, cradled in Yon-Kyo’s arms, is watching him. Panting. Disapproving.
Ki-Woo listens quietly.
Ki-Woo listens, respectful.
Mun-Kwang sneaks a glance at Ki-Woo as she brings coffee over to the table, checking him out.
CLINK. She sets it down loudly in front of Ki-Woo.
Yon-Kyo suddenly blurts out a question in English. Her English is terrible.
Ki-Woo follows Yon-Kyo up the large, oppressive staircase, trying his best not look at her conspicuously swaying hips. He arrives on the second floor where he sees --
A long hallway with several doors on each side.
A large, pretty room. Yon-Kyo and her dog are sitting on the bed watching Ki-Woo.
The attention doesn’t bother Ki-Woo, who is calmly focused on DA-HAE as she works through a practice test.
Da-Hae shrinks.
Ki-Woo suddenly snatches Da-Hae’s wrist, shocking both Da-Hae and her mom. He presses his thumb gently and feels her pulse like doctor.
He presses harder.
Da-Hae turns bright red. Yon-Kyo is speechless, either appalled or in awe.
Da-Hae is quiet.
Stunned silence. Ki-Woo finally lets go of Da-Hae’s wrist, revealing a round, pink spot where he held her.
Ki-Woo looks over at Yon-Kyo. She’s completely floored.
That triggers something in Da-Hae. Emotions swell, and her pupils tremble.
CLOSE ON a thick money envelope being handed to Ki-Woo.
As Ki-Woo puts away the envelope, Mun-Kwang brings over a fruit plate. She’s noticeably friendlier than before.
They continue exchanging pleasantries when --
THUNK. A PLASTIC ARROW flies in and hits Mun-Kwang’s shoulder. When Ki-Woo looks over --
It’s a boy in a Native American costume about to shoot another arrow. This is DA-SONG, 10, the youngest Park.
Da-Song doesn’t care. He continues shooting.
Mun-Kwang is used to the antics. She picks up an arrow and rubs it in her armpit.
Da-Song plucks a TOY AXE from his belt and starts running in ‘slow motion’ toward Mun-Kwang. He screams like a warrior.
Mun-Kwang does the same, flailing in fake slow motion. They make quite a pair.
Ki-Woo turns toward the AVANT-GARDE DRAWINGS on the wall. He gazes for a long moment.
Ki-Woo takes a couple of steps back and admires the drawings with a serious face.
Awkward. Crickets chirp as Da-Song and Mun-Kwang continue to battle it out in the background.
Ki-Woo nods.
Yon-Kyo has come to see him out with the dog in her arms.
The gate opens. Ki-Woo begins to step out when he stops.
Through Yon-Kyo’s POV, we see the back of Ki-Woo’s head as he seemingly tries to remember.
Ki-Jung is getting her hair done at the neighborhood shop.
Ki-Woo is sucking on a popsicle on the sofa behind her.
TRACK BACK TO REVEAL -- Chung-Sook and Ki-Tek sitting next to Ki-Jung, also getting their hairs trimmed.
They become thoughtful. Ki-Tek breaks the silence.
The family members all nod. A strange excitement appears on their faces.
Ki-Woo and Ki-Jung both take a deep breath in front of the gate. Ki-Jung looks like a completely new person with short, stylish hair and makeup.
Ki-Woo is about to ring the doorbell when Ki-Jung stops him. She suddenly starts clapping a beat with her hands.
She sings her ‘bio’ to the tune of a catchy Korean oldie. Ki- Woo joins. Silly. Ridiculous. But you can sense a real sibling bond.
Finally Ki-Woo presses the button, and the DOORBELL rings throughout the quiet neighborhood.
We find Da-Song at the bottom of the stairs peeking inside the kitchen where --
Yon-Kyo is interviewing Ki-Jung. They talk quietly. Formal. Serious. Ki-Woo sits a few feet away.
Da-Hae tiptoes down from second floor and sees Da-Song peeking. She flicks his forehead and sends him upstairs.
She then looks inside the kitchen herself. She focuses on Ki- Jung, scrutinizing, suspicious.
Ki-Woo gets up and nods to Ki-Jung.
Ki-Jung also stands up, cordial.
Da-Hae sees Ki-Woo coming and runs back up the stairs.
Da-Hae hurries back to her desk and pretends to work on her problems.
The door opens, and Ki-Woo enters. He sits next to Da-Hae.
Dae-Hae pouts when Ki-Woo suddenly returns to tutor mode.
Ki-Woo, master tutor, skillfully guides the conversation back to the lesson.
But Da-Hae still has something on her mind. She puts down her pen.
This catches Ki-Woo off guard. He disguises it with a smile.
Ki-Woo relaxes and laughs. He looks at Da-Hae, who is all worried and serious. She’s cute.
A cheesy line, but Da-Hae smiles, pleased. Suddenly, she grabs Ki-Woo’s wrist under the desk. She presses it gently, feeling his pulse. A bold, unexpected move on her part.
Ki-Woo stares quietly at Da-Hae. Slowly, they grow closer. Lips converge. A soft, gentle kiss held through silence until --
They hear FOOTSTEPS coming up the stairs.
Yon-Kyo and Ki-Jung pass Da-Hae’s room and walk toward Da- Song’s. Yon-Kyo turns to Ki-Jung, nervous.
Ki-Jung has no expression. Nothing fazes her. Yon-Kyo hesitates before finally opening the door to reveal --
DA-SONG’S ROOM
A huge clutter. Covered with Da-Song’s drawings as well as pictures of Native American tribesmen. All kinds of Indian- themed toys. A TEEPEE TENT imported from America.
Da-Song is lying on the floor with a toy arrow tucked between his legs. Staring at the ceiling. In his own world. This may also be an act.
Yon-Kyo is surprised. She continues to linger, but Ki-Jung’s stare is unwavering.
Yon-Kyo finally backs down, subdued by Ki-Jung’s authority. She walks out of the room.
TICK TOCK TICK TOCK.
Yon-Kyo and Mun-Kwang nibble on nuts as they pass time in the kitchen. The dog licks Yon-Kyo’s face, which is full of agony, worry, curiosity.
Mun-Kwang sees Yon-Kyo’s state --
Mun-Kwang walks down a narrow set of stairs to the --
STORAGE BASEMENT
Stocked with all kinds of foods, beverages, and other household necessities. On one side is a cabinet filled with numerous GLASS JARS -- hand-extracted plum, tangerine, and fig concentrates. Mun-Kwang picks up the plum bottle and twists the tightly locked lid when --
Yon-Kyo hurtles down the stairs.
MOMENTS LATER --
Mun-Kwang and Yon-Kyo hurry back up the steps with a cup of plum extract. They are startled to see --
Ki-Jung and Da-Song waiting in the kitchen, already done with their lesson.
Yon-Kyo tries to hide her surprise.
Ki-Jung is holding a picture drawn by Da-Song. Da-Song is standing politely behind her.
Yon-Kyo and Mun-Kwang are stunned to see --
Da-Song obediently bowing and heading up the stairs. What?!
Ki-Jung hands Yon-Kyo the drawing.
Yon-Kyo is scared. She has no idea what’s going on.
Ki-Jung clocks Mun-Kwang peeking over Yon-Kyo’s shoulders.
Yon-Kyo’s voice falters at Ki-Jung’s ice-cold demeanor.
Mun-Kwang stares hard at Ki-Jung before walking away.
Yon-Kyo yelps loudly! She quickly covers her mouth. Her hands start shaking.
Ki-Jung puts a finger on the drawing.
Yon-Kyo suddenly looks up from the drawing and stares at the large framed picture on the wall.
Ki-Jung looks back at the picture.
Yon-Kyo nods fervently. She sobs harder. She feels like a horrible mother.
Ki-Jung continues her performance as multi-certified art teacher and therapist Jessica when --
We hear a car pull into the garage. Moments later, DONG-IK PARK, 45, Yon-Kyo’s husband and Da-Song’s father, emerges from the stairs next to the front entrance.
We notice the AUTOMATED MOTION-SENSOR LIGHTS blinking above the main entrance as Dong-Ik walks in.
YUN, 31, the driver, follows up with Dong-Ik’s things.
Yon-Kyo wipes her tears.
Dong-Ik looks tired. But even the fatigue adds to his mystique and cool as a high-flying CEO. He shares a brief handshake with Ki-Jung.
Ki-Jung sits quietly in the back. She looks quite natural in the backseat of the swanky Mercedes.
Yun sneaks glances at Ki-Jung through the rearview mirror.
Ki-Jung’s cold demeanor intrigues Yun instead of putting him off. He’s attracted. He tries again.
Yun looks out the window.
Yun’s smile disappears. He quietly turns the steering wheel.
Ki-Jung stares at the back of Yun’s head, thinking. Then --
She slowly reaches under her skirt and starts rolling down her underwear!
Her eyes twinkle in the dark as she holds the removed underwear in her hands.
Ki-Tek and family stack food onto their already mountainous plates as they move along the buffet line. They’re at a large budget restaurant frequented by BUS AND TAXI DRIVERS.
Ki-Woo makes sure no one is listening before --
Ki-Tek doesn’t get it but beams anyway.
Ki-Tek is still happy. He’s grown immune to Chung-Sook’s insults.
He puts some of his meat on Ki-Woo’s plate.
Dong-Ik is going through some papers in the back when one drops under the seat. As he reaches down to grab it --
He sees a vague WHITE SHAPE beneath the passenger seat. He picks it up. A pair of women’s underwear. Ki-Jung’s.
Dong-Ik looks disgusted. He stares hard at the back of Yun’s head before putting the underwear in his pocket.
Dong-Ik rushes up the garage stairs. He passes the blinking motion-sensor lights and stomps toward the --
KITCHEN
Dong-Ik checks to see if the kids are around.
Dong-Ik pulls out the panties from his pocket.
Yon-Kyo gasps, shocked. Perhaps more outraged than necessary.
Yon-Kyo sees -- Dong-Ik is in no mood.
Yon-Kyo doesn’t know what to do. Her husband rarely gets this upset.
Dong-Ik calms down and looks at the underwear.
Yon-Kyo is freaked out of her mind.
Dong-Ik checks the surroundings before whispering something in Yon-Kyo’s ear.
As the Parks continue to fret over the panties, CAMERA BOOMS UP TO REVEAL --
Ki-Jung standing on the stairs with her bag, listening to the conversation.
Yon-Kyo nods, then thinks.
Just then Ki-Jung starts walking down the stairs. Stepping loudly so the Parks can hear.
Yon-Kyo leaps out of her seat. Dong-Ik quickly hides the underwear and puts on an awkward smile.
Yon-Kyo and Ki-Jung walk toward the gate. Yon-Kyo sidles up to Ki-Jung, acting friendlier than usual.
Yon-Kyo opens the gate.
Ki-Jung stifles her laughter as she walks down the steps. She sees Mun-Kwang walking back home with the Parks’ THREE DOGS in the distance.
Yon-Kyo waves at them.
Mun-Kwang walks within earshot and hears the conversation. Her curiosity is piqued.
The dogs wag their tails and swarm Yon-Kyo.
Yon-Kyo makes a peculiar hand gesture.
As the scene’s THEME MUSIC (titled “The Belt of Trust”) begins to play, we cut to the inside of a --
Ki-Tek is in the driver seat. We don’t know whose car this is or where we are. He tries buckling the seat belt. Presses various buttons on the instrument panel.
Ki-Woo is in the backseat, telling his father to try this and that. When some people approach, the pair hop out of the car and move onto another one, revealing that --
We are inside a large MERCEDES DEALERSHIP in the middle of Gangnam.
Ki-Tek and Ki-Woo continue to explore brand new Benzes, sharing quality father and son time.
An office overlooking Seoul’s soaring skyscrapers. Dong-Ik is in a meeting with his HOD’s. He suddenly looks up at the other side of the glass wall where --
Ki-Tek is sitting in a chair, waiting patiently to be seen.
Ki-Tek is in the driver seat.
(”The Belt of Trust” continues under the scene.)
Ki-Tek turns off the car’s navigation.
The words drip with cheese, but somehow they sound heartfelt when Ki-Tek says it with his humble stammer.
As the MUSIC crests toward a climax --
Ki-Tek turns the wheel, making a smooth left turn.
As MUSIC continues --
SLOW MOTION of Ki-Jung gracefully, rhythmically walking down the stairs. She finds --
Mun-Kwang dozing off at the dining table. Lightly snoring. Dogs circling her feet.
Ki-Jung stares for a long moment. As she walks past the dining room --
She SLAPS the wall loudly, shocking Mun-Kwang out of her daydream. Mun-Kwang acts like she wasn’t sleeping.
Mun-Kwang leaves a plate of fruits for Ki-Woo and Da-Hae.
Ki-Woo stares at her intently as she walks out.
Chung-Sook, Ki-Woo, and Ki-Jung are sitting at the corner table. We notice the tacky Pizza Time logo everywhere.
The Pizza Shop Owner (from Scene 4) begrudgingly brings a combination pizza over to the table. She hates that she has to serve these losers.
The Owner picks up a hot sauce from the other table and drops it in front of Chung-Sook.
Chung-Sook mouths ‘bitch’ as the Owner walks away.
Ki-Woo studies the hot sauce. He picks it up and squirts two drops on a blank napkin, as if testing something.
Da-Hae is griping about the fruit plate Mun-Kwang brought. She picks up an apple slice and lovingly feeds it to Ki-Woo.
Ki-Jung picks up a PEACH from the fruit section. She holds it in the sunlight and carefully examines the soft fuzz surrounding it.
Using a sharp razor, Ki-Woo meticulously shaves off the fuzz around the peach. He deposits the fuzz in a transparent pen cap.
HAUNTING, NERVE-SCRAPING MUSIC plays underneath.
Ki-Woo walks out of the house after another lesson. He bows to Mun-Kwang, who is in the yard handing out treats to the dogs.
Ki-Woo takes out his pen as he passes Mun-Kwang. He opens the cap and gently pours peach fuzz over her shoulders.
Ki-Woo has just walked out of the gate when he hears VIOLENT COUGHING from inside. It’s Mun-Kwang.
He casually walks down the hill as the coughing echoes throughout the neighborhood, creating a discordant harmony with the MUSIC.
Mun-Kwang is on the bench talking on her phone. Still covered in red spots. She’s unaware that --
Ki-Tek is watching her from several feet away. He takes out his phone and snaps a selfie, making sure to include Mun-Kwang in the background.
Yon-Kyo carries a bunch of shopping bags out of the department store.
Ki-Tek is waiting at the Mercedes. He opens the trunk and puts Yon-Kyo’s bags in. When he’s done, he continues to linger. He hesitates before taking out his phone.
He shows Yon-Kyo a photo on his phone.
Yon-Kyo looks closely at the picture.
Ki-Tek rehearses his ‘scene,’ holding a piece of paper with his lines.
Ki-Tek looks at Yon-Kyo through the rearview mirror. He takes a hesitant beat before opening his mouth.
Yon-Kyo goes into a shrieking fit.
The art lesson is in progress. Ki-Jung has Da-Song in her lap. She touches Da-Song’s face with her cheek as she looks at his drawing.
Ki-Jung’s cell phone DINGS. It’s a text from Ki-Tek --
“ETA 3 min. Get ready.”
SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC builds as Ki-Jung descends the stairs. When she removes her hand from her pocket, we see that it’s covered in soft PEACH FUZZ. The fuzz glistens in the afternoon sunlight as Ki-Jung walks down to the --
KITCHEN
Where she opens the fridge and removes a bottle of water.
Mun-Kwang comes over and hands her a glass. As Ki-Jung takes the glass, she casually wipes the peach fuzz on Mun-Kwang’s hand.
Our first time inside the garage. Ki-Tek carries the many shopping bags up the stairs. Yon-Kyo follows when --
She hears VIOLENT COUGHING coming from upstairs.
Yon-Kyo is appalled to see --
Mun-Kwang coughing like a sick dog as she comes out to greet her and Ki-Tek. Mun-Kwang tries to take the bags from Ki-Tek, but the coughing becomes unbearable, and she runs to the --
KITCHEN
She tries to stifle her cough with a napkin. No use. She throws the napkin in the trash and rushes to the bathroom.
Yon-Kyo is horrified. It’s like watching Ebola spread in front of her eyes.
Ki-Tek just stands there, staring quietly at the discarded napkin in the kitchen.
Ki-Tek leaves Yon-Kyo behind and walks over to the kitchen. He removes his hand from his pocket and reaches into the trash can, at which point we cut to --
A PIZZA TIME HOT SAUCE PACKET hidden in Ki-Tek’s palm.
Ki-Tek quickly squirts the red sauce on the napkin.
A terrified Yon-Kyo watches as Ki-Tek removes the ‘bloody’ napkin from the trash. Ki-Tek grimly holds it up in front of her.
Yon-Kyo becomes dizzy. She closes her eyes to keep herself from fainting.
The MUSIC that continued through the last several scenes -- “The Belt of Trust” -- comes to a dramatic end.
No more music. The house is quiet.
We see a text from Yon-Kyo on Ki-Tek’s phone --
“2nd floor sauna. Make sure she doesn’t see you.“
Ki-Tek looks around before quietly treading up the stairs.
A small, phone-booth-sized sauna situated at the end of the hallway between the dressing room and bathroom.
As soon as Ki-Tek walks in, Yon-Kyo shuts the door and pulls down the roller shades. They are now inches away from each other in the tight space. Light seeps in from outside, illuminating Yon-Kyo’s bloodshot eyes and smeared makeup.
Ki-Tek puts out his hand, as if he wants to officialize their top-secret deal.
They are sharing the most awkward handshake in the world when Yon-Kyo suddenly cringes.
The backyard seen through kitchen windows. Strong winds shake the trees. A storm is on route.
Yon-Kyo is seated at the patio table with Mun-Kwang. Her face is cold as she calmly explains something to her soon-to-be former housekeeper.
Mun-Kwang’s face gradually turns dark.
Mun-Kwang carries a large bag down the hill. Still in disbelief. Devastated. Her hair dances wildly in the rough wind. The sky is getting darker.
Mun-Kwang keeps looking back at the house as she walks away. She stops and stares at the firmly closed gate for a long time.
It’s raining outside.
Ki-Tek turns the wheel and switches lanes.
Ki-Tek makes an effortless U-turn across the large, eight-lane road. The raindrops on the window swerve diagonally.
Ki-Tek’s suddenly serious comment catches Dong-Ik off guard. Silence. Then Dong-Ik starts laughing. Hard.
Ki-Tek removes a business card from his pocket and hands it to Dong-Ik.
On beautiful ivory-colored stock, only the name, “The Care,” is printed in elegant typography. No number. No address.
Dong-Ik flips the card to the other side.
Dong-Ik laughs.
They’re laughing, but there’s a subtle underlying tension between the two men. There’s still a ‘line’ that Dong-Ik won’t cross. He suddenly drops his smile.
RING RING RING. Ki-Jung picks up an OLD FLIP PHONE with “The Care” business card taped on front.
She sounds like a completely different person. Sweet. Welcoming.
Chung-Sook and Ki-Tek watch Ki-Jung as they eat breakfast.
Yon-Kyo has the phone on speaker. She has disposable kitchen gloves on and is generally floundering in the kitchen, overloading the dishwasher and sterilizing the ‘disease-ridden’ pots and pans in an oversized steamer.
A fully transformed Chung-Sook sits at the white patio table with Yon-Kyo. Classy hairstyle. Tasteful makeup.
Yon-Kyo goes through Chung-Sook’s papers, especially focusing on her doctor’s note.
Just then a WHITE BUTTERFLY flits by Chung-Sook’s face, its wings playfully bouncing off the bright summer light.
Over the idyllic scene, a beautiful ARIA begins to flow--
As MUSIC continues --
STEADICAM SHOT -- We glide up the stairs, first following Chung-Sook’s feet then rising up to shoulder height, tracking her from behind as she walks down the second floor hallway. She opens the door to --
DA-HAE’S ROOM
We follow Chung-Sook as she walks in and sets down a plate of fruits in front of Da-Hae and Ki-Woo.
Chung-Sook pinches Ki-Woo’s earlobe while Da-Hae is not looking. Ki-Woo nearly jumps. Chung-Sook just smiles and walks out of the room. We continue to follow her as she pads down the hall and enters --
DA-SONG’S ROOM
Where we see the TEEPEE in the corner. The flap opens and Ki- Jung peeks out to see who it is. Da-Song is tightly cuddled up between her arms drawing a picture. He looks at Chung-Sook, embarrassed.
Chung-Sook scoffs. She mouths ‘JUST EAT THE DAMN PEACHES’ as she hands over the plate. She looks around at the drawings in the room. Not impressed. She steps out into the --
HALLWAY
We hear DONG-IK arriving downstairs. Da-Song hears it too. He bolts out of the room and flies past Chung-Sook toward the --
DINING ROOM
Dong-Ik picks up Da-Song and holds him tightly.
CAMERA CIRCLES AROUND THEM and shows --
Ki-Tek emerging from the garage with a bunch of boxes. Brand new camping supplies. On top is a WALKIE-TALKIE box.
Da-Song has already opened the walkie-talkie box. He also goes through the other items -- CAMPFIRE SUPPLIES, AN AXE FOR CHOPPING FIREWOOD...
As Ki-Tek walks out, he quickly feels up Chung-Sook’s behind. Chung-Sook giggles to herself as she goes to the kitchen sink.
The long STEADICAM SHOT is about to come to a glorious end after showing the semi-basement’s family complete and successful infiltration of the Park mansion. Wait. Not yet--
Da-Song suddenly starts sniffing the air. He runs over to Chung-Sook and shoves his nose in her belly, startling her greatly.
Da-Song then darts over to Ki-Tek and shoves his nose in his pant leg.
Ki-Tek and Chung-Sook freeze.
Yon-Kyo, embarrassed, roughly pushes Da-Song away.
Dong-Ik laughs awkwardly.
They all laugh, but no one is laughing inside.
The table teems with food. We notice the viewing stone displayed prominently in the middle. An interesting decorating choice.
Ki-Tek is cooking ribs and mushrooms on an electric skillet when he suddenly smells his clothes.
Ki-Woo is blank.
Truth bomb. They all fall silent at the brutal reality check, and for a while we only hear the sizzling of the grill.
Ki-Tek picks up his Sapporo and tries to change the subject.
The family members all turn toward --
The window, which is being rattled by a robust stream of urine. A SHORT, BARELY STANDING DRUNK MAN is relieving himself in the corner.
Ki-woo jumps up. He grabs the viewing stone from the table and walks toward the door.
Ki-Tek, worried, quickly runs after him.
Ki-Tek catches up to Ki-Woo and wrests the stone from his hands.
Ki-Woo picks up an umbrella instead. He runs out.
Ki-Jung lights up. This is going to be fun. She opens the HIGH-SPEED PHOTOGRAPHY APP on her phone and starts filming. We see the following sequence through the app, in slow motion --
Ki-Woo appears outside the window and starts swinging the umbrella wildly at the Short Man, who sprays urine everywhere as he falls.
Ki-Tek runs out with a bucket of water. He throws the water at the Short Man but momentarily loses balance and splashes Ki-Woo instead.
Ki-Jung laughs. This is gold.
Chung-Sook has no interest. She continues grilling meat, happy to finish the food by herself.
UNSETTLING MUSIC plays over the wild, primal thrashing of the three men. The violent, rage-fueled dance DISSOLVES TO --
The garden is sun-drenched. Da-Song looks up at the sky through a piece of soot-covered glass, an improvised sun- viewer. He has a bow and axe strapped to his back.
He pushes the button on his walkie-talkie.
Dong-Ik giggles as he teases Da-Hae, who looks completely miserable in her camping outfit.
Chung-Sook brings up a tent bag and a guitar case from the storage basement.
Da-Hae gives up and puts on her large bluetooth headphones, shutting out reality.
Yon-Kyo takes Chung-Sook to the living room where the three dogs are.
Yon-Kyo emphasizes by pointing at each of the dog’s foods in the care basket.
Yon-Kyo is sitting in the driver seat, endlessly rattling off instructions until --
The garage door goes all the way up, and the Mercedes starts rolling out.
Da-Song pretends to shoot an arrow from the backseat, and Chung-Sook grabs her chest like she was shot.
Moments later she’s finally alone. She presses the button. Her face gradually immerses in darkness as the shutter goes down.
Chung-Sook is taking a peaceful nap on the large sofa. We hear her soft breathing. Slanted late afternoon rays wrap her face warmly.
She slowly wakes up and wipes her drool. When she sits up, we see Ki-Tek sleeping behind her. Chung-Sook looks out at the garden where --
Ki-Woo is lying in the grass with the three dogs. Looking at the sky. We notice a YELLOW JOURNAL clutched in his hand.
Ki-Woo takes a deep breath as he gazes up at the sky. He’s never been more relaxed.
He picks himself up and walks into the living room. He stretches his arms as he walks over to the kitchen.
Ki-Woo gets a few bottles of Evian from the fridge. He gives one to Chung-Sook before heading up the stairs.
A groggy Ki-Tek gets up from the sofa and trudges over to a cabinet in the corner. A variety of whiskeys are on display.
Ki-Jung is taking a bubble bath. She picks up the remote and changes the channel on the wall-mounted TV when --
A KNOCK.
The door opens a crack, and Ki-Woo rolls a bottle toward Ki- Jung. He then continues on to --
Ki-Woo throws himself on Da-Hae’s bed. He reaches into the space between the bed and the wall and finds a PRETTY WOODEN BOX hidden there. Da-Hae’s box of secrets. It has a small combination lock on the front.
Ki-Woo unlocks the box and puts in the yellow journal he was reading. He then takes out ANOTHER YELLOW JOURNAL and opens it.
Pages filled with Da-Hae’s small, thoughtful handwriting.
Ki-Tek sits with a white towel across his lap, sweating it out in the steam-filled room. He guzzles down a cold bottle of Evian. Refreshing. He turns the HOURGLASS upside down.
The sound of myriad sand grains rolling down the glass turns into -- THE SOUND OF RAIN.
The large coffee table is filled with various whiskey bottles and gourmet snacks. The four family members are comfortably sprawled across the couch and floor. It’s like they own the place.
They sip whiskey and watch rain falling outside the window.
Ki-Tek takes several bottles and pours a little of each into his tumbler.
Berry comes over to Chung-Sook wagging her tail, but Chung-Sook kicks her away. Chung-Sook is already drunk. Her face is bright red.
Ki-Woo tries to lighten the mood. He looks out the window as he pours a shot with both hands.
Ki-Woo picks up the yellow journal.
They all stare at Ki-Woo. He must be shitting them. But he’s not.
Ki-Tek slaps Ki-Woo’s shoulder.
Chung-Sook joins the laughter.
Ki-Tek pretends to wash a sock, laughing hysterically, when he suddenly feels Chung-Sook’s murderous glare. He slowly stops.
Chung-Sook downs her whiskey and turns serious. She calmly turns to Ki-Woo.
Ki-Woo points at Ki-Jung.
Good times continue as whiskey flows. Jokes and laughter abound.
Chung-Sook stops mid-sip and stares at Ki-Tek.
Ki-Tek doesn’t. Chung-Sook looks around --
Chung-Sook’s voice grows. She gulps downs another glass.
Ki-Jung slowly grows irritated as her parents go on and on about rich people. She tosses back her whiskey.
Ki-Jung SLAMS down her glass and yells at her family --
Ki-Jung looks like she’s about to cry. We’ve never seen her like this before. Vulnerable. Like a hurt child.
Almost at the exact moment as Ki-Jung’s soulful outburst, like a timed effect, LIGHTNING AND THUNDER strike outside the window. Followed by heavy rain.
Ki-Tek looks out the window.
Ki-Woo tries to console Ki-Jung. He brushes her hair and talks in a brotherly voice.
Ki-Woo clinks his glass against Ki-Jung’s.
Ki-Woo becomes more animated at Ki-Tek’s exaggerated reaction. He opens his arms wide and looks around at the living room.
Chung-Sook, face bulging red, flashes a dirty grin.
Chung-Sook laughs loudly at her own joke. Ki-Tek is quiet.
Ki-Tek stares hard at Chung-Sook, who continues to howl. Ki- Tek’s eyes are red. Hostile. This is a different Ki-Tek.
Chung-Sook is silent.
CRASH! Ki-Tek sweeps the table and knocks over the bottles and plates.
Ki-Woo and Ki-Jung are stunned.
Chung-Sook is absolutely still. She glowers at Ki-Tek, who unlike before doesn’t back down. He stares right back, tension growing, when --
His face starts cracking. He begins to snicker.
Chung-Sook does too. They both burst into laughter.
The two continue to laugh their asses off. Ki-Tek seems especially pleased with his performance. He slaps Ki-Woo on the shoulder.
Ki-Jung laughs, relieved.
They are all laughing uproariously when --
The DOORBELL rings loudly throughout the house.
They all freeze and look at each other. Who the hell could that be? The doorbell continues to ring.
Chung-Sook scurries over to the gate monitor. She sees --
A familiar round face filling the screen. It’s MUN-KWANG. She’s standing in the rain dressed in all black.
Mun-Kwang presses the doorbell again and again. It rings loudly throughout the neighborhood. This could go on for a while.
Before Ki-Woo can stop her, Chung-Sook presses the ‘speak’ button.
Mun-Kwang’s speech is slightly slurred. She’s had a drink or two herself.
Mun-Kwang laughs. Sad, drunk laughter. Chung-Sook remains on guard.
Mun-Kwang suddenly turns serious.
Chung-Sook looks at Ki-Woo. What do we do? Ki-Woo has no idea.
Chung-Sook opens the door to reveal Mun-Kwang standing in the rain. She looks grotesque with one eye heavily swollen. Her face is eerily and intermittently illuminated by the motion- sensor light.
Mun-Kwang drips water as she walks over to the kitchen. The living room is not fully visible from her vantage point.
Ki-Tek, Ki-Woo, and Ki-Jung remain in the dark around the coffee table, listening to Chung-Sook and Mun-Kwang’s conversation.
She looks over at the kitchen sink.
Mun-Kwang continues to drone on deliriously. We don’t know if she’s just drunk or crazy.
Mun-Kwang flashes a creepy grin as she points to the stairs descending into the dark storage basement.
Chung-Sook is spooked. She hesitates.
CLOSE ON -- A DROP OF WATER precariously dangling from the kitchen faucet.
It’s been a while since Mun-Kwang went down to the storage room. Chung-Sook starts getting worried. She gets up from the chair.
A nervous Chung-Sook walks down the narrow staircase and peers into the darkness. She hears a strange MOAN coming from inside and soon discovers --
Mun-Kwang levitating horizontally in the air! We realize that she actually has her feet set against the wall and is pushing the jar cabinet with her hands. The glass jars rattle as she shoves with all her might.
Chung-Sook is confused.
Chung-Sook has no idea what’s going on but starts pushing with Mun-Kwang.
We see Ki-Woo, Ki-Jung, and Ki-Tek peeking from the staircase.
Chung-Sook sees something on the ground as she’s pushing.
Chung-Sook pulls a bundle of wires stuck under the cabinet. As soon as she does --
The cabinet smoothly rolls to the side pretty much on its own, as if it’s set on rails. It moves out of view to reveal, to Chung-Sook’s great astonishment --
A DARK STEEL DOOR hidden behind it.
Mun-Kwang opens the door and hurries inside.
Chung-Sook shakes off her shock and follows Mun-Kwang down the dark staircase.
We get glimpses of the dark underground bunker as Mun-Kwang waves around the flashlight on her cell phone -- low ceiling, gray walls, a small passageway...
Chung-Sook covers her nose at the awful smell.
Mun-Kwang’s flashlight finally finds --
A PALE, SEVERELY MALNOURISHED FACE. This is KUN-SAE, 45, Mun- Kwang’s husband. He looks up from his cot, woken up by the sound. He blinks his large eyes.
Chung-Sook looks horrified.
Mun-Kwang immediately shoves a BABY BOTTLE in his mouth and starts feeding him. It’s filled with some kind of gruel.
Kun-Sae turns on the light and is startled to see --
Chung-Sook standing in front of him.
He springs from his bed, but Mun-Kwang pushes him back down.
Mun-Kwang points at Chung-Sook.
Chung-Sook is at a loss.
Ki-Woo, Ki-Jung, and Ki-Tek have followed Chung-Sook and Mun- Kwang down and are eavesdropping from the staircase. They look stunned.
Chung-Sook can’t believe her ears. Surprise turns to anger.
Mun-Kwang removes a pair of wire cutters from her pocket.
Chung-Sook is speechless. Mun-Kwang points to Kun-Sae.
Kun-Sae smiles innocently as he continues to suck on the empty bottle.
Chung-Sook regards the scene with disbelief.
Mun-Kwang takes out a banana from her pocket. She peels it and feeds it to Kun-Sae.
Kun-Sae laughs.
Chung-Sook looks around the room. It has a toilet, sink, small fridge, an old-fashioned TV set... Enough amenities to survive underground.
Mun-Kwang continues to speak, blinking her swollen eyes.
Chung-Sook takes out her phone.
Mun-Kwang drops to her knees and starts begging.
Mun-Kwang nods.
Kun-Sae laughs again. A nervous habit.
When Ki-Tek hears the word ‘Castella,’ his face crowds with emotion. He knows the shame.
Mun-Kwang hands Chung-Sook an envelope.
Chung-Sook lifts her phone.
Ki-Tek and the kids look worried. That wouldn’t be good for them either. Ki-Tek is awkwardly leaning over, listening to the conversation, when --
His foot slips and he falls down the stairs! He is unable to control his large body and takes down Ki-Jung and Ki-Woo with him. Ki-Jung screams.
Chung-Sook is startled when she sees the family spilling down the stairs.
Mun-Kwang is even more confused. It’s Kevin, Jessica, and Mr. Kim! Why are they here?
Mun-Kwang is speechless for a moment before the pieces slowly come together in her head. She takes out her cell phone.
As Ki-Tek scrambles to get up, he accidentally steps on Ki- Woo’s foot.
Chung-Sook and Ki-Jung immediately freeze. Ki-Woo realizes what he just said and turns pale. He sees --
Mun-Kwang recording everything on her cell phone.
Mun-Kwang plays back the footage she just shot --
Ki-Woo’s face and voice are clearly recorded on video.
Finally everything comes together for Mun-Kwang.
Ki-Woo is devastated.
Mun-Kwang shows Chung-Sook her phone.
The video is already being prepped for transfer on her messenger app.
Ki-Woo and family are sweating. Ki-Tek, still a little tipsy from the whiskey, says quietly to Ki-Jung --
Ki-Jung looks at her phone.
Ki-Tek thunders loudly, silencing everyone in the room. Ki-Woo frowns and covers his ears.
Mun-Kwang is puzzled by Ki-Tek’s random outburst.
He seems to be doing the method-acting thing, playing ‘scary Ki-Tek,’ but no one’s really buying. He’s making zero sense. They all just look around.
Kun-Sae is watching the drama unfold when he suddenly loses balance and nearly falls. He’s still weak.
Mun-Kwang sticks her phone out like a gun as she grabs Kun-Sae --
Ki-Tek and family flinch. They slowly back off.
It’s pouring outside. Kun-Sae is lying facedown on the large sofa, and Mun-Kwang is on top giving him a massage.
Ki-Tek and crew are kneeling in the corner with their arms raised.
Mun-Kwang sits up straight like a military cadet.
Out of nowhere she starts impersonating a North Korean news anchor. Kun-Sae laughs like a little kid.
Ki-Tek and family stare at Mun-Kwang and Kun-Sae incredulously. Who are these people?
They all look down.
Mun-Kwang starts recording with her cell phone again, panning from the family members to the scattered food and booze bottles on the floor.
Kun-Sae looks out at the garden.
Mun-Kwang is lost in sweet reverie when --
Chung-Sook suddenly runs toward the sofa. Like a linebacker rushing a quarterback, she rams the sofa with her hefty frame --
Knocking Mun-Kwang off balance and making her drop the phone!
Immediately Ki-Tek dives after the phone --
While Mun-Kwang tries to retrieve it --
Then Ki-Woo lunges toward Mun-Kwang --
Then Kun-Sae after him --
And of course Ki-Jung has to jump after Kun-Sae.
Six bodies desperately intertwined. Twelve hands clawing. 60 fingers outstretched toward the phone.
The view from outside. Through the thick curtain of rain, we see six people, none of whom actually live in the house, chaotically brawling inside. A surreal sight. The rain drowns out the sound.
Ki-Jung extracts herself from the melee and runs toward the kitchen.
Ki-Jung opens the fridge. She grabs a BLACK PLASTIC BAG from inside and runs back to the --
Mun-Kwang has the phone back, but it’s far from over. Chung- Sook is choking her from behind, and Ki-Woo is beside her trying to pry the phone away. We see Ki-Tek wrestling Kun-Sae nearby.
Ki-Jung rushes back to the living room with the black bag. She pours the contents -- A DOZEN OR SO PEACHES -- over Mun-Kwang’s head!
Mun-Kwang screams.
Ki-Jung picks up one of the peaches and squashes it against Mun-Kwang’s face.
Mun-Kwang sticks her tongue out and starts coughing violently. She rolls on the floor, clutching her swollen throat, allowing --
Ki-Woo to snatch her phone.
At the same time Ki-Tek subdues Kun-Sae, and the family seem to have everything under control. Until --
The LIVING ROOM PHONE begins to ring.
Chung-Sook checks her cell phone. She sees several missed calls from “Mrs. Park.” Shit.
When the landline continues to ring, the family members silence Mun-Kwang and Kun-Sae by covering their mouths.
Chung-Sook answers the phone.
Rain batters the Mercedes. Da-Song is in the backseat with his eyes closed. He looks pissed. He’s taken Da-Hae’s reality- canceling headphones and is wearing them over his ears.
Yon-Kyo glances back from the passenger seat.
Ki-Tek, Ki-Woo, and Ki-Jung are completely aghast.
Yon-Kyo hangs up.
The family members all look at each other blankly. What the fuck do we do?
The living room is still wildly littered with whiskey bottles, plates, peaches...
Chung-Sook closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
Ki-Woo is completely numb. He’s just standing there, still out of breath from the fracas, when --
They’re all standing around when Ki-Tek suddenly twists Kun- Sae’s arm. Ki-Tek has a manic glow about him. His eyes are bloodshot.
At Ki-Tek’s command, the family jump into action.
Ki-Jung starts clearing the bottles with lightning speed, and Ki-Tek drags Kun-Sae toward the basement.
Ki-Woo roughly pulls up Mun-Kwang. Her eyes are heavily swollen like she just went through ten rounds with Mike Tyson. She coughs incessantly as she is hauled away.
Chung-Sook is solely focused on the japaguri. She looks up the recipe while putting water on the stove. She rips open two packs of noodles -- jajang ramen and instant udon.
Ki-Tek pushes Kun-Sae down the stairs into the secret room. He’s rough, scary. And it’s not acting.
Even in this dire situation, Kun-Sae can’t stop his laughing --
Ki-Tek shuts Kun-Sae up by throwing him on the floor. Ki-Tek then looks through the miscellaneous crap in the room and finds a power cord. He is tying Kun-Sae with it when --
Ki-Woo rushes down the stairs with Mun-Kwang. He also looks for something to tie Mun-Kwang with. She’s barely breathing and is only half-conscious.
Ki-Woo is still numb. He has no focus in his eyes. No longer the man with the plan. He just does as he’s told. He hurries up the stairs.
Chung-Sook methodically lays out the ramen soup packets on the counter and starts cooking the flank steak.
Ki-Woo comes up from the basement. He runs past her and goes into the --
LIVING ROOM
Where Ki-Jung is kicking foods and plates under the furniture. She moves fast, with purpose. Ki-Woo is looking at her blankly when --
He hears the Mercedes arriving in the garage.
He panics. He sees Da-Hae’s yellow journal on top of the coffee table and picks it up. He hurries up to the second floor.
Chung-Sook stirs the noodles with great speed. She soon hears the Park family walking up the garage stairs.
Ki-Jung stops everything and picks up the remaining peaches. She hides under the large coffee table.
A disgruntled Da-Song appears first and stalks across the living room.
From under the coffee table, Ki-Jung sees --
Yon-Kyo running after Da-Song. She points to the kitchen.
Da-Song ignores the steaming bowl of japaguri and walks up the stairs.
An equally pissed Da-Hae comes up behind him and snatches the headphones off his ears. She stomps ahead of him.
Ki-Woo closes the box of journals and puts the combination lock back on. He quickly hides under the bed.
Da-Hae walks inside moments later and throws herself on the bed. The bottom of the mattress sinks and nearly touches Ki- Woo’s nose.
Da-Hae turns up the volume on her phone. Music escapes from her headphones.
Ki-Tek finishes tying Kun-Sae and moves onto Mun-Kwang. She’s still hyperventilating, and her eyes are swollen shut. Ki-Tek approaches with the cord when --
Mun-Kwang suddenly gets up and shoves Ki-Tek to the side. She runs up the stairs.
Ki-Tek chases her.
Yon-Kyo gives up on talking to Da-Song. She walks down to the kitchen where Chung-Sook is waiting with the japaguri.
At the same time, Chung-Sook sees Mun-Kwang running up from the storage basement. With the pot still in her hands, she swiftly turns toward the door and --
POW! -- Kicks Mun-Kwang in the face!
Mun-Kwang tumbles down and slams her head hard on one of the steps. Looks like at least a concussion.
Ki-Tek witnesses the fall from below and gasps.
Yon-Kyo walks into the kitchen, having missed the devastating kick by a mere millisecond. She sits at the dining table.
Chung-Sook is too worried about Mun-Kwang to be annoyed by Yon- Kyo’s flip-flopping. She looks down at the bottom of stairs where --
Mun-Kwang lies unconscious with her head rammed into the wall. Ki-Tek soon drags her out of sight.
Ki-Tek pulls Mun-Kwang’s limp body through the steel door that leads to the secret room. He slides the cabinet back in place to cover the entrance.
He sees that Mun-Kwang is unconscious and starts panicking. He slaps her in the face. He’s relieved when Mun-Kwang lets out a weak moan.
Ki-Tek starts tying her with a cord when he hears a strange noise coming from below. He rushes down the stairs to see --
Kun-Sae, arms still tied, banging his head against a series of electrical switches on the wall. A truly bizarre sight.
Above Kun-Sae, Ki-Tek sees a tall, open space. The hollow area beneath the garage stairs. We hear Dong-Ik’s FOOTSTEPS heading up to the living room.
Kun-Sae continues to bang on the switches. Ki-Tek sees that the lines from the switches go all the way up to the entrance.
As Dong-Ik walks up from the garage, the lights above him blink one by one, in sequence. That’s when we realize --
The MOTION-SENSOR LIGHTS that we noticed throughout the film weren’t motion-sensor lights after all. It was Kun-Sae’s ‘performance’ welcoming Dong-Ik home.
Kun-Sae sings a silly, improvised song as he gleefully bangs the switches with his forehead --
Yon-Kyo talks to Chung-Sook as she shoves japaguri and flank steak in her mouth. She looks up.
Yon-Kyo tells the story as she noisily slurps her ramen.
Chung-Sook’s spine tingles. A creepy silence surrounds the kitchen.
Ki-Jung listens intently from under the coffee table.
Chung-Sook is riveted.
Yon-Kyo points to the living room window.
As CAMERA WHIP PANS to the living room window, we transition to a --
FLASHBACK
We see the kitchen reflected in the living room window. Da- Song is sitting on the floor plowing into his cake.
We see a DARK FIGURE behind Da-Song. The ghost. He just stands there, watching Da-Song eat.
BACK TO PRESENT
Yon-Kyo shakes off the memories and returns to her ditzy self.
She angrily tosses her noodles.
Chung-Sook realizes who the ghost was but keeps mum.
As Yon-Kyo rambles on --
CAMERA MOVES IN on Da-Song’s drawing on the wall. It focuses on the “schizophrenia zone.” We see the dark, ambiguous shape drawn in it.
The shape, which vaguely resembles the ghost, MATCH CUTS TO --
Kun-Sae’s dark face staring back at Ki-Tek.
Ki-Tek looks at the numerous notes and drawings covering the walls. He sees photos and magazine interviews of Namgoong Hyunja and Dong-Ik. A record of Kun-Sae’s devolving mind.
Ki-Tek feels like he’s in the twilight zone.
Kun-Sae laughs.
Kun-Sae rambles on incoherently, his eyes glazed and out of focus.
Ki-Tek starts getting scared.
Ki-Tek finds a roll of duct tape among the mess and starts ripping off a piece.
Ki-Tek tapes Kun-Sae’s mouth shut. He then goes to stairs and tapes Mun-Kwang’s mouth as well. As he does, he feels something wet behind her head. BLOOD.
Ki-Tek’s head spins when he sees the blood on his fingertips. He runs up the stairs.
Ki-Tek shuts the steel door and ties the handle with wires. He then pushes the cabinet back in place, sealing off the secret doorway. Breathing heavily, he looks up at the thin bar of light coming from the kitchen.
We’re on Ki-Woo’s stunned face. He is face to face with --
JUNIE, who is poking his head under the mattress, having found Ki-Woo.
Da-Hae looks down at Junie from the bed. She becomes curious when she sees the dog wagging his tail with his head buried under the bed. She bends over to see what it is when --
She hears Yon-Kyo walking up the stairs. She immediately springs back up. Picking up Junie, she walks out to the --
HALLWAY
Where she confronts Yon-Kyo.
Yon-Kyo wipes her mouth.
Da-Hae and Yon-Kyo bicker down the hall, soon disappearing from our sight.
Through Da-Hae’s open door, we see Ki-Woo slowly emerging from under the bed. He checks the hallway before tiptoeing over to the stairs, where he sees --
Chung-Sook waving at him from below ‘Come down.’ Chung-Sook also gestures toward the basement stairs from which --
Ki-Tek carefully walks out. Once they’re all together they start toward the --
The family quietly crosses the living room toward the garage entrance. They stop. They make a quick detour to the coffee table where Ki-Jung is still hiding.
They are helping her out from under the table when they suddenly hear --
FOOTSTEPS thundering down the stairs. Fast.
Ki-Jung hides under the table again. Having nowhere to go, Ki- Woo and Ki-Tek also crawl underneath.
Chung-Sook turns to see --
Da-Song running down the stairs, dressed in a raincoat. He’s wearing a backpack and also has the folded TEEPEE strapped across his shoulders.
Dangling all kinds of camping gear over his raincoat, Da-Song storms through the living room and heads to the garden. He opens the glass door and jumps out into the pouring rain.
He then starts building the teepee in the middle of the yard. He’s quick, efficient. A true Scout.
Yon-Kyo and Dong-Ik yell at Da-Song as they rush down the stairs.
Yon-Kyo and Dong-Ik hesitate at the door, still in their pajamas. Chung-Sook brings two umbrellas, and they finally go out.
Da-Song has already finished setting up the teepee and is now working on the inside.
Ki-Tek, Ki-Woo and Ki-Jung attempt to make a run while Yon-Kyo and Dong-Ik are outside. They start wiggling their way out when --
Da-Hae comes running down the stairs.
They quickly wiggle back in.
Da-Hae watches her parents pleading with Da-Song in the rain. Pathetic. She shoots a video and sends it to none other than --
“Mr. Kevin” a.k.a. Ki-Woo
Whose phone VIBRATES just a few feet from her under the table. Ki-Woo quickly silences his phone.
Chung-Sook coughs to cover the sound. She glances over at Da- Hae to see if Da-Hae heard it too.
She did. Da-Hae looks around, confused.
Ki-Woo hurriedly switches his phone to silence mode. Ki-Tek and Ki-Jung do the same.
Da-Hae’s text messages crowd Ki-Woo’s screen --
/ SMH Da-Song’s crazy raindance
/ I hate my brother
/ Totes saw this coming. Started losing his shit at camp
/ LMAO
/ I miss you
/ Me too
/ Selfie please
/ No
/ Why noooooooot
/ I’m with you right now
Da-Hae continues to exchange cringe-inducing love texts with Ki-Woo as she plops down on the sofa.
Ki-Tek, Ki-Woo, and Ki-Jung nearly shriek when Da-Hae’s wriggly feet come within inches of their faces.
Meanwhile Yon-Kyo and Dong-Ik give up on Da-Song and return to the living room.
Chung-Sook takes their umbrellas and hands them a couple of towels. She nervously looks over at the coffee table.
Without answering, Da-Hae gets up and stomps up the stairs, never looking up once from her phone.
Chung-Sook looks back at the living room with a worried face as she goes to the kitchen.
Yon-Kyo and Dong-Ik sit down on the sofa, now directly facing Ki-Tek, Ki-Woo, and Ki-Jung.
Dong-Ik presses the button on his walkie-talkie.
Da-Song’s voice on the radio sounds excited. He got his wish after all. Dong-Ik lets out a weak laugh.
Yon-Kyo feels like it’s her fault.
Outside the window, the teepee lights up. Lanterns are lit inside, one after another.
It’s picturesque. The teepee, emitting a pleasant orange glow. Against the backdrop of beautiful trees. Seen through the shimmering veil of pouring rain.
Dong-Ik turns off the living room lights and places a few cushions on Yon-Kyo’s side.
Ki-Tek, Ki-Woo, and Ki-Jung turn ashen. They’re fucked.
Dong-Ik lies down in the spooning position behind Yon-Kyo. It’s quite romantic. Both of them in their pajamas. Tightly snuggled up on the sofa.
Dong-Ik and Yon-Kyo both sniff the air.
Ki-Tek becomes nervous. He smells his T-shirt.
Ki-Tek tries his best to keep a straight face under the table.
Ki-Tek, Ki-Woo, and Ki-Jung can do nothing but silently take hit after hit. Ki-Tek is completely expressionless.
On the sofa, Dong-Ik slowly slides up his hand and caresses Yon-Kyo’s breasts over her pajama top.
Dong-Ik sounds like a horny high school boy. He puts his hand inside Yon-Kyo’s pajama top and continues fondling her.
Yon-Kyo looks up at the kitchen and the stairs to make sure no one is watching. She closes her eyes and gives in to pleasure.
Dong-Ik moves his hand as instructed. It starts migrating below Yon-Kyo’s navel. Their bodies grow closer. Breathing becomes labored.
Dong-Ik’s hand slips inside Yon-Kyo’s underwear. He makes it ‘vibrate’ like a sex toy.
Yon-Kyo’s lips part from pleasure. She gasps.
Ki-Jung tries to keep a cool face as the rich couple continue to malign her underwear.
Ki-Tek’s face is dark. He’s more humiliated than she is.
Meanwhile Yon-Kyo is pushed closer toward climax by the underpants talk. She bites her lips but is hardly able to suppress her moans. Ki-Tek, Ki-Woo, and Ki-Jung hear everything under the table.
A heavy fatigue comes over Ki-Tek’s face. Time passes slowly.
Hiding in the dark kitchen, Chung-Sook looks over at the living room where the Parks are now sleeping. She sends a text --
/ They’re passed out
/ Move out 1 by 1
Under the table, Ki-Tek receives the text. He signals Ki-Jung to go first. She slides out and starts crawling toward the garage stairs. Ki-Woo goes next. Once they are safely across, they wait for Ki-Tek.
Ki-Tek is slowly making his way when --
A STRONG BEAM OF LIGHT suddenly penetrates the living room. A flashlight. Ki-Tek quickly flattens himself on the floor. The light searches the living room before settling on Yon-Kyo and Dong-Ik on the sofa.
The rain is still heavy. We see Da-Song poking his head out, shining his flashlight at Yon-Kyo and Dong-Ik in the living room.
He turns glum when he sees them sleeping. He angrily waves the flashlight, trying to wake them up.
Ki-Tek curls into a tight ball to avoid the wildly roaming light. He is slowly inching toward the stairs when --
The T-667 WALKIE-TALKIE on the coffee table crackles to life. We hear Da-Song’s voice through the fuzz --
Ki-Tek freezes. There’s nowhere to hide. He can only close his eyes and hope he doesn’t get discovered.
Dong-Ik wakes up and picks up the walkie-talkie. He looks out the window and sees the flashlight blinking inside the tent.
Yon-Kyo and Dong-Ik are too concerned with Da-Song to notice Ki-Tek hunched over in the dark merely a few feet away.
Dong-Ik and Yon-Kyo can’t help but laugh.
The transmission cuts out. Dong-Ik and Yon-Kyo laugh and sigh. Back to the sofa it is. They return to sleep.
When all is quiet, Ki-Tek starts moving again.
Ki-Tek flips up the door switch before quickly flipping it back down. The garage door goes up about one-and-a-half feet before stopping.
Ki-Jung and Ki-Woo hold their breath. Did anyone in the house hear the door?
When they don’t hear anything, they crawl through the narrow opening and walk out into the rain.
Ki-Tek presses the ‘down’ switch and slips through the crack before it completely closes.
HIGH ON the surveillance camera above the gate, the severed wires dangling below. RACK FOCUS TO REVEAL --
Ki-Tek, Ki-Woo, and Ki-Jung sneaking out of the house and walking down the empty road. Rain pours as they make their way down the winding road.
Ki-Tek and the kids trudge silently through the rain. They’re walking on the side of a gloomy four-lane road, no longer in the nice part of town. They don’t bother going into a store to buy an umbrella. They don’t bother hailing a cab. They just walk, their faces steeped in anguish.
We look down on a hillside neighborhood. A different hillside view. Working class. Illuminated by the lights of low-income apartments. The gates of poverty.
Ki-Tek, Ki-Woo, and Ki-Jung stop under an overpass, out of breath. We see them as silhouettes.
Ki-Tek is silent.
Ki-Tek doesn’t have one. Rain drowns the silence.
Ki-Woo, still in a daze, mumbles to himself --
Ki-Jung is about to lash out further when Ki-Tek calmly steps forward.
Ki-Jung seethes.
Ki-Jung nods.
Ki-Tek sounds like a real father. Firm. Reassuring.
Ki-Jung actually listens to him.
Ki-Woo nods.
With that, Ki-Tek steps back into the rain. Ki-Woo and Ki-Jung follow.
UNSETTLING MUSIC creeps in over the rain.
Ki-Tek, Ki-Woo, and Ki-Jung walk through the relentless downpour, passing shabby, low-rent buildings. They hear SHOUTING, SIRENS in the distance. They turn the corner to see --
A completely flooded alley! All the roads leading to their apartment are covered in knee-deep water.
Total pandemonium. Sewage backflows. A SEMI-BASEMENT RESIDENT scoops water out of his apartment with a bucket.
Ki-Tek stares in horror. He hurries toward the apartment. Ki- Woo and Ki-Jung splash in after him.
Ki-Tek has to use great strength to open the door. He steps inside to see brown flood water pouring in through the window. The water is already up to his chest.
His foot touches something, and he reaches into the dirty water to pick up --
A live KING CRAB flailing its legs.
Ki-Tek stares at the crab. It’s too surreal. His home has become an underwater habitat. He throws the crab away. His face fills with despair.
Meanwhile Ki-Woo crosses toward the window. He tries to close it to stop further flooding when --
He feels a shock of electricity as soon as he touches it. He quickly withdraws his hand.
Ki-Jung pries the door open and trudges toward the toilet, which is spewing shit water like an Icelandic geyser.
Ki-Jung barely closes the lid and climbs on top. She opens a square panel on the ceiling and reaches in to find --
A PACK OF CIGARETTES AND A LIGHTER that she had hidden there. We see a few folded bills stashed in the cellophane wrap.
Ki-Jung lights a cigarette amidst the raging flood. The surging sewage lifts her toilet seat up and down.
Ki-Woo is going around packing a few essentials into a GRAY BAG when --
Something touches his foot in the water. He bends over and reaches into the murky depths, eventually finding --
The VIEWING STONE that Min-Hyuk gave the family as a gift.
Ki-Woo pants heavily as he hugs the rock. It’s like he just found a precious treasure.
Over the image of the stone veiled by the hazy, undulating water, DARK MUSIC begins to play.
Kun-Sae is facing away from Mun-Kwang, straining to remove the tape off her mouth with his tied-up hands.
Mun-Kwang sweats profusely and falls in and out of consciousness. When Kun-Sae finally rips off the tape --
Mun-Kwang jumps up and staggers toward the toilet.
Kun-Sae watches in horror as she throws up into the bowl.
Mun-Kwang moans. She’s in a lot of pain. She gets up and starts toward Kun-Sae but loses her balance.
Kun-Sae throws himself to catch her, but she falls flat on the floor.
Kun-Sae screams something to Mun-Kwang, but his cries are muffled by the tape on his mouth. They’re heard as primal, animalistic grunts.
Kun-Sae stares helplessly.
Mun-Kwang laughs like her husband, mumbling incoherently. Her voice dwindles. She’s near the end. She curls up in the corner next to the toilet.
Kun-Sae shouts through the tape. He wails painfully like a hurt beast. The scream continues over to --
The water is now up to Ki-Tek’s chin. He stands at the entrance and looks back at the apartment like a captain taking one last look at his sinking ship.
The water inside has merged with the floodwater on the street and has formed a continuous brown ocean extending throughout the neighborhood.
UNNERVING MUSIC continues. A dark wave of water rolls over the screen and we CUT TO --
Inside the dark room, we find a crazed Kun-Sae banging on the wall switches with his bloody forehead. His face is a mask of sweat, blood, snot.
We see Mun-Kwang’s lifeless body on the floor behind him.
Kun-Sae furiously bangs the switches with his head, overcome with pain and sorrow.
Da-Song unzips the tent and looks at the living room across the garden. He sees the lights blinking randomly in the front entrance.
He starts timing the blinks. He takes out his notebook and starts transcribing them as dots and dashes. He consults the MORSE CODE CHART in the back of his Cub Scout book but can’t seem to make out any words.
CAMERA TRACKS IN on the lights as they blink more and more frantically. UNSETTLING MUSIC reaches a crescendo.
Filled with rows and rows of EVACUEES from flooded areas. Currently sleeping. The lights are off, and the gym is illuminated by the faint glow of daybreak.
Ki-Tek and the kids are among the Evacuees. Ki-Jung is completely knocked out. It’s been a rough night.
Ki-Woo tightly holds the viewing stone as he lies wide awake. His eyes are bloodshot.
Ki-Woo looks at Ki-Jung to make sure she is sleeping.
Ki-Tek is silent for a long moment. His face is cold and emotionless.
Ki-Woo, confused.
Ki-woo is hardly consoled.
Ki-Tek talks quietly. There’s a hostility in his voice. His face drips with fatigue.
Ki-Woo is scared. He’s never seen his father like this. He hugs the rock more tightly.
Ki-Woo looks down at the stone.
Ki-Tek looks at Ki-Woo. He’s acting strange.
Ki-Woo stares blankly ahead. We have no idea what he’s thinking.
Sunlight fills the living room. Yon-Kyo walks up to the window and looks up at the marvelous sky. She sees the tent in the garden.
Dong-Ik slowly rises from the sofa behind her.
Dong-Ik walks over to the raindrop-covered teepee and carefully peeks inside --
Da-Song is finally asleep after the long and eventful night.
Dong-Ik smiles and gives the okay sign to Yon-Kyo in the living room.
Yon-Kyo is sitting at her vanity, chatting excitedly into her phone. It’s on speaker.
A groggy Ki-Jung answers the phone. We see rows of people sleeping behind her.
Yon-Kyo lays down a barrage before abruptly hanging up.
We see Da-Hae standing behind Yon-Kyo. She looks over her mom’s shoulders with twinkling eyes.
Da-Hae, ecstatic, runs to her room. As she does --
We see Dong-Ik coming up the stairs behind her. He walks into the master bedroom and throws himself on the bed. He crawls under the covers to go back to sleep.
Yon-Kyo calls him from the dressing room --
Dong-Ik gives her a thumbs up with his eyes closed.
Yon-Kyo smiles, pleased with Dong-Ik’s approval. She opens the closet.
Evacuees surround a pile of SECOND-HAND CLOTHES, looking for something salvageable. Donations from a local organization. Ki-Jung looks frustrated. She doesn’t see anything appropriate for the party.
She looks at Ki-Tek, who is also frantically digging through the pile with bloodshot eyes.
Behind them, Ki-Woo is still lying on the floor. He opens his eyes and looks at his phone --
“7 Missed Calls - Da-Hae”
Ki-Woo sits up and goes through Da-Hae’s text messages. He puts the VIEWING STONE in the gray bag.
Chung-Sook busily prepares ingredients for the party. Her eyes are red. She hasn’t slept at all.
A refreshed Yon-Kyo hops down the stairs and calls Chung-Sook out to the living room. She looks out at the sunny garden.
Yon-Kyo tries to show Chung-Sook with her hands. No, not quite right. Then --
Chung-Sook’s face says, ‘How the fuck should I know.” She quickly hides her expression.
Chung-Sook struggles to pull out the party tables from the faintly lit basement. She stops to take a breath. A chilling silence envelops the room.
Chung-Sook looks at the jar cabinet covering the secret door. She can almost hear Mun-Kwang and Kun-Sae’s breathing coming from the other side. She stares at the cabinet for a long time.
An upscale food market. Organic produce beautifully displayed.
Ki-Tek is at the cash register bagging items as a CASHIER scans them.
Yon-Kyo is next to him talking on the phone.
Yon-Kyo hands the Cashier her credit card.
It seems like it’s going to be a large-scale affair. Ki-Tek follows Yon-Kyo out with huge bags of fruits and vegetables.
Yon-Kyo’s shrill laughter puts Ki-Tek on edge. He squints his bloodshot eyes.
Yon-Kyo talks on the phone as she walks past fancy vintage wines. She picks several out and gives them to Ki-Tek.
Ki-Tek’s face grows dark as he follows Yon-Kyo with the heavy basket.
Chung-Sook is setting up the tables in the ‘Crane Formation’ around the tent. Da-Song is still sleeping inside. She is sweating and grunting away by herself when she sees --
A pajama-clad Dong-Ik walking toward the tent. He smiles awkwardly at Chung-Sook before checking inside the tent. He turns to Chung-Sook and puts a finger on his lips -- ‘Shhhh.’
Chung-Sook nods and proceeds quietly. It’s hard to set up the bulky tables without making noise.
Dong-Ik scratches his belly as he returns to the house.
Yon-Kyo is jabbering away when she suddenly smells something and holds her nose. Ki-Tek’s scent must have drifted her way.
Ki-Tek sees Yon-Kyo covering her nose through the rearview mirror. It bothers him.
Yon-Kyo rolls down the window slightly.
The sun shines brightly on the garden. PARTY GUESTS sit around tables decorated with flowers. Chung-Sook busily shuttles food from the kitchen.
Some of the Guests have already finished the bottles of wine at their table. People are having a good time.
We see the party downstairs through Da-Hae’s window. Colorful GIFT BOXES are stacked high in front of Da-Song’s teepee.
Ki-Woo looks out the window with a blank expression. Da-Hae stands beside him, staring.
Ki-Woo sees the crowd mingling effortlessly in the garden --
A KID taking pictures with his Leica, a WOMAN passionately explaining something to other Guests with a bottle of wine in her hand, a MALE GUEST chopping firewood next to the grill and looking utterly cool doing it. Everyone looks genuinely happy.
Da-Hae looks puzzled.
Da-Hae has no idea why he’s asking.
Ki-Woo, still numb, pads over to the desk where his bag is.
Da-Hae hugs Ki-Woo tightly.
With a grim face, Ki-Woo removes the suiseki from his bag.
Dong-Ik and Ki-Tek hide behind the trees where the Guests can’t see them, dressed as NATIVE AMERICANS.
Dong-Ik puts feathers and other finishing touches on Ki-Tek’s costume.
Dong-Ik and Ki-Tek both laugh awkwardly.
Ki-Tek looks exhausted. It’s been a nonstop shitshow since yesterday -- the flood, the evacuation center, spending the morning as Yon-Kyo’s shopping assistant, and now the elaborate role-playing. He just stands there, limply holding the toy axe.
Dong-Ik laughs again.
Dong-Ik senses a tone in Ki-Tek’s voice.
Ki-Tek doesn’t hide the sarcasm, and Dong-Ik notices. Tension rises between them.
Dong-Ik avoids Ki-Tek’s eyes as he puts another feather on Ki- Tek’s headband.
Dong-Ik sees that one of the feathers was pushed too far. The tip is poking out from the bottom of the headband. He still can’t shake the feeling that Ki-Tek was talking about a different ‘line.’
Ki-Tek pushes up the errant feather with his finger.
Chung-Sook sets up the buffet table according to Yon-Kyo’s reference picture.
A FOREIGN CHEF is behind her marinating barbecue meat. When he finishes and takes the meat out to the garden --
Ki-Jung carefully approaches Chung-Sook.
Ki-Jung looks around before saying --
Chung-Sook nods. From under the table, she takes out a LARGE PARTY PLATTER filled with various foods.
Ki-Jung nods. She takes the platter and adds a few more meatballs from the buffet table. She is about to go down to the basement when --
She hears Yon-Kyo’s high-pitched laughter coming from the living room.
Ki-Jung slowly puts the platter down behind her.
Chung-Sook quickly escapes, taking more food out to the garden.
Yon-Kyo comes in and pulls Ki-Jung out to the --
LIVING ROOM
Where she shows Ki-Jung a GOURMET CREAM CAKE sitting on the coffee table.
As Yon-Kyo and Ki-Jung admire the cake --
We see Ki-Woo quietly walking down the stairs, out of focus in the background. He has the GRAY BAG over his shoulder. He enters the kitchen and walks down to the storage basement.
Ki-Woo pushes the jar cabinet to the side, revealing the dark steel door behind it. He unties the tightly wrapped wires and opens the door. He walks down one step at a time, holding up his cell phone flashlight.
The room is pitch black. Once he reaches the bottom of the stairs, Ki-Woo removes the viewing stone from the gray bag. His hands tremble, and he starts breathing faster. With his cell phone flashlight tucked in his breast pocket, he carefully makes his way in, eventually finding --
A tied-up Mun-Kwang fallen next to the toilet.
Ki-Woo swallows nervously. His legs grow weak and his eyes brim with tears as he slowly walks up to Mun-Kwang’s head.
He raises the stone to strike Mun-Kwang but --
He can’t do it.
He just stands there, face covered in snot and tears, shaking uncontrollably, when --
We notice a CIRCULAR OBJECT ‘floating’ behind Ki-Woo. A NOOSE. Kun-Sae has untied his cord and formed a noose with it. He slowly brings it above Ki-Woo’s head.
Ki-Woo is oblivious. He continues to sob and shudder. He finally feels something behind him and looks up but --
Too late. Kun-Sae quickly wraps the noose around Ki-Woo’s neck and tightens it! Ki-Woo struggles. The viewing stone drops and hits his foot, which causes him to further lose his balance. He is dragged across the floor by Kun-Sae.
We can only see Kun-Sae’s maniacal eyes in the darkness as he strangles Ki-Woo.
Ki-Woo thrashes violently. He can’t breathe and his eyes are ready to roll back.
Kun-Sae picks up the viewing stone and raises it to deliver the final blow. He swings it mightily at Ki-Woo’s head, but --
Ki-Woo turns and avoids it at the last moment. Ki-Woo runs up the stairs, cord still dangling from his neck.
Kun-Sae chases Ki-Woo with the stone.
Ki-Woo has just made it past the jar cabinet when --
Kun-Sae grabs the cord dragging behind Ki-Woo and pulls it hard. Ki-Woo flies backward into the air and --
SLAM! -- Falls hard on the floor. His wind is knocked out.
Kun-Sae runs up to Ki-Woo. He raises the stone high and brings it down on Ki-Woo’s head! We hear a horrifying crunch as we --
We hear applause. One of the Party Guests, an OPERA SINGER, starts singing an aria.
Ki-Jung is holding the cake. Yon-Kyo lights the candles.
A thirsty Kun-Sae gulps down a large bottle of plum extract. He pushes the cabinet back in place and hides the secret doorway.
He hears the faint sound of aria coming from above. When he turns, we finally see his face --
It’s horrible. And a little ridiculous. Blood from his forehead has dried into a frightening red mask. But a clear rectangle remains where the tape covered his mouth.
Kun-Sae looks down at his feet where Ki-Woo is lying. Blood is slowly pooling around Ki-Woo’s head, pushing out the puddles of plum extract spilled on the floor.
Kun-Sae picks up the viewing stone from the floor and slams Ki- Woo’s head again! Ki-Woo’s fingers tremble. Is he still conscious? Or was that the last flicker of life...
Kun-Sae trudges up the stairs and arrives in the bright kitchen. A surreal juxtaposition. His ghostly, blood-smeared mask against the pure white kitchen. Out in the garden he sees, through laughing and applauding party guests --
Ki-Jung, holding Da-Song’s birthday cake.
Kun-Sae picks up a large kitchen knife from the sink and walks toward the garden. As soon as he disappears --
Da-Hae comes down the stairs and pokes her head inside the kitchen.
Ki-Jung walks down the ‘aisle’ between the Party Guests, slowly so the candles don’t blow out.
An embarrassed but obviously excited Da-Song waits in front of the tent. He watches his favorite teacher Ms. Jessica bringing him the cake when --
Everyone SCREAMS, and the crowd parts like the Red Sea.
Ki-Jung looks back to see --
Kun-Sae running toward her with the kitchen knife.
Ki-Jung shoves the cake in Kun-Sae’s face just as he swings the knife. But a beat too late as the knife plunges into her chest.
Kun-Sae pulls the knife, and blood plumes from Ki-Jung’s chest. It sprays over the white cream covering exactly half of Kun- Sae’s face.
When Ki-Jung falls, Da-Song sees Kun-Sae looming over him, dripping with Jessica’s blood. The ghost.
Da-Song screams. A truly horrible scream. Louder and two octaves higher than the Guests. His eyes roll back, and he goes into a full-on seizure. We hear Yon-Kyo’s scream from somewhere in the crowd.
Kun-Sae pulls up Ki-Jung and puts the knife to her throat. He shouts to the Guests --
Ki-Tek and Dong-Ik are running out from the trees when they stop at Kun-Sae’s voice. The chaotically fleeing Guests also freeze in their tracks.
A tense moment. A WHITE BUTTERFLY flies over to Kun-Sae and flutters its wings above his cake-covered head.
Chung-Sook emerges from behind the crowd. Her eyes are set on Ki-Jung.
Ki-Jung is bleeding profusely. She lets out a weak moan.
Chung-Sook and Ki-Tek are focused on Ki-Jung while Dong-Ik and Yon-Kyo can’t look away from Da-Song. An agonizing moment for both families. No one moves until --
Kun-Sae throws Ki-Jung on the ground and makes a dash for Chung-Sook. People scream, scatter.
Chung-Sook turns the grill over, spilling charred meat and firewood over Kun-Sae. Smoke creates a temporary screen.
When Kun-Sae comes through the smoke, Chung-Sook quickly snatches his wrist, pulling him into a vicious fight.
Ki-Tek heaves his toy axe at Kun-Sae as he runs toward the fight. It misses Kun-Sae and instead bounces off Chung-Sook’s head.
Meanwhile Dong-Ik jumps over the wounded Ki-Jung and sprints toward Da-Song. He picks up the spasming child and runs back through the crowd toward Yon-Kyo.
Chung-Sook and Kun-Sae go at each other in the middle of the garden like two predators. Ki-Tek comes to help but can’t find a way to squeeze between them.
He goes to Ki-Jung and tries to stanch the blood. It won’t stop. He looks for something to tie her with, but there’s nothing around. Everyone is busy fleeing, and no one stops to help.
Dong-Ik gives Da-Song to Yon-Kyo, who barks furiously at Ki- Tek.
Dong-Ik and Yon-Kyo scream frantically at Ki-Tek as he desperately tries to stop the blood from Ki-Jung’s wound.
Yon-Kyo has a crazed look. Her maternal instinct has been kicked up to 11. She doesn’t care that Ki-Jung is dying or that two deranged people are fighting in her garden.
Dong-Ik can’t wait anymore. He yells at Ki-Tek.
At that moment --
We see the hell breaking loose in the garden in SLOW MOTION. Party Guests continue to escape one by one, and only the ‘little people’ are left viciously fighting for their lives.
KI-TEK’S POV --
He sees his daughter’s blood dripping between his fingers... His wife flailing under a man with a knife... Dong-Ik and Yon- Kyo yelling at him... Party Guests running away...
To add to the list of completely fucked-up shit, he sees --
Da-Hae walking toward the gate with a bloody and unconscious Ki-Woo on her back. Bawling her eyes out.
Meanwhile Dong-Ik continues to yell at Ki-Tek --
Ki-Tek removes the car keys from his pocket and hastily throws them at Dong-Ik. They hit one of the fleeing guests and drop in the grass.
Kun-Sae and Chung-Sook roll over the keys as they continue their death match. Kun-Sae picks up the fallen kitchen knife and stabs Chung-Sook in the arm!
Chung-Sook grabs her arm as she falls into a pile of burning logs behind her. She screams.
Kun-Sae is not done. He climbs on top of her and raises the knife to finish her off.
Ki-Tek jumps at Kun-Sae to stop him, but Kun-Sae is too strong. His rage has endowed him with supernatural strength. He quickly subdues Ki-Tek and brings the knife up to stab him.
Ki-Tek closes his eyes. He braces himself for the final moment when --
Nothing happens? Ki-Tek slowly opens his eyes. He sees --
A METAL BARBECUE SKEWER deeply plunged into Kun-Sae’s waist. Kun-Sae can’t even scream. The pain of the hot skewer piercing his innards is too much.
We see Chung-Sook holding the other end. In between we see pieces of meat and sausage smoking on the skewer. As Chung- Sook lets go --
Kun-Sae gradually crumbles to the ground.
Ki-Tek’s crazed, red eyes see Dong-Ik running toward him.
Dong-Ik lifts Chung-Sook and searches underneath for the car keys. No longer the cool, poised CEO. He’s overcome with fear, panic. He rolls over Kun-Sae and finally locates the keys when --
He smells something and frowns. It’s Kun-Sae’s body odor. He holds his nose at the awful smell.
Ki-Tek notices. A fleeting moment, but it triggers something inside him. Ki-Tek picks up the TOY AXE from the ground and stalks Dong-Ik.
When Dong-Ik hears Ki-Tek’s footsteps and turns around --
Ki-Tek swings the axe and plants it right between Dong-Ik’s neck and shoulder!
That’s when we realize -- it’s not a toy. It’s a REAL AXE. The one the cool guy used to chop firewood for the barbecue. We’re not sure if Ki-Tek knew it. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that it’s stuck deeply in Dong-Ik’s neck.
Yon-Kyo and the Party Guests are too stunned to scream.
Blood spurts from Dong-Ik’s neck as he falls on the grass.
Ki-Tek stares blankly at Dong-Ik. He feels something touch his foot and looks down --
It’s Da-Song’s toy axe. The real axe is still in his hands, dripping with Dong-Ik’s blood.
Yon-Kyo faints with Da-Song in her arms. Everyone in the garden stops and stares at Ki-Tek, the axe murderer, in horror.
Ki-Tek wakes up from his daze and realizes what he’s done. He’s horrified. He bolts for the gate. When frightened Guests jump out of his way, he realizes that he still has the bloody axe. He throws it away.
Ki-Tek is scared. As he runs to the gate, he sees --
-- Chung-Sook pressing down Ki-Jung’s chest while fighting through her own pain. The Foreign Chef is beside her bandaging her arm.
-- Kun-Sae, bleeding out from his punctured waist, alone and neglected by the crowd.
-- A FEW MEN trying to stanch Dong-Ik’s blood while calling
-- WOMEN helping up Yon-Kyo and Da-Song.
Ki-Tek leaves the chaos behind and runs out of the gate. As SIRENS grow louder in the distance, we --
The screen is pitch black. We start hearing faint sounds before slowly FADING IN on --
A MAN staring into the CAMERA.
We realize this is KI-WOO’S POV. He narrates in a calm voice.
The Man has a nondescript face and narrow shoulders. He is talking, but we can’t hear anything.
When we focus on the Man’s mouth, we can sort of read his lips --
“You have the right to remain silent...”
The Man seems to be reading Ki-Woo his Miranda Rights.
REVEAL -- Ki-Woo lying on the bed, his head heavily bandaged. He flashes a languid smile, his eyes droopy.
A QUIRKY-LOOKING DOCTOR examines Ki-Woo’s pupils.
Everything seems like a dream to Ki-Woo, whose left eye is slightly crossed, possibly as a result of nerve damage during surgery.
Ki-Woo chuckles and grabs his stomach as he pushes an IV pole down the hall.
The GUARDS look at him strangely.
Ki-Woo can’t stop giggling as the JUDGE hands down his sentence. Chung-Sook and his LAWYER give him a look.
Chung-Sook and Ki-Woo bounce in their seats as the bus speeds away from the city. They look out at the sunny view.
Countless WHITE URNS line the shelves. We see Ki-Jung’s picture on one of them.
Ki-Woo is in front of Ki-Jung’s urn. He stares at his sister’s brightly smiling face in the picture. He smiles back.
Chung-Sook is sobbing behind him.
The picture must be a few years old. Ki-Jung is brighter, happier in it. More innocent.
Everything is just as Ki-Jung left it. Chung-Sook is on the floor scrubbing the remaining mud stains off the furniture. The CAMERA soon leaves her and moves to the --
BATHROOM
Where Ki-Woo is sitting on the toilet. He’s watching a month- old news clip on his phone.
A REPORTER is in the news studio talking about the Park house incident.
Ki-Woo flips to another news clip. Another REPORTER appears.
Ki-Woo is going around different apartments, posting promotional flyers. His new job.
We see the DETECTIVE from the hospital following him from afar. The Detective is watching Ki-Woo from a staircase when he twists his ankle and falls down the steps.
Ki-Woo sees the Detective fall. He feels bad for the guy.
It’s winter now. Ki-Woo, bundled in a parka, climbs a hill in the middle of Seoul, walking through gray, leafless trees. His breath mists in the air.
When he’s climbed high enough, Ki-Woo plops down on a rock. He removes a large TELESCOPE from his bag.
TELESCOPE POV --
We see the magnified view of the Park mansion and the garden.
Through the living room window, we see a family laughing and talking. Not the Parks. A CAUCASIAN FAMILY. From the image of the happy foreign family,
DISSOLVE TO --
Ki-Woo shivering in the cold, still looking through the telescope. It’s dark now.
TELESCOPE POV --
The family members have gone to their rooms to sleep, and the living room is empty. There’s no movement until --
The ‘MOTION-SENSOR’ LIGHTS in the entrance start blinking. It blinks at varied intervals. Long then short. Short then long.
We see Ki-Woo’s eye grow wide through the telescope lens.
He studies the timing of the blinks, which don’t seem completely random. There’s a pattern. Could it be Morse code?
Ki-Woo starts recording into his cell phone --
Wind howls as Ki-Woo continues to rattle off dots and dashes with a trembling voice.
Ki-Woo is on the last train of the night, listening to the recording he made earlier through his earphones.
He uses a permanent marker to transcribe the dots and dashes on a paper prescription bag. When he runs out of room, he writes on his flyers. When he runs out of room there, he starts writing on his jeans.
The WOMAN sitting next to him looks at him like he’s a crazy person.
Ki-Woo opens a MORSE CODE CHART on his cell phone. He stops the playback. He starts deciphering the codes. Dots and dashes soon become words --
“Dear Son...”
And the words turn into Ki-Tek’s VOICE-OVER --
We see Ki-Tek sitting at a desk in the dark chamber. On the desk is a densely written letter, which he’s translating into Morse code. He consults a faded MORSE CODE CHART that Kun-Sae put up above the desk.
Ki-Tek looks thinner and has grown a full beard. He writes thoughtfully one word at a time.
Images from the fateful day appear in flashes --
Blood spurting from Ki-Jung**’s chest... Kun-Sae’s face covered in cake and blood... The axe silently coming down on Dong-Ik’s shoulder... Ki-Tek’s hand gripping the bloody axe...
Then we switch to Ki-Tek’s running POV**... People screaming, running away... The gate approaching ahead...
SLOW MOTION of Ki-Tek running down the stairs in front of the gate. He sees --
The front of a MINI COOPER jutting out of the half-open garage. They were able to squeeze the car in but not able to fully close the door.
Ki-Tek ducks through the opening and enters the garage.
A few Party Guests roam the street in panic, but they’re too stricken with terror to notice.
Only the nonfunctional surveillance camera looks down at Ki-Tek as he slips through the door.
Ki-Tek pokes his head out from the garage stairs and looks inside the living room. It’s empty. Through the window he sees terrified Party Guests stampeding toward the sound of the ambulance.
Holding his shoes in his hands, Ki-Tek quickly crosses to the kitchen and rushes down to the storage basement.
FLASHBACK)
Ki-Tek picks up a box of CANNED TUNA and a box of EVIAN. He takes care to avoid the blood and plum extract on the floor as he walks across the basement.
He pushes the jar cabinet to the side and opens the steel door behind it. He steps inside and closes the door.
As he turns the crank handle and seals himself inside the darkness --
When we fade back in, we see an emptied-out mansion lit only by moonlight. The Parks have moved out.
We go from room to room until we arrive in the --
SECRET ROOM
Ki-Tek picks at a can of tuna using Kun-Sae’s fork. He eats one tiny piece at a time, conserving what limited food he has. All the while he stares across the room where, in the darkness --
MUN-KWANG is curled up next to the toilet.
Mun-Kwang’s hefty body is thrown into a dirt hole.
We see Ki-Tek panting at the mouth of the hole, exhausted from moving her all the way from the basement. The hole is dug in front of a large tree.
One scoop at a time, dirt is scattered over Mun-Kwang’s face.
Ki-Tek stops shoveling and takes a break. He leans on the tree and looks up at the stars twinkling above.
Ki-Tek is sitting with his eyes closed in front of Dong-Ik’s picture that Kun-Sae put up on the wall. Head bowed. Penitent. A bit comical, but he doesn’t care. He continues to solemnly pay his respects when --
He hears a faint sound coming from above. He walks up the stairs and puts his ear on the steel door.
He hears lively chatter on the other side. Someone’s come to see the house. They speak German.
It’s dark, and everyone is still asleep. Except Ki-Taek, who walks up to the kitchen and quietly crawls over to the refrigerator.
He sees a FAMILY PORTRAIT hanging on the kitchen wall. A GERMAN FAMILY OF FOUR, white teeth shining brightly through their broad smiles. There are more pictures on the refrigerator. One picture shows a FILIPINO MAID with her arms around the family’s kids.
Ki-Tek carefully opens the fridge, and a cool shaft of light hits his face. Inside we see --
Tofu, sausage, Korean gochujang paste, Japanese natto beans...
Ki-Tek takes a little of each food and puts them in Kun-Sae’s old plastic container when, through his peripheral vision, he sees --
Something moving in the garden!
Ki-Tek nearly jumps out of his skin. He quickly turns only to realize --
It was his own reflection in the living room window. He stares at the pale ghost for a long moment.
-- Ki-Tek eats tofu in the dark corner. Above the long beard, we see his dull, soulless eyes.
-- Ki-Tek lies motionless on Kun-Sae’s cot. His breathing is so faint that we almost can’t tell he’s alive.
-- Ki-Tek gets up and walks over to the light switches. Looking at his Morse-code-coverted letter, he starts turning the switches on and off. As he sends his coded message to the outside world, we very slowly --
Ki-Woo runs as fast as he can through the alley, chest bursting with excitement. His breath creates a trail of mist as he passes the lights of nearby semi-basement apartments.
An out-of-breath Ki-Woo runs into the apartment and immediately picks up a used piece of paper. He doesn’t even bother to take his coat off.
He sits at the kitchen table and starts writing furiously.
As CAMERA TRACKS IN on his quickly moving hand --
Begin SENTIMENTAL MUSIC.
We MOVE IN on Ki-Woo’s sleeping face. He looks happy. Tightly held in his hand is the letter he just wrote.
His eyelids flutter lightly. He must be dreaming.
We hear KI-WOO’S VOICE reading the letter --
We witness the moment when the VIEWING STONE was first discovered. A PAIR OF HANDS pick up the rock from a beautiful, pristine stream.
Ki-Woo walks up the hill of the wealthy neighborhood. He’s older. Dressed in a nice suit and tie.
Ki-Woo is at the mansion. The one that at different points belonged to the Parks, the German family, and Namgoong Hyunja. He walks up to the gate with a few REAL ESTATE AGENTS.
-- A FEMALE REAL ESTATE AGENT shows Ki-Woo the garden. Ki-Woo stands in the sunlight and looks up at the majestic trees.
-- As PROFESSIONAL MOVERS carry boxes into the house, two people step into the living room --
Ki-Woo and Chung-Sook.
Outside the window, we see a WOMAN and a GIRL -- Ki-Woo’s wife and daughter? -- playing in the garden.
-- Everything has been unpacked and put in place. The Movers leave, and only Ki-Woo and his family remain.
They are enjoying the sun at the patio table. Ki-Woo turns toward the house.
He’s looking at the kitchen. Late afternoon rays lean into it at a low angle. We hear FOOTSTEPS coming from the basement stairs.
CAMERA MOVES IN, and we see a faint glimpse of someone coming up the stairs. Ki-Tek?
Then at last --
Ki-Tek walks out into the bright garden. Buckets of sunlight wash away years of darkness. He hugs his family. An emotional reunion.
As SENTIMENTAL MUSIC swells into a climax --
Cold. Windy. The sun is dropping fast. Ki-Woo is on the mountain again looking through the telescope.
He puts it down and looks into the distance.
We see the Park mansion far away. Surrounded by countless other mansions. Lights turn on and off across the neighborhood. It’s as if the houses are trying to talk to us.
Ki-Woo’s nose is bright red from the cold. His eyes brim with tears.
Sharp wind cuts up his breath as soon as it mists in the air. As the wind continues to howl --
OVER BLACK --
MUSIC plays. Bright, but with an undertone of hopelessness.
The End