FADE IN
Act 1
INT. STUDIO - 18:40
Having strummed the guitar for awhile, PETER relaxes on a sofa.
PETER (V.O.): I haven't packed my bag yet.
Grabbing his phone, Peter checks a WhatsApp message.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My wife's is so happy that her PCR nuclei acid test is also negative.
Peter checks a flight itinerary on screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The ETA (estimated time of arrival) of our flight at Incheon International Airport is around this time tomorrow.
Peter takes a look of a piece of paper in Korean and English near him.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd):But without this ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) from the Authority, we couldn't even check in our flight.
Act 2
FLASHBACK
INT. BEDROOM - SITTING ROOM - 23:00 (YESTERDAY)
Working on a laptop, Peter sees his younger DAUGHTER appearing at the door.
PETER (V.O.): My wife said earlier that she'd prepare Red Bean Ice dessert for me.
PETER: Yeah, I'll come out shortly.
DAUGHTER: No, Mom wants you to come out urgently!
PETER (V.O.): What's the emergency?
Rushing out, Peter sees his WIFE working on a laptop nervously.
WIFE: I can't check in our flight.
Pausing.
WIFE (Cont'd): Although we don't need any visa to South Korea, we need a travel authorization from the Authority. Let's research quickly together!
PETER (V.O.): We didn't need that when we went to UK last Nov.
Typing on their smart phones, Peter and daughter also do the research.
Peter and his wife then study texts on screens.
WIFE: We need a K-ETA. Get our passports and photos ready for the online application.
PETER: Our flight departs in less than 48 hours. The Authority states that it'd reply within 72 hours.
Pausing.
PETER (Cont'd): We should have done that at least 4 days earlier. Can we still cancel our hotel booking?
WIFE: No, the free-cancellation period has already expired. But I can still cancel and rebook our flight.
PETER (V.O.): Not just us, but those expecting us in Seoul would be greatly disappointed...
Working on her laptop, Peter's wife is filling in particulars of an on-line K-ETA application.
WIFE: You do yours separately.
PETER: Let me see what particulars are needed.
After uploading a passport image and a passport photo, Peter's wife types in the address of a hotel.
PETER (V.O.): I don't even know where we'll be staying.
WIFE: And the Zip code of the hotel?
Quickly, Peter's wife finds it from her smart phone.
PETER (V.O.): I leave all the travel preparation to my wife, believing she enjoys doing that.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I was travelling every month before Covid, I enjoyed not just the trip, but the trip planning too.
Before submitting her online K-ETA application, Peter's wife checks every details again.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Okay, that's how it's done.
WIFE: We do the best we can to salvage the operation.
PETER (V.O.): If we don't get the Authority's approval within 36 hours, we'll stay in Hong Kong.
Peter sees his wife leaving a voice message.
WIFE (To phone): We've missed an important procedural step...we may not be able to come to Seoul tomorrow after all.
Looking at each other, Peter and his wife sigh.
END FLASHBACK
Act 3
INT. STUDIO - CONTINUOUS
Peter strums the guitar again.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And then, we discovered that the online application procedure allowed the Applicant to "Add Member". My wife added my particulars swiftly.
Smiling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Fortunately, the K-ETA came in the small hours of the morning. My wife had no problem to check in our flight.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Learning a great lesson, I intend to carry a small bag and let my wife take an extra-large one.
THE END
FADE OUT
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