FADE IN
Act 1
INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT
PETER, his WIFE and their younger SON are enjoying Korean delicacies.
SON: How was the trip?
PETER: Great to see your elder sister.
WIFE: We had Korean cuisine but I haven't done my eating list.
PETER: We saw her moving in her new studio two days ago.
WIFE: Although it's at the Seoul National University subway station, she still has take a bus to the SNU.
PETER: Waiting for its availability, she's lived in six Airbnbs.
WIFE: It's worth the waiting though.
Peter's wife then shows phone images to his son.
Act 2
FLASHBACK
EXT - ROADS TO HONG KONG AIRPORT - DAY (JAN 13. 2023)
Sitting next to his wife in the back seat of a taxi, Peter is having a Zoom meeting.
PETER (V.O.): If I was driving myself, there's no way I can drive some other things.
Arriving at the Airport, Peter leaves the meeting.
WIFE: You should have left the meeting a long time ago.
PETER: I spotted something and wanted that to be done timely.
INT. HONG KONG AIRPORT - CONTINUOUS
Airline check-in counter. Peter and his wife drop their bags.
PETER (V.O.): My wife has brought a lot of stuff for our daughter. She's a very caring mother.
Peter touches his hand bag.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've only brought cash. Our daughter quit her Tokyo job to become a student in Seoul.
INT. INCHEON AIRPORT - LATER
A long quarantine queue for visitors coming from China including Hong Kong.
PETER: I think we've to wait for at least 45 minutes before we can show our QR Codes at the quarantine inspection desks.
WIFE: I don't see any toilet in the vicinity.
PETER (V.O): Two nights ago, it took us about an hour to figure out how to input in advance our quarantine information in the user-unfriendly e-form.
WIFE (Cont'd): Our daughter and her boyfriend have been waiting outside...
PETER: They're together now...
Later, they see an OFFICIAL asking an unprepared WOMAN in front to prepare to show her QR-Code.
PETER (V.O): I wonder how quick she can get the QR-code on the spot. Travelling during the pandemic time is still hard.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): But we've good reasons to come over to see our elder daughter now. The last time we met in person was Dec 2019 in Japan.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Our daughter needs to have a permanent address in South Korea before she can re-enter it, if she comes back to Hong Kong.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): We don't know about the procedural hurdle.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): But the most challenging one is love relationship.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Our daughter fell in love with her Korean classmate in Fukuoka years ago.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): And upon completion of studies, her boyfriend had to return to Busan as his father was terminally ill.
Sighing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A few weeks ago, our daughter has already paid tribute to her boyfriend's late father in Busan.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): We're advised to fly direct to Busan if the Korean authority would allow flights from Hong Kong landing there again.
Act 3
INT. ROADS TO MYEONG-DONG - LATER
Peter and his wife are at the back seats of a Genesis G80.
PETER (V.O.): In the back seat, I enjoy the ride.
Smiling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I watch not the scenery but the couple in front.
RETURN TO PRESENT
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): While I won't be a backseat driver, I've the value to be their "guardian".
THE END
FADE OUT
In the Back Seat
Updated: Jan 20, 2023
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