Okja Page #6

MIJA:

(disbelieving)

No...

HEE BONG:

We can't do anything about it.

Especially not now. They said thatOkja was selected as the best pig.

They have big plans for her inAmerica...

MIJA:

America...?

HEE BONG:

(nods)

She'll be spending the night inSeoul, and tomorrow she'll be on a

plane to America. She's a celebritynow!

(laughs)

Going all the way across thePacific!

Hee Bong lets out an exaggerated laugh as he carefullysearches for Mija's reaction. Mija is in utter shock.

HEE BONG (CONT'D)

(sternly)

Mija! You're nearly a grown woman,

and to be honest I wasn't too keen

on seeing you playing with that pigall day. You should go to the town,

maybe meet a boyfr...

Mija throws the gold pig at Hee Bong's foot and rushes downthe mountain.

EXT. MIJA'S HOUSE - LATE AFTERNOON

Mija runs out of the trees and arrives at the house to findit completely empty. The dirt in the yard is wildly printedwith footprints. We can picture how Okja must have beendragged away. The hairs stand on Mija's body.

MIJA:

OKJA!!!

28.

Mija shouts at the top of her lungs. Her voice echoes alongthe massive ridges of the mountain but goes unanswered. Mijabegins to run - with the urgency of a sprinter.

EXT. FOREST - LATE AFTERNOON

Mija runs down the mountain with great speed and athleticism,

having grown up roaming these hills. She runs her legs off -

through the trees, over the rocks, and through the air acrossthe stream. The branches scratch and scar Mija's face but shecontinues running, gaining speed.

But Okja and her escorts are nowhere to be seen.

EXT. BEGINNING OF HIGHWAY - SUNSET

Mija stands at the point where the highway begins. She looksfar ahead at a sedan and a large container truck - just dots.

Mija breathes heavily, exhausted from her run. A tear formsin her eye. The truck containing Okja rounds the bend anddisappears to the other side of the mountain.

INT. MIJA'S HOUSE - NIGHT

CLOSE ON a large cauldron sitting on top of a fire hole,

steam rising from it. Hee Bong opens the lid, and we see awhole chicken inside the boiling water. Hee Bong addscinnamon, ginger, and vetch to the pot. He hears someoneentering and pokes his head out of the kitchen. He sees Mijacrossing the yard limply, eyes swollen from crying and cheeksstreaked with dirty tears. Mija stomps past Hee Bong andtowards her room, scattering the chickens away.

INT. MIJA'S ROOM, MIJA'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Hee Bong pokes his head inside the room. He carefully openshis mouth.

HEE BONG:

You must be hungry. I made yourfavorite - chicken stew.

No answer. Mija can't seem to put a stop on her emotions.

She sobs as she undresses. Hee Bong becomes embarrassed andturns his head, but Mija doesn't care. She continues to takeoff her pants and her socks.

HEE BONG (CONT'D)

Go clean up, and let's have some

chicken stew.

(MORE)

29.

HEE BONG (CONT'D)

I put in all the herbs that aresupposed to be good for you.

Mija continues to sob as she removes a training suit from herdrawer. She puts it on along with fresh socks. Hee Bong looksat her curiously. Mija takes out a red fanny pack from thedrawer.

HEE BONG (CONT'D)

What are you doing?

Mija still doesn't answer. Her face is a grotesque mess oftears and snot. She puts the fanny pack around her waist.

HEE BONG (CONT'D)

Where do you think you're going?

MIJA:

Seoul...

HEE BONG:

What?

MIJA:

I'm going to bring Okja home.

HEE BONG:

Are you crazy? Seoul? In the middleof night? Do you even know how muchit costs to go to Seoul?

Mija picks up a large piggy bank from the top of the chest.

She raises it high and throws it to the floor with surprisingstrength. The piggy bank shatters into pieces, unleashing avast sea of coins. Hee Bong gasps.

Mija continues to sob as she sweeps the coins into her fannypack and pockets. There are a few bank notes in there too.

She bites them between her lips.

Hee Bong comes into the room and tries to stop her, but Mijathrows him to the floor.

Hee Bong has had enough. He stands and begins franticallyshoving the coins under the furniture with his feet. He looksridiculous. And it's pointless. Mija has already filled herfanny pack. She zips it up and heads fast towards the door.

HEE BONG (CONT'D)

Don't you dare leave this room!

Mija turns and stares at him.

30.

HEE BONG (CONT'D)

Look. I miss Okja too.

Mija's eyes instantly swell with tears at the thought ofOkja.

HEE BONG (CONT'D)

But she's an animal. They all haveto go sometime.

Hee Bong grabs a permanent marker from Mija's desk and startsdrawing lines over the photograph of Okja - the one whereshe's being hugged by Mija. With rough strokes, he dividesOkja's body parts like a butcher's meat chart.

HEE BONG (CONT'D)

Blade shoulder, loin, spare rib,

hock. This is what she is!

Mija cries even louder - this is deeply disturbing to her.

She pushes Hee Bong away and runs out into the windy frontyard.

Hee Bong runs after her and manages to grab her.

MIJA:

(yelling)

No!

As Mija yells, the bank notes she was biting between her lipsaccidently fly away in the wind. Hee Bong instinctivelythrows himself toward the money.

Mija uses the opportunity to run away, dashing into the darkwoods.

Hee Bong belatedly realizes his mistake and runs after her -

but she is GONE. He breathes heavily as he stands in theblack windy forest, the bank-notes clenched in his fist.

HEE BONG:

MIJA - !

Hee Bong's voice echoes throughout the woods. Instead ofMija's answer...

A cacophony of CITY NOISES begin to crowd our ears.

INT. SUBWAY TRANSFER TERMINAL, SOMEWHERE IN SEOUL - DAY

As the NOISE reaches a crescendo, we see a wide staircase

filled with SUBWAY PASSENGERS transferring between lines.

31.

Black heads filling the SCREEN move in a single direction.

One of the heads turns and looks around - Mija.

INT. PLATFORM, SUBWAY STATION - DAY

Mija stares hopelessly at the large subway map on the wall.

The subway lines are intricately spun like spider webs. Theyresemble Mija's tangled hair and her utterly confused state.

She somehow identifies her destination on the sprawling mapand takes out a coin from her fanny pack, inserts it in theticketing machine. The fanny pack is a promotional gift fromMirando. Mija makes note of the Mirando Korea address andphone number printed on the inside.

EXT. ENTRANCE, MIRANDO KOREA OFFICES - DAY

A white, clean interior brightly lit by fluorescent lights.

Mija stands up against the glass door and peers inside. Wesee an empty front desk with the Mirando logo and a pottedtree that has the exact silhouette of the logo.

The lobby is silent until... CLICK, CLICK. A skinnyRECEPTIONIST clicks her high heels into the lobby and returnsto her seat.

Mija tries to make eye contact, but the Receptionist looksdown at her smartphone and doesn't look up. Mija - feelinginvisible - KNOCKS on the glass.

The Receptionist finally raises her head and sees Mija's wildappearance. She points to a guest phone attached to a standin front of the entrance.

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