FADE IN Act 1 INT. BEDROOM - 02:45 PETER lies in bed, trying to sleep. The space next to him is empty. PETER (V.O.): My wife has gone to the Airport to pick up our younger daughter. Anticipating. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Unlike my wife, I'm not owl-like. Sound of a key turning the main door lock, very faint. Peter listens to smiling voices from the living room. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Ah, they're home. We can hear KAJI, the family pet, joyfully welcoming the returnees. PETER (V.

FADE IN Act 1 INT. LIVING ROOM - 08:30 Sunlight streams into the room. PETER is scrolling through his Pad 2. He pauses at a Facebook feed. PETER (V.O.): Learn seven 9sus4 chords in five minutes? He gets up and moves to an upright piano. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Let me try C9sus4 first. He places his fingers on the keys, his movements stiff at first. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): LH: C - G + RH: Bb - D - F. He plays again. Smoother this time. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Now, D9sus4... LH: D

FADE IN Act 1 MONTAGE A. . Park. Sitting on a bench, PETER brings his hand up, runs his fingers through his unruly white hair a bit and then it stops dead. B. Elevator. Peter's hand is buried in his hair, fingers meticulously picking at a knot just above his forehead. C. Takeaway shop. Using the faint reflection of a steel pillar, Peter tries to locate the source of the persisting tangling at his crown. D. Restaurant. Peter stares at his smartphone screen. We see answer to th

FADE IN Act 1 DREAM SEQUENCE A. PETER and GUS alight from an elegant horse-drawn taxi. B. Gus leads Peter to his cosy riverside home nestled behind the willow trees. C. From Gus' home, Peter is delighted to see puppies diving into the river, just like ducks. D. Peter appreciates the green motifs in Gus' home decor. E. Upon meeting Gus' KIDS, Peter is surprised by how young they're. F. Peter finds it unusual that Gus wears a tie even when he's at home. G. It appears that SOMEO

FADE I N   Act 1   INT. HOME - MORNING Bedroom. A landscape of blankets and slow, even breaths. KAJI is awake at the foot of the bed, between the PACK LEADER and PETER. KAJI (V.O): Peter stirs awake. KAJI crosses over and begins to lick Peter's nose. KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): The most faithful alarm clock doesn't chime; it licks. And it wakes not just the body - it wakes the heart to its purpose. Kaji delivers a wet swipe across Peter's mouth. KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): We build our own

FADE IN Act 1 INT. BEDROOM - 10:00 Putting aside some of his handheld device, PETER grabs his swim bag. PETER (V.O.): Time to do my daily swim. Soon after leaving, he returns.  PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Why wouldn't I wear my new headset? I love its two-tone colours. Happily, Peter puts on the headset and turns on Bluetooth to connect internet Jazz music. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The headset is a conduct to the world within. Listening. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The music, inaudible t

FADE IN Act 1 INT. LIVING ROOM - 11:30 PETER, whose hair is still damp, sits on a sofa. PETER (V.O.): I've just done my daily swim. He picks up a tablet, taps the screen, and the distinctive Duolingo owl appears.  PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'd be able to maintain all my streaks in the early afternoon. Sound of a successful streak notification. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What should I do on a Friday afternoon? More successful sound notifications. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): There never se

FADE IN Act 1 INT. BEDROOM - 14:00 On a bedside table, a collection of tech devices is laid out like a surgeon's toolkit. Sitting up in bed, PETER has the focused, slightly bewildered look. PETER (V.O.): How should I address them systematically? In front of him are new and old handheld devices.  PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Within a fortnight, I bought a Remi Pad 2, a POCO C85, A POCO M7, an HONOR 400 Smart. Pausing. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): While touring Xinhui earlier this week, I

FADE IN Act 1 EXT. ROADS, XINHUI DISTRICT - 14:00 (YESTERDAY) Sitting inside a coach, PETER looks out over the lush, green fields of Xinhui. PETER (V.O.): It's the district where my ancestors resided. Recalling. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My grandpa moved to Hong Kong to start his business. My maternal grandma and my Dad joined him in the 1940s. Recalling. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My Mom and my Dad were schoolmates in Hong Kong. We lived in Central before we moved to Tin Sum, NT in

FADE IN Act 1 INT. LIVING ROOM - 09:30 PETER picks up his Honor 400 Smart, his movement deliberate. He navigates to settings and taps AI Translator. PETER (V.O.): With this, I don't think I need an iPhone 17 Pro Max. Later, Peter uses each of his handheld devices to complete a Duolingo lesson and maintain his learning streaks. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I encounter social media feeds in various foreign languages, and having a bit of knowledge in those languages enhances my unders

FADE IN Act 1 INT. LIVING ROOM - 13:00 PETER is comfortably seated on the sofa, reading newspapers. PETER (V.O.): When I was downstairs earlier, the caretaker invited me to take some free newspapers. Reading. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I haven't read newspapers in a long time. I'm surprised by the abundance of ads, especially for package tours. Pausing. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That explains why the online package tours I've booked are being offered at such a good price. Pausing. P

FADE IN Act 1 INT. LIVING ROOM - 11:00 Soft light filters through the window. PETER sits at an upright piano, a Redmi Pad 2 open in front of him. PETER (V.O.): The instructor employs a step-by-step method. Watching intently. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I think I can do it. Peter's left hand finds the bass notes, while his right hovers above the treble clef. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Index...middle...ring... Peter presses down, producing a few hesitant notes. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Le

FADE IN Act 1 INT. LIVING ROOM - 12:45 Before him is a lunch box, and PETER is finishing the fried noodles topped with vegetables and sliced pork. PETER (V.O.): When I return to the New Territories, I seldom eat at home. Pausing. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My main agenda this afternoon is to visit my Dad in Tsuen Wan. Pausing. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I believe I'm the only one who visits him after Ching Ming and Chung Yeung. Pausing. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We've no special ties to

FADE IN Act 1 INT. LIVING ROOM - 09:45 Sunlight streams in. The MAID hands PETER a small, unopened cardboard box and a receipt. A smile spreads across Peter's face. PETER (V.O.): Awesome! My "M7" smartphone has arrived right on schedule: Nov 11. Peter glances at the receipt: Poco M7 in blue, 8GB RAM, 256GB ROM for HK$1099. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Thanks to the Nov 11 promotion, I only paid HK$949. After unwrapping the cardboard, Peter snaps a photo of the Model M7. PETER (V.O.

FADE IN Act 1 INT. BEDROOM - 07:47 Sunlight filters through the curtains. Sitting up in bed. PETER stares at a photo on his phone screen. PETER (V.O.): Yesterday, Jimmy sent me the photo, asking me if I'd recognize the gentleman sitting next to him over lunch, as he said he knew me. Pausing. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): He's Christopher, the German IP lawyer from Munich. He looks the same as I last saw him in 2013. Pausing. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Jimmy remarked that he first met Ch

FADE I N   Act 1   INT. HOME - MORNING Sunlight streams into a dining room. PETER returns from outside, holding a loaf of bread in a clear bag. KAJI (V.O): Breakfast time! Kaji can't wait to greet Peter, guiding him to the dining table while whining with excitement. Then, the PACK LEADER appears. PACK LEADER: No! Kaji doesn't move, but one back foot shifts, performing a tiny, frustrated scrape against the floor. It's a muted, indoor version of her kick. KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): I

FADE IN Act 1 INT. LIVING ROOM/BEDROOM - 01:47 Bright. Cluttered with papers. PETER finishes a reply and hits "SEND". PETER (V.O.): Only after I had published my daily screenplay did I notice that my instructing solicitor had sent me an urgent message at 11:35pm. Leaning back to his chair, exhaustion creeps in. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I prefer to get the job done quickly, as I might have trouble falling asleep otherwise. At 07:15, Peter is awake and a thought strikes him. He s

FADE IN Act 1 INT. BEDROOM - 04:45 Darkness. PETER is awake, clear eyed. He takes a look of the bedside digital clock. PETER (V.O.): 4:45, not bad. A soft, genuine smile spreads across PETER's face. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've dreamed; I must have slept.   Peter is profoundly relieved. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): At 11:30 pm last night, my instructing solicitor was still in contact with me. Pausing. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And I rarely go to sleep before midnight as I immerse mysel

FADE IN Act 1 INT. BEDROOM - 06:45 PETER, holding his smart phone, gazes intently at a black-and-white photo. PETER (V.O.): We're captured in black and white, frozen in happiness in the Hong Kong Botanical Garden. Pausing. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): At the centre of the frame sat a hopeful family portrait: my Dad (27), my Mom (28), my sister (7), my brother (1) and me (4).   Pausing. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As my wife and others identify everyone in the photo, the curious inevitab

FADE IN Act 1 INT. BEDROOM - 01:03 The room is dark. A digital clock on a bedside table glows. PETER lies in bed perfectly still. PETER (V.O.): But I feel the alertness in my body. Peter reaches into a nearby bag and pulls out an eye mask to cover his eyes. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That's how I find my calm. When I was working full time, I couldn't sleep without it. The same clock now reads: 06:47. Peter's eyes snap open beneath the mask, He rips it off. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd):