Act 1 MONTAGE - THE 15TH DAY OF THE YEAR OF THE HORSE A. The 15th day. Dawn. PETER's eyes open. Quiet. He brinks. Reaches for a small calender on his nightstand. A red circle around the date. B. The ongoing war. Morning. Peter scrolls through social media, intently absorbing the latest updates and comments on the on-going war in the Middle East. C. Connection. Late morning. Peter studies two articles on his screen, deep in thought. After reflecting seriously, he types his com

Act 1 DEEP WATER BAY - 14:35 No sun. The beach is nearly empty. PETER in swim trunks, walks out of the clear water. He's breathless. PETER (V.O.): The water is colder than I thought. His skin is slightly pink from the cold. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I was at the floating platform, I was about to shiver. He grabs a towel from his swim bag, drying off quickly. After taking a bath, he strolls to his SMART car, which is parked alongside the road. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I don't

FADE I N Act 1 INT. HOME - AFTERNOON (YESTERDAY) The world is quiet. Still. KAJI looks out of the window. KAJI (V.O.): It might rain later. The PACK LEADER and PETER appear. PACK LEADER: We should go before it starts pouring. Peter nods. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): I believe we're going out now. The Pack leader helps Kaji put on her orange raincoat and clips on the leash. PACK LEADER (Cont'd): Let's go! Kaji is ready. Ac t 2 EXT. RIVERSIDE PARK - LATER Rain falls steadily. A

Act 1 INT. CAR - 18:00 Raindrops on the windshield. Peter's WIFE drives. PETER, a worried crease in his brow, sits beside her, peering at the road ahead. The sign for the Airport looms. Peter checks a WhatsApp message. PETER (V.O.): Three months ago, my elder daughter and her husband were in Hong Kong. Very happy. Recalling. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Then she didn't go to visit her mother-in-law in Busan with her husband for New Year. Said she needed to rest. Now she's on a plan

Act 1 INT. CHINESE RESTAURANT - 13:30 The lunch rush is in full swing. The clinking of spoons against porcelain bowls and the loud conversations. In a private room, two large round tables are occupied by COUNSEL. They're in the middle of a chambers lunch. PETER sits among them. PETER (V.O.): In terms of years of call. I'm the most senior here. 1985. But in terms of private practice, I only began in 2017. COUNSEL#1: Do you have a certificate or a formal lineage? COUNSEL#2: No.

Act 1 INT. LIVING ROOM - 08:15 Soft light through curtains. PETER reaches for his phone. PETER (V.O.): 10th day. Year of the Horse. He scrolls social media with detached curiosity. A video thumb nail catches him; red lanterns, a shadowry beast. He taps. VIDEO NARRATOR (V.O.): The Nian monster came each new year to eat villagers, until they discovered its three fears: the colour red, bright flames, and loud noise. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): They didn't celebrate the year. They sur

Act 1 INT. BUS - 12:15 The bus hums through the city. PETER, wearing a blue beanie and a pair of light-blue, closed-back headphones, sits by the window. PETER (V.O.): I'm going to have lunch with my former Tsinghua classmates...we're class of 1996...30 years... INT. HARBOUR INN CUISINE - 12:35 The restaurant is elegant, with large windows overlooking the harbour. A WAITRESS leads ANTHONY, who walks with a walking stick to a prime table by the window. Peter appears and spots t

Act 1 INT. LIVING ROOM - 11:30 Sunlight, pale and weak, filters through a window. PETER sits on a sofa, scrolling on his phone, the glow reflecting on his glasses. PETER (V.O.): ...so the real value isn't the maps themselves, it's the user data, the photos, the reviews...they build a comprehensive layer on top of the physical world... Pausing. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Haneda...Asahikawa...Feb 6-10, 2026. Checking his photo app, Peter smiles softly. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The jo

Act 1 INT. BEDROOM - 08:30 Sunlight filters through the curtains. PETER sits up in bed, checking unread WhatsApp messages on his phone. PETER (V.O.): Today is the 7th Day of the year of the Horse. My sister has already sent a greeting card to the family's chat group. Pausing. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I wrote a song celebrating the 7th Day of the new year a few years back. Could use that. He mines the song from his YouTube channel, humps a few bars. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's o

FADE I N Act 1 INT. HOME - MORNING Sunlight streams onto the floor. Kaji lies in the massage chair, nose resting on paws. PETER sits at a large, black piece of furniture. KAJI (V.O.): We've just had breakfast together. Peter starts to hit the white and black keys. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): We're sharing space without demanding anything from each other. The notes are slow, hesitant. Clumsy. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): I always find the sound strange. Pausing. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): I

Act 1 INT. LIVING ROOM - 12:30 PETER sits on a sofa, learning languages via the Duolingo app. PETER (V.O.): Today is the fifth day of the year of the horse. I've a date with my wife. Practising French. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): She needs to pick up some medication at the Queen Mary Hospital. Practising Italian. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When that's done, she'd wait for me to do my daily swim, say, in Repulse Bay. Practsing German. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We'll take the dog as well.

Act 1 INT. LIVING ROOM - 10:30 PETER sits on a sofa, reading an article on screen intently. PETER (V.O.): It's a well-structured piece targeting CEOs and the public on cybersecurity. It recommends a defence strategy. Pausing. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Fundamentally, skepticism and cross-verification. Pausing. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But what if AI could help us before we get fooled? What if we turn the weapon against itself. Peter mines a deepfake detection platform. PETER (V.O.)

Act 1 INT. BEDROOM - 10:30 Sunlight slices through the curtains, painting stripes across the room. PETER, already dressed in a comfortable red shirt and blue jeans sits on the edge of the bed. The only sound is the soft, rhythmic breathing of his WIFE. PETER (V.O.): Today's my wife's birthday. Peter watches her sleep, content. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Let me first send her my Happy Birthday song via FB. Grabbing his smartphone, Peter mines the MV on his YouTube channel. On scre

Act 1 EXT. PAK SAU ROAD, KWU TUNG - 13:30 Peter's silver Previa is clean and spacious. PETER and his WIFE stand outside the sliding door of the car, helping Peter's MUM (96) into it. Peter's younger SON is in the driver seat. PETER (V.O.): My mother has become tiny, bird-like. She has to wear thick clothes despite the mild weather. Peter's Mum's movements are slow and deliberate. WIFE: Mum. Watch your step. PETER: That's it. WIFE: Hold onto the car's handrail. PETER: Easy now

Act 1 INT. MALL - 09:15 Fairwood. While waiting for his takeaway breakfast, PETER scrolls through the web on his phone. PETER (V.O.): Today is first day of the Year of the Horse. I don't know if the swimming pools would be open. Peter reads a notice on screen. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Three days. All pools closed. Pausing. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Although it's quite cool today, I can go to the beaches. Peter scrolls through the web on his phone again. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): No l

Act 1 EXT. CLEAR WATER BAY ROAD - 10:30 The road winds along the coastline. Green hills on one side. Glimpses of the sea on the other. Driving his numeric blue SMART city coupe, PETER settles into the rhythm of the road. PETER (V.O.): My mind is drifting. By pressing a button on the stick, Peter switches the mode from automatic to manual. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Today, I've a date with my wife to admire cherry blossoms in Hong Kong. Peter pushes the stick forward, seamlessly

FADE I N Act 1 INT. HOME - MORNING A silver of grey morning light forces its way through a gap in the curtains. It lands on the nose of KAJI. Her eyes are open. She's perfectly still. KAJI (V.O.): The light is wrong. The light should be on the dining table by now. Pausing. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Peter should be sharing bread with me. This is The Way. The routine is sacred. Kaji goes to the bedroom. Her gaze is fixed on the humans in bed. They are mountains of blankets....

Act 1 INT. LIVING ROOM - 12:00 PETER sits on a sofa. He holds his smartphone at arm's length, examining. PETER (V.O.): Where's the song I wrote to celebrate Valentine's Day? On YouTube, Peter finds his song: 多到離譜 (Love Overflowing). Peter smiles. He taps "Post" on FB screen. EXT. RIVERSIDE PARK - 14:45 Peter and his WIFE are walking the dog. PETER: We'll go shopping after this. Have you identified an LV scarf you like? WIFE: No, the choices are limited. PETER: Since you got y

FADE IN Act 1 EXT. YUEN LONG SWIMMING POOL - `15:00 Changing room. PETER stands beneath a wall-mounted dryer, letting its warm air gently dry his white hair. The soft hum of the machine fills the quiet room as he tilts his head, allowing the heat to work its magic. PETER (V.O.): I swim to forget. Peter moves with a deliberate calm. He buttons his shirt, packs his bag, and exits. EXT. LONG NGAI PATH - 15:10 The sun is high. Peter walks along the path. He stops. A group of peop

FADE IN Act 1 INT. FAMILIES CLINIC - 14:40 Sunlight filters through blinds. PETER (71, calm demeanor, thoughtful eyes) sits alone, the sleeve of his shirt rolled up. An automatic blood pressure monitor sits on the side table. He presses START. The cuff tightens. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. 144/83 Peter stares. Blinks. Adjusts his sleeve. PETER (V.O.): Let me try again. 148/85 Peter exhales slowly. Rests his forearm on his thigh. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Couldn't sleep last night. That ma