Kaji: The Morning Pact
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- 8 hours ago
- 2 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. HOME - MORNING
Curled in bed with the PACK LEADER and PETER, KAJI's eyes are already open.
KAJI (V.O.): Peter should be stirring any moment now.
Kaji rises, gets out of bed and goes to the kitchen.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Once again, there's no sign of the maid.
Kaji returns to the bed.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Peter should go out and grab a loaf of bread for us.
Before long, Peter goes out and returns with a freshly baked loaf of bread.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): As anticipated, but I can't help feeling excited and energized.
Kaji springs up to greet Peter, eagerly sniffing the bread before letting out an enthusiastic bark of joy.
PETER: Good girl.
Act 2
MONTAGE - THE EMPTY DAYS (DAYS AGO)
DAY 1. Kaji performs the wake-up nudge. The bed is empty. Cold. She stands there for a long time, paws on mattress, smelling Peter's absent scent.
DAY 2: Kaji goes to the bedroom door but doesn't enter. She knows.
DAY 3. Kaji sleeps on the sofa. The wake-up protocol is shelved. A silent protest.
END MONTAGE
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm not a passive recipient of care but an active enforcer of order, a guardian of our shared life.
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Our breakfast ritual was a compass. For three days, the world had no north.
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): I need to manage my expectations.
FLASHBACK (Three days ago)
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Kaji rests in the massage chair.
KAJI (V.O.): I hear key sounds at the door.
Kaji doesn't move.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): A key in the lock is just a sound. I need to protect myself against further hurt.
Peter enters with bags.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): The silence of an empty routine is louder than any door slam.
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Break a promise, and you say sorry. Break a ritual, and you break the day.
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): A slice of bread is a translation of "I'm sorry'' in a language I understand.
But when Peter walks past, toward the bedroom, Kaji slips off the massage chair and follows him.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Our pact is simple: You show up. I show up. Everything else is just details.
Kaji stands by the bedside.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): The sequence is flawed. It's night time. I don't think he has anything for me.
RETURN TO PRESENT
Taking their seats at the dining table, Peter quickly breaks off a slice of the bread and offers it to Kaji.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Now, we remember our parts. The rhythm is returning.
Kaji takes more slices of the bread from Peter.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): To him, it might be a habit. To me, it was the whole of our relationship.
PETER: Last one.
Kaji leans eagerly forward to snag the last slice of the bread.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Any deep relationship is built on patterns, tested by setbacks, and repaired through stubborn, gentle return to mutual understanding.
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): The world is mended. Not perfect. But mended.
Act 3
INT. HOME - NIGHT
Kaji stares at Peter who types away on his laptop.
KAJI (V.O.): The morning pack is our simple promise to start the day together, before anything else gets in the way.
Thinking.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): The morning pack wasn't something formal. We just understood: when it's kept, we're both okay. When it's not, we both feel it.
Reflecting.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): I don't realize how much the morning pact means until it's broken - and how good it feels to get it back.
FADE OUT
THE END
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