The Art of Going
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. LIVING ROOM - 16:15
Soft sunlight slants through the window. PETER and his WIFE are staring at a rent-a-car booking website.
WIFE: We need to rent a car for either two to three days. The price difference between the two options is minimal.
PETER: Renting for three days offers better value for money.
WIFE: Yes, and we'll get the car in Nerima-Ku and return it at the Heneda Airport.
PETER: You're never tired of visiting the Kawagushi-Ku.
WIFE: And you want to go to Yokohama again.
PETER: Yes, that's our March-April trip 2027. It's a shame that we'll miss the Hokkaido Snow Festival 2027.
WIFE: You've been there many times. You took me to all the venues from 2025-2026.
PETER: Yes... The dates overlap with the Chinese New Year, and it's my responsibility to uphold the family's tradition.
Act 2
EXT. SILVERSTRAND BAY - 17:30
The water is clear. Peter is floating on his back, his body gently rising and falling with the tide.
PETER (V.O.): I'm utterly at peace.
FLASHBACK
EXT. HOSHINO RESORT, TOMAMU - 16:45 (21 Sept, 2026)
Out-door centre. A sea of green. Peter and his wife are in a pair of hammocks, gently swaying.
PETER (V.O.): This is the best part. No schedule.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): For the past few days, we've stayed in onsen hotels. We got dinner and breakfast schedules.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): To enjoy the onsens when they're less full, we went to them late at night and very early in the morning.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Right now, we're doing nothing. We're just being.
INT. JUMBO SIGNATURES, MARINA BAY - 20:30 (2 Oct, 2026)
Elegant and exclusive. Peter and his wife sit opposite to each other.
PETER: It's fortunate that we came in the evening and managed to reserve a table.
WIFE: Yes, apart from experiencing the Disney Adventure, I want to try the chili crab in this restaurant.
PETER: Premium food at premium price.
INT. MARINA BAY SANDS CASINO - 23:15
A different world. Peter and his wife sit at a slot machine. They try to understand the game's features.
PETER: I've set a loss limit.
After inserting the bill in the slot, they take turns to press the spin button.
PETER (Cont'd): The return is extremely low.
WIFE: We see the free spins feature. But we've got none.
PETER: We only have credits for a few more bets. No fun at all.
WIFE: Game over now. Let's get some free drinks.
RETURN TO PRESENT
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We've no plan to travel to Singapore again.
INT, DINING ROOM - 22:45
Peter and his wife are having dinner.
PETER: The red leaves in Japan...we could go back in late November, to see them in Kawagushi-Ku.
WIFE: No.
PETER: No?
WIFE: We've seen the earliest ones in Daisetzusan already. And from late Oct to early Nov, we'll be in Kuala Lumpur.
Peter nods.
WIFE (Cont'd): And right after that, a two-day trip to chase your root in Guangdong is in the pipeline.
PETER (V.O.): She's right. She always is.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM -21:45
Peter uploads a photo to a draft on his laptop. It shows a colourful hammock in the foreground contrasting with a gathering under a white canopy and patterned towers against hills and an evening sky, capturing a moment of leisure in a lively park.
PETER (V.O.): The hammock taught us what itinerary never could: that doing nothing together is still doing something.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Marriage is a lifelong negotiation over flight schedules, hotel rooms, whether to rent a car. The couples who last are the ones who keep booking.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The art of going isn't in the arriving - it's in the having-somewhere-to-go. The heart stays young not by resting, but by reaching.
The END
FADE OUT
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