EXT. TREE & MEADOW – DAY
HR kneels alone near a tree with a mixed bunch of flowers. There is a very small meadow next to the tree, surrounded by a small copse of trees. She bows her head and sings two lines of music. Opens her eyes and looks around. Bows her head and sings again, looks again. Nothing happens. Frustrated, she bows her head and sings with less feeling and more annoyance. In the middle of the second line a man's voice, sing-song, is heard behind her-
TAE
Hello again.
Tae in his real form appears, smiling down on HR. She gets up, already flustered but also with plans of what she wants to say. Dusts off her dress.
TAE
I told you he'd like the hairpin.
HYE-RYUNG
Yes, well I don't think you were quite right about that. And I also don't like being tricked. It's hardly encouraging to know that demi-gods are so happy to deceive people.
TAE
(laughs)
This coming from a human.
HYE-RYUNG
What do you mean?
TAE
Humans lie and they lie and they lie. It's what they do. You could almost say it's who they are. Take your father for example.
HYE-RYUNG
I'd rather not. And it doesn't say much for your claim that you have to choose such an extreme case as an example.
TAE
Can you say you're not a liar then? Have you not deceived anyone? Never hidden yourself when you were afraid of being exposed?
HYE-RYUNG
(this is not going as HR expected)
No, of course-
(frustrated sigh, wants to get to the point)
Why are you putting your brother through all this?
TAE
Me? I'm not putting him through anything. It's the gods who are punishing him. And if he hadn't lost his temper, this never would have happened.
HYE-RYUNG
And what are you doing to help him now? What are you doing to lessen his hellish punishment? I don't even see how the gods could dream up something so evil.
TAE
Why would I get involved? It's between them and him.
HYE-RYUNG
And yet he seems to have no access to them.
TAE
Maybe he has more than you think.
HYE-RYUNG
He's your brother! How can you just leave him like this? All these years. Don't you even see him? Don't you hear him?
TAE
(serious now)
I don't. Our communication was cut as a result of his punishment. I have an idea of where he is and I can generally sense how he's feeling, but nothing more.
HYE-RYUNG
And what are you doing about that?
TAE
Doing about that? What am I supposed to do? He is the one who created this mess in the first place.
HYE-RYUNG
(furious now)
And you are the one with access to the gods! What kind of demi-god are you if you can't even help your own brother? Worse if you won't.
TAE
I suppose you would do more.
HYE-RYUNG
Give me access to the gods and you will see. I will not do nothing. Listen, I know well enough because of my father that not everyone can be saved. Not everyone wants to be saved. Some people have no hope because they want no hope.
But that is not the case with Gwi. He is dying every day and he still feels it. Why are they torturing him when he would have it differently if he could? How long can the gods expect him to go on like this? What good is it if it never ends? And you – how can you bear to sense how he's feeling and still do nothing? Who can help him if you will not?
TAE
(smiles)
I was right about you. You're perfect.
Tae disappears instantly. HR still enraged, looks around the meadow.
HYE-RYUNG
Come back! Tae! How could you just leave like that? Will you really do nothing?
HR stomps back to the flowers she left by the tree, crouches down and picks them up.
HYE-RYUNG (CONT'D)
Gwi said they'd only work the once.
HR tries singing the song anyway, again three times, just in case. Tears up somewhere in the third try. HR finishes, looks around, then throws the flowers at the tree.
HYE-RYUNG (CONT'D)
He is going to have to show me how to invoke more gods.
