All language subtitles for Scandal.Eve.S01E02.JAPANESE.NF.WEB

Kuryu Fujiwara, a famous actor,
is alleged to have drunk alcohol

and engaged in adultery
with an underage woman five years ago.

Any thoughts, Mr. Kumai?

With regard to adultery,
he said that nothing sexual took place.

But even if we assume that he did do so,
she was 19 years old at the time,

so he would not face
any legal repercussions.

And he seems to have
resolved it with his wife as well.

It does seem so.

The problem is,
they were photographed drinking together.

Yes, these are the pictures.

Maybe he should take
some time off from work.

I don't think people want to see him,

knowing that he got an underage girl drunk
and took her to a hotel.

- Moeka. Morning.
- We haven't heard anything…

Good morning.

- What are you up to?
- Nothing.

KURYU FUJIWARA DRANK
AND CHEATED WITH AN UNDERAGE GIRL

It's all over social media.

And every news program
has been talking about it all day.

As for the show he's a part of,
I doubt they'll be able to keep him on.

What an unfortunate situation for Kuryu,
even if he did bring this upon himself.

We could have protected him
if he was still with us.

You sound happy.

Dad.

Don't you think
you're overestimating Ioka?

If you let someone get away
with poaching a talent

and branching off
from the agency they owe so much to,

we'd have no order in this industry.

Order, you say?

Yes, why?

You just don't get it, do you?

Mr. Chairman.

Just leave the agency's affairs to me
and focus on resting.

The press conference
backfired on him. If he hadn't held it…

Good morning.

Kanade, the Fujiwara article
is the talk of the town.

All the morning news programs
are talking about it.

The underage drinking is a big no-no.

- Good job discovering that.
- Thanks.

And? Don't tell me that's all you have.

Well, who can say?

- Mizuguchi? Come here.
- Yes.

Sir.

- The contract.
- Right.

Mr. Ueda,
I'm really sorry for the trouble...

The client, Aoi Beer, sent a response.

I'm afraid it's mostly bad news for you.

First of all, your contract
with Aoi Beer will be terminated.

Any and all commercials
featuring Mr. Fujiwara will not be aired,

and all outdoor ads will be removed.

Secondly, and I know
this is what concerns you most.

The indemnities?

The client is asking for this sum
as reparation for Mr. Fujiwara's conduct.

TOTAL AMOUNT 306,480,000 YEN

Three hundred million?!

It includes minor costs
such as filming and labor,

but the biggest component
is the damage to their brand.

Wait, but…

Still, isn't 300 million a bit too much?

I understand the cancellation fees
and the filming costs, but...

"If a talent's misconduct causes
severe reputational damage to the brand,

the brand has a right to be indemnified."

It's written in the advertising contract.

Aoi Beer sees it as a disrepute
for one of their contracted talents

to be in the news
for drinking with an underage girl.

Three hundred million is a fair ask.

Um…

Can I get a chance to talk directly
to Aoi Beer's representative?

Give me a break!

How much extra work
do you think we've already had to do?

Talk to them directly?

You'll just make them angrier.

Three hundred million?
We'll go under if we have to pay that.

- Could we get a bank to finance it?
- There's no chance.

No bank would be willing
to finance us after this scandal.

And Fujiwara's projects
keep getting cancelled.

At this rate, even his drama role might…

Noguchi, the producer, contacted me.

He said Kuryu might get replaced.

That's just…

Saki, welcome back.

- I checked the contract with Aoi Beer.
- And?

Sadly, the clause about your liability
in causing reputational damage

to their brand makes it difficult
for you to refute their demand.

So we have no choice
but to shut up and pay?

There might be one way to avoid it.

Huh?

CONTRACT

I checked the contract
between this agency and Mr. Fujiwara.

This clause says,

"If the talent's private conduct
causes any damage to the agency,

the talent may be held liable
for the damages."

Wait, are you saying

we make Fujiwara pay the money
instead of us?

If you do, the agency will survive.

- But that…
- Are you serious?

It's 300 million yen!
Fujiwara can't pay that much.

Can your agency pay it?

If you keep trying to protect
Mr. Fujiwara,

your agency might become unable
to sustain itself financially.

How will you justify that
to your other talents?

That's…

I'll go talk to Kuryu.

Ms. Mirei, where are you…

It's none of your business.

In the end,
I just made myself look like a fool.

Our lives are in shambles,
and it's because of you and him.

I shouldn't have let you coax me into it.

- Can I ask some questions?
- No.

Out of my way.

Stay away.
Can't you see I'm carrying a baby?

Stop it!

Don't push!

In other news,

Weekly Buncho published a story
on the actor Kuryu Fujiwara,

alleging that he drank alcohol
and had an affair with an underage woman.

According to the article,
he met the woman in 2021,

when she was 19 years old.

After drinking together,

he spent the night with her
at a hotel in Yokohama.

The article contains pictures
showing the two of them drinking.

- And also, lying in a bed together.
- Kuryu.

He's receiving strong backlash,
especially on social media.

- His agency hasn't given any statement...
- Saki…

I brought some food. Eat up.

What's…

Going to become of me?

What about the show and the ads?

It's bad, isn't it?

The indemnities and all.

I'm so horrible. I troubled you so much.

And the agency.

I know an apology won't fix anything.

I'll do something about the money.

Do something, how?

I…

You can't do anything about it alone.

What do you think we're here for?

I'm sorry.

Saki…

There's no time for crying.

I came here to ask you something.

About that day.

I need more details.

Hello there.

You were in Mr. Fujiwara's room, right?
How is he doing?

It seems like his wife left.

I can't really blame her,

especially after she swallowed
her pride for that press conference.

I guess it completely backfired, huh?

Would you mind giving me
a comment instead?

About Mr. Fujiwara's future plans.

Can I assume he will be taking a break?

He has to pay for breaching
his contract with Aoi Beer, no?

You're Kanade Hirata
from Weekly Buncho, right?

Yes.

You don't have to worry.

Neither my agency nor Fujiwara
will let things end like this.

Thank you for the comment.

Kagawa? Contact Mr. Tozaki for me.

Tell him I need his help urgently.

Understood.

And also, reschedule
all my plans for tomorrow.

What? But why?

I'll go meet that woman.

Here's all the info we have
on Moeka Tanabe.

She used to be a member
of Mr. Fujiwara's fan club.

She currently works
as a dentist's assistant in Yokohama.

INVESTIGATION RESULTS

What will you do with this information?

When he met Moeka Tanabe that night,

Kuryu said that he asked her age,
and she said she was 20.

I see! So Mr. Fujiwara was lied to?

Aoi Beer is demanding compensation
on the basis of Fujiwara's misconduct

causing severe reputational damage
to their brand.

However, if Moeka Tanabe
joined a drinking party

while falsifying her age,

Fujiwara's not to blame.

If we can prove that,
we might avoid paying indemnities!

But Mr. Fujiwara's admission alone
won't count for much.

That's why I'll get Moeka Tanabe herself
to give her admission.

That she lied about being of age
and was drinking.

Then, if I can get
other magazines to publish her account…

You can alter public perception

to make Mr. Fujiwara
seem like a victim instead of a wrongdoer.

Exactly.

But do you think
she'll agree to it that easily?

I'll make her do it.
We don't have any other options.

There's also one more thing
I need you to investigate for me.

Investigate what?

Topics for next week's issue.

Tell me what you've got.

- Let's go with...
- Sir.

Let's follow up
on Fujiwara as the cover story.

For the first article, I tracked down
Moeka Tanabe, the woman he was with,

and found out
that she was underage at the time,

but she refused to tell me more.

I feel like she's hiding something.

- I want to talk to her again...
- No!

What?

Ninomiya does the cover story
on the Chief Secretary's affair.

- But sir...
- Mizuguchi!

How about the illegal gambling
of Nansei University's rugby club?

Yes, sir.

The bar with the underground casino
was members-only, so I couldn't enter it,

but I managed to talk
to a club member as they left.

According to them, an alumnus…

Sir, why won't you allow
another article on...

It's already enough.

It doesn't seem like
any new facts will come out.

How about interviewing the people
from the bar he drank at that day?

I know where it is.

It won't make as big of a splash.

I disagree.

It's best to do a follow-up
while it's still being talked about.

Leave the Fujiwara story alone.

But why?

All I asked you was to confirm
with his agency and write an article.

I didn't ask you
to get in touch with Moeka Tanabe.

But…

But that was the reason
I found out about the underage drinking.

Go assist Ninomiya with his story.

I can't believe he's stopping me
from doing a follow-up story.

He's the one who assigned me
the story in the first place.

Yeah, it's not like him at all.

Normally, he just tells us
to go for whatever will sell.

Right?

I'm looking for Mr. Ninomiya
from Weekly Buncho.

Do you have an appointment?

I haven't been able
to get in touch with him.

He won't answer my calls.

I'm sorry.

But unless you have an appointment,
I can't help you.

Might as well drop it, if he says so.

It could hurt your prospects
if you make him angry.

Your goal is to transfer to
the literature department, right?

That's not relevant to this.

Maybe there's a reason
he doesn't want you to dig deeper.

Mizuguchi!

Would you do me a favor?

What?

ACCOUNT STATEMENT
DEPOSIT - BUNCHO 3,000,000 YEN

Mr. Ninomiya.

What?

Hello. It's Mizuguchi.
I'm here as your substitute assistant.

Staking out that hotel?

What about Hirata?

She went somewhere,
saying she had something to do.

Went where?

Did you see the news about Kuryu Fujiwara?

I did. Apparently the hotel
in the pictures is in this area.

Wait, seriously?

I can't believe the woman
sold the pictures to a magazine.

Maybe it's revenge for a one-night stand.

He said they didn't do it, though.

Yeah, but can you take his word for it?

Excuse me.

You're Ms. Moeka Tanabe, right?

Yes, why?

I am Saki Ioka from Rafale.

Rafale?

AFFILIATED ACTORS
KURYU FUJIWARA

I'd like to talk to you
about your involvement with Fujiwara.

Please let me talk to you.

I have nothing to say.

I need a favor from you.

That's not my problem.

I promise you,
this is important for you too.

Chief Kodama, I deeply apologize
for the delay in filming

caused by the matter with Fujiwara.

We can't keep Mr. Aso's schedule open
for much longer.

If this continues,
we might even have to reconsider

Mr. Aso's participation
in this project altogether.

Please, is there any way...

How does your station
intend to handle things?

Alright, we'll drop Kuryu Fujiwara.

We'll resume filming
as soon as a substitute is decided.

In that case, may I suggest
Ichinose, one of our talents?

Ichinose?

He fits the same archetype,
and his schedule is open.

Please wait.

Isn't it too early to do a recast?

How so?

Mr. Fujiwara's agency says
they're still checking the details.

What?

What makes you think that matters?

Mr. Noguchi.

It was your decision
to cast Kuryu for the role, wasn't it?

Yes.

I understand your attachment,
but do you understand the situation?

You conspired with Ms. Ioka

and went directly to the chairman
to get him to allow Kuryu's involvement.

I assume you're belittling
me and my authority.

If you keep behaving like this,

maybe I need to reconsider
our relationship with your company.

I will have all of our talents
withdrawn from JBS projects.

Please forgive us!

I'll get my superiors' approval
for Kuryu's replacement right away.

So please. Noguchi!

I apologize.

We apologize!

Get to it quickly, would you?

Yes, most certainly.

Let's go.

You're the one in these pictures, right?

I assume you're already aware,

but an article written
about you and him caused a big fuss.

But this isn't my fault...

Back then, you lied to Fujiwara
and told him you were of age, didn't you?

Fujiwara told me.

You hid the fact that you were underage
and joined the drinking party.

None of it was Fujiwara's fault.

I want you to go public with that story.

We'll arrange the means.

We promise to protect your privacy.

We won't blame you
for leaking these photographs.

Wait a second.

I wasn't the one
who gave the pictures to the magazine.

I'm not happy about it
becoming such a big deal either.

If it wasn't you, then who was it?

I'd like to know that myself.

I understand your situation.

That makes it even more important
for you to let the public know.

What? I don't want to.

I'd become the target if I did that.

I'm already terrified
that people might dox me.

Even if you do nothing,
you've already been identified.

The public is convinced
that you leaked this story.

And they will bash you
as soon as news comes out.

They might indeed expose
your personal information.

Not to mention,

you were a member
of Fujiwara's fan club, weren't you?

If people find that out,
other fans might come after you.

Your job might be at risk too.

Even if this is a private affair,
if your workplace finds out,

there's a good chance
that you'll lose your job.

Are you threatening me?

I'm saying this for your sake.

For both our sakes,
let's put this matter to rest quickly.

You lied about your age
and joined the party.

Nothing happened between you and him.

And you weren't the one who made the leak.

I want you to go public
with these three facts.

It's getting late.

I have to get back to work.

I need some time to think.

Can I meet you again
after you get off work today?

I will contact you.

- Kagawa.
- Yeah?

Your phone's ringing.

Thanks. Talk to you later.

Hello?

Hello, Kagawa?

- I talked to Moeka Tanabe.
- Seriously?

I think I can get her admission tonight.

Did you arrange a publisher?

Weekly Journal should work.

Okay. For the writer,
let's go with Ms. Fukumoto.

She wrote a special feature
on Fujiwara before.

Got it.

And also,

the one who sold the pictures
to Buncho wasn't Moeka Tanabe.

What? Then who was it?

Oh, I see.

What?

Sorry, it's nothing.

Hello? Saki Ioka speaking.

Ms. Ioka.

Behind the scenes,
they're trying to replace Fujiwara

with Ichinose from Kodama Productions.

When will it be finalized?

It's awaiting
executive approval right now.

It's expected
to be finalized by early next week.

There's no stopping it after that point.

In other words, there's still a chance
to stop it right now, correct?

What?

Thank you for the call.

It's Tanabe.
Can you come to this place at 7:00 p.m.?

I will talk to you there.

So it's just as I thought.

Thank you.

Have a seat.

Sorry if I kept you waiting.

Not at all.

So, have you decided?

Will you give your statement?

Yes.

I'm very grateful.

Before I do it,
will I get any compensation for it?

Yes, though it'll be a meager sum...

Thirty million yen…

I want 30 million yen.

I won't give my statement otherwise.

If you want my statement,
you'll have to give me the money.

What happened? Where's this coming from?

That's…

Well…

Mind if I butt in?

Moeka is one of our regulars.

She told me about what's going on.

I get that things are tough for you,

but she'd be putting a lot on the line
by making a public statement.

Given the risk you're forcing her to take,

it's only natural for you
to pay her at least this much.

I don't see how this concerns you.

She asked for my help, you see.

You threatened her, didn't you?

That she'd get fired
if people found out about it.

Ain't no surprise
that she'd freak out after hearing that.

Right?

You want Moeka's statement, don't you?

Then just pay up!

Fujiwara's acting career
depends on it, doesn't it?

Convinced yet?

I see.

So you put her up to it,
Mr. Masafumi Okada.

What?

You invite talents to your bar
and have women attend to them.

I hear that you're the one

who arranged the drinking party
with Kuryu and Moeka at this bar.

And what about it?

We have a lawyer specialized
in the entertainment industry.

According to his investigation,
it turns out you were involved in

a suspicious number
of scandals in recent years.

So it's just as I thought.

Thank you.

You sell the details of scandals from
celebrities coming to your bar, right?

Did you show him
the pictures with Fujiwara?

I have.

But I never gave the data!

If you come here regularly,

it's easy for him
to copy it when you're drunk.

What? But then…

Is he the one who sold
the pictures to the magazine?

Well?

Did you?

Please! Answer me! Why?

- You ruined...
- Shut up!

Pipe down!

Do you have proof
that I sold the pictures?

Do you?!

It's all speculation!

You want her statement, right?

Then shut up and pay up!

And if you don't feel up to it,

you're going to have a bad time.

Got it?!

You're the one
who's going to have a bad time.

I've recorded this entire conversation.

You regularly invite underage girls
to drinking parties

and knowingly serve them alcohol.

If this fact gets out,
you'll be in legal trouble.

This place would go out of business.

If people know that you bring
underage girls to drinking parties

to get dirt on celebrities and sell it,

no one will ever come to you again.

That would be bad
for your business, right?

And you too.

Nothing good will come
of being involved with him.

You need to respect yourself more.

Let's go somewhere else.

Too bad for you.

Wait.

You're wrong about one thing.

Not that it's my problem.

- What do you...
- Just get the hell out!

Damn it.

Wait.

I'm sorry.

Are you willing
to give your statement now?

Yes.

Excuse me.

We're not open yet. Come back later.

I work for Weekly Buncho.

Mr. Masafumi Okada, right?

Is this a good time to talk?

Weekly Journal reports
that the woman who was with Mr. Fujiwara

had lied about her age
to participate in a drinking party.

Any thoughts, Mr. Kumai?

Right. Well, Mr. Fujiwara
was deceived in this instance,

so you could say he's the victim here.

I think the people in the media,
as well as on online platforms,

who bashed him without waiting for details
should feel ashamed of themselves.

These people are so thoughtless.

They've completely reversed
their position.

That's how they always are.

Everyone just jumped to conclusions.

You have to feel for him.

Hello?

His career was threatened…

Right.

…and his reputation damaged
all based on speculation.

Yes.

Is that so?

Understood. Bye.

Who was it?

The chief.

Things got resolved with Aoi Beer.

Given that Fujiwara wasn't at fault,
they won't demand any compensation.

Thank goodness.

Not just that, he's still in the show too.

Wow, what a relief.

It seemed uncertain
if the show to commemorate

JBS TV's 70th anniversary
would even make it to the screen.

Mr. Chairman!

What is the meaning of this?

Of what?

…so I imagine
he can get back to work immediately.

I'd say that...

Kuryu's replacement.

I heard that you personally intervened
right as it was about to be approved.

You heard right.

Did Ioka ask you to?

No, I did it of my own accord!

- But why?
- I'll tell you why.

Are you…

Dad?

Call the doctor!

- Okay.
- Hurry!

WAIT, SO IT WASN'T KURYU'S FAULT?

DID HE JUST GET FRAMED OR WHAT?

Here, I brought some food for you.

Thanks.

Also, I got this.

Curry powder?

There were times
that I didn't feel like eating anything.

But I could eat anything
after I put this on it.

Believe in the curry powder.

You lost me there.

We're negotiating for you
to keep your role in the drama.

It's not over yet.

Let's turn things around.

Okay.

Eat up.

Thanks for the food.

Is it good?

That good?

You can take it slow.

Hey! Watch it! Watch it!

Relax.

You're rushing too much.

Here, take this.

Sorry.

It's all over the table.

Time of death, 4:35 p.m.

FUNERAL CEREMONY SHIGERU KODAMA

Ms. Ioka.

Mr. Noguchi.

I hear it was quite sudden.

Yes, I'm still in disbelief.

I wish he had stayed with us longer.

The truth is,

he was the one who put a stop
to the effort to replace Kuryu.

He was?

But now, the industry
will enter a new phase.

Kodama Productions will likely fall under
Ms. Yoko's complete control.

FUNERAL CEREMONY SHIGERU KODAMA

Can I talk to you?

I'm Hirata from Weekly Buncho.

It's about Mr. Kuryu Fujiwara's scandal.

The other day, I went to Yokohama
for a second round of investigation.

The barkeeper there
told me something intriguing.

I see.

So you're the one
who wrote that scoop on Fujiwara?

Yes.

I'm gathering information
for a follow-up article right now.

So you came here to ask me stuff?

I'll get straight to the point.

Are you the one
who supplied us with the pictures?

None of you people have any clue, huh?

What do you mean?

Let me tell you something juicy.

Yeah, I did supply the pictures.

But not to your magazine.

- What?
- It was to Kodama Productions.

I sold them to the person

who used to be in charge
of Kuryu Fujiwara five years ago.

His manager? Who was it?

A guy called Akashi.

You bought the pictures five years ago
to try and suppress the scandal.

Why did you decide to sell him out now,
after all this time?

That's…

Was it to tear down Saki Ioka,
who left your agency and started her own?

A big player in the industry
that uses underhanded tactics

to suppress a smaller company
that threatens them.

An exposé on the dark side
of the entertainment industry

that has no regard for individual talents.

That'll make for a good article.

Are you willing to talk?

PREVIEW

A Weekly Buncho reporter visited me.

Was that a coincidence?

What are you digging for?

BEHIND THE SCENE OF A SCANDAL…

You understand, right?

You know what you must do now.

A NEW TRUTH REVEALS ITSELF

Do you have a moment?

How did that go?

Perhaps something that was more important.

What an amusing story.

So?

What are you implying?

Let's make a deal, then.

A BATTLE OF GIVE-AND-TAKE GONE TOO FAR

One thing doesn't make sense.

Why exactly this timing?

This is a critical phase.

Failure is not an option.

- Why are you so invested in this story?
- I…

Stay off this case.

Was the feud caused by the incident
from five years ago?

STEPPING INTO FORBIDDEN TERRITORY

You tabloid writers
always prey on people's lives.

I will not dance to your tune.

THE PRESSURE OF A MAJOR
AGENCY IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

WHAT DEEPER DARKNESS
WILL IOKA COME TO FACE?

Subtitle translation by: Saim H.