Original subtitles

When people finish their day and hurry home,

my day starts.

My diner is open from midnight to seven in the morning.

They call it "Midnight Diner."

Do I even have customers?

More than you would expect.

Can you believe they did the "Three Ms for a Happy Marriage" speech at the wedding?

That's so old-fashioned.

Who cares about the Three Ms? Married life is a dead end.

-Right? -Right?

What happened to all that stuff about true love?

They boast about having found their soulmate, get married,

and then they end up divorced or in an affair a few years later.

I want my wedding gift back!

What are the Three Ms again? Magnanimity, mother, and...

The last M is something we keep in our pants.

A dirty joke? Really?

I was going to say "money."

I'm insulted.

It should be "mouth," for eating.

Here you go.

Thanks.

Butter rice again, Mr. Toyama?

You're a food critic, right? You should try his other dishes.

Or maybe he's tried it all and still wants butter rice.

Am I right?

Welcome.

Hello.

It's been so long I almost didn't recognize you.

I had a sudden craving for your minced meat cutlets.

I've been meaning to drop by,

but I always came here with Tai, you see.

It just didn't feel right for me to come alone.

Who's Tai, you ask?

It's her nickname for her late husband. He died eight years ago.

I'm finally older than Tai now.

Give me a minute.

I'll make the cutlets.

It's delicious.

The meat is so juicy.

Nothing has changed.

Well, it's the same recipe.

I was talking about you.

You look well. I'm glad.

The day before he passed away,

he told me that he felt like having your meat cutlets.

So I said, "Let's go to the diner when you're discharged."

I see.

He always liked my meat cutlets.

I'm sorry, Master.

Don't be.

I'll pack another meat cutlet for you to take to his grave.

Thanks.

I'll do that.

That was Misao Kashima, the singer.

-Really? -Really?

I didn't recognize her at first.

She used to drop in with her husband for minced meat cutlets.

Her songs are still a staple at karaoke and snack bars.

It's okay, it's okay

Don't say a word

"Don't Say a Word."

I learned the chords for it.

It's a classic.

Wait, is "Tai" her nickname for Taizo Tachibana?

They were famous for being a musician couple, right?

Her husband wrote the songs, and she sang them.

You're right. I remember now.

She stopped singing after her husband died.

The weekly magazines still publish articles about her sometimes.

I read that she hardly ever leaves her house.

She still hasn't gotten over his death.

That's beautiful.

I want to marry someone who will never forget me even after I die.

My wife is the complete opposite.

If I kick the bucket, she'll be the first to say "Hooray!"

I'll have a minced meat cutlet too.

Sure.

How about a karaoke session?

How about it?

Are you interested?

We have a Classic Hits promotion going on right now.

Misao Kashima is our biggest draw.

You can sing along to footage of her actual performance.

How about it?

NOW AVAILABLE: MISAO KASHIMA'S CLASSIC HIT

Welcome.

Butter rice, please.

On second thought, never mind.

Can I have cold sake instead?

Sure.

My wife fainted.

She's in the hospital now.

What?

It's cancer.

She's had surgery to remove the tumor, but we can't relax yet.

I don't have an appetite these days.

And I'm supposed to be a food critic.

Isn't that ironic?

My wife is a terrible cook.

I started looking for good food to escape her cooking.

Before I knew it, I'd earned a reputation as a food critic.

But I realize now that

I wouldn't trade my wife's awful cooking for anything.

Let's see, I bought tissue paper yesterday.

I forgot the nail clipper.

I'll bring it tomorrow.

Do you see the tree outside the window?

When the last leaf falls, I think I'll go with it too.

Don't be ridiculous.

I was just kidding.

I've always wanted to say that while lying on a hospital bed.

You're being silly.

I've stopped hoping.

When you get out of here, let's celebrate with a good meal.

There's a new trattoria in Azabu. It's very classy.

They have customers from Sicily.

I don't think I'll ever get out of here.

The doctor says otherwise.

But...

Any requests?

What?

Go ahead. Ask for the impossible.

Okay.

There's this song...

What? You don't have it?

I'm terribly sorry, but the CD has gone out of print.

NOW AVAILABLE: MISAO KASHIMA'S CLASSIC HIT

"DON'T SAY A WORD" MUSIC AND LYRICS BY TAIZO TACHIBANA

When you hold me

In your arms

I can hear your heart pounding

Words...

Here's your drink.

Enjoy.

YOU SMILE SHYLY

YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN A MAN OF FEW WORDS

I'm so sorry. Are you all right?

Ms. Kashima?

I didn't expect to see you at a karaoke lounge.

To tell you the truth,

I've never seen myself singing.

I didn't really care what I looked like, as long as Tai was in the audience.

I was surprised by the footage.

I had to ask myself, "Is that really me?"

"Was that how I looked when I sang?"

Then it came back to me. The heat of the spotlight.

The weight of the microphone.

All the little details.

Did you sing along with your old self?

No.

You've given up singing for good?

The person I want to sing to is no longer around.

My wife is in the hospital.

She's 12 years younger than me.

I always thought I'd die before her, but now I don't know.

I want to do something for her,

but I can't do anything.

The other day,

she told me she wanted to listen to a song.

Misao Kashima's "Don't Say a Word."

I didn't even know she had a favorite song.

I had no idea.

There's so much I don't know about her.

Ms. Misao, I have a favor to ask.

Will you sing "Don't Say a Word" again?

It's for my wife.

I can't do it.

I know I'm being selfish and rude,

but this would mean a lot to us.

I can't.

Why not?

I just can't.

You want me to cheer your wife up with my singing?

I...

I made a promise with Tai in front of his coffin.

I promised him I would never sing for anyone again.

It's okay

It's okay

Don't say

What?

Sorry.

What for?

The CD you wanted is no longer in print.

I know.

I was asking for the impossible.

Don't cry.

I'm not crying.

Welcome.

Master, can I book the diner for a private party on the 17th?

I'll pay by the hour.

Sure. What's the occasion?

My wife will be discharged from the hospital.

I figured it would be nice to celebrate.

I'm glad to hear it. Congratulations.

We still have a long journey ahead of us.

Thanks.

Here you go.

Did you notice?

I can eat minced meat cutlets without crying now.

That's great.

I can't have you crying at my counter every time you visit.

I agree.

Ms. Misao.

Wouldn't you consider singing again?

I was singing on stage when Tai took his last breath.

I should have quit earlier and lived my life as an ordinary girl.

I hadn't been a good wife, and I regret it to this day.

But Tai didn't fall in love with an ordinary girl.

He liked you best when you were singing.

I heard about you from the Master at the diner.

What?

Are you Ms. Kashima?

Wow!

I figured I should explain it to you in person.

I'm so sorry I can't sing for you.

No, I should be the one to apologize.

My husband shouldn't have asked you to do that.

But I'm glad he was rash and foolish.

I would never have met you otherwise.

Thank you for coming to see me.

Ms. Misao.

If you ever sing again,

sing for yourself and no one else.

You never once told me that you loved me.

The songs you wrote were your love letters.

I received so many of them from you.

But...

I was too scared and lonely to reread them.

It's so unfair.

You let me do whatever I want,

and then you died and left me behind.

That's so unfair.

As Mr. Toyama's wife was still recovering, I opened the diner earlier than usual

on the day of her party.

This is so good.

-It's delicious. -I love it.

-Do you want anything? -Yes.

-It's delicious. -Thanks.

-It's a white radish. -Really?

White radish?

All right, time for me to sing.

What?

-We've been waiting for this! -We've been waiting for this!

She was his one and only love.

His love persevered, despite all odds.

He will now sing with his three-star vocal cords.

This is "Don't Say a Word." Enjoy.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR RECOVERY

When you hold me

In your arms

I can hear your heart pounding

Words are

Never enough

To describe

All that I feel for you

So let's just

Stay like this forever

You smile shyly

You've always been a man of few words

That's what I

Like about you

So I whisper into your ear

My song of love

It's okay

It's okay

Don't say a word

It's okay

It's okay

Don't say a word

Don't say

A word

Thank you for listening to my song.

That was beautiful.

Minced meat cutlets, please.

Sure.

These two

brought Ms. Misao back to life.

The patty should be 70 percent beef and 30 percent pork.

Coat the patties with bread crumbs. Don't be stingy.

That's right.

This may be a bad idea.

Gently place the patties into the oil to prevent the oil from splattering.

Did you check the oil temperature?

What? No.

Watch out, the patties will explode!

It burns!

THIS STORY IS A WORK OF FICTION.

Subtitle translation by Chen Li Woon