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.

When I have an extra-large batch of stew,

I heat it on the stove so that my customers can smell it.

Squid and taro stew?

Bingo.

You have a keen nose, Ms. Satomi.

-I'll have that. -Me too.

Sure.

Just as planned.

It's delicious.

I'm glad to hear it.

Squid and taro go well together.

Go on, order whatever you want.

I don't have an appetite.

I don't think you're cut out for this job.

Is he new?

This is Sasaki. He's a new trainee.

I had no idea.

I know people cheat on each other,

but this is worse than I thought.

It's human nature.

Marriage is just an unrealistic idea we use to leash our spouses.

We create our own problems.

What do you do for a living?

We're private investigators. Extramarital affairs, that sort of thing.

You're a private investigator?

That explains your keen nose.

Why did you decide to become a private investigator, Ms. Satomi?

You'll need more than a bottle of sake to get me to talk.

Master, keep the sake coming!

You can only have three bottles, no more.

I knew he was a lightweight, but this is just disgraceful.

Pathetic.

He graduated from a prestigious university

and worked at a reputable company before this.

But he stopped going to work one day.

Why?

He told me it was because he didn't know how to get along with his colleagues.

Isn't it ironic?

He has trouble understanding people, but he wants to be a private investigator.

Wake up, Sasaki. Time to go.

Are you all right?

I'm fine.

Taxi!

Now that's what I call a manly woman.

I feel bad for the young man.

He doesn't stand a chance with her.

I wouldn't be so certain.

The heart works in mysterious ways.

I've never bought a lottery ticket.

We buy it because we want to believe in it.

It's a pottery ticket if you ask me.

"Pottery"?

The lottery is a crock.

Pottery, a crock. Get it?

I get it now. "Pottery" ticket.

I don't get your dad jokes.

They're too sophisticated for you.

-Hello. -Welcome.

-Hello. -Hello.

Beer, please.

She's the manly woman I told you about.

Sure.

How's your partner?

He was really drunk the other day.

Can you believe it? Sasaki turned out to be a virgin.

What?

You slept with him?

Yes.

I had no idea he was a virgin.

He stopped coming to work, and he hasn't replied to my messages.

I feel really bad about it.

I don't think you should feel bad.

Has he dropped by?

No.

I sent him a message asking him to meet me here.

Sasaki.

You saw my message?

Ms. Satomi.

Listen.

Will you...

go out with me? I want to marry you.

What?

What? Why do I have to marry you?

But we slept together.

Are you stupid? I only slept with you once.

Don't you like me, Ms. Satomi?

How can you sleep with someone you don't like?

You sound like a woman.

I have no intention of getting married.

Our feelings aren't always black and white.

See? She's manly, isn't she?

Too manly.

I know her type.

She'll give you her body but not her heart.

Really?

Once upon a time,

there lived an innocent girl who never doubted anyone.

She was engaged to a wonderful man.

One day, she saw, quite by accident,

her fiancé getting into a taxi.

She was in a playful mood,

so she decided to follow his taxi.

She was a huge fan of detective shows, you see.

And?

What happened next?

She saw him

cheating on her with her very own eyes.

After that,

she tailed her fiancé every day.

She became addicted to it.

She liked it so much that she became a private investigator.

What happened

to the fiancé?

She gave him her report on his infidelity,

asked him to compensate her, and called off the engagement.

Sasaki.

Yes?

We have to be strong to survive.

PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS

We can introduce you to a divorce lawyer.

You should think carefully about how you want to proceed.

Thank you.

This is our next target.

Why do men cheat on their wives?

They think they can justify their mistakes if they keep doing it.

That's deep.

Why don't you let Sasaki handle this?

Him?

If he passes this test, he's ready to be a private investigator.

Flounder cooked in soy sauce?

No.

Here you go.

Curry? I was so close.

No, you weren't.

How's your work going?

It isn't easy for me, but I think I can do it.

Ms. Satomi has been giving me the cold shoulder.

Really?

She complimented you when she dropped in the other day.

She said you were a hard worker.

She said that?

If I do well in my next investigation,

the agency will officially hire me as a private investigator.

When that happens,

I'll confess my love to Ms. Satomi again.

She complimented me? Really?

Master, hot sake, please.

Are you sure?

I feel like drinking tonight.

-See you tomorrow. -See you.

My name is Yoshino.

-Welcome. -Hello.

Did you wait long?

No.

Thanks.

Good job.

He's my ex-fiancé.

Two years ago, I bumped into him again for the first time in ten years.

Life is so unpredictable.

I dumped him because he cheated on me.

And now he's cheating with me.

Isn't it ironic?

Don't you feel bad

for his wife and kids?

Not at all.

What's the point of investigating if all we do is tear families apart?

It's human nature to want to know the truth.

I don't

understand you.

The last ten years have taught me

to stab other people in the back before they do the same to me.

You know what will happen

if I submit my report, right?

Of course.

-And you're okay with that? -Yes.

Before I go,

I have one last question.

Why couldn't it have been me?

Why did you choose him over me?

It's like squid and taro.

They just go together. You can't explain it.

I have to go now.

I'll pay.

Was that wise?

Are you disappointed in me?

No. You have to be strong to survive.

Here are the photos.

Sasaki submitted his report as promised.

Ms. Satomi was fired from the agency.

And then, sometime later...

I was looking over the files when I noticed this.

She knew she was being followed.

It was only a matter of time before my wife found out.

She didn't need a private investigator.

She was already fairly certain of my affair.

Deep down, I must have wanted my wife to find out.

I wanted to divorce my wife and get together with Kei.

Why did Ms. Satomi do it if she knew she was being followed?

That night, in the hotel...

She cried for the very first time.

She said to me,

"I've betrayed who I used to be."

She must have wanted

a clean break with the both of us.

So she decided to play the villain.

She did it on purpose.

She was a good woman.

I wasn't half the man she was.

This one's on me. Congratulations on passing the test.

Women

are a mystery to me.

I know.

Still...

I'm thankful to her for making me a man.

I see.

I'll find her.

I swear to it.

Do you want anything to eat?

Squid

and taro stew?

It looks like your sense of smell has gotten better.

Daigo, let's go.

Okay.

-Wow, look at her go. -Wow, look at her go.

Wow!

-That was amazing! -That was amazing!

You did it!

Boil and drain the squid.

When the stew is almost done, put the squid back.

The squid will be nice and tender.

Don't boil the taro in plain water.

Use a spiced broth instead to keep the taro from turning slimy.

Here you go.

I smell a woman.

THIS STORY IS A WORK OF FICTION.

Subtitle translation by Chen Li Woon