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.

Your menu is a lie.

This pork miso soup barely has any pork in it.

You should call it "fake pork miso soup."

What?

Mr. Gen,

do you like stir-fry because you're a yakuza small fry?

Cool it.

She doesn't know about all the teasing you've had to endure over this pun.

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you.

You should be thankful you're a woman.

If you were a man,

you'd be bungee jumping from Skytree right about now.

-Master, give him a drink. It's on me. -I don't want it.

But I have to make it up to you.

He looks scary, but he can't hold his alcohol.

Shut up.

But he ordered beer...

He hasn't touched it.

There's a term for it, right?

People who are lightweight despite their scary looks.

-"All bark and no bite"? -What was that?

Get incense sticks for your funeral before I'm done eating, baldie!

I'm a Christian!

I'll repent, I promise!

What the hell are you talking about?

-I'll repent... -Shut up!

Do you have some braised burdock root?

I do.

Great!

I'll have that and a glass of water, on the double.

Sure.

Here you go.

This is how I like my braised burdock root.

What do you mean?

The burdock root isn't half as crunchy if you whittle it.

I agree.

You have to julienne the burdock root, not whittle it.

Oh, you like it too?

It's been a while, Ms. Ichikawa.

You taught English at Kawakita High School, right?

Yes, I did.

It's me, Gen Hayashi!

I was in the Handball Club, the one you supervised.

Gen? The Gen who's always in one fight or another?

I grew out my eyebrows.

I didn't recognize you!

Wow, look at you now.

How many years has it been?

I don't know. I'm terrible with numbers.

Oh, you!

I'm an interpreter, but I have to entertain clients.

I'm more like a tour guide, to be honest.

I see.

That doesn't change the fact that you're leagues above us.

The rest of us are just riff-raff gathered in a dingy Shinjuku diner.

Hear that, baldie? She lives in New York.

The capital city of America!

The capital city of America is Washington, DC.

What was that?

It's New York.

I wasn't expecting to run into you first

after ten years away from Japan.

I wonder if this is fate?

The person you're living with in New York...

Do you mean your husband?

No, a female colleague.

Am I pathetic because I'm still single?

No, of course not.

You...

You haven't changed at all.

A smooth talker now, are you?

I mean it.

I'm flattered, all the same.

Let's go drinking after this.

Yes, ma'am!

DINER

You should have seen him after that.

Gen said he knew of a nice bar, so I followed him there.

I love you!

-Sit down before you hurt yourself. -Okay.

-Man, I said it out loud! -Unbelievable.

Kosuzu, give me another drink.

That's enough.

Why would you say that?

I love you so much!

-Gen! -What?

Keep it down.

Think of my other customers.

Behave, or your teacher will be disappointed in you.

But I love her!

Why?

Stop acting like a child!

Do it again.

Make me a better man!

Please!

I'm begging you!

What happened next?

I had to drag him out of the bar and put him up in my hotel room.

He started vomiting as soon as the sun was up.

Welcome.

-He's with me. -Hello.

He's my high school homeroom teacher.

I know he doesn't look the part now, but he was my favorite teacher.

It looks like you switched roles with Gen today.

I know, right?

Do you mind if we move over there? And give us another glass, please.

-Sure. -Sorry I'm late.

I managed to get a room.

That's great.

Thanks.

I'm glad Gen isn't around to see this.

JAPANESE HAND TOWELS

There's so many, I can't decide.

Is it true Americans prefer eye-catching designs?

Are you sure you don't have to work?

I can do this all day, don't worry.

How about this one?

Sparklers?

On second thought, it's too plain.

What about this fireworks design?

It's flashy and attention-grabbing.

One of my friends is a cat lover. I should get one with cats on it.

The animal corner is over there.

This is nice.

Like ephemeral flowers, blooming quietly in the shade.

How poetic.

Let me take a closer look.

Don't dirty it.

Oh, my. This is lovely.

But I don't think it'll look good on Gen.

Me, on the other hand...

Does your teacher know what you do for a living?

I told her I'm a freelancer.

I suppose yakuza are freelancers, so it isn't exactly a lie.

There's nothing a woman hates more than a man who isn't honest.

I know that.

I'm just waiting for the right moment to tell her.

-Here. -Thanks.

When is she leaving?

She says she's here for two weeks.

That means she'll be leaving in another four or five days.

Why don't you ask her to come over now?

She's busy.

She goes out drinking with her old acquaintances every night.

It sounds like she came back to Japan to say goodbye.

What do you mean?

In any case,

you'll have to wait for your turn.

Three days later,

it was finally Gen's turn.

This is delicious.

I agree.

No alcohol for you today.

Sorry.

I apologize for my disgraceful behavior the other night.

Hello?

I'm in the middle of dinner.

I'll call you back later.

Don't mind me. I'll be out of your hair in a minute.

No, I like your company.

It's just that I'm going to Atami tomorrow,

but my companion hasn't called me.

I can't believe him.

Is he your boyfriend?

My ex. He's probably afraid of his wife.

What a pain.

Listen...

Why don't you go with me instead?

To Atami.

What?

With you?

Are you sure? I'm an old hag.

Of course I'm sure.

You're not an old hag. Not even close!

I'll kill anyone who calls you that!

He's a real handful, isn't he?

He must have been a lot worse in high school.

Thanks.

Don't be late tomorrow.

-I'm not a kid anymore. -You're right.

Good night.

Good night.

Sorry.

I ran into some trouble at work.

But it's settled now.

I can go with you tomorrow.

You know him?

He's my former student.

I see. I'll take that to your room.

Are you angry?

Of course she's angry.

She waited for you to call her the whole night.

I'll get to the point.

You have to treat her better.

I'm begging you.

Gen...

You should forgive him and enjoy your trip together.

You can get me dried fish as a souvenir.

If you'll excuse me.

Don't go.

Why did you...

It's fine.

We're long past our expiry dates, but we still fight like children.

Isn't it ridiculous?

Listen, I wasn't being honest with you...

You're a yakuza, right?

It was painfully obvious.

Are you sure about this?

Just make sure you blow my mind.

What?

I was saving this for tomorrow, but I changed my mind.

Let's enjoy what little time we have left.

Okay.

I left for Tokyo after dropping out of high school.

She saw me off at the station, and told me to come back a better man.

She's a wonderful teacher.

She gave me her lunchbox

and told me to eat it on the train.

Of all the dishes in the lunchbox,

I will never forget

the sweet and sour taste of her braised burdock root.

I...

I want to leave the yakuza and make her happy.

I told Ryu about my plans.

He punched me.

He says I owe her my happiness, not the other way round.

She's leaving tomorrow, right?

Have you told her?

I...

I don't want to lose her a second time.

Welcome.

Sorry I'm late.

Keep it to yourself, okay?

What were you talking about?

Nothing important. How is she?

What?

You said you were visiting a friend at the hospital today.

How is she?

She's fine. I couldn't even tell she was sick.

She'll be discharged next month.

That's great news!

We should toast to that.

Master, give us a beer and two glasses.

Are you sure?

Real men have to drink to celebrate.

When will you be back?

I don't know.

Gen will miss you.

Can I have one?

I hear New York isn't exactly smoker-friendly.

I quit when I was over there, but I don't care anymore.

I'll forget everything.

To tell you the truth,

I'd already left my past behind before bumping into Gen.

You're going to stay in America?

No, I'm going somewhere else. Somewhere even further.

I want him to forget me.

Wake up, Gen. Time to go.

I looked in on him again today, and he was hard at work, as always.

I'm surprised he actually left the yakuza for an honest job.

How long has it been? A month?

I'm so envious. I want a life-changing romance too.

You should eat this then.

Wish me luck.

THIS STORY IS A WORK OF FICTION.

Subtitle translation by Chen Li Woon