Original subtitles

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.