Original subtitles

Hey, can you keep it down?

I told you to keep it down.

Hey.

What's wrong?

Nothing.

Furusawa from the Tokyo Assembly

might have lied about his educational background.

He claims to have graduated from Atlanta University in the US,

but his former secretary says he went to a vocational school

with a similar name.

Has the university confirmed that?

They haven't responded to my email yet.

Then scrap it. It's not worth spending that much time on.

What's your last topic?

Yes, sir. Sakaida, a famous baseball player,

is said to be slandering his teammates on a private social media account.

Any proof?

I'll go talk to his former teammate tomorrow.

Keep working on that.

Yes, sir.

Hirata, you're next.

Hirata, your topics.

I don't have any.

What does that mean?

Exactly what it sounds like.

I don't have any topics suitable for this meeting.

Sorry for disappointing you. That's all from me.

-Next. -Yes, sir.

My first topic is an inheritance dispute over the estate of Ichiro Iida,

a famous businessman, after his sudden death--

You seemed pretty on edge in that meeting back there.

Yeah?

Yes, it even got me nervous.

-Did you really not have any topics? -Thanks.

For the Fujiwara story,

the source was Mr. Akashi, general manager of Kodama Productions.

Wait, the agency?

Have you confirmed that?

The barkeeper who connected Moeka Tanabe to Fujiwara

tried to sell that information to a magazine,

but Kodama Productions found out and paid a huge sum to buy it.

But why leak it now after all this time?

Probably to harass Rafale.

They branched off from Kodama while taking Fujiwara with them.

So they used us to try to ruin Fujiwara?

But didn't the editor-in-chief say

it was an anonymous leak when he assigned it to you?

I think he knew that the source was Kodama Productions.

What? What does that mean?

You know that we make tons of money

from calendars and photobooks of idols affiliated with Kodama, right?

He was the one who arranged that deal, and became editor-in-chief as a result.

I wouldn't be surprised if he's linked to Yoko Kodama.

So you're saying he published that article on Kuryu in order to help Kodama?

But that's favoritism.

-That's why I'll write an article on it. -What?

"The article from Weekly Buncho bashing Fujiwara

was written in order to please a big talent agency."

"The entertainment industry resorts to dirty tactics to silence a magazine."

"It's time to shine a light on it all."

-How does that sound? -But isn't that…

Don't do it.

The Fujiwara topic is old news now.

He ended up getting dropped from the JBS TV special drama too.

He's out of the public eye now. I doubt the readers care anymore.

I wonder about that.

What if Kodama was also behind him getting dropped from the drama?

In the first place,

our editor-in-chief won't allow an article saying we bowed down to a big agency.

It will just harm your career.

Exactly. That would be whistleblowing, wouldn't it?

You could get fired.

You once told me, Ninomiya, that the role of a reporter

is to be the person who says the emperor wears no clothes.

You taught me that when I just joined.

Have you forgotten?

Look, recklessness isn't the same as bravery.

And cowardice isn't the same as caution.

Calm down, you two.

Also, why are you so fixated on this story, Kanade?

Because it's humiliating.

What?

I hate that I was exploited into writing an article to suck up to an agency.

Doesn't mean you have to throw your career away.

Provoking the editor-in-chief could lose you your transfer

as well as your job.

I wonder why she has so much hostility for the entertainment industry.

MEMORIAL FOR SHIGERU KODAMA

It's been lovely having you all here, but it's about time to wrap up.

I would like to thank you all

for coming to commemorate my father, Shigeru Kodama.

Building this agency in just one generation took my father…

took the chairman no small amount of effort.

I consider it my duty to take Kodama Productions,

the legacy he left behind, to even greater heights.

I hope that all of you will continue to offer us your gracious goodwill.

The chairman nurtured both his talents and his employees with love and care.

Unfortunately, his sentiments were not always answered in kind.

There were employees who left the agency, as if biting the hand that fed them.

If we were to tolerate such self-serving behavior,

it would threaten the very order that our predecessors worked so hard to build.

Let us stand united

and protect the integrity of our shared industry!

TETSUYA IGARASHI

"For the time being, refrain from casting any talents affiliated with Rafale."

I hear Mr. Fujiwara was officially dropped from the show.

Why did he end up getting dropped when the backlash had already died down?

Your other talents are also getting dropped

from private productions, one after another.

Is it not because Kodama Productions is pressuring the industry

to ostracize Rafale?

The one who leaked Mr. Fujiwara's scandal was Mr. Akashi from Kodama.

I believe you two joined Kodama around the same time.

Let's make a deal, then.

A deal?

A big player in the industry bullying an underdog,

and a female head of a company fearlessly fighting back.

The public loves stories like that.

Having them on your side would be a big boon.

If the public makes noise on social media,

the sponsors and TV stations can't just ignore it.

It might make your life a bit easier.

What's in it for you?

Could you tell me in detail about the feud between you and Kodama Productions?

There's no feud between--

You left Kodama Productions four years ago, correct?

But I hear you were antagonistic towards Chief Kodama even before that.

That's pure speculation.

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

I read some magazines from that period.

Ms. Ioka, please talk to me.

I refuse.

Why?

Did you forget what you did to us?

You tabloid writers always prey on people's lives.

I will not dance to your tune.

Ever.

Contact me anytime if you change your mind.

A reporter from Weekly Buncho?

Yes.

She found out from the man who sold us the pictures back then.

Her name is Hirata, and she came to talk to me.

Said she knew we were the source of the leak.

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

And how did you respond?

That I couldn't tell her anything.

I see.

I was too careless.

I apologize.

It won't happen again.

You understand, right?

You know what you must do now.

Be quick and sort that matter out with the other party.

Understood.

Please excuse me.

BUNCHO KANADE HIRATA

By the way, I'm done with the draft.

Okay, I'll go through it later.

Mr. Ninomiya!

We need to talk.

Let's go somewhere else.

You were right.

Aside from JBS TV, other stations are also trying to cut off Rafale.

I figured.

Can you dig deeper to find out how exactly Kodama took action?

Okay, I'll let you know if I have any updates.

Please do.

Ms. Hirata, I presume?

Do you have a moment?

Here's your fugu sashimi.

Thank you.

So? What would you like to know?

You have things you want to ask me, correct?

It's about Kuryu Fujiwara's scandal.

The leak was made by an employee from your agency.

Surely you're joking.

I highly doubt that.

Did you order him to?

And why would I?

I hear Chairman Kodama was quite fond of Rafale's chief, Ms. Ioka.

And four years ago,

when you became the chief, she left the agency, along with Fujiwara.

I'm sure you had reservations about the chairman agreeing to Fujiwara

and Aso co-starring in the JBS drama.

What are you implying?

You wanted to punish Ms. Ioka for going independent,

so you leaked Kuryu Fujiwara's scandal.

Am I wrong?

What an amusing story.

Shall I introduce you to an editor I know?

It's true that the chairman had a soft spot for Saki,

and that an employee leaving the agency

while taking one of our talents was a big blow to us.

Then--

But while Ioka was at our agency,

she was a valuable employee who did a truly tremendous job.

Your accusations are completely groundless.

Then, the leak was made at the sole discretion of that employee?

If it were true that he really leaked it, then I would say so.

I see.

In that case, may I ask you about Yuri Hara?

Do you remember her?

She was an actress who Ms. Ioka was in charge of when she was with you,

and she took her own life five years ago.

Ms. Ioka went independent one year after that.

Was that a coincidence?

You're quite talented, Ms. Kanade Hirata.

Just as I would expect from a graduate of the Kyushu U. Literary Department.

After graduating, you applied to Buncho to become an editor of literary novels,

but you were assigned as a reporter for their weekly magazine.

In spite of that, you held strong,

and you have continued to prove yourself in the field.

Your parents must be so proud of you.

Your sister, however, seems to be an exception.

Well.

Please, help yourself.

No need to be so reserved.

Or do you perhaps not enjoy fugu?

No, I quite like it.

Then here--

I'm not fond of accepting offers that I might regret taking later.

If you'll excuse me.

Ioka.

Been a while, huh?

Yeah.

We used to drink until morning here.

You were the only coworker I could vent my frustrations to.

So, what's up?

I want a bottle of this and two glasses on the rocks.

Coming right up.

You okay with that? Out of nostalgia?

Sure.

This is all we ever drank back then.

Yeah, because it was cheap.

When you get to our age, you get to drink good liquor more often.

And just eat out more often.

But you know…

every once in a while, I get an intense craving for this stuff

that we used to gulp down while venting our frustrations away.

-Cheers. -Cheers.

What do you want this late?

You were staking out Kodama Productions.

Who told you that?

Was it Yoko Kodama?

I figured you two were connected.

So?

Did she order you to silence the annoying reporter?

What are you digging for?

It was Kodama Productions who leaked the Fujiwara story to us.

They wanted to punish Rafale for branching off and taking Fujiwara.

We published the scandal on Fujiwara to please Kodama.

If that's true, I want to make it into an article.

It's speculation.

Are you afraid?

That they'll revoke our benefits if we criticize them?

In the first place, we can't publish that kind of article anyway.

And why is that?

Weekly Buncho has fiercely exposed other people's wrongdoings,

so shouldn't we be just as strict on ourselves?

Those are two different matters.

Fine, I'll publish it somewhere else.

Do you really think you'll be able to?

Who's going to stop me?

Yoko Kodama?

Are you obeying Yoko Kodama despite knowing the full story?

Why?

Does she have some dirt on you?

Why are you so invested in this story?

I'm not.

I just don't like being taken advantage of.

-I will-- -Stay off this case.

I refuse.

If you want to keep working at this company,

you will stop pursuing this case.

Okay?

Remember that?

When Aso got double-booked for work in both Sendai and Fukuoka,

and we only found out on that morning?

-I really freaked out. -Right?

Thanks again for helping with that one.

It's fine. You helped me on plenty of occasions too.

I went through a lot over there, but I always trusted you and the chairman.

A Weekly Buncho reporter visited me.

Said you were the one who leaked the Fujiwara story.

Did you?

I'm sorry.

I was jealous.

You started your own agency and carved out your own path.

When I first heard you were leaving, I honestly didn't think you'd make it.

Awful, right?

And yet…

you slowly but surely earned repute…

and Fujiwara managed to return to TV.

Meanwhile, I'm still just a lapdog for my agency.

I'm the "general manager," but all I do is follow the chief's orders.

I just felt so pathetic.

That's why…

I wanted to get in your way.

So I did all that.

Did you really do it of your own will?

Yeah.

It was all my decision.

I'm sorry.

You're not pathetic.

After going independent,

I learned how impressive it is to stay with an organization.

So I can understand how tough your position is.

I also get that sometimes

you have to make uncomfortable decisions to protect an organization.

Not to mention, you have a family.

You have to look after your wife and children.

I'm sorry.

I should get going.

Okay.

Thanks for coming.

Yeah.

Can I get the bill?

Yes, sir. Please wait a moment.

Weekly Buncho acts like they're some force of justice

or whatever to the public,

but they're just cowards.

Kanade.

-Can I have more of this? -Sure.

You're drinking too much. Are you okay?

No, I'm not okay.

If weekly magazines can only survive by bowing down

to the shitty entertainment industry, then they're already done for.

I've been wanting to ask,

what's with your bias against show business?

You seem to hate it a bit too much.

I can sense it in your articles, too.

It feels almost like it's bordering on obsession.

Is there a reason?

Sorry, no need to answer if you don't want to.

Show business destroyed something of mine.

What? Destroyed what?

-Here you go, ma'am. -Thanks.

-What about you? -I'll have more too.

Okay, coming right up.

Also, did you hear about Mr. Ninomiya?

You didn't hear the talk

about the young woman who barged into our office?

-Not really. -Guess what?

I saw the two of them together today.

Looked like it might be some kind of romantic trouble to me.

I drank too much.

-You feeling okay? -Just drunk.

Sorry, Mizuguchi. I'm going home first.

Okay, thanks.

See you later.

Is your home that way?

-You never said you'd come over… -Can't I?

-No, you can-- -I'm coming in.

-Pardon me. -Hey!

What's up with you?

Are you cheating on me?

What?

Heard you were with a woman who came to the office today.

How do you know her?

Just someone I interviewed once.

For what story?

Can't say. You should know that.

A person you once interviewed came to the office over and over?

It's not that unusual.

You've got the wrong idea.

Cheer up, okay?

Okay?

WILL

-Are you going to shower? -Huh? Okay.

R PLEASE CALL ME

I WANT TO TALK TO YOU PLEASE CALL ME

PLEASE ANSWER MY CALLS I'M AT THE BUNCHO OFFICE

I NEED AN EXPLANATION FOR YESTERDAY

I'LL TALK TO YOU LATER UNDERSTOOD

PLEASE GO THROUGH THIS DRAFT

BUNCHO OFFICE

I used to be more gung-ho when I was younger,

but now I'm more relaxed.

Rather than do things my own way, I try to adjust to how my co-stars act.

That's what's fun for me now.

I see.

There are rumors that you'll be starring in a major US-Japan joint production

that will be streamed worldwide.

It has always been our chief's desire for one of Kodama Productions' actors

to star in a foreign production.

I would like to take the first step as the face of the agency.

How did that go?

Fine.

I have her location.

I'll go meet her later.

This is a critical phase.

Failure is not an option.

-Yes, ma'am. -Do you have any personal goals?

Let's see.

The same as my chief.

I want to leave a mark in a foreign production

and repay the chief and my agency for their efforts.

That has been my goal for many years now.

Thank you for the call.

Are you willing to continue our conversation from before?

Yes.

But I have a condition.

A condition?

Mr. Akashi may have been the one to leak Kuryu's scandal to Weekly Buncho,

but the order must have come from his superior, Ms. Yoko Kodama.

I want you to find evidence to prove that.

I understand.

So the persecution against your agency

is indeed a concentrated effort orchestrated by Ms. Yoko Kodama then?

I believe so.

However, one thing doesn't make sense.

Doesn't make sense?

It's true that there were disagreements between us.

I can understand her trying to squash me by leaking Fujiwara's scandal.

What I don't get is, why exactly this timing?

Filming had already started for the JBS drama

that Fujiwara and Mr. Aso were going to co-star in.

Even though we bypassed Ms. Yoko to get it approved,

a scandal on Fujiwara coming out at that time

would also greatly affect the work of Mr. Aso, the face of their agency.

I can't imagine any agency would want to do that.

Good point.

Maybe there was a reason they had to leak it at that point in time.

Perhaps something that was more important than just making things harder for me.

I want you to find that out.

Does that ring a bell?

One of our reporters got word of a particular scandal.

What?

Hey, what the heck? That's mine!

Is this informant the person you met today?

Yeah.

That's a huge scoop! When is it coming out?

It isn't.

What?

It ended up being fake.

Fake?

That reporter said it was a fake story.

But assuming that it was true

and that it was planned to be published in Weekly Buncho,

I would expect Kodama Productions to make a deal with Buncho over it.

You think Fujiwara's scandal was used as part of that deal?

Yes. If that were the case, it would all make sense.

What was that article about?

An allegation about a prominent actor affiliated with Kodama Productions…

sexually assaulting someone.

A prominent actor?

THAT DAY, I WAS SEXUALLY ASSAULTED BY HIDETO ASO

It's Hideto Aso.

-Sorry. Thanks for the drink. -I'll see you again.

Nice to meet you.

Did you just get off from work?

Here.

What?

TAKAYUKI AKASHI

I would like to talk to you about our talent, Mr. Hideto Aso.

Let us both make the best of this partnership.

Agreed.

PREVIEW

Is it true?

Fujiwara's scandal was leaked to cover that up?

A SCANDAL HIDDEN BEHIND A SCANDAL

Are you going to expose it?

If we don't do anything about it, our agency is done for.

COVER-UPS AND TRUTHS OF THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

How much has she found out?

Were you bribed?

Doesn't everyone have some hidden secret?

A different side of you that you can't show to others?

We can't afford any mistakes.

Can you agree to a settlement?

We'd prefer to avoid taking any forceful measures.

WHAT BIG SECRET WILL COME TO LIGHT?

I have nothing to say to her.

They'll keep pressuring us.

You should stop too.

This case is just the tip of the iceberg.

I have something I want you to see.

Complaints raised by those who've been unjustly hurt

are being erased by favoritism and manipulation.

THE TRUTH CHANGES INSTANTLY

I'm considering backing out.

IOKA ATTEMPTS TO BRING COVERED-UP TRUTHS TO LIGHT

WHO IS THE VICTIM OF THE CASE THEY DISCOVER?

Subtitle translation by: Saim Ul Hassan