Original subtitles

OGAWA LAUNDRY

JANUARY 2025

May I help you?

Oh, the noise…

-Noise? -The sound leakage from your earphone.

-Sorry. -It's okay.

You like Michelle?

-Yes. -I like them too.

-Oh really? -Yes.

I also own the poetry collection by Chiba. Maybe it's not poetry…

A book with song lyrics in it.

There's such a thing, huh?

-You must be a diehard fan. -Yes.

-Yes? -Sorry to keep on bothering you.

-Is it still leaking sound? -No, that's not it.

I noticed something after your music stopped leaking.

Yes?

Laundromats have big background noise,

so if you turn down the volume, other sounds get mixed in.

Like the sounds of the dryers and washing machines.

So although

I told you there was sound leakage from your earphones,

I realized it's only natural that there would be.

I'm sorry.

-Um… -Yes?

Please tell me if I'm wrong,

but I think I'm reading this correctly.

Would it be all right if I played it without using earphones?

-Please do. -I'm glad. I guessed right.

Oh, sorry, I wasn't hinting for you to do that though.

What? Oh, so I guess I didn't read the situation correctly after all.

I wanted to say that it's okay to return the volume to a level

-where sound leaks out. -Oh, I get it now.

Which do you prefer? Audio leakage or having it at full blast?

Full blast? It's going to be full blast if you play it on the speaker?

You're kind of extreme, and funny, you know that?

If I'm going to play it, I might as well make it full blast.

Yes, since the background noise is big.

But hold on, it's midnight already.

Actually, something's been bothering me for a while now.

Volume is measured as "high" and "low."

It's not measured as "big" and "small," but "high" and "low."

You're right. I've been saying big and small.

It's high and low, huh?

Do you work in the music industry or something?

No, I don't. I'm a hairstylist.

-A hairstylist? -Yes.

And the washing machine at the shop broke down.

So I came here to wash the mountain of towels.

I see.

Then are you going back to the shop to hang them to dry?

Yes.

But I'm using the dryer, so I'll only hang them to smooth out the wrinkles.

-That's a lot of work with so many towels. -Yes.

But I'm used to it now.

I see.

It's a daily routine, huh?

Yeah, I guess it's a daily routine.

I'm going to play it now.

But why?

Why?

I guess I'm kind of curious.

-Here. -Thanks.

It's right here.

-Come inside. -Thanks.

-Make yourself at home. -Thanks.

Can I get you a drink?

Please don't worry about me.

-I have alcohol too. -Really?

Why are you surprised?

-Do you enjoy drinking? -Yes.

-Would beer be all right? -I'd love that.

-Here you go. -Thank you.

Is this entertaining to watch?

It's entertaining

because it's a view I don't usually get to see.

A view, huh?

This is so ordinary to me

that I've never considered it a "view."

I see.

To some people, this is a "view," huh?

You know,

humans can only live for 100 years at most.

That means

there are far more sceneries we'll never see

and people we'll never meet, right?

And then we die.

Right.

But the truth is,

you don't need to travel anywhere special

to experience things out of the ordinary right under our noses.

It's just a matter of whether you notice them or not.

That's why I feel like I'm having a really special moment right now.

Um…

Yeah?

Well…

Isn't it tiring?

Do you live your life constantly thinking about things like that?

I'm not thinking about those things all the time,

but maybe I tend to think about them more than most people.

Do you always use the laundromat?

No washing machine at home?

I have one at home.

-Of course you do. -Yes.

That was a dumb question.

Did the washing machine break or something?

No. I just feel like going there sometimes.

It's kind of like going

to a public bathhouse even though you have a bathtub at home.

I just like that atmosphere.

I see.

It feels lonely…

And you won't find normal people there.

What do you mean?

Because most people have

washing machines at home, right?

Yeah, I guess.

So the laundromat is a place most people don't find necessary.

I like places like that.

I see.

Do you have something similar to that?

I don't think I do.

You don't, huh?

That makes sense. You were there because your washing machine broke.

By the way, what's your name?

I'm Yukio.

Yukio Saeki.

Mr. Saeki, you're one of those who doesn't need a laundromat.

Well, yes, I suppose so.

But I needed it today.

Oh, do you need help?

I'm almost finished.

Would you like a drink?

May I?

-Here. -Thank you.

Please sit.

Am I stalking you too much?

Yes, you're definitely stalking me too much.

Then you're too much of an enabler.

So this is my fault?

There's a possibility I might kill you, you know.

Whoa, you're scaring me. Can you leave now?

You can dry your clothes on the balcony.

Although you might not want to hang your underwear.

But your clothes might get wrinkled.

Thank you.

Does this mean

you're staying the night?

No, I'm going home.

Then why are you drying your clothes?

I'll be coming tomorrow to pick them up.

You're coming again tomorrow?

-You look annoyed. -More than annoyed, I'm scared.

Scared? Why?

You've gotten so close to me in such a short time.

Hey, do you like me?

Do you already have feelings for me?

-Why would I? -I'm sorry.

I'm really sorry. I've honestly never experienced something like this before.

That's understandable.

I never have either.

You can place it on the table.

Thank you.

Then can I ask you something?

Ask what?

May I ask you a few questions?

Because I don't know anything about you.

What will you do with the information about me?

Once I find out more about you? I won't do anything in particular with it…

But I guess it'll give me some reassurance.

What will you do once you've been reassured?

What will I do once I've been reassured?

I'll think about that once I've been reassured.

What kind of questions will give you reassurance?

Like, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Well, I guess so.

But first of all, your name…

That's right. I don't even know your name.

If you find out that I don't have a boyfriend, and what my name is,

you'll be reassured?

Yes, more so than now.

Then what are you going to do? Once you're reassured, you want to kiss?

I don't know. But I don't think so.

Why? Because you don't know anything about me?

That too,

but we met for the first time today, and we're not even dating.

Then once you're reassured, and it's no longer our first time meeting,

and we start dating, you'll kiss me?

I might.

You're really scary, after all.

Then I'm going to leave once.

What do you mean?

Really, what's going on?

Hey.

Yes?

Hello.

Thanks for letting me in.

My name is Ayana Tsuchida. I don't have a boyfriend.

-Ms. Ayana Tsuchida. -Yes.

This is no longer our first time meeting each other.

This is the second time I've visited this room.

Ms. Tsuchida.

What is it, Mr. Saeki?

I'm really sorry…

I think I like you already.

That's crazy.

If it was anyone else, you would be dead by now.

I'm sorry.

I'm really sorry,

but I can't kiss you or anything.

You can stay the night,

but I want to take the proper steps.

Why are you assuming that I'd even want to do those things?

Right.

You're absolutely right.

Wait, what is this? A nightmare?

Anyway, you can stay the night,

but absolutely no physical contact.

Okay?

That's A-okay with me.

Thanks for yesterday. It was a fun evening.

You can leave the door unlocked when you leave.

Um…

will you really go out with me?

If yes,

let's start by going out to eat.

Accept. Decline.

ACCEPT

Yes, I accept.

Let's go out to eat.

Ayana Tsuchida.

090-1834…

Whoa, that scared me.

-Would you like more water? -Thank you.

-Would you like a refill of your coffee? -Yes please.

I'll refill your water.

Dear Ms. Ayana Tsuchida.

So much time has passed since we first met,

and I know it might seem strange to be writing a letter now,

but I'm writing this letter

because I learned

that you don't currently have a boyfriend.

Welcome.

Oh.

What's with that lackluster response?

Ayana…

Yeah?

You don't have a boyfriend, right?

I do.

What?

Huh? What? You don't have one, right?

What? As of yesterday, you didn't have a boyfriend.

-At least that's what you said. -Yeah, I didn't yesterday.

And today?

I do.

So you didn't have one yesterday,

but you have one today.

Please explain.

Well,

I got myself a boyfriend last night.

What?

Is it someone you've known for a while?

No, we met yesterday, and it was like, "Should we go out?"

How is that even possible?

Yeah, I'm surprised too.

Can I ask what he does for work?

I don't want to tell you.

Then I won't ask.

Didn't you come here to check out our clothes?

Yes, I did.

But I'll come another day.

-Bye. -Bye.

Let's say you hang out with people you don't know very well.

When you do that, you get to know them.

Once you get to know them,

you can't go back to when you didn't know them.

There are things you're better off knowing,

and things you're better off not knowing.

Everything that begins eventually ends.

Relationships begin and end.

That's why, deep down,

I don't really want to be in a relationship with anyone anymore.

Is it possible to continue loving someone

even after knowing everything about them?

As that thought lingers in my mind,

I find myself falling in love again.

All the while fearing the possibility of loss.

That's why

I try to fall in love with people I won't fall too deeply in love with.

Welcome.

-I'm meeting a friend. -Okay.

ONE YEAR LATER DECEMBER 2025

-Hey. -Hi.

-Sorry I started without you. -No worries.

Thank you. Lemon sour, please.

-Lemon sour? -Yes.

I ordered some grilled chicken and stuff.

Thank you.

What were you doing today?

-Today? -Yeah.

The weather was nice today, so I was relaxing.

Relaxing?

I woke up in the afternoon,

did my laundry,

walked along the river,

and stared blankly at the boys

playing baseball on the riverbank.

Then I got home as the sun was setting, and that's when I realized

I had forgotten to hang out the laundry.

That's the worst. Did you hang it?

I did, just a while ago. And now I'm here.

You're an idiot. You wasted the sunlight.

Not really,

since I soaked up the sun.

I also got barked at by a dog that was taking a walk.

A dog barked at you before too.

I wonder why dogs keep barking at me.

Maybe they know…

Know what?

That I'm a bad person?

Hey now.

-Thank you for waiting. -Thanks.

-Cheers. -Cheers.

Maybe it's because I'm scared of them.

Of dogs?

You're scared of dogs?

Yeah.

Why?

-Why am I scared of dogs? -Yeah.

I don't know why.

Is it childhood trauma?

No, it's not that.

I'm curious,

how do you handle trauma

when you're writing novels?

Do you use it quite a bit? Do you consider it?

I wonder.

I don't think I avoid it.

Do you avoid it?

Yeah. I'm pretty skeptical about trauma.

Why do you say so?

Let's see…

It's true that the past has led to the present…

I don't know. Maybe I'm afraid it'll become too cliché.

-Cliché? -Yeah.

Even people who have never been chased by a dog

can still be afraid of dogs.

Even when parents have a good relationship,

their kids might not be keen on marriage or romantic relationships, right?

But writers depict them as being from broken families.

Or from single-parent families.

You're right.

Mr. Yamada, did your parents get along well?

Hey,

Ms. Tsuchida, did your parents get along well?

Huh?

What do you mean?

Nothing in particular.

My parents got along very well.

Although my dad passed away already.

-I see. -Yeah.

What're you doing tomorrow?

Tomorrow?

Nothing in particular.

Why?

Nothing.

"Wrong" by Sen Yamada.

"I was asked,

'You know it's wrong, so why do you meet up with me?'

"Then I realize that what I'm doing is wrong."

"When I was asked, 'What are you thinking?'"

"I replied, 'Well, I was realizing that this is wrong.'"

"Then I was told, 'But you apologized, didn't you?'"

"'When we were leaving the other day.'"

"And I realized, 'Ah, I did apologize.'"

"On the day it all started,

we talked about many things over drinks."

"But more than the words we exchanged,

there were many moments of silence,

and during each of those silences,

we would try to read each other's expressions."

Maybe it wasn't so much trying to read each other,

but rather more like gazing into each other's eyes.

A kind of playful exchange of glances.

There were many moments like that.

I hesitated over and over

whether to leave or not.

"I said, 'Moments like this, are you know…'

Then I was asked, 'What do you mean?'

'You know' probably meant 'erotic,'

but it's too crude to say it outright,

so I just had fun by saying 'you know.'"

Moments like this, are you know…

-"You know"? -Yeah.

What do you mean?

No, nothing.

Can I order one more drink?

Of course.

Excuse me.

Yes?

-Lemon sour. -Okay, one lemon sour.

What is it?

Nothing.

What is it? Quit that.

I'm being unfair, huh?

Yes, you are unfair.

Why are you speaking so formally?

Thank you for waiting. Here's your lemon sour.

Thank you.

What is it?

You want me to express my true feelings, right?

This is the place to express myself?

Uh-huh.

This is where I…

or rather we

take the opportunity to discuss whether or not

I have feelings for you, right?

-Uh-huh. -Is that what you want?

Then I'm going to say it.

Uh-huh.

You won't regret it? It's okay?

Uh-huh.

Well…

Then…

I'll say it.

I do.

I do.

Yes, I have feelings for you.

I am

attracted to you, Ms. Tsuchida.

I'm sure you knew it already.

Uh-huh.

But both of us

are already seeing someone else.

And you know,

there are some things that just won't work out.

Besides,

you said before that you didn't want anything

like a serious romantic relationship.

Uh-huh.

So yeah, that's why

I didn't say anything

about liking you or anything like that,

because it would be wrong.

Well,

meeting like this might be wrong too,

but I thought that meeting up for drinks like this was just about right.

Like listening to stories about your boyfriend,

and hearing about how you cheated again.

I thought keeping that kind of distance would be best.

Uh-huh.

Yeah.

But…

I'm attracted to you.

That's the truth.

That's how I feel.

Hey, wait a minute. How about you?

I just talked about my feelings for you,

but what about you?

Ms. Tsuchida,

are you even slightly attracted to me?

Uh-huh.

Really?

Uh-huh.

I see.

That makes sense. Otherwise, you wouldn't be seeing me this often.

Uh-huh.

Hey, by the way…

You've

only been saying "uh-huh" for a while now.

Uh-huh.

Come on.

This is not good.

Yes.

It's bad.

"The numerous "uh-huhs"

that came from your mouth

felt like the most honest sounds I'd ever heard."

"It felt like that word contained

far more beauty than the words

'I like you' or 'I'm attracted to you.'"

"We both smiled shyly."

"'This is not good.'"

"'Yes, it's bad.'"

"I left the restaurant without hardly touching

the lemon sour I'd ordered last,

and 15 minutes later we were in my hotel room."

"But we didn't kiss

or touch each other."

"We simply talked about trivial things

while enjoying canned beer

and potato chips that we bought at the convenience store

connected to the first floor of the hotel."

That's a lie.

Uh-huh.

We kissed.

Uh-huh.

You're escaping reality.

Uh-huh.

Stop imitating my "uh-huh."

Uh-huh.

Ouch.

I'm not escaping anything. Plus, this is all fiction.

All fiction?

Did you just say that all of it is fiction?

No, I didn't.

Yes, you did.

You said it!

You're so scary. That hurts.

Ouch.

It's probably bruised by now.

Of course, because there's blood flowing through you.

Ms. Tsuchida,

are you still seeing other people besides your boyfriend and me?

Uh-huh.

I see.

You're sleeping with them too?

I am, or more accurately, I was.

There's not much of that lately.

I see.

Why do you ask?

No reason.

I tell you everything, Mr. Yamada.

Yeah.

-What is it? -Nothing.

Oh,

you know…

-Yes? -The other day,

we kissed.

We did.

And…

-Yeah? -That time,

you were the one that instigated it, not me.

Huh?

No one has ever done that before.

Everyone just waits to be kissed.

You know…

We get into these situations.

But they're so sly.

They don't initiate it themselves.

They might lean closer,

or close their eyes as we sit next to each other like this.

But they will never make the first move.

They make me kiss them.

And when I do kiss them,

they say things like, "Oh you kissed me. So sneaky."

That's what they'll say.

How cute.

But you kissed me.

That made me happy.

I thought, "Oh, she's not sly like the others."

Why?

Because you essentially provided me with an excuse to tell my girlfriend.

Even if she finds out, I can tell her that you're the one who instigated it.

What're you talking about?

I thought you were so cool.

Those things never crossed my mind.

Maybe you're right.

I just kissed you because I wanted to.

Yeah.

But

it just made me happy.

Hey.

Now that you've said that, it'll be awkward for me to wait for your kiss.

What? I'm not going to kiss you.

What? Were you planning to kiss? No way.

Ouch!

Ouch.

I think I broke a bone. I know it's broken.

Let me kiss you.

-You're the worst. You ruined the mood. -Let me kiss you!

-Hold on. -Stop running away.

Stop running away.

Ouch. Stop it.

Wait a minute. What is it? That hurts.

That hurts.

-You little… -You're ripping my face apart.

Ouch.

Stop it.

Ouch!

What are you thinking about?

Right now?

Uh-huh.

I wonder.

I was thinking of two things.

Two things?

-What and what? -It's nothing.

Tell me.

No, it's okay.

It's okay, you can tell me.

Was it about your girlfriend?

Yeah, that's one.

Your guilt?

That too.

I see.

Yeah.

I'm just

having too much fun.

What?

That was really fun…

That strange battle we just had.

Yeah.

That was strange, but fun.

Strangely.

Yeah.

When I'm having too much fun,

it feels like

I'm doing something wrong.

It's not cheating if it's not fun?

I don't know.

But that's what it is, huh?

I guess so.

That didn't sound like you mean it.

How annoying.

What's the other thing?

The other thing?

Yeah.

One was your girlfriend. What's the other thing?

What were you thinking of?

You can't lie.

I don't want you to lie to make me feel better.

It's Spitz.

It's the opposite of Spitz's song.

I want the opposite of Spitz's song.

Well…

-The other thing is… -Yeah?

I was wondering why someone like you

would choose to be with someone like me.

Now that you mention it…

Hey!

You want to go home soon? You can't miss the last train.

Yeah.

You're okay with me leaving?

What? You're going to stay with me?

No, I'm leaving.

-What the heck? -Yeah, I'm going home.

Yeah.

That's for the best.

-I'll be going now. -Okay. Take care.

This is cool?

Yeah, it's cool.

-Later. -Later.

I wonder

if Mr. Yamada's laundry ended up drying in the end.

I'm thinking about that,

as I hang Yukio's laundry.

-Thanks for doing the laundry. -Sure. Mine was mixed in too.

What're you doing tonight?

I'm going back to my place tonight.

-Then I'll be off. -Bye.

In the winter light,

I continue

to think about things

that I cannot understand.

THIS DRAMA IS FICTIONAL

Subtitle translation by: Lili Morita