01x05 - The Link

[bunniefuu]

[SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE]

- [ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]

- [AUTOMATED VOICE SPEAKING JAPANESE]

[ELEVATOR DOOR OPENS]

Ms. Léger, Mr. Tomine.

I'm about to give you the second

test set by Mr. Alexandre Léger.

He has chosen a painting, and

the only clue is the word "link."

Take a close look at this painting.

You have two weeks to

find the matching wine.

[IN JAPANESE] A press conference

with Mr. Noboru Tomine will soon begin.

He rarely appears in public

because he hates the media.

However, his grandson, Issei,

announced that he will compete to win

the inheritance of Alexandre Léger,

who was the authority

in the world of wine.

According to unofficial

sources, he has

Here he is. Mr. Noboru Tomine.

[CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICKING ON VIDEO]

The world has changed.

As I said, Japan has changed.

If it has changed,

so can an old man like me.

My grandson, Issei Tomine,

he has changed too.

He delved into the world of wine,

a field typically

reserved for Westerners.

He immediately proved

his talent to the world.

I will support Issei.

I wish for him to win from

the bottom of my heart.

Issei,

the Tomine Diamonds

are cheering for you.

Please win!

For us.

Especially for Japan.

Thank you very much.

[CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICKING ON VIDEO]

[REPORTERS CLAMORING ON VIDEO]

[CLICKS MOUSE]

[THOMAS, IN FRENCH] There.

Still life painting,

Peaches, Quinces and

Jasmine by Fede Galizia.

She is a Milanese painter

of the Baroque period,

from the 17th century.

[CAMILLE] Okay.

Still life. Still life

paintings represent beauty,

the brevity of life.

- Hmm.

- Everything comes to an end.

Men will turn to dust, just as fruit

will inevitably rot in its bowl.

It's beautiful.

Thank you. [CHUCKLES]

The brevity of life and things.

You talked about that

in your book, right?

You read it?

Yes. It was really good. I loved it.

So, um, the link we are looking for

can be the link between life and death.

Yes, but what does it

have to do with wine?

Or with a wine?

Well

I don't know what the link

is, but white wine or red,

it has to be Italian.

Milan or the region, Lombardy.

Look for any grape varieties.

They might even come from the

17th century, you never know.

Aromas Peach, jasmine, quince.

All three would be perfect,

but two is already good enough.

I finished.

[IN ITALIAN] All right. Come

on, let's go. Come on, guys!

[IN JAPANESE] You wanted to see me?

What's that?

What's happened to Dad?

"Don't search for me."

Is he missing?

- Since when?

- That's not the point.

You're the last person who saw him.

What did you talk about?

[SIGHS]

Issei?

He told me to withdraw from the contest.

I thought you asked him to tell me that.

Why would I?

I would never do that.

If you compete for the

inheritance of other people,

he thought it would ruin Tomine

Group's reputation, including his.

When I left him

I told him he was a coward.

How dare you?

He is a sensitive person.

How could you humiliate him like that?

You were the one who

always humiliated him.

Excuse me?

You heard exactly what I said.

- We have to go to the police.

- Absolutely not.

No one should find out.

Dad is missing and you do nothing?

We can't force him to stay with

us if he is determined to leave.

- But what if something happens to him?

- Please don't do anything!

You've caused enough trouble already.

- [ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]

- [AUTOMATED VOICE SPEAKING JAPANESE]

[ELEVATOR MUSIC PLAYS]

[AUTOMATED VOICE SPEAKING JAPANESE]

Grandfather, thank you.

What did I do?

You told everyone that you

honestly wanted me to win.

Ah, yes. I said that.

It's true, Issei.

Thank you very much.

It's true. You must win.

Because you have no choice.

You decided all by yourself,

without consulting us,

despite the fact that we warned you.

Consequently,

you no longer belong to this family.

Do you understand, Issei?

You have no choice but to win.

If you don't win, you

will lose everything.

Reputation, honor

family, money, future.

You'll have nothing left.

- Just your eyes to cry with.

- [AUTOMATED VOICE SPEAKING JAPANESE]

- [ELEVATOR DOOR OPENS]

- [AUTOMATED VOICE SPEAKING JAPANESE]

So, I wish you good luck.

[SCOFFS]

[SIGHS]

[GASPS]

[CAMILLE SIGHS]

[CAMILLE BREATHING HEAVILY]

- [BOXES THUD]

- [LORENZO SIGHS]

[GAGS]

You know,

you think she's sick,

but French people

[IMITATES KISSING]

While with you Japanese people,

it's all about dignity,

convention, no touching.

I feel really sorry for you.

[IN JAPANESE] Isn't that

what we call a stereotype?

[POLICE OFFICER] His name?

Hirokazu Tomine.

Can you tell me how he went missing?

DON'T SEARCH FOR ME.

Did he write this?

Yes.

[SIGHS] Your father is 56 years old.

He is old enough to choose

what to do with his life.

[TYPING]

I'm worried about him.

He doesn't have money or his IDs.

I don't want him to

end up in the streets

or for something bad to happen to him.

Do you know how many adults

disappear every year in Japan?

You want to know what we can do

when people go missing voluntarily?

Nothing.

And even if we do find them,

you can't force them to go

back if they don't want to.

Did I see you on TV?

No.

Ah, okay.

[SIGHS] Well,

there is not much we can do.

Sometimes they come back

on their own, you know.

How can you say that

without even looking for him?

Please don't despair.

Can we meet?

At what time?

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

Don't tell me.

Now that you like me,

you want me to do exclusive

interviews for each competition, right?

- Exactly.

- [CHUCKLES]

Are you serious?

What's wrong with you?

It's so unusual of you.

Can I trust you, Ms. Katase?

Well, I'm a journalist.

Sorry. Understood.

Okay, nothing you say will

leave this place. I promise.

My father went missing.

He doesn't have his phone,

IDs, or his credit card.

I'd like you to find him.

I'm a journalist, not

a private detective.

I've seen and read what you do.

You're taking a hell of a risk.

I know you think that I'm

just an arrogant aristocrat.

And maybe I am.

I don't go out much, I

don't have many friends.

In fact,

it's been a while since I opened

up to another person like this.

My father, he's

You know I have a news

slot on a TV talk show.

Give me an interview.

Exclusive, of course.

I won't ask why he disappeared.

But you have to think about it.

Why specifically at this moment?

I said some awful things to him.

[SIGHS]

People don't go missing

because of awful words.

He might have some secrets.

[SIGHS]

Who doesn't have secrets?

- Do you have a picture?

- What?

A picture of your father.

[GRUNTS]

Nice picture.

You look like him.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

[SERVER] Welcome.

Uh, nothing. Nothing.

So, what's going on?

Why bring me here?

I need to talk with you, okay?

Okay.

Do you know what

happens every March 31st?

No.

The new Léger Guide comes out.

The guide is published in over 70

countries, nearly two million copies.

A thousand wines tasted,

listed, given ratings.

Luca, why are you telling me this?

Because the Léger Guide is

no longer the Léger Guide

if there is no Léger running it.

- So?

- [SCOFFS]

Do you see any other Léger around here?

[IN ITALIAN] I'm talking about you.

I'm talking about you.

- Luca, come on.

- Look, I know.

Your priority now is the contest.

But it was your father's dream

that you take over the guide.

He told me that. I'm just his messenger.

Tomorrow morning, we have a

meeting at your father's place.

Thomas will not be there.

We'll manage it with Lorenzo.

I have a surprise for you.

Hmm.

[ISSEI, IN JAPANESE] May I ask

if you have records of a

professor who used to teach here?

Sometime between 1990 and 1994?

What is it for?

Oh, I think my parents met in one

of his classes, but I'm not sure.

This year, it will be my

parents' 30th anniversary.

So I want to surprise them

by inviting this professor.

What's the professor's name?

Léger, Alexandre.

L-E-G-E-R.

I found it.

How long did he teach here?

From April to June 1991.

He didn't stay the whole year? Why?

I'm not allowed to tell you.

Uh, if my parents were his students,

how long did they study with him?

Honoka Tomine and Hirokazu Onoyama.

From April to June.

Like their professor.

Uh, do you have their

marks? My parents', I mean?

Yes.

So?

I'm not allowed to tell you.

Can I have the names of their

classmates, to invite them to the party?

You're not allowed to tell me, right?

Can you please help

me? It's very important.

Please.

[TYPING]

I have the name of the

interpreter from that time

and her address.

If she still lives there.

That would be great.

[POP MUSIC PLAYING ON SPEAKERS]

- [IN FRENCH] Sorry about this.

- No, don't worry.

- [CELL PHONE CHIMES]

- And done.

- Was it Juliette?

- Hmm.

- Yes.

- How long have you been together?

[INHALES] Seven years.

Mm-hmm.

- Why "mm-hmm"?

- [MUMBLES]

No, no, it's nothing. It's a lot.

I mean it's a good thing.

- But seven years. [CHUCKLES]

- Mmm.

It's a pivotal moment

in a relationship, right?

It's the boundary between

a plonk and a Grand Cru.

I'm joking, you must know each

other very well. It's great.

What's your record?

Mmm. Six months?

- Six months?

- Mmm.

- Oh, really?

- [CHUCKLES]

- [LAUGHS]

- Yes, I've been dumped a lot.

They couldn't see where we were going.

At the same time, I understand them.

I don't know what to do with my life.

That's why seven years is a

lot to me. Phew! [CHUCKLES]

She proposed to me.

Wow. Modern girl.

- Well, congratulations.

- Thank you.

Even though I don't

really believe in marriage.

Do you know the divorce rate?

- Fifty percent? Hmm.

- Yes.

And for second marriages?

- Thirty percent?

- Sixty-six percent.

- No way.

- And for third marriages, 75%.

- I see. That's crazy.

- Mm-hmm.

I understand why you got dumped so much.

- It's because you're a pain in the ass.

- [LAUGHS]

If you want, I also have a

theory. Wait, listen, listen.

- About the pleasure-pain ratio in love.

- Wait, but Yeah, okay.

A hint, it's completely unbalanced.

I have no doubt about it, but

I don't want to hear it at all.

So, you can keep your

theory to yourself, thanks.

What I want is a beautiful wedding

with the people we love,

good music, good wine.

I don't care if I have to

divorce two years later.

We don't get many opportunities

to surround ourselves

with people we love.

[CAMILLE] Mmm.

Apart from funerals [CHUCKLES]

but that's not my cup of tea.

I don't know why, but I thought

you would come to my mom's funeral.

I would have come.

But my mother "forgot" to tell me.

Marianne suffered a lot, you know.

Your dad had a f*cking temper,

and it didn't get better over time.

He was tough. [INHALES]

You had to walk on eggshells

all the time with him.

Everything was always complicated.

It was exhausting for everyone.

And yet you are the

nicest girl in the world.

- Great.

- No.

No, I'm serious.

I love kindness. There's

nothing more beautiful than that.

So that, combined

with your intelligence,

you have no idea.

[CHUCKLES]

- Wait, we came from there.

- No, Thomas! Thomas, come on! [LAUGHS]

- It's this way. Not at all! Come on.

- We came this way.

- Are you sure?

- Yes, I'm sure.

- It just feels wrong.

- [LAUGHS]

- Are you sure it's this way?

- No, come. I'll take you, I'll take you.

- How do you say "I'm drunk" in Japanese?

- [LAUGHS]

Yopparatta.

- Yopparatta.

- [LAUGHS]

- [IN JAPANESE] Yes.

- Yopparatta.

- [CHUCKLES]

- Yopparatta.

- [CAMILLE CHUCKLING]

- [THOMAS SHUSHES]

[CAMILLE, IN FRENCH] What? [GIGGLES]

- [THOMAS] Hush, stop it.

- Yusuke is here?

- Yes, but he's sleeping.

- Oh, yeah.

What are you doing?

- [THOMAS] The slippers.

- Who cares about the slippers?

- Yusuke is asleep, anyway.

- Oh.

- [SHUSHES]

- [SIGHS, IMITATES SHUSHING]

- Really.

- [LAUGHS]

He told us not to enter

the house with our shoes on.

[LAUGHS]

What's wrong?

- Come.

- Mm-mmm.

- Camille, come.

- Mm-mmm.

Camille, come on.

[CAMILLE LAUGHS]

No.

- No, Camille. Camille.

- What? What?

- Camille, we are drunk.

- Not me.

- Camille, we're

- Listen, listen, listen!

- I don't usually do this.

- [BREATHING HEAVILY]

But

you and me, it's

Isn't it?

- No. No, I can't.

- [SIGHS]

I can't.

- Wait.

- No.

[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]

[CELL PHONE BUZZING]

[CELL PHONE BUZZING]

[CELL PHONE DINGS]

[IN JAPANESE] Hi.

Good evening. Is it a good time?

Do you have any news?

Well, missing people usually leave

their hometown and go far away.

They leave by bus or by train.

- [COMPUTER DINGS]

- Check your email.

I have a friend in the police

who has access to the CCTV

cameras in train stations.

According to the date

and time you gave me

Can it be your father?

[CLICKING]

I think so, yes.

We still don't know which train he took.

But we know which

ticket machine he used.

It shouldn't be too difficult

to find the transaction.

Ms. Katase,

thank you, really.

You're welcome.

I'll keep you in the loop.

By the way, are you

free tomorrow evening?

What for?

A movie? Dinner?

[CHUCKLES] I'm joking.

It's for the interview.

My exclusive interview.

You move fast.

So, 7:00 p.m.?

Okay.

Great.

I'll send you the details.

Don't worry. I will be kind to you.

Go easy on me.

Take care. Good night.

Good night.

Issei. What's this TV

interview all about?

[ISSEI] Hello, how are you?

Spare me your sarcasm

and just explain yourself.

Let's say

I was so touched by

Grandfather's support

that I wanted the whole world to know.

Are you kidding me?

You're the one who must be kidding.

Your husband left, and we don't

know if he is dead or alive.

You just don't care.

He will never come back to us.

You deserve it.

He's been supporting us.

But we didn't do anything for

him. Instead, we just ignored him.

We've never tried to tell him

how important he was to

us. That's why he left.

And what's that got to

do with the interview?

You will see.

Goodbye.

[CELL PHONE THUDS]

[GASPS]

Hello.

Issei Tomine?

I saw you on TV.

You're a wine superstar!

Why are you here? [GASPS]

I'm looking for Ms. Yoko Sawaguchi.

She used to be an interpreter.

She's my grandmother.

And this is her house. But

she went to a spa in Hakone.

- She'll be back tomorrow.

- [SIGHS]

I'll come back then.

I'll be waiting for you.

Oh! I'm Ayame.

Ayame.

- See you soon.

- See you.

[AYAME CHUCKLES]

[AYAME SQUEALS]

[IN ITALIAN] Oh, good morning, Camille.

- Yes.

Where is Thomas?

You know where. Lorenzo needed

him for "choosing bottles."

[LUCA CHUCKLES]

This is my friend, Jacques.

Oh, oh, Camille!

[IN FRENCH] I'm so happy to

see you. I'm Jacques Fusier.

- Oh.

- Your father's publisher for an eternity.

I knew you as a child.

Luca has told me a lot about you.

I've never seen him so

enthusiastic about someone.

- He says you are the Mozart of wine.

- No, he's exaggerating.

[SCOFFS]

I'm not used to modesty

in the Léger family.

You see that?

That's Alexandre and me in 2001

when we celebrated the 8th

edition of the Léger Guide.

A memorable evening.

As a publisher, I won't hide the fact

that your father's guide

is my greatest pride.

I owe it to your mother.

A very smart woman.

Very lively. An exceptional woman.

You know, if she had not been there

to support your father

in his early days,

he would never have

gotten to where he is.

I'm not teaching you anything.

She must have told you

this a thousand times.

Yes. [CHUCKLES]

Would you like to come?

[JACQUES] Okay.

Yes?

Have a seat.

Can you try this wine for us, please?

Luca, I'm not a freak show.

Of course not. I'm sorry. [CHUCKLES]

You don't have to guess anything.

We are just interested

in your opinion of it.

[LUCA SIGHS]

Please.

Okay.

[SNIFFS] Hmm.

[SNIFFING]

Wow. This is great.

There is sun, but it's cold

at the same time. Weird.

Blackberry, morello cherry,

Cambodian pepper, and [SNIFFS]

bird's eye chili.

The grape variety, Malbec,

but not one I know.

Probably high altitude.

Andean mountains, maybe.

- [IN FRENCH] Oh, sh*t. What's that?

- [JACQUES] What happened?

I can actually hear music.

Oh, this one is crazy.

Completely crazy.

Uh

Did I say something stupid?

[CHUCKLES] No.

Camille, this wine

Your father unearthed it.

It was indeed in Argentina,

in the Mendoza region,

a thousand meters of

altitude in the Andes.

The grape variety is

Malbec, as you said.

Your father loved this wine.

He found it completely "crazy."

- [LUCA] That's what he said, "crazy."

- "Crazy," yes.

- Right, Jacques?

- Yeah.

[LUCA] You see, the

Léger Guide is just that.

Your honest opinion

on the wines you try.

Nothing else.

So, what do you think?

[STAMMERS] I'll think about it.

Jacques.

We prepared a little surprise for you.

It's just a mock-up,

of course, to, uh

How can we say?

[JACQUES] T to get

the idea going. [CHUCKLES]

[LUCA CHUCKLES] Yeah, that's the idea.

[JACQUES, IN FRENCH]

To get the idea going.

[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING ON SPEAKERS]

- [LORENZO] Sleeping beauty, you're late.

- Sorry.

- [LORENZO] Long night, huh?

No, not long, not long at all.

I had a meeting. Lawyer stuff.

I should have told you, sorry.

How many of those did you get?

We ordered everything we

could find in Lombardy.

And by the way, Miyabi and

I, we're getting married.

Yeah, I don't think so.

We'll marry one day.

[IN FRENCH] Can we talk?

- Oh, you know that? Really?

[IN FRENCH] Yes.

When are you taking me

to meet your parents, huh?

[GIGGLES]

[IN FRENCH] Are we good?

Yes, of course. Why do you ask?

Well,

it's a good thing.

There are girls who could

have taken it the wrong way

and got upset with me

when there's no reason to,

since it's been clear from the

beginning that I'm with someone.

Yes, it's very clear.

I'll just forget that

I had hardly hung up

and you were on the

first plane to join me.

And I'll also forget the

looks you throw at me sometimes

which are not innocent at all.

I see you, you know.

So, no, I don't take it

personally that you pushed me away

when there's clearly

something between us.

- I am well above that.

- Camille, I'm getting married.

Yes, I got it. Good for you.

- Can we talk about something else?

- Mmm.

What was your

administrative meeting about?

I don't know if I should tell you.

Come on.

You won't tell?

I was offered to take

over the Léger Guide.

[LAUGHS]

Are you serious?

Yes, I'm serious. What's funny?

Sorry, but, um

But, Camille, you can't

take over the Léger Guide.

Okay, why not?

You're taking it badly.

No, no, wait. I'm not taking it

badly. I just want you to expand on it.

Do you know what it means to be

responsible for a guide like that?

Do you think you're ready for that?

Why not?

Wake up, Camille.

You couldn't tell the difference

between a white and red a month ago.

- Oh, I see.

- You want to take over the Léger Guide?

You prefer the nice,

loser Camille, don't you?

No, no, no. Don't talk crazy.

Camille, you're talented. The most

talented person I've ever seen.

But you still have a

few things to learn.

Don't tell me you know everything.

I can't believe this. Can't you

be happy for me for two minutes?

My father wanted me to take over.

You think so?

If Alexandre wanted you to take over,

why is he making you compete

with a stranger for his legacy?

Huh? Why not give you

everything straightaway?

You know what? If you don't

believe in me, you can leave.

Are you serious?

- Huh? Are you serious?

- Yes, I'm serious. Please go away. Leave.

This how you react after

everything I've done for you?

- Yes.

- Okay, bye.

People in love can be stupid.

What?

[KNOCKS]

[PRODUCER, IN JAPANESE] Mr.

Tomine, we are ready for you.

[NEWS INTRO THEME PLAYS IN DISTANCE]

[NEWS INTRO THEME ENDS]

Today's guest obtained

an engineering degree

in Japan and the United states.

Then he discovered a passion for wine.

Even the writer of the famous wine

guide and the authority of enology,

Alexandre Léger, recognized

his exceptional talent.

Now he has been selected

to be one of the successors.

He was called "a spiritual

son" by Mr. Léger.

Lately he has been

all over the headlines.

It's my great pleasure

to welcome Issei Tomine.

The pleasure is all mine.

Thank you for coming to the show.

First of all, what can you

tell us about the second test?

I can't reveal too much,

but it's related to art.

To be exact, a painting.

A painting?

Yes.

Mr. Léger had a

detailed knowledge of art.

He was deeply inspired by

music, painting and literature.

He had a very specific idea

of what was beautiful

or good, and what wasn't.

Were you close with him?

What I can say is,

our relationship was that of

student-teacher. Nothing more.

He's been described as a

difficult person to get along with.

What do you think of him?

Every talented person has a dark side.

He was very strict and

didn't allow any mistakes.

He taught me everything

about being a professional.

Yesterday, your grandfather

announced his support for you.

Were you happy to hear that?

Some people said my grandfather

is heartless and cruel,

but it's not true.

Blood ties are precious.

We appreciate our loved

ones for who they are,

not for what we want them to be.

Mindless and foolish people

don't understand that,

but he is clearly different.

It is absolutely essential to be

supported by a family and loved ones.

My grandfather knows

this more than anyone.

If you lose the contest, will

you take over the Tomine Diamonds?

Diamonds and wine are opposites.

Mineral versus organic.

Diamonds symbolize

invariance and eternity.

Wine is different.

I don't think you've

answered my question.

The answer is no.

I will never take over the company,

whatever the results might be.

[YURIKA] Our show is nearing the end.

Do you have anything to add?

I would like to thank my

father, Hirokazu Tomine.

He, more than anyone else,

is able to understand

who I am and what I want.

He is very important to me.

And I'm very proud to be his son.

[YURIKA] Thank you very much.

[IN FRENCH] Thomas?

Are you there?

Thomas?

I'm sorry.

[IN JAPANESE] He's gone.

[PERSON] I'm coming.

Nice to meet you. My

name is Issei Tomine.

Hello, Mr. Issei.

My granddaughter told

me about you. Come in.

Everything about Mr. Léger's

class is written there.

All the classes your parents took.

You remember my parents.

[CHUCKLES]

You can take it with you

and read it slowly at home.

Or you can come in and have a chat.

But if you choose to come in,

you need to face the truth.

The choice is yours.

Sorry to keep you waiting.

Here you go.

[ISSEI] Thank you.

- [SIGHS]

- So you know my parents?

[SIGHS]

"Know" is a big word.

Let's say our paths

crossed for a few months.

I used to translate

Mr. Léger's classes.

As an interpreter,

I was discreet and almost invisible.

[CHUCKLES]

But [INHALES]

when you become invisible, you

also get to see a lot of things.

What did you see? Please tell me.

[LAUGHS]

I can see that you're

a very intense person.

Like Honoka.

What kind of student was my mother?

[SIGHS]

You could only see

her among the students.

She was very smart and

had her own opinions.

She never compromised

and was intelligent.

How about my father?

He was very passionate,

like your mother.

Passionate?

[CHUCKLES] They had strong passion.

They were the center of attention.

And they had eyes only for each other.

I witnessed their love come to life.

It seemed to me my parents

never loved each other.

[SIGHS, CHUCKLES]

Whereas he actually gave the impression

of giving the class just for her.

What do you mean? My father

was also a student, wasn't he?

Mr. Hirokazu Onoyama,

he and your mother were always together.

He wouldn't let her out of his sight.

I think Mr. Onoyama was devastated

when he found out they loved each other.

One morning,

they found him completely

drunk on the university yard.

Because of him

Mr. Léger was fired.

A few months later,

I found out that Honoka and

Hirokazu had gotten married.

I was really surprised.

It must be hard for you to hear.

But

I'm realizing that

Mr. Léger was the man

that your mother was

deeply in love with.

That's why he wanted you

to have an opportunity

to win his inheritance.

Wake up!

I cooked something for you.

You can't travel on an empty stomach.

Right?

Take care.

CAMILLE LÉGER