01x02 - If only I had said something back then...

[bunniefuu]

Tokyo, 5 years ago br It doesn't exist where you and I live.

We always knew

that everlasting love didn't exist

anywhere in this world.

I'm going back to where I belong.

If I don't leave this place right away

I feel that I'll resent you forever.

I have one last favor to ask of you.

Please send my belongings to the address I wrote down below.

Goodbye,

Jungo.

If I had only said something back then

What Comes After Love

Sky, Wind, Stars, and Poetry, Poems By Yun Dong Ju]

Yun Oh.

You haven't read the book I gave you, have you?

When are you going to read it?

I'm sorry.

I will read it soon.

I think you're going to love it.

Just like I did.

Promise me that you'll read it.

All right.

I promise.

Are you going to come home late again?

I probably won't be back until early morning tomorrow.

You work too much.

Can't you cut back a little?

Not until I'm done with college.

Please wait a little longer.

I'll do my writing from home once I graduate.

Then, I'll be able

to stay with you every single day.

Sky, Wind, Stars, and Poetry, Poems By Yun Dong Ju]

To my love, Yun Oh: Being with you makes me so happy.

[The present]

Ladies and gentlemen, our flight will be landing at Incheon International Airport shortly.

Please return your seats to their upright positions,

stow your tables and fasten your seatbelts.

Sky, Wind, Stars, and Poetry, Poems By Yun Dong Ju

Up until now

I've never believed

in fate or miracles.

I used to think

they were nothing more than embellished coincidences.

But

she was there

as if it were a miracle.

Jungo

Mr. Sasae?

Pardon me.

Mr. Sasae, my name is Choi Hong.

I'll be your interpreter for today.

This is Manager Lee Min Jae, your editor in charge.

Nice to meet you, Mr. Sasae.

Welcome to Korea.

Shall we get going, Chief?

This way, please.

Beni looks like

a different person, who has completely turned her back on the past.

Her eyes

are not shining like they did on that day.

I wonder

if Beni remembers my confession.

Tokyo, 5 years ago

Are you all right?

No

Honestly,

I'm not all right.

I can't.

As expected,

I'm just not built for running.

When I was little,

I used to fake being sick if I had to run a marathon in PE class,

because I hated running.

Really?

Then, why did you say you'd come running with me?

I've been

wanting to tell you something,

but I'm a lot more nervous than I expected.

What is it?

Hong.

I've decided

to tell you today no matter what.

Do you remember

what I told you before?

I told you that

it must exist somewhere.

Do you believe in everlasting love?

That's a difficult question.

It must exist somewhere, no?

If I'm with you

I feel I can find it.

No matter

where it may be.

Ouch!

Are you all right?

Let me see.

Are you sure you're all right?

No, I'm not.

What am I doing?

Put me down. I'm too heavy!

Come on, let me down!

♫ I believe you're saying about love ♫

♫ Even if it's not in words I know ♫

♫ I know you're at the end of the road ♫

♫ So I run to you ♫

♫ through the night ♫

♫ Hold me in your eyes ♫

♫ Hold me in your eyes ♫

♫ We're the only ones ♫

Feels like a dream.

If this is a dream

I don't ever want to wake up.

♫ Hold me in your eyes ♫

This isn't a dream.

♫ Hold me in your eyes ♫

I'll always be

by your side.

Jungo.

Don't the words for "writer,"

"famous,"

and "highway"

sound similar in both languages?

Can you believe they're actually two different languages?

"Beni."

Beni?

The character for "Hong" is pronounced "Beni" in Japanese.

Beni

"Yun Oh."

- Yun Oh?

- Right.

That's how we say "Jungo" in Korean.

Yun Oh

Yes, Yun Oh.

Yun Oh!

Beni and Yun Oh.

I really like it.

Seoul, The Present

Here's the passport.

The room has been booked for five nights. Is that correct?

Yes, five nights.

Thank you. Just a moment, please.

It's been five years.

Yes, it has.

Did you come

knowing that I was Sasae Hikari?

Of course not.

If I had known

I wouldn't have come.

I'm sorry to keep you waiting.

Take your time and get yourself settled in.

We'll start the interview in 30 minutes.

"You can go drop-off your luggage in your room first.

The interview will start in 30 minutes."

Shall we?

Yes.

Back when we were together

we couldn't stand being apart from each other for even a second.

Tokyo, 5 years ago

Beni! Beni!

Yun Oh!

How are you home? Didn't you have work today?

Beni, I'll be right down!

Wait there!

Okay!

All right.

Enjoy.

Is this jjajangmyeon?

Yes. Go ahead and try some.

Thank you for the food.

It's so good!

In Korea, we eat this when we move to a new place.

Also, we give rice cakes to our neighbors.

Is that right?

In Japan, people used to give buckwheat noodles to their neighbors.

Well, it was a custom back in the day.

- Really?

- Yes.

Why the noodles?

Apparently, the noodles symbolized their wish to be good neighbors for a long time.

Is that right?

In that case,

please take good care of me

for a long long time!

Same here.

Take good care of me for a long long time, too, please.

Wait a second.

Ta-da!

Yun Oh!

Thank you.

I'm so happy.

Yun Oh?

Wake up, Yun Oh.

You're late.

I'm sleepy.

I'm so sleepy.

No, you need to get up now.

You really need to get up now.

You'll be late for class.

Sometime

Come up. See me some time.

Excuse me. Two beers, please.

Sure! Coming right up.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, everyone.

Are you all having fun?

Thank you, Yun Oh.

This place is awesome.

I'm so happy right now.

I had a feeling you might like this place.

But isn't this place expensive?

It is.

- But that's all right.

- Why so?

I'll just wash dishes later.

Hey, what's up?

Beni, I'd like to introduce you to someone.

This is my father.

He's the owner of the bar.

- Nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you, too.

This is my girlfriend, Beni.

- Your girlfriend?

- Yes.

Seriously?

She's way too beautiful to be your girlfriend.

Why are you dating someone like him?

He's the one who's too good to be my boyfriend.

No, it's the other way around.

You're way too good for him.

You can work him hard as much as you want.

And if he ever causes you any trouble,

just let me know.

I'll punish him for you.

Yes, boss! Roger that!

Okay then!

What? Come on, Dad.

I'll be always on your side, Beni.

Okay?

Good for you!

Do you remember the rude girl

who dumped you before?

- She is a thousand times better than her!

- All right, that's enough, Dad.

Why? Shall I buy you a drink?

- You should get going, Dad.

- What's wrong?

Good luck, kid.

The rude girl?

So, why did you break up

with that "rude girl"?

Well

She just dumped me.

Really?

- Without any reasons?

- Right.

She said I was frustrating

because I wouldn't say anything from time to time.

There are many things we can't express in words, no?

And you're trying to express them in writing.

There's something special in your writing

that's all your own.

And that's why I like it.

You'll be a great writer one day.

Thank you,

Beni.

Yun Oh.

The fact that

I can love you tomorrow as much as

I do today and did yesterday

makes me

so incredibly happy.

Seoul, the present.

Hello?

Have you arrived?

Yes, I just got here.

How is it in Seoul?

I'm not sure yet.

I should've come with you.

Hey, we just got the draft for the book earlier.

There are some parts I want you to check.

Can't I do it after I get back?

Well

All right then.

By the way, I'll be in Fukuoka next week

- for Mr. Kudo's lecture.

- Yes.

Fukuoka is actually pretty close to Korea.

Yes, it is.

Is something wrong, Jungo?

You don't sound that well.

I'm fine.

I should go. I need to get to the interview.

All right. Good luck with the interview.

Thanks.

Okay.

Great.

Sorry. Could you look to your right?

Please look to the right.

Yes, that's great.

That looks great.

That's it.

Could you please fix the collar on your sweater for me?

Mr. Sasae, can you fix your collar?

Department Head,

can you help him out?

Pardon me.

Are you all right?

Yes, I'm fine.

So, I heard that this is your first time in Korea.

Do you know any Korean phrases?

"I heard that this is your first time in Korea.

Do you know any Korean phrases?"

I do.

I know "annyeonghi gaseyo"

("Goodbye", said by the one who is staying)

and "annyeonghi gyeseyo."

("Goodbye", said by the one who is leaving)

We don't have different greetings in Japanese

depending on whether you’re leaving or staying behind.

I think those phrases show thoughtfulness towards the other person.

The person who taught me those phrases

was the one who inspired me to write my novel.

"I know 'annyeonghi gaseyo'

and 'annyeonghi gyeseyo.'

The person who taught me those phrases

was the one who inspired me to write this novel."

Oh, I see.

Could you perhaps tell us a little about that person?

"Could you tell us about that person?"

I apologize,

but I'd rather not.

But I can say

that we didn't have

a happy ending like the characters in this novel.

"I apologize, but I would rather not.

The way things ended between us

wasn't a happy ending, unlike the novel."

Is that person still in Japan?

Reporter Park, I think we're behind schedule.

Why don't we focus on questions about his work?

Oh, should I?

Yes.

Your novel depicts Kyoto as a place

that holds a beautiful memory for the two protagonists.

Is there a particular reason why you chose Kyoto as the setting?

"Kyoto appears in the novel

as a place that holds a beautiful memory

for the two protagonists.

Is there a particular reason why you chose Kyoto as the setting?"

Kyoto was

Kyoto, five years ago

Amazing.

Kyoto was the first place we visited

after we started living together.

Beni told me she always wanted to see Kyoto.

Yay!

BIKE RENTAL

100 BIKES KYOTO

- Here you go.

- Thank you.

Could we use two of these, please?

- Is that for the whole day?

- Yes.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

This is nice.

Nishiki Marketplace

Wow!

It's so pretty.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- That'll be 1,000 yen (≈ $7).

- All right.

- Here you go.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

Doshisha University

This place feels really nice.

It really does.

Oh, it's stopped.

Is that the place?

Yes.

This must be it.

Right, it is.

I've always wanted to come here.

Yun Dong Ju

"Outside the window, the night rain whispers.

Outside this hundred-square feet room is a foreign land.

Even with knowledge of my sad fate as a poet,

I should still write a few lines.

After receiving an envelope filled with tuition money

embracing the sweet scent of love and sweat,

I head out for an old professor's lecture with my college notebook under my arm."

Is that one of his poems?

Yes.

What's it about?

It's hard to explain.

It's about a lonely international student

who studies overseas.

Just like me.

Are you lonely?

Once in a while?

When you're not around.

Really?

Don't worry about it.

It's the same for everyone who lives overseas.

I'll stay right next to you.

Let's wait here.

It's really pouring down.

It really is.

- Beni.

- Yes?

Yun Oh.

Yes?

Can I ask you a favor?

So suddenly?

Can we stay the night here?

- In Kyoto?

- Yes.

There's someone I'd like to meet.

Good evening.

Excuse me.

Welcome, but I'm so sorry.

The studio is already closed for the day.

My apologies.

I am Choi Han's daughter, Choi Hong.

Kyoto is famous for its cuisine,

but I'm not exactly a good cook.

Here you go.

I don't know if it'll be to your taste,

but please enjoy the meal.

No, this looks wonderful.

Thank you so much for the fantastic feast.

I haven't asked about

your friend.

This is my boyfriend.

My goodness.

You look so good together.

We're sorry to barge in like this.

My father gave me your address

before I left for Japan.

He told me to pay you a visit if I'm ever in Kyoto.

I see.

Your father and I

studied at Doshisha University together.

He was an international student,

yet he was also the editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper.

I respect him more than anyone else in the world.

Oh no. Please dig in.

I'm so sorry.

I rambled on for so long.

- Thank you for the food.

- Thank you.

Here you go.

By the way, where are you staying tonight?

We're going to look for a place nearby.

It may not be easy to find a place at this hour.

Most places only take reservations these days.

If you don't mind,

why don't you stay here?

It's nothing special, but you're welcome to stay.

- That won't be—

- Really? Thank you very much!

I've always wanted to stay at a place like this.

Please go ahead and eat.

Yun Oh, are you asleep?

You're so cute when you're upset.

I can't stop looking at you.

Yun Oh.

Are you mad?

Yeah.

Why?

Is it because I took her up on that offer?

Yeah.

Why?

By staying here, we even saved money.

It was Ms. Shizuko who suggested us to stay here.

I think she was just being polite.

She was probably surprised when you took her up on her offer.

Actually,

she might have thought that we were rude.

Fine.

Don't go.

For so long,

I've been curious about

what kind of person she was.

Why?

Ms. Shizuko was

my dad's first love.

Really?

Yes.

But, in the end

they had to break up because my grandfather disapproved.

Later on, he met my mom and got married.

My mom says that my dad sometimes

misses Ms. Shizuko, even to this day.

She believes that a man never gets over his first love.

Isn't that funny?

What do you think?

I wonder

if one day,

we'll also break up.

No.

We're different.

We will never break up.

Even if time passes

and the seasons change

and even if the world changes,

we will never break up.

Kyoto was

Seoul, the present

just a place that I chose.

He says that there was no special reason.

I see.

My next question is

what I was most curious about after reading the novel myself.

Do you still have feelings for that person?

And I'm curious if you also believe

that everlasting love exists in this world,

just like the male protagonist.

Chief?

"Do you

still have feelings for that person?"

I'm regretting it.

For the past five years

I've never once forgotten about her.

I'm sorry, but could we take a short break?

For the past five years,

I've never once forgotten about her.

- Thank you so much for today.

- Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you for today, Mr. Sasae.

"Thank you for today, Mr. Sasae."

Thank you.

Thank you in advance for tomorrow.

A professional interpreter will assist you tomorrow.

Mr. Sasae,

it was an honor to meet you.

I hope the rest of your visit also goes well.

After you, Mr. Sasae.

Yes. Thank you.

That day,

she shouted at me with a look

that I'd never seen before.

That day,

a scar of regret

was engraved in my heart.

Jungo,

let's break up.

If I had said something in that moment,

would it have kept me from losing you?

♫ I believe you're saying about love ♫

♫ Even if it's not the words I know ♫

♫ I know you're at the end of the road ♫

♫ So I run to you through the night ♫

♫ Count the lights in the distant night ♫

♫ Our distance is closer than the stars ♫

♫ Tomorrow, when we are together ♫

♫ I'll run with you ♫

♫ Can you see me reaching out? ♫

♫ Hold me in your eyes ♫

♫ Hold me in your eyes ♫

♫ We're the only ones ♫

♫ Hold me in your eyes ♫

♫ Promise me ♫

♫ Hold me in your eyes ♫

♫ Hold me in your eyes ♫

♫ Know we need each other ♫

♫ Hold me in your eyes ♫

♫ Hold me in your eyes ♫

♫ I heard you whisper ♫

♫ I believe you're saying about love ♫

♫ Even if it's not in words I know ♫

♫ And I wanna tell you in your words ♫

♫ In any shape ♫

♫ I'll be your meaning ♫