Original subtitles

When people finish their day and hurry home,

my day starts.

My diner is open from midnight to seven in the morning.

They call it "Midnight Diner."

PORK MISO SOUP COMBO BEER, SAKE, SHOCHU

That's all I have on my menu.

But I make whatever customers request

as long as I have ingredients for it.

That's my policy.

Do I even have customers?

More than you would expect.

I sometimes get a craving for meat and potato stew.

When I do, I make an extra-large batch for my customers.

-Do you like it? -It's really good.

It reminds you of home, doesn't it?

My mother's recipe was sweeter though.

-Hello. -Welcome.

Perfect timing.

Would you like meat and potato stew?

Yes, please.

What about you, Ms. Chiaki?

You can decide for me, Mr. Kanemoto.

Oh, let me introduce you. This is Ms. Chiaki.

She's my girlfriend.

-It's delicious. -I'm glad to hear it.

-What's wrong? -It's beef...

I always use beef in the stew. You don't like beef?

This is embarrassing.

My family was so poor we never had beef, only pork.

For the longest time, I thought sukiyaki was a pork dish.

That's nothing to be ashamed about. Right, Master?

I agree.

From now on, you can have as much beef as you want.

That's so sweet of you.

I know! I'll make meat and potato stew for you.

But I've never made it with beef. I hope it will turn out well.

I'm not picky.

The look of concentration on your face when you cook is all I'll ever need.

Oh, Mr. Kanemoto.

Chiaki.

His previous wife left him because of his drinking problem.

Look at him now.

I guess happy endings do exist.

But why would a pretty woman like her marry a boring divorcee like him?

There are so many better men out there.

She's probably a scammer.

-I bet she's after his money. -Good point.

You two are just bitter and cynical because life hasn't been kind to you.

You should learn to be more open-minded.

I'm just worried about him.

She's too good for him, I'll give you that.

She says she'll make meat and potato stew for him. What a catch!

-So what? I can make that too. -Me too.

What? Are we useless because we don't make our stew for men?

Women who make meat and potato stew for themselves will die alone? Is that it?

No one said any of that. Right?

Right.

Congratulations!

Happy birthday, dear Mr. Cho

I'm not Mr. Cho.

I'm Mr. Chu.

-What? -I'm Mr. Chu.

"Happy Birthday, My Dear Mr. Cho."

I HOPE YOU RECOVER FROM YOUR ENLARGED PROSTATE!

I'm so sorry!

Can I have a look?

The address is for the restaurant one row over.

Thank you.

Sorry for the confusion.

Sorry!

What was that about?

She was really cute, wasn't she?

Shut up, they'll get angry.

I knew it. Men!

Sorry to disappoint you with our old, ugly faces.

Master, give them seconds, and put it on my tab.

-Ochazuke with pickled plum! -Sure.

-That's more like it. -That's how you treat a lady.

The girl with the birthday cake

showed up at my diner a few more times after that.

On one of her visits,

we were surprised to see that her cake wasn't for a birthday.

I've seen this in yakuza movies.

I can't believe they still celebrate power handovers with a cake.

TO THE PRESIDENT OF NIWATORI CO. LTD

CONGRATULATIONS ON INHERITING THE COMPANY

Something doesn't look right.

You used the wrong kanji character there.

There should be a "robe" under the "dragon."

You're right! The lower half is missing.

What do I do? They won't be happy about this.

CONGRATULATIONS ON INHERITING THE COMPANY

-Wow. -That's amazing.

"Don't try to stop me, Mother.

The dragon on my back needs a robe."

Don't walk the wrong path in life.

-Hello. -Welcome.

It looks like you didn't get the wrong address today.

I just got off work.

I wanted to thank him for the other day.

-He isn't here today. -I see.

-I'm hungry. -What will you have?

Order whatever you want, and I'll see what I can do.

What about meat and potato stew?

-Are you in a hurry? -No, I can wait.

All right.

This is really good.

I usually let the stew sit longer to get the flavors into the meat.

It's good enough as it is.

My family only ever had pork in our meat and potato stew.

We were really poor.

Another customer of mine said the same thing the other day.

She said her family used pork for sukiyaki too.

So did my family.

It sounds like we'd get along.

I was the youngest of six children.

I lived in the Hokkaido countryside my whole life

before moving to Tokyo for college.

That's a large family.

We were really close.

My eldest sister is a makeup consultant.

Her work takes her all around Japan.

But we haven't been able to contact her in the last six months.

She stopped sending money to my parents too.

In the last letter she sent us,

she mentioned that she was working in Shinjuku.

I started delivering birthday cakes because I hoped I would bump into her.

I didn't get it at first, you know.

Get what?

I was surprised so many of the hostesses around here have the same birthday.

As it turns out,

everyone knows the birthdays are fake, but they have fun with it anyway.

As they say, "Every day is your birthday."

I don't know about that.

I hope you find her soon.

Thanks.

Thanks for the other day.

Life is one hurdle after another.

Don't lose heart.

Thank you!

Thanks for the food.

Well?

It's amazing. I love it.

I don't know about women,

but meat and potato stew is comfort food for us men.

I know, right?

I hate it.

I met a woman in Fukuoka two years ago, when I moved there for work.

She was wonderful.

As soon as I saw her, I knew I wanted to marry her.

I told her I liked meat and potato stew,

and she came to my apartment to make it for me.

It was really good.

After that, we started living together.

To my great surprise, she made meat and potato stew every single day.

One day, I told her I wanted something else for a change.

What did she say?

She said, "I'm so sorry. I don't actually know how to cook.

I wanted you to like me,

so I did my best to learn how to make meat and potato stew."

That's so touching.

I thought so too.

After that, I...

Akiko was her name, by the way.

I loved Akiko more than ever.

I'd feel the same too.

And then, two months later,

Akiko emptied my bank account and ran off with my money.

Congratulations!

I think you have the wrong person again.

No, it's mine. I ordered it for myself.

What? It's your birthday today?

Happy birthday to Mr. Goro

You're a new man today, Goro.

Leave your past behind and rise from the ashes like a phoenix!

Thank you.

You should have a drink too to celebrate his new beginning.

My shift isn't over yet.

It's just one drink.

-Have a seat. -Don't be shy.

Master, another beer.

Sure.

It looks good.

Here you go.

Have some.

I'll have just a little bit.

I flush easily when I drink.

You're so shy.

I like that about you.

Let me fill your glass for you.

I hope you meet your special someone soon.

I think I've met her already.

Master, do you have meat and potato stew?

She insists on having it.

I have it.

We have an announcement to make.

We got engaged today.

-Wow. -Wow.

I'm so happy for you! Sit down, please.

Congratulations.

Allow me to introduce her again. This is Ms. Chiaki, my fiancée.

I finally found my soulmate.

We'll be going to Tokushima, her hometown, tomorrow.

It will be our pre-wedding getaway.

-I thought that went out of fashion. -Yes.

Who could have foreseen this?

What's going on?

You're from Hokkaido, not Tokushima.

When did you become "Chiaki"?

You're Sachiko, my older sister!

-"Sister"? -"Sister"?

Akiko!

Chiaki!

My savings! Meat and potato stew! You're a scammer!

Who's Sachiko? What does he mean by "scammer"?

That's enough, Sachiko.

Fine. You got me.

Well? Am I still your soulmate?

Crocodile tears have always been her specialty.

She starts crying as soon as she's in trouble.

Don't lecture me.

Where's the nearest police station?

There's one next to the exit of this alley.

What? Wait a minute.

Please accept my sincerest apologies for the inconvenience she's caused.

I'll turn her over to the police to make up for it.

I'm really sorry for the trouble!

-Wait, what? -Excuse me.

You're hurting me!

Wait, let me get my things.

I'm coming, okay? Give me some space.

Was the cake in the face necessary?

I still have cream on me. Gross!

Why did you come here? This is my turf, Sachiko.

I couldn't resist the meat and potato stew.

Sorry.

It's delicious, I'll give you that.

Maybe a little too delicious.

It brings back memories, doesn't it?

Okay, that's enough. We're not the sappy type.

I know, right?

The police station!

They vanished from Shinjuku after that.

They never went to the police.

MEAT AND POTATO STEW SCAMMER SISTERS ARRESTED!

MORE THAN 20 MEN FROM ALL OVER JAPAN FELL VICTIM TO THEIR SCAM

Life is...

Life is?

For once,

he was speechless.

If you prefer a thicker stew, use brown sugar instead of white.

Add onions to the stew to make it sweeter.

It smells so good!

Come on!

We have other business to attend to.

Enjoy your meal!

-This is where we say goodbye. -Sorry!

-Good night. -Good night.

TO BE CONTINUED

THIS STORY IS A WORK OF FICTION.

Subtitle translation by Chen Li Woon