Original subtitles

(It never existed between us. Love that never changes.)

It never existed between us.

Love that never changes.

And we knew...

it didn't exist...

anywhere in the world.

I'm going back to where I should be.

If I don't leave this place now,

I'll probably end up resenting you for the rest of my life.

Do me a favour, for one last time.

Please send my things to the address below.

Goodbye, Jungo.

(If I had said something...)

(back then...)

(What Comes After Love)

("Sky, Wind, and Stars" by Yun Dong Ju)

Yun Oh.

The book I gave you as a gift.

You haven't even started reading it.

When are you going to read it?

Sorry, I'll read it soon.

You should read it. You'll love the book.

Just like me. You have to read it, okay?

Okay. I'll read it, for sure.

Will you be home late again?

Well...

I think I'll be done sometime after midnight again.

You work too much, Yun Oh.

Can't you cut down on work?

Well...

Please understand just until I graduate.

I promise I'll stay home all day and just write once I graduate.

Then we can be together all day every day, Beni.

("Sky, Wind, and Stars" by Yun Dong Ju)

(To my love, Yun Oh.)

(I'm so happy to be with you.)

Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be arriving...

at Incheon International Airport shortly.

Please place your baggage under the seat...

or in the overhead compartment.

("Sky, Wind, and Stars" by Yun Dong Ju)

All my life,

I never believed in things...

like fate or miracles.

I just thought...

they were a nice way of making coincidences look meaningful.

But...

there she was,

like a miracle.

Jungo?

Oh, hello.

Mr. Sasae?

I'm sorry.

Mr. Sasae.

I'm Choi Hong, your interpreter for the day.

And this is Mr. Lee Min Jae, your editor.

Nice to meet you, Mr. Sasae.

Welcome to Korea.

All right, then. Shall we, Ms. Choi?

Shall we?

Beni looks...

so different now, almost like a different person.

The radiance...

I saw in her eyes that day is now gone.

Would Beni...

still remember my confession that day?

Are you all right?

No.

To be honest,

I'm not all right.

I can't do this.

I knew I couldn't do this.

I can't run. I just can't do it.

When they made us run a marathon back in school,

I feigned illness...

because I didn't want to run.

Really?

Then why did you say you'd run with me?

I...

wanted to tell you, but...

I'm just more nervous than I thought I'd be.

What?

Hong.

There's something...

I want to tell you today.

That day,

I said...

I believed...

it'd be out there somewhere.

Do you believe in love that doesn't change?

That's a tough question.

Don't you think it'll be out there somewhere?

With you,

I think I can find it,

wherever...

it may be.

Ouch, no.

Are you okay?

Let me see.

Are you really okay?

No, I'm not.

I must be losing my mind.

What are you doing? I'm heavy!

What are you doing? Put me down!

Is this a dream?

If it is,

I don't want to wake up.

It's not a dream.

I'll always be...

right by your side.

Jungo.

- "Writer." - Yes.

"Famous."

"Highway."

Aren't the Korean and Japanese words so similar?

Can you believe they're two completely different languages?

(Beni)

Beni.

- "Beni?" - Yes.

That's what your name, Hong, is in Japanese. Beni.

- Beni. - Yes.

(Beni, Yun Oh)

Yun Oh.

- Yun Oh? - Yes.

That's what your name, Jungo, is in Korean. Yun Oh.

I see, Yun Oh.

Yes, Yun Oh.

Yun Oh.

Beni and Yun Oh.

I love it.

Okay. Here's the passport.

He'll be staying for five nights, right?

Yes, five nights.

Okay. One moment, please.

It's been five years.

Yes.

Did you come to the airport,

knowing I was Sasae Hikari?

Certainly not.

Had I known it was you,

I wouldn't have come.

Sorry to keep you waiting.

Go up to your room and get settled in first.

We'll start the interview in half an hour.

You can go up to your room and get settled in.

The interview will begin in half an hour.

This way.

Okay.

Back then,

we couldn't stand being apart even for a moment.

Beni!

Yun Oh!

What's going on?

Don't you have your shift?

Beni, I'll come down.

Wait there!

Okay!

All right.

Enjoy.

So, this is jjajangmyeon?

- Yes, try it. - Okay.

Thank you for the food.

It's good.

In Korea, you order and eat jjajangmyeon on your moving day.

Some give out rice cakes to their new neighbours too.

I see.

In Japan, they gave out soba noodles.

I mean, back in the old days.

- Really? Why? - Yes.

Well...

I heard the soba signifies a long and pleasant relationship,

just like the soba's long and thin form suggests.

- Is that right? - Yes.

All right, then I should do it too.

Please be good to me for many, many years!

Me too.

Please be good to me for many years to come!

Wait a moment.

Ta-da.

Yun Oh.

Thank you.

I'm so happy!

Yun Oh.

Wake up, Yun Oh. You'll be late.

I'm sleepy.

I'm sleepy.

No. You have to get up.

Hey.

You really have to get up now.

You'll be late for class.

- Hello. Draft beer for two, please. - Draft beer, coming up.

- That was great. - Lovely.

Well, thank you so much.

Thanks, everyone. Are you having fun?

Thanks, Yun Oh. This place is amazing.

I'm really happy right now.

I thought you'd like this place.

Isn't it expensive here?

It's expensive.

But it's okay.

- How so? - I'll clean extra plates later.

Hey, what's up?

You.

Beni, say hello.

This is my father...

and the boss of this bar.

- It's nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you too.

My girlfriend Beni.

- Your girlfriend? - Yes.

For real?

She's way too cute to be your girlfriend.

Why are you dating this guy?

Jungo's way too cool to be my boyfriend.

My gosh. She's humble too.

Oh, put him to work as much as you want.

And if he doesn't do as he's told,

tell me and I'll beat him up for you.

Yes, boss. Understood.

Oh, okay.

Hang on. Dad, please.

I'm on your side from now on, Beni.

Hey, you.

That nasty witch who dumped you.

- She's much nicer than... - Dad?

- Okay. Would you like a drink? - No.

- You go back behind the bar. - Why?

Good luck.

"That nasty witch?"

Why did you break up?

With that nasty witch.

What?

She just dumped me.

For real? Without a reason?

Right.

She called me suffocating.

That I sometimes clammed up.

There are a lot of things you can't put into words.

You want to put those things in writing.

Your writing...

contains something special that's just you.

That's why I like it.

I'm sure you'll become a great writer.

Thank you.

Beni.

Yun Oh.

Yesterday, today,

and tomorrow too.

I'm able to love you.

And for that, I'm so very happy.

Hello?

Have you arrived yet?

Yes, a short while ago.

How is Seoul?

Well, I'm not sure yet.

I should've come with you.

Jungo. I just got the author's proof.

I'd like you to go through it.

Can't I do that when I get back?

Okay.

Oh, right. I'm going to Fukuoka next week.

For Mr. Gudo's lecture.

Okay.

Fukuoka's pretty close to Korea, right?

It is.

Jungo. Is something wrong?

You don't sound too happy.

No. I have an interview. I should go.

Got it.

- Good luck with the interview. - Thanks.

Okay.

Nice.

Sorry, but can you look to the right?

Look to your right this time.

Okay, very nice.

I like them.

Okay.

Can he fix his sweater collar?

Mr. Sasae. Fix your sweater collar.

Ms. Choi, you do it for him.

Excuse me.

Are you all right?

Yes. I'm fine.

I heard you never visited Korea before.

Do you know any Korean?

I heard this is your first visit to Korea.

Do you know any Korean?

Yes.

I know the farewell greetings for when...

you're leaving and for when someone else is leaving.

The Japanese don't have separate expressions...

for when you're parting or leaving someone behind.

I felt the consideration for the other person.

The person who taught me that...

is the friend who served as the muse for this novel.

I know the "goodbye" for when you're leaving or staying.

The person who taught me that...

became the model for this novel.

Oh, I see.

Could you tell me about this friend?

Could you tell us about this friend?

I'm sorry,

but about her...

You see,

our ending...

wasn't a happy one like the one in my novel.

I'm sorry, but about that person...

Our ending was, unlike the novel,

not a happy ending.

Is that person still in Japan?

Ms. Park, we've been here a while.

How about you focus more on his novel?

Shall I do that?

Yes.

In your novel,

Kyoto is where the couple made special memories.

Is there a reason you chose Kyoto?

In your novel, Kyoto appears as a place where the couple...

creates special memories.

Is there a special meaning as to why you chose Kyoto?

Kyoto is...

(Kyoto Station)

That's amazing.

Kyoto was the first place we visited...

after we moved in together.

Beni had said she really wanted to visit.

Hey.

Here you go.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

We'll take this bike.

- Please. - Got it.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

(Nishiki Market Mall)

My gosh.

How beautiful.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

- That's 1,000 yen, please. - Right.

- Here's the exact sum. - Thank you.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

(Doshisha University)

It's nice here.

It sure is.

- It's not raining anymore. - Great.

- Is it over there? - Yes.

We're here.

Yes, we are.

I've always wanted to come here.

(Yun Dong Ju)

"The night rain outside the window whispers."

"The six-mat room is a foreign land."

"Though I know a poet's fate is miserable,"

"shall I write a line of poetry?"

"After receiving the tuition envelope..."

"with the scent of sweat and love,"

"with a college notebook under my arm,"

"I head to the old professor's lecture."

Was that written by the poet earlier?

Yes.

What is it about?

Let's see.

It's quite hard to explain.

It's about a student feeling lonely...

while studying abroad.

Just like me.

Do you feel lonely, Beni?

Sometimes.

When you're not with me.

Really?

Don't worry.

Everyone living abroad feels the same.

I'm by your side.

Under there.

It's pouring down now.

- That caught us off guard. - Yes.

Good grief.

- Beni. - Yes?

Yun Oh.

Yes?

I have a favour to ask.

This is out of the blue.

How about we stay the night here?

- In Kyoto? - Yes.

There's someone I want to meet.

Good evening. Pardon our intrusion.

Welcome.

I have bad news.

You've come all the way here,

but we're already closed for the day. I'm sorry.

I'm Choi Hong, Choi Han's daughter.

Kyoto is famous for its cuisine.

But I'm not that good at cooking.

Here.

I'm not sure if it'll be to your taste, but please dig in.

Please don't worry about it.

Thank you so much for even serving us food.

I don't think I asked who the man you came with is.

He's my boyfriend.

Is that so?

You two look great together.

Our apologies for dropping by without any advance notice.

Before I came to Japan,

my dad told me your address.

He told me to visit you if I ever travelled to Kyoto.

I see.

Your father and I...

attended Doshisha University together.

Despite being an international student,

Han was the president of the college newspaper club.

Regardless of his nationality, I admired him the most.

Goodness. Please dig in.

I'm sorry. I talked about our old days for too long.

- Thank you for the food. - Thank you for the food.

Go ahead.

By the way, where are you staying for the night?

We're looking for a nearby place to stay.

Finding a place right now won't be easy.

Most places require a reservation these days.

If you're okay with it, how about staying at my place?

There's nothing here, but make yourself at home.

- May we? - No, we...

Thank you.

It has always been a dream to sleep in such a house.

Here. Try the food.

Yun Oh. Are you asleep?

You look cuter when sulking.

I can't stop looking at you.

Yun Oh.

Are you angry at me?

Yes.

Why? Because I wanted to stay the night here?

Yes.

But why?

It's nice how we can save money here.

And Ms. Shizuko asked if we would like to stay here first.

That was out of politeness.

She must've been surprised when you took up her offer.

She might think we lack common courtesy now.

Whatever.

Don't go.

For a long time,

I've wondered...

what she is like.

Why?

Ms. Shizuko...

is my dad's first love.

- Really? - Yes.

But in the end,

they broke up because my grandpa was against her.

After that, he met my mom and got married.

My mom says my dad looks like he sometimes...

misses Ms. Shizuko even to this day.

She believes...

men can't forget their first love.

I see.

Funny, isn't it?

What do you think, Yun Oh?

Do you think,

with time, we'll break up...

one day?

No.

We're different.

We will never break up.

Even if time passes,

the seasons change,

and the world changes,

that will not happen to us.

There's...

no special meaning behind Kyoto.

He said there was no special meaning.

I see.

The next question is...

one I've been personally curious about after reading your work.

By any chance, do you still have feelings for her?

I also want to know whether you,

like the male protagonist in your work, believe unchanging love...

exists in reality.

Ms. Choi?

Do you...

still like her?

I regret it.

During these five years,

I have never once forgotten about her.

Could we possibly take a short break? I'm sorry.

During these five years,

I have never once forgotten about her.

- Great work, everyone. - Great work.

Great work, Mr. Sasae.

Mr. Sasae. Great work today.

Great work to you, too.

I'm in your care tomorrow as well.

A professional interpreter will be here tomorrow.

Mr. Sasae.

It was a great honour to meet you today.

Thank you in advance for the rest of our schedule.

Please take the elevator, Mr. Sasae.

All right. Thank you.

Door closing.

That day,

Hong yelled at me with an expression...

I never saw before.

That day,

I scarred...

my heart with regret.

Jungo.

Let's break up.

Had I not said anything back then,

would I not have lost you?