First Episode - “A Woman Who Never Falls in Love”
Three years had passed since Yume (Atsuko Asano) divorced from her unfaithful husband Shinpei (Koichi Sato). Yume lives with her fourteen-year-old daughter Haruka (Rie Tomosaka), and teaches at a cooking school.
The ex-couple and their daughter dine together once a month. This month, the occasion coincides with Haruka’s birthday, and they have a blast. When Yume and Haruka return home, they find a parcel sent from overseas. Haruka does not know the sender, but she has been receiving these parcels ever since she was four years old.
Shinpei and Yume were born and bred in downtown Tokyo. Haruka had always been told that her parents had intended to marry each other from an early age. Haruka herself is now in the second year of Kamioka Jogakukan girls’ school. On her way to school, she meets Mitsugu Shibaki, who is to be her new classroom teacher. Mitsugu is currently co-habiting with Hatsune (Yasuko Tomita), the music teacher.
Mitsugu finds Haruka’s name in the register and suddenly volunteers to “pay home visits.” He starts with visiting Haruka - who is the classroom leader. Upon entering her house, he confronts Yume and asks “Do you remember me?”
It is revealed that Mitsugu is the younger brother of Kunio, the one Yume once loved, and Kunio is Haruka’s real father. Shinpei had married Yume, fully aware of this fact.
Mitsugu confesses that Kunio had died five years ago, and since then he had been sending tape recordings concealing his brother’s death. Feeling jealous against Shinpei, he asks Yume to “start all over again.”
Yume is stunned at having her past pushed into her face so suddenly, and sends Mitsugu away. She stands paralysed to the spot, as the words of the younger man ? it was as if he knew everything about her ? stung her chest.
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