[man 1] We will now hear a eulogy
from the former prime minister of Japan and chair of the funeral committee,
Nobusuke Kishi.
[Nobusuke] Yasunaga-sensei.
In times of uncertainty and great turmoil, whether at home or abroad,
leaders from all sectors would come to you seeking guidance.
And every time, without fail, you met those calls,
drawing on wisdom from every age and every culture.
You illuminated our fundamental principles.
And now that you are no longer with us,
I don't know what course Japan will take.
[bell dings]
[man 2] Please.
[Kazuko echoes] Sensei!
[dramatic orchestral music playing]
[inaudible]
[people clamoring]
[sobbing] I'm so sorry I couldn't stay by your side!
Sensei!
[Kazuko sobbing]
[man 3] Get her out of the way! We can't see!
Move, dammit! Get her out of here!
-[music fades] -[echoes] Sensei!
[Minori] Yasunaga's family filed a petition
with the Tokyo District Court
to invalidate his marriage to Kazuko.
After a lengthy mediation,
their marriage was officially voided in the family registry.
-Hey, I'm heading to bed now. -Okay. Night, Mom.
[Minori] However, Kazuko has since repeatedly proclaimed
that she had used her marriage with Yasunaga
to bolster her own public image.
GIVE MY HUSBAND BACK TO ME!
Learning from her time managing Chiyoko Shimakura,
Kazuko knew exactly what the media was drawn to.
She knew how to make an ally out of them.
[electronic music playing]
As expected, being a fortune teller with a fascinating origin story
soon captured the hearts and minds of the public.
Kazuko Hosoki was a star.
HANSHIN AT THE TOP AFTER 21 YEARS!
And after predicting two major matters of public interest,
she became one of the most sought-after guests
on Japan's most popular variety shows.
Upon closer inspection, one would find that, outside her two correct predictions,
her record has been spotty at best.
It was during the time of the bubble economy
that Kazuko quietly secured her position as a TV personality,
with her fortune-telling books flying off the shelves
at a rate that few could have ever anticipated.
FIVE MILLION COPIES SOLD!
[dramatic music playing]
MIREI SEI (77) FORTUNE-TELLING MENTOR
MET KAZUKO HOSOKI IN 1973
[music stops]
[door opens and closes]
I'm sorry to keep you waiting.
The only reason I agreed to sit down with you
was because I was told you were continuing with the weekly magazine interview.
So you actually took that magazine's interview?
They told me that they were interested in exposing the truth about Kazuko.
Well,
if that's not why you're here, what do you want?
I was told that you were Kazuko's fortune-telling mentor.
So that's the tale Kazuko is spinning these days, is it?
Is that not true?
She used to come to me for advice every once in a while,
and I took her through some of the basics of the Four Pillars of Destiny.
But being labeled as her mentor?
Honestly, it's… a bit of a stretch.
[tense music playing]
Rumor is you lent some books to Kazuko.
I did.
And 25 years later, I'm still waiting for her to return them.
A year after you did, she published her first book.
I told her, to be a fortune teller,
her knowledge must extend beyond the superficial,
that she needed to keep on studying
for a minimum of ten years or more, if not longer.
But, well…
She says she learned about the Four Pillars of Destiny
under Yasunaga too.
Yasunaga-sensei was an expert in the I Ching.
However, there is no proof he studied the Four Pillars of Destiny
in any real depth.
Despite everything you've learned about the woman,
you're going to write a novel that glorifies her, aren't you?
That's not my intention.
I'm going to have to ask you to leave now.
One more thing.
What are your thoughts on Kazuko Hosoki today?
Fortune-telling can be a very risky business.
What do you mean?
[Mirei] It's easy to be seduced by its power.
You can become someone who manipulates others with ease.
Some even find a sick pleasure in it.
…of what can be accomplished.
[applause]
[Mirei] Look at Kazuko now.
She carries herself as if she's the second coming.
Honestly,
I find the whole thing rather sad and pathetic.
You find her pathetic?
Now that she's created
this whole Kazuko Hosoki fortune-teller extraordinaire persona for herself,
she's forever trapped inside of it.
She has to live her entire life
as this character she created for the public.
Like putting on too much makeup,
just layers upon layers of lies.
And your book is just another fresh layer of lies.
Am I right?
[bell ringing]
However, her luck, so good for so long, will only continue to decline from here.
It's ironic that her own words will haunt her.
Next year will be--
The Great Calamity.
Kazuko herself will enter the Great Calamity Period.
[cheering and applause]
[cheering and applause fade]
[Mirei] No one, not even the great Kazuko Hosoki,
can escape their fate.
And those who achieve the kind of power and status she has
are doomed to a particularly miserable fate.
-What are you making over there? -A house.
Whose house is it?
A house for ants? Hmm?
Or maybe ladybugs?
It's a house for Mommy and me.
[chuckles] Oh.
Reina, Mommy might stop writing her book.
That's okay.
Really?
Are you sure?
'Cause if I stop, you know,
we might not be able to get a house for a while.
That's okay. I'll make it for us.
Okay.
I love you, sweetie.
[phone ringing]
Hello?
Is this Teppei Yanagi?
[Teppei] Yes, I got your message.
How did you get my number?
Through connections to the Edogawa-ikka family.
I'm sorry to call like this.
I heard you were the right-hand man to Masaya Hotta,
the head of the family.
Would you be willing to talk about him and Kazuko Hosoki?
Meet me at Kashiwa City Hall tomorrow morning, 9:00 a.m.
[indistinct chattering]
[Teppei blows smoke]
It's like a pigpen, the way they stuff them in there.
And then they skim off most of their welfare money.
So, like a poverty business, then?
[scoffs] That's a fancy way of putting it.
[inhales sharply]
Yakuza could still live like yakuza up through the Showa.
But ever since the bubble burst, it's all just become about survival.
[inhales sharply]
So? What can I tell you about Hotta?
Kazuko told me
that Masaya Hotta was the only man she ever truly loved in her life.
But through my research and other accounts…
You feel they were more tied together by greed?
Yes.
Hotta was more of an old-school yakuza.
Making money wasn't his strong suit, so he relied on her for that.
She found the power that came with being the head of the family useful.
She could just drop his name, and people would obey.
He connected her with a lot of big-time yakuza bosses.
And, of course, now she claims she can summon them at will.
Meaning she still has ties to the yakuza now?
Not that she can go around bragging about it.
You got a light, right?
You know I always forget one.
But, yeah, Leisha needs to…
So you also don't buy this story that she ever truly loved him.
I never said that.
So what do you think?
When the boss was on his deathbed, she was right there--
Hold on a second.
I thought the Shimakura situation ended their relationship.
[melancholy piano music playing]
[Teppei] Hotta had cancer.
Once he was told he didn't have long to live,
he went back to her.
And she took him in, no questions asked.
Was that good?
[moans] Barely edible.
[chuckles] Oh.
If you're still talking smack like that to me, then you're not dying yet.
You know I'm making it to 100.
[chuckles]
Hey, thanks.
[Kazuko chuckles]
[Teppei] She was completely devoted to him when he needed her most.
And he was at peace, having her by his side.
It was as if they'd been together for decades.
It's a rare thing to see a yakuza leave this world
as happy as he did.
[music fades]
[train rattling]
Look, I'm not a romantic. I don't really care about any of that.
But… it seemed like it was their fate to be together.
You believe that?
Who knows? Some relationships are harder to define than others.
Have you and Kazuko kept in touch over the years?
Yeah. [sniffs]
Occasionally, she'll reach out if she needs a favor.
What do you mean? What kind of favor?
That's between her and I.
She keeps her allies close and takes good care of them all,
but may God have mercy on your soul if you ever betray her.
She's not just yakuza by marriage. She's a true yakuza.
You'd better watch your back with her.
[man] Kawatani!
Who the hell is this ghostwriter woman anyway?
Well, sir, it's just…
Minori Uozumi isn't a ghostwriter. She's a legitimate author, sir.
That's wonderful for her,
but there are tons of award-winning writers out there
who've managed to publish more than one moderately successful book.
The president wants her to apologize. Got that?
Yeah.
You can fire her ass after and find someone new.
Uh, did you say "fire her"? Sir? Sir?
[groans]
[inhales sharply]
Ah, this is gonna suck.
Ah, crap.
Ooh, uh…
Oh. Uh…
I'm guessing you heard all that, huh?
Yes.
[chuckles uncomfortably]
You, uh, stopped answering all her calls and emails, right?
Because she figured something was off,
and apparently, she hired a yakuza to look into what you'd been up to.
A yakuza?
Yeah.
Ah. Right, the favors.
-What? -Nothing.
But you should know she went over my head and complained to the president about you.
That's why my boss was freaking out.
I also heard you talked to the younger brother
and Yasunaga's family?
And I assume they said stuff that could maybe hurt Kazuko?
[chuckles] Yes.
So did you come all this way just to tell me that?
No.
Truth be told,
I don't know if I'm the right person to write this story.
Have you heard about a weekly magazine
that's apparently preparing a campaign to expose Kazuko?
Oh Jesus.
You heard that from your ex?
Yeah.
He thinks she's using me and this book
to counteract the negative press she'll be getting from this article.
What do you think?
It's a tactic that's worked for these people before.
So it's true, and you knew about it.
[Kawatani sighs]
I thought it was a good opportunity for you to put out your second book.
I really am a big fan of your writing. That was never a lie.
[Minori chuckles] Well, I've only published one book.
[Kawatani] I also knew that you'd write the truth
without pandering to her or anyone else.
And that's the book about her I wanted to read.
Look, what if you pretended to play along until you finish the first draft?
I'll protect you as much as I can.
I know you probably don't trust me completely.
[both laughing]
That is, unless your heart's not in it anymore?
No. No, it actually is. More than ever.
-Oh? -[chuckles]
But I'm fired, supposedly?
Oh, well, just forget what you heard earlier.
Yeah, but Kazuko might fire me still.
Um, probably, yeah.
She's tough and can be very hard to read, as you know.
Well, either way, I should probably go and apologize to her.
That would be great!
[both laugh]
-[all] Good to see you, ma'am. -[Kazuko] Hello.
Ma'am, welcome. I, uh… Ah.
MS. KAZUKO HOSOKI
[footsteps approaching]
[footsteps echoing]
[echoing footsteps intensify]
Kawatani. What are you doing here?
Eh… Oh, um…
Uh…
-Come in. -Ah…
So? [sighs]
What is it?
[Kawatani] Minori wanted to personally apologize to you.
-Really? -[Kawatani] Yes, ma'am.
[Minori] I'm sorry for going rogue and for not answering your calls.
Going behind my back like that
and betraying my trust was the last thing I expected from you.
Listen, you can talk to whoever you want. It doesn't bother me.
But just know, Hisao's a disgrace to the family.
He's been in trouble with the police twice.
And Yasunaga's daughter,
she was jealous that I took her father away from her.
I'm guessing that both filled your head with nothing but falsehoods.
Do you want me to withdraw from the book?
[scoffs] That's silly. What would that do?
If you don't write it, who would I turn to?
You're going to write that book.
Just remember…
don't you dare put any lies in the book that'll defame me.
Understood?
Understood, yes.
[knock at door]
[Kazuko] Come in.
[man] I'm so sorry to interrupt, ma'am.
We're just running short on time.
Would you mind terribly if we had the briefing first?
Absolutely, we're done here.
[man] Perfect, thank you.
[Kawatani] Well, we'll just excuse ourselves.
Hey.
Since you're already here, you should hang back and watch.
[lively TV theme music playing]
[host] Thanks for a great show. See you next week! Bye-bye!
Okay, that's a wrap, people! Thanks, everyone!
-[man] Thank you. -I'm so sorry about earlier, Ms. Hosoki.
[man 2] Come on, HG. Let's go. Come on, seriously.
I'm… I'm really sorry.
[man 2 and 3] Thank you.
-[man 4] Good luck. -[man] Thank you very much.
Thanks for coming.
Great job.
Thank you.
So, are we good to go?
-We can step off? -[woman] Yes, thank you.
-Let me take your-- -Hey, you know what?
There's someone here with us today who wants me to do a reading.
I'm not sure it will work on the show, but why not shoot it while we're all here?
[man 2] Ah…
It shouldn't take more than half an hour or so.
Keeps us on our toes a little bit. So?
-Yeah. -Sure.
-Uh, let's get to work. -Yeah, sounds fun.
-Cool. -Yazawa, did you catch that?
Uh, yeah. Uh…
[electronic music playing]
So, we going for it?
Uh, sorry, ma'am. Uh, just a second.
Yes, of course! Let's do it! I love this. Let's go! Come on!
[Kazuko] Perfect.
Are cameras set?
[cameraman] Yeah, we're good to go.
Everyone, I hope you'll indulge me.
Minori, join us.
Don't just stand there like a deer in the headlights. Come over here.
Here, give me your bag.
Oh. Yeah, thanks.
[music turns dramatic]
[audience applause]
[woman] Just two seconds for a mic here.
Thanks.
Okay, perfect. Let's do it.
Are you ready?
First, tell me your name and date of birth.
Huh?
What's wrong? Are you nervous?
-Can you blame her? -[laughs]
Anyone put on the spot like this would be, right?
Yes, fair enough.
It's probably intimidating being pulled up here like this.
Actually, ma'am, you're the one who pulled her up here.
[audience laughter]
I'm sorry, it's just she's always bossing us around.
I predict we'll lose our minds.
-[man 2] Shut up! -[Kazuko laughs] Oh, stop it, you two.
And now? Feeling a little more relaxed?
Yes.
Okay, then, give me your name and date of birth.
Come on, don't worry.
Anything you don't want to be said on air can be bleeped out.
They can even blur your face if you want them to.
I'm Minori Uozumi.
I was born on July 12, 1969.
And what do you do?
I'm a writer.
A writer?
Well, I'm sorry, but I've never heard of a Minori Uozumi.
Yes, well, I've only had one novel published so far.
So what you're saying is that you're not a successful writer.
[man 2] Ma'am, perhaps you could choose your words more carefully.
Ah, my apologies. I'm as blunt as a spoon. Bad habit.
-At least you're aware of it. -[audience laughter]
[man 2] Right?
[laughter subsides]
So, listen.
You were in the Great Calamity Period till last year.
Were you aware?
Yes.
And you had bad luck with men?
Yeah.
You've been divorced too.
Sorry?
I mean, you were married.
Yes, that's true.
That's what I figured.
You're sulky and have no charm at all.
Of course men would leave you eventually.
Your career is dead on arrival.
You've had a tough road.
I'd wager that you're just up to your neck in anxiety and depression.
Am I right?
You are.
But I've got good news.
You're going to meet someone who's going to help you out.
Well…
you've already met her.
And you should forever cherish…
that fortunate encounter.
[dramatic orchestral music playing]
Maybe I can tell you what's been on my mind?
Go ahead.
[inhales deeply]
What's been troubling me… is the book I've been working on recently.
[Kazuko] What about it?
It's a biography on this woman's life, and I've been doing some research,
but it turns out
this woman is far more complicated than I thought.
[Kazuko] Sounds like a great book.
Complicated people are far more fascinating
than one-dimensional ones.
Yes.
She's very fascinating. Truly.
But…
But what?
I realized that she's been lying to me.
[stirring music plays]
Oh shit.
If I believe all that she told me,
that means that she's been through so much,
yet she came out stronger and all the better for it.
But there's much more to it.
She also deceived and manipulated people.
Dragged them down.
Took advantage of others to build wealth and power.
All the hallmarks of a morally corrupt villain.
So which version are you gonna write?
I'm going to write my interpretation.
[intriguing music playing]
So this is a kind of failed writer's challenge, then?
Yeah.
Well, that sounds interesting.
Maybe I'll give it a read.
[intriguing music continues]
[music fades]
SELF-PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN BY MINORI UOZUMI
[typing]
SELF-PORTRAIT OF MY FACADE
[typing]
HER ORIGINS
[clock bell rings]
[clock bell continues ringing]
[Hisao] We… we had a miserable childhood.
We were always on the brink of starvation.
That is why our generation is unbelievably greedy.
That sister of mine is a prime example. [scoffs]
There was this one time
our mother spent her last bit of cash buying beer that turned out to be fake.
Someone had filled all the bottles with barley tea.
Kazuko said, "If we got conned, may as well con someone else."
So we tried to resell the beer on the black market.
-[young Kazuko] Thank you! -Thank you, sir.
Stupid brats tried to trick me!
[Hisao] It didn't work out too well for us.
Mom?
Yes?
In this life, the weak get preyed on, right?
The people that get themselves conned are more at fault.
Listen, it's never right to con people.
Kazuko.
People who choose to do bad things go straight to hell.
[Hisao] In the end, Kazuko spent her whole life
going against what our mother said.
[somber music playing]
But still, even now,
she visits our mother's grave every year on the anniversary of her death.
She goes first thing in the morning to avoid seeing me or our siblings.
Maybe that's her idea of atonement.
-[intriguing music playing] -[keyboard clacking]
[inhales sharply]
[intriguing music continues]
All these pieces cost us over ten million yen in total.
[Kazuko] Your son is over 40 years old and shut in at home.
And on top of all that, he's been violent towards the family.
[sobs] Yes.
It'll all work out.
So don't worry. Your efforts will be rewarded.
But you need to start by performing the proper ancestral rites.
[woman] I really didn't have much of a choice
because she said that I hadn't been doing enough
for the souls of my ancestors.
Oh, this?
My son's doing.
I've been trying, but he's still a problem.
Poor boy's become more abusive.
But I'm sure
that, eventually, things will all work out in the end.
I know because she said that.
Kazuko wouldn't lead me astray.
She's helped so many people, and she's famous!
[man] A bottle of our top-tier brandy, Richard Hennesy!
[crowd] Yeah!
[man] We put this bottle aside just for you!
[all cheering]
Yeah!
[Kazuko laughs]
Yeah!
That's right! That's right! Uh-huh!
[intriguing music continues]
[keyboard clacking]
[typing]
[woman] I owe everything I have in my life today
to Kazuko Hosoki's fortune-telling.
After she sat me down and told me to end my affair, I did just that.
I followed her advice and cut it off immediately.
My life completely changed.
I met my husband, and we now have three beautiful kids.
We decided to start a small jewelry shop together,
and take a look at us now.
We have ten stores nationwide.
I don't know how it would've turned out for me if I'd never met her.
Fortune-telling is incredible, isn't it? Yeah. [chuckles]
You could argue it even has the power to change lives.
That's why, for me, Kazuko Hosoki is really like a god.
[photographer] Perfect. I love that. Very badass.
Okay, I think we got that. Can we bring in Tiara now?
Oh, look at that. She's adorable. Let's get her in there.
-Thank you. -[woman 1] My God, there she is!
Ms. Hosoki, can I please just shake your hand?
-Please? -[Kazuko laughs]
[woman 2] This is so cool! We're such huge fans. You're the best.
-I can't believe I'm touching you! -Thank you.
Can I shake your hand too, please?
-Sorry, can you shake mine too? -Nice to meet you.
[intriguing music continues]
[music fades]
[thunder rumbling]
Oh shit.
-[Minori] Hi, so sorry I'm late. -Don't worry. It's totally fine.
[Minori] Thank you. So sorry again.
-[Reina] Okay! -Okay, come on. Let's go home.
-There ya go. -Bye-bye.
-Bye, Reina. Take care! -[Minori] All right. Ready to go?
We'll see you tomorrow.
-[Reina] Bye-bye. -[Minori] Thanks again.
-You all buckled in? Good. -[Reina giggles]
[man] Be careful. It's coming down.
-Ride carefully. -We will, and we'll see you soon.
Hold on, Reina!
-[Reina] Yay! -Here we go!
[both giggle]
[Minori grunts]
[intriguing music playing]
-Okay, okay! And there we go! -[Reina and Minori's mom laugh]
Come on. What do you think of my moves, huh?
[both laughing]
[Razor Ramon HG] Take a peek! Is my crotch interfering with your psychic readings?
Is it distracting?
How about trying to read my hips instead of my palms, huh?
I love him!
[Kazuko] Hip thrusting should be reserved for the bedroom only.
[Razor Ramon HG] I have a prediction of my own.
I predict you won't be able to resist watching these hips move!
-[Kazuko] That's it! -Come on!
-Enough, I'm done with this. -Wait, don't go anywhere.
Calm down, we can do this properly. He'll stop. Sit down.
-[Kazuko] Idiots. -[audience laughter]
[man] Kazuko Hosoki is a generational talent.
Truly one of a kind.
She doesn't need any direction from us.
She has a unique ability to connect with the viewer
and knows exactly what they're gonna like.
Not only that, she's worked in an array of different fields
from nightclubs to kitchens, you know?
And that's incredibly impressive.
I'm sorry she blindsided you on camera the other day.
Ugh. Oh, and that's not gonna be aired, by the way.
[sighs]
I really hate it when she does that.
It comes down to her ferocity, which I believe comes from her background.
The presence her words carry when she speaks.
It's all a bluff. Nothing out of her mouth is true.
But Japanese audiences eat that crap up.
Honestly, I find it disgusting.
[man] Her scandals?
Oh, well, maybe there were a couple minor hiccups in her past,
but I've never heard about it.
Not true at all. He knows all about her stuff.
There's a rumor going around right now that a weekly magazine
is going to expose all her bullshit.
It's a ticking time bomb. I know the higher-ups are freaking out.
-[man] Have a good night! -[all] Thank you, good night.
[man 2] If the shit really hits the fan,
they'll just cancel her show and find someone else.
Viewers have a short memory for that kind of thing.
Soon enough, she'd just be forgotten.
That's the thing about being on top.
Once you're there, there's nowhere to go but down.
[typing]
[dramatic music playing]
-[typing continues] -[dramatic music continues]
-[dramatic music intensifies] -[typing intensifies]
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO KAZUKO IN THE FUTURE?
EVEN HER OWN SIX-STAR ASTROLOGY HAS NO ANSWER FOR THAT.
-[typing stops] -[dramatic music fades]
I'm all done.
[moans and groans]
[yawns]
[sighs]
Oh.
[sighs contentedly]
[wind whistling]
[garage opening]
-[tires squeal] -[Minori] Hey, stop! Sorry!
[papers rustle]
I wanted you to be the first to read it. Kawatani doesn't even have a copy yet.
Thank you. I'll give it a read.
I'm hosting a party on Sunday
with the publishing companies and TV networks. Would you like to come?
I'll be there.
I'm looking forward to it.
[melancholy piano music playing]
[breathes shakily]
[exhales sharply]
[glasses clatter]
[sniffles]
[crying]
[crying continues]
[Tiara whining]
[indistinct chattering]
Please, leave it to me! [laughs]
[Kazuko] You're too kind. I'm just giving the people what they want.
-May I take your bag, miss? -Oh. No, it's okay, thanks.
Please, enjoy.
[guest 1] Thank you for having us.
Yes. Of course.
[man] Minori!
Oh.
I didn't know you were coming.
-Are you alone? -Yes.
-Thank you for the other day, by the way. -[laughs]
Look around. Can you believe all these media big shots here?
You are the company you keep, and it is impressive.
-Uh, may I speak with you for a sec? -Sure.
[chuckles]
How's the book coming along? You feeling good?
Yeah, sure.
What are you going to include in it?
Uh, well, I'm still sorting that out.
It's just, the segment we shot with you in studio was incredible,
but it's not something… we could put on the air.
And if I may,
I'd suggest staying away from anything controversial.
Are you two gossiping?
[chuckles] Oh, caught! No, no, just making small talk.
Excuse me. [laughs]
Thank you for the invitation.
Can you hang around until the end?
Yes.
Well, enjoy the party.
We'll talk a little later.
[whining]
[door opens]
God, being around so many people is exhausting.
I read it.
Thank you.
It was entertaining. [sighs]
Predictably, you used a lot of big words,
and the pretentiousness oozed off the page.
All the hallmarks of a failed writer, but pretty decent overall.
However,
I cannot let you publish this book.
Why not?
Oh, you know why not.
You and I had a real connection.
I thought we were in sync, that we clicked.
I felt the same way.
So I was saddened
when I realized this book was full of lies.
It's an honest portrayal.
It's no different than a cheap tabloid article.
Disagree. The book is my interpretation.
You know people will take what you've written in this book
as gospel.
Stories like me lying to Ochiyo and stealing all her money,
or me forcing Yasunaga to marry me just to take advantage of his good name.
People will believe those lies!
Maybe, but I'm not sure what the truth really is.
But I was captivated by the protagonist.
She grew up in extreme poverty,
and then she was deceived, exploited, and controlled by men.
She swore to herself she'd make a fortune, even if she had to deceive.
She wanted to be the one in control.
As I continued writing,
I was in awe of how fierce her desire was.
People will judge, but I'm sure they'll respect--
I won't buy that distorted crap from you!
You'll start again the way that I want.
I'm sorry. I can't.
All right. Then this book will never see the light of day.
So be it. I knew the risks when I wrote it.
Did you?
So you knew I'd do this? Throw away your trash?
Why did you even want someone to write a book about you?
Because the publisher asked me to.
I heard there's a hit piece coming out about you.
It's gonna expose all the skeletons from your past.
I'm pretty sure you could use some positive press right now.
I don't know what you're referring to.
You were using me to protect you from the hit piece, right?
That's why you wanted the book.
Writing stories for me
is not just a means to an end.
It's about more than just money.
It's a part of who I truly am!
[sniffles]
Do you not regret anything you did in your life?
The only thing that I'll ever regret
is that I could never have a child.
That's it? Nothing else?
Nothing else.
Not one thing?
No.
Are you sure?
Yes.
The woman that I wrote about knew better than anyone else
the pain and betrayal that comes from being preyed on by others.
And when she began to do the same thing,
she became tormented by it and regretted becoming what she hated.
But it was too late for her.
She was too far gone.
The power of money had already consumed her.
So she buried that weak part of herself deep down and kept on pushing forward.
You can't tell me that that isn't true.
I did what I had to do for money. Anything and everything.
It was necessary for me to succeed, and I'll never regret that.
You think that's wrong, do you?
You think I should regret my actions?
Well, you listen here.
I never forgive the people who betray or defame me!
And I will die before I let some failed writer get the best of me!
That's how I survived out there!
I did what I needed to do!
[breathes deeply]
I don't think we have anything more to talk about.
See yourself out.
You said that you found my book entertaining.
Did you mean that?
[exhales sharply]
Yes.
But it's only because
the story of my life is entertaining.
All you did was write it down.
I've gone through more misery than most people could ever comprehend,
and I've endured unbearable pain,
but I never gave in to it.
I used whatever tactic would help me.
My resolve never shattered.
That's the reason people listen when I talk
'cause my words mean something.
Do you really think whatever story you write
will ever have that kind of power?
[melancholy piano music playing]
I don't know.
Hopefully, one day.
Good luck with that, Minori.
Yeah.
One last piece of advice.
Real tears are meant to be shed when there's nobody else around.
Good luck.
You know, you're entering your Great Calamity Period.
I don't believe in fortune-telling.
[chuckles]
[phone ringing]
Hey, sweetheart!
[Reina] Mommy, are you still working?
No, I'm done.
[breathes deeply]
I'm done for good.
Does that mean you're coming home now?
Mm-hmm.
You can wait up for me, okay?
Yay! See ya soon!
See ya!
[Kazuko] Tiara?
Tiara?
You here, girl?
Tiara?
[music turns dramatic]
[music stops]
[wind gusting]
You are going straight to hell.
I've already been to hell and back,
and it doesn't scare me one bit.
[Minori] In 2006,
the Weekly Gendai came out with a scorching hit piece on Kazuko Hosoki.
Article after article exposing her lies and scandals for 15 straight weeks.
It was worse than anyone could've imagined.
Kazuko was forced to step down from her hit television show.
And soon after, she completely disappeared from the limelight
that she so desperately craved.
However,
as always, she pivoted,
launching a mobile app for Six Star Astrology.
It quickly started earning her over seven billion yen a year,
more than ten times what she had made from her TV appearances.
In her later years,
she adopted her niece
and lived a peaceful life surrounded by family.
So, in the end,
Kazuko Hosoki got everything that she ever wanted.
[stirring music playing]
KAZUKO HOSOKI
DIED NOVEMBER 8, 2021 AGE 83
[Kazuko laughs]
[dramatic orchestral music playing]
[Kazuko laughs]
[dramatic orchestral music continues]
[Kazuko continues laughing]
[dramatic orchestral music continues]
[stirring music plays]
[Kazuko laughing]
[dramatic orchestral music continues]
[Kazuko laughing]
[dramatic orchestral music continues]
[Kazuko laughing]
-[music fades] -[Kazuko sighs contentedly]
[electronic music playing]
[stirring music plays]
[electronic music continues]
[music stops]