Pop Rock Love (16 page)

Shina looked at Mimi and
grinned, “Are you talking about Sato? How are things between you and Mr.
Producer? When the both of you performed on stage, it took my breath away.
There was such an awesome synergy between the two of you.”

Mimi recalled the morning
before, when she found Sato sleeping by her side. She wondered why she didn’t
freak out when she woke up in the same bed with him. It was as if she trusted
him completely. “Sato is someone whom I cannot live without. I treat him as a
dear friend, but I think he just treats me as a trophy. He only cherishes me
for my talent.”

“No way. I think he has a thing
for you and remember when you first talked to me about him? You couldn’t stand
him and now you care about him. Feelings do change, and maybe one day, you’ll
realise that you are in love with him.”

“But at this moment, that is
not possible,” Mimi said firmly.

“And why is that?” asked Shina,
taking a sip from the beer can.

“Because there is someone else
in my heart now. I can’t love another man until my love for Yuki dies.”

“So what will it take for you
to forget him?”

“I don’t know.”

Track #13

On a late Monday morning, two
guys roamed the streets of Shibuya with huge shopping bags slung over their
shoulders. Despite wearing beanies (the taller one with black curly hair was
wearing a dark green one while the other one with brown hair wore a maroon one)
and covering their faces with sunglasses, it wasn’t hard to detect their
celebrityhood. Since it was a Monday morning, the shopping streets were not as
crowded as the weekends, but it would still be best for them to get off the
streets before lunch time.
 

“I can’t believe the company
gave us a whole week off! A whole week! The last time we had a break was two
years ago!” remarked Jiro to Yuki, as they walked up the steps leading to the
entrance of the HMV Shibuya building. “Tell me about it. I guess we’re doing
well then,” replied Yuki, maneuvering his way around the CD shelves.

“Is there an album you’re
looking for?” Jiro asked, following his member’s lead. He bumped into Yuki who
had abruptly stopped in his tracks. “Yuki?” he asked, tiptoeing, glancing over
Yuki’s shoulder.

“Wow, it’s Mimi!” Jiro cried,
pointing at the stack of CDs arranged neatly on a shelf. There was also a
poster announcing Mimi’s debut single “Maybe” and an upcoming fan meet. “She
looks really pretty,” said Jiro, looking closely at the poster. Mimi was clad
in a black tattered short Victorian-inspired dress with a pink electric guitar
hung across her shoulder. Yuki, looking at her CD single and smiling softly,
whispered, “I’m so proud of her.” He reached out and grabbed ten copies.

“Wow, ten copies? Me too!” said
Jiro, as he went on to do the same and followed his fellow group member to the
cash register.

“Hey, why must you copy what
I’m doing?”

“Why not? She’s my friend too.”

“But Mimi sings rock songs. You
only listen to anime soundtracks!”

“So what? I can distribute it
to the members of my knitting club!”

“Jiro...” Yuki said, as he
placed the CDs on the cash register.

“What?”

“Thank you,” said Yuki, placing
his hand over Jiro’s shoulder and giving him a tight squeeze.

“No problem. Hey, you can
actually catch her fan meet at Shibuya later this week,” he said, looking at
the promotional sticker on the CD case. The first hundred people with the CD
could attend Mimi’s performance at HMV a few days later.

“Jiro, am I being selfish? I
haven’t seen her since that day at Yoyogi Stadium.”

Before Jiro could answer, a
loud “click” was heard, making both of them turn around sharply.

Yuki eyed his surroundings
suspiciously and remarked, “Do you get this feeling that someone has been
following us, besides the small smattering of fangirls who skipped school this
morning?”

“You mean the tabloid reporter
from
Chi Chi
? Although I don’t think us shopping together would make
much headline news, unless it’s a slow day in showbiz scandals. There he is
behind that Ayumi Hamasaki cardboard cutout,” said Jiro in a low voice, giving
Yuki a nudge. Sure enough, there was a middle-aged man crouching behind the
life size poster of the Japanese diva clutching onto a camera. Jiro glared at
him and stuck his tongue out.

“What are you, five?” Yuki
asked in disbelief.

“I don’t like snoopy reporters
intruding on our precious day off! Come on, Yuki, let’s get out of here. I’m
hungry!” he cried, dragging Yuki away after paying for the CDs.

They got into Yuki’s white
Audi, safe from the prying eyes of tabloid reporters and fangirls. “Jiro, can I
ask you something? What’s the deal between Mimi and your elder brother?”

“How did you know about Sato
and Mimi?”

“I read news reports of her
stage debut with him. Are they only in a working relationship?”

“You know my brother never
tells me anything. Are you jealous?”

“I am, but I don’t really have
a right to be. I mean, we are not even together and I was never nice to her.”

“Yuki, why do you like to make
things so complicated?”

“What do you mean?”

“If you love her, just tell her
while you still can. I think it’s a privilege to find someone to love but if
you take her for granted, you will lose her. I mean, what are you really afraid
of?”

“Why is the guy who has never
dated before giving me advice on love?” he asked, smacking the back of Jiro’s
head.

“Ouch!” he yelped, rubbing the
back of his head. Jiro turned to see Yuki smiling. “But I’m going to try and
take that advice of yours anyway.” Yuki’s mobile phone started to ring. “It’s
Jun,” he muttered.

“Why is he calling on our day
off?” Jiro groaned.

“Hello, Jun?”

“Yuki, you need to pack now.
You’re catching the next flight to Los Angeles. The American film company wants
to see you for a screen test.”

“What?!” cried Yuki.

Track #14

Mimi often mused to herself:
even if she were to stay perfectly still, time would still pass her by. However
right now, it’s crunchtime. Her debut single was already out in stores. She had
already seen her music video playing on online video portals and music
channels. Everything was moving so fast that she was soon faced with her fan
meet slash showcase at HMV Shibuya. She had been continuously whining to her
manager about it. She simply had no confidence in herself and was feeling
overwhelmed by the pace of her schedule.

They were both sitting in one
of the meeting rooms in Niji Building. Her manager Kenta was typing furiously
on his laptop while he listened to her talk and talk... And talk.

“Kenta, I really don’t think
anyone will come. I’m not feeling it. We should have it after my album is out.”
She was supposed to have a discussion about the upcoming showcase but she
couldn’t stop stressing about it.

“Don’t be such a baby. Anyway
you need to promote yourself in any way possible. By the way, have you been
monitoring the sales of your single on the music charts?” Kenta retorted,
seemingly annoyed. He took out a piece of A4 size paper and shoved it in her
face. Mimi took a look at the piece of paper. Printed on it was a line chart,
similar to a stock market chart. Kenta jabbed his finger on it and said, “See
this blue line? It shows the sales of ‘Maybe’. Since its release two days ago,
you can see that it has been steadily rising. It may even overtake Fire Boy’s
“Violet Crush” soon.”

Mimi added, “That doesn’t mean
that these people would actually come to the showcase.”

Her manager snorted and handed
her another piece of paper. “Judging from the figures, you should be attending
Music
Stage
soon.”

“What? Are you serious?” she
said, standing to her feet.

Kenta smirked and said, “So
stop whining and give something back to your fans. Anyway, back to the main
point of this meeting. You will be escorted to a section where there is a small
stage. People who have already purchased your album are allowed inside.”

“So I just sing my two songs
and that’s it? Do I have to sign any autographs?”

“No, there is no autograph
signing here. You just have to sing. Well, a showcase needs to run for at least
30 minutes, so I don’t think two songs are enough. You can’t sing the songs
from your new album yet so I suggest some covers of your favourite songs.”

Mimi rested her chin on her
hands and thought for a moment. “What about songs by Filth?”

He snapped his fingers and
said, “That’s a great idea! You would be helping to promote Niji Records too.”

“Yeah, I can sing their older
songs, maybe do an acoustic version,” she said, running through a list of
titles in her head.

“Have you heard the latest news
about Filth?” her manager asked.

“What is it?”

“I heard from their manager
that they are seriously thinking of switching labels. They may move to a major
recording company like Magnum soon.”

“What! Why? I thought Magnum
only dealt with pop music?”

Kenta shrugged and said, “Who
knows why? More money? Magnum is branching into rock though. I heard they have
signed up a couple of bands already.”

Mimi remembered that time when
she overheard Shuji having a shouting match with Sato. Could that be the reason
for Filth wanting to break away from Niji? Could she be the reason? The thought
of it left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth.

“Anyway, we have been receiving
a lot of media requests lately, asking for interviews and photo shoots.
Front
actually requested for a joint interview with Sato. It’ll be a cover story with
pictures and interviews.
Front
is more of a personality magazine than a
music one, but we have to check with Sato’s schedule first.” Kenta’s mobile
phone rang at this moment and he answered, “Yes, Sato. This evening? Okay, I
will tell them.”

He faced Mimi and said, “Sato
is free this evening, so we’ll conduct the interview here.” He handed an old
issue of
Front
to her and continued, “So you’ll be heading to the
rehearsal room now? I need to arrange the timing for this interview. It should
start at around 8 pm, I’ll meet you here. Oh and I thought this was rather
amusing. Free publicity from the tabloid
Chi Chi
, it seems like the Fire
Boys like you.” Kenta whipped out a newspaper from his bag and passed it to
Mimi. She recognised Jiro and Yuki on the front page and the headline read
“Fire Boys Purchase 20 Copies Of Newly Debuted Artiste’s Single!”

“Wow,” Mimi gasped. He hasn’t
forgotten me after all, she thought. Holding on to the newspaper and magazine,
Mimi made her way to the rehearsal rooms. Her band was already there with their
equipment and instruments.

“So besides 'Maybe' and
'Farewell', we will do an acoustic cover of ‘White Face’ and ‘Grim Beauty’,”
said Mimi looking at the scores of the two songs by Filth. “We can do a run
through of these two songs now. Please change it to my key.” Mimi loved rock
music with a passion that made her heart ache at times. She had been a fan of
Filth since their debut and J-rock music had helped her a lot in overcoming the
dark times of her teenage years. But why did Shuji hate her? The thought of it
seemed so ridiculous. Filth was currently on an overseas concert tour so she
couldn’t ask him even if she wanted to.

At 8 pm, Mimi walked back to
the meeting room and found Sato sitting inside, reading a music magazine. Mimi
bowed politely and greeted him. After all, he was a respected person at Niji
Records. Sato pretended that she wasn’t there and continued reading the
magazine.

“Must I take note of anything
during the interview?” Mimi asked.

“Just use your common sense,”
he said curtly.

“Is it true that Filth is
leaving Niji Records?”

“I am not a reporter, how would
I know?”

Mimi thought that his mood
swings were worse than a pregnant lady's. She gave up trying to start a
conversation and just fiddled around with her mobile phone. Her brother had
just sent her a text, telling her that he was catching the flight back to Singapore
tomorrow morning. She couldn’t believe how busy she had been during his visit
to Tokyo and replied with a text telling him that she’ll send him off at the
airport.

Kenta soon appeared with the
journalist from
Front
. Sato gave him a small smile as the journalist
apologised for being a little late.

“My name is Ryo. Thank you for
agreeing to do this interview.” He sat down and quickly took out his notebook
and voice recorder. “So Sato, how did you discover such a talent like Mimi?”

“Hmm... You may not believe it,
but she just appeared in front of me. Like a stray cat.” Mimi, who was sitting
next to him, felt like kicking him under the table. Ryo laughed and asked her,
“So Mimi, what were your impressions of Sato?”

“I thought he was very
arrogant,” she said. She felt a sharp pain spreading through her leg as Sato
kicked her hard from under the table. They both exchanged angry glares, but she
continued on, “But as a musician, there is no one better to work with, other
than him. I trust him.”

Ryo turned to Sato and asked,
“What about Sato, what were your impressions of Mimi?”

“She’s the kind of person who,
once she finds something worthwhile to hold on to, she never lets go. You can
call it faithfulness, loyalty or just plain foolishness, but Mimi is like
that.”

She stole a quick glance at him
and wondered what the producer was talking about. Was he talking about Yuki?

Ryo asked her a few more
questions regarding her latest single and upcoming album. The journalist
finally turned to Sato and asked, “What is your inspiration for your music?”

Sato ran his fingers through
his hair and replied, “Pain. I am someone who has experienced a lot of pain
from the world. As her producer and mentor, I hope I can help protect Mimi from
all that, but I know if I did that, she can never grow as an artiste. So I can
only give her advice.”

“Thank you for the interview.
We will move on to the photo shoot. It will take place at the recording
studios,” said the reporter, bowing politely.

*

Narita Airport was exactly how
Mimi remembered it and there was the usual bustle and crowds. Despite her
brother’s constant appeals telling her that she did not need to be there and
that he could manage very well by himself, Mimi insisted that she had to send
him off. He had checked in his luggage and was ready to enter the departure
hall. She ruffled his hair and said, “Take care of yourself Roy, and please
keep me updated about your music college applications.”

“Sis, I have a request.”

“What is it?”

“Take care of your health, you’re
getting way too skinny lately. And come back to Singapore if it ever gets too
hard, there’s always a place for you to rest your wings.”

Mimi felt herself go
teary-eyed. “My little brother has grown up. Even until the end, you are still
protecting me. Please take care of yourself. Once album promotions are done,
I’ll come back to Singapore and see you.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll
call you when I’m home.”

Mimi held back her tears,
knowing that crying won’t make Roy feel any better. Instead she reached out and
pinched her brother’s cheeks.

“Hey!” he cried and took a step
back.

“Bye, Roy!” she cried. Mimi
waved frantically as Roy walked towards the International Boarding Gate. He
smiled and waved back and before long, he was out of her sight. He was gone.
She was missing him already. She let out a soft sigh and turned around.

“Wait a minute,” she mumbled to
herself. In the distance, a guy wearing a black cap made her gasp. It was Yuki,
carrying a big black shoulder bag and donning sunglasses. Next to him, was
another man whom she assumed was his manager and both of them were walking
towards her! Mimi quickly turned away. She darted to a nearby pillar, hiding
from their view.

“What is Yuki doing here? And
where is he going?” she thought aloud. She didn’t see the other Fire Boys, so
it couldn’t be an overseas tour concert. Mimi peeped out cautiously. They were
both at the counter getting their boarding passes. He looks like a star, she
thought, “And totally out of reach,” she muttered with a sigh. She didn’t even
know why she was hiding. There was no reason for her to hide, was there?

She turned away from the two
and let out another sigh. She should get back to Tokyo. At least he looked much
healthier now, compared to the last time she saw him at the hospital.

Suddenly she felt someone hold
her hand. She yelped in shock to see Yuki beside her, standing behind the
pillar. He stood silently there, just holding her hand. His hand felt warm.

“Yuki...Where are you going?”
she whispered.

“Los Angeles, just for a few
days.”

She wanted to ask a million and
one questions, but his hand held tightly onto hers and she felt that words were
not needed now. She clutched onto his hand tightly too, knowing that this
moment was not going to last forever. His mobile phone started to ring. Yuki
stared at it for a moment before letting go of her hand. “I need to go.”

Mimi just nodded in reply. He
was so near yet so far. She looked on as the gap between them grew wider.