by Raine Koh
Pop Rock Love
By Raine Koh
POP ROCK LOVE
First Kindle Edition, December 2013
Copyright 2013 by Raine Koh
Publisher: Horasis
Cover Art: Jeff Mahadi
All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without written permission from the author. Learn more about the author and her other books at www.superraine.blogspot.com or email her at [email protected].
Dedicated to my mother, a true star in my life.
Table of Contents
Preface
Track #1
Track #2
Track #3
Track #4
Track #5
Track #6
Track #7
Track #8
Track #9
Track #10
Track #11
Track #12
Track #13
Track #14
Track #15
Track #16
Track #17
Track #18
Track #19
Track #20
Preface
There is just something about Japanese rock music that gets to me. I have always been a fan of the genre and have pledged my undying love to it. The idea for Pop Rock Love occurred when I realised my love for J-rock was slowly being threatened by a certain sunny Japanese pop band. Thus, this conflict laid the groundwork for this story. A story where pop and rock collide. It's about chasing after your dreams, and reaching for that impossible star. I had a lot of fun writing this story and am very grateful to the people who made it possible. I would also like to thank you, dear reader, and hope you never stop believing in your own dreams as well.
Raine Koh
Track #1
Dear Mimi,
I’m sorry, but I have to leave Singapore and return to Tokyo. I know this is very sudden but I don’t have a choice. I’m sorry.
Yuki
Mimi found this note written in Japanese, on the other side of the bed. The exact spot where his body should have been. She was finding it hard keeping her hands still as she read and re-read it a few times. Was this a bad dream? Why did he leave, just like that? Mimi tried to reason within herself, but kept backing into a dead end. It’s true that they were only together for a month, but every moment, every minute that they shared together was special. At least she felt that way. She thought that he felt the same way too. “I guess not,” she muttered to herself, crumpling the piece of paper.
The slim, fair-skinned girl staggered out of bed. Wearing an oversized white shirt, she pinned her long dark brown hair into a bun and moved towards her wardrobe. An hour later, a pile of clothes (mostly made up of denim or plaid shirt dresses and high-waisted skirts) were stuffed into her pink rolling suitcase. She placed her black guitar in its case and then went on to zip up her MacBook case. After slapping on some foundation and donning a short denim shirt dress and knee-high boots, Miranda, or Mimi as her friends called her, flagged a cab and headed to Singapore Changi Airport. She bought the first available ticket to Tokyo.
Six hours. The time it took for Mimi to get to Yuki’s country was six hours. As she sat in the airport’s waiting area, Mimi made a quick call on her pink cell phone. “Roy, I need you to take care of the pub. For how long… I don’t know actually…” she mumbled. Mimi held the phone away from her ears as her 17-year-old brother hollered at the other end.
“What do you mean you don’t know? Where are you?” he demanded.
“Relax, I’m going to Tokyo…” but before she could complete her sentence, his shouts rang through her ears again. “Don’t tell me you’re eloping with that punk!”
By “that punk” he meant Yuki, whom Roy never took a liking to. Sometimes Mimi found it hard to believe that Roy was actually five years younger than her. Even she had to admit, despite his loud ways, he was actually quite mature for a teenager – he watched out for his elder sister and was always thoughtful of his decisions, unlike the supposedly older sibling in the family.
“It’s hard to explain… Just trust me and help me take care of the place,” Mimi said, trying to exert her rights as the older one.
“How can I take care of a pub when I’m not even legal to drink yet?!” he retorted.
At the airport, a lady’s voice rang though the intercom, “Passengers of Flight 242 bound for Narita. The plane is now ready for boarding.”
Mimi quickly stood up and said, “Look, Roy, I need to board now. If you can’t handle it, just leave the pub closed till I get back. Thanks!”
“But... But… When are you coming back?” he asked.
“Bye!” Mimi said firmly and shut off her mobile phone. Slinging her guitar case over her shoulder, she made her way to the aircraft.
Mimi was a 22-year-old Singaporean. Taller than most girls her age, she had a weakness for Japanese rock, shirt dresses and knee-high boots. Sporting dark brown hair with a fringe cut straight across her hazel eyes, Mimi seldom wore much make-up offstage except for brown eyeliner with sparkles. Unlike most of her peers who were busy with their undergraduate studies at some university, she owned a pub called Sakura – a place she inherited from her dad after her parents passed away in a car accident two years ago. Prior to that, she was interning at a fashion magazine. It was a small venue but the pub was an outlet for Mimi to get up on stage and sing the songs she composed. And for some strange reason, business was good and she never had to worry about money. She always thought about how funny things had turned out.
Mimi gazed out of the window as the plane flew higher and higher into the sky until her view consisted of fluffy white clouds. As music from her favourite Japanese rock band, Filth, blared from her earphones, she began to think of her runaway boyfriend, Yuki.
Just a month ago, it was just like any other night at the pub. Mimi remembered it being a Wednesday because she was slated to sing that night. Bands from Singapore’s underground rock scene would perform at Sakura and there were usually three or four bands scheduled to play. She was the last act and was decked out in black high-heeled ankle boots, a dark pink high-waisted pencil skirt and a black tank top. She curled the ends of her hair and was going to sing a set of songs she composed. Mimi loved loud, angst-filled rock music. With her band behind her, Mimi usually sang in Japanese. She had been obsessed with Japanese culture since she saw her first anime, ten years ago.
Sakura was packed when Mimi took the mic. Standing on stage with her pink electric guitar, she started singing a rock ballad, which suited her raspy vocals. Strumming her pink electric guitar, a guy at the back of the room caught Mimi’s eye. Not because of anything else but she noticed tears streaming down his cheeks. His face showed no emotion, but his tears, like raindrops on a clear blue sky, kept on falling. Mimi couldn’t take her eyes off him and he never took his eyes off her either.
After her performance, he came looking for her. “Your song was beautiful,” he said, in uncertain English as she was packing up her guitar in its case. Mimi looked up at him. She didn’t realise it before but he was actually very good-looking. Only slightly taller than her, he had wavy hair up to his chin and big brown eyes that were, at that moment in time, looking at her earnestly. Mimi smiled at him.
“Thank you. Are you Japanese?” she asked in his native language. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and replied in Japanese, “Yes, I’m Japanese. Amazing, I thought you only sang in Japanese, I didn’t expect you to speak the language too.”
“Only a little,” Mimi replied. His eyes crinkled as he smiled. They had supper at a 24-hr café after that. He told Mimi that her song really touched him and apologised for tearing up during the song.
“I don’t know what got into me. I don�
��t cry easily.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Well, only when I read manga,” he said with a straight face. They had only just met yet Mimi felt as if they’d known each other for a long time. She found him quirky and interesting. They both talked and laughed over the silliest things. She didn’t even realise that they were together for hours until she saw the sun come up.
On the plane, Mimi leaned her head towards the window and sighed loudly. During their time together, Yuki never told her how long he would be in Singapore, and she never asked either, probably afraid of his answer. Mimi slept for the remainder of the flight, dreaming of Yuki’s big brown eyes and the charming smile lines that formed around them whenever he laughed at her jokes. She was too deep in her dreams to notice a single tear streaming down her cheek.
Mimi arrived at Narita International Airport at 4 pm, Japan Time. Slightly overwhelmed by the fact that she was in a different country, she followed the stream of people who were walking in front of her. On her immigration card, she simply wrote “three months” at the “length of stay” section because it was the maximum Mimi could stay in Japan without a proper visa or work permit. After clearing airport customs and claiming her luggage, she took a seat and pondered upon her next move.
Narita Airport was extremely busy and you could tell the locals apart from the tourists by their walking speed. The Japanese walked briskly, whilst dragging around some sort of trolley bag; the tourists wandered around at a slower pace, seemingly confused. Mimi only had her pink trolley suitcase, her laptop and a rather bulky acoustic guitar with her. On hindsight, she probably shouldn’t have brought the guitar. But it was given to her as a present during her 18th birthday by her dad and it has never left her side.
Mimi took out her pink mobile phone and started scrolling through her contact list. The only person she knew living in Tokyo and whom she’d actually consider calling was a Japanese fashion editor named Shina. They met three years ago when she was covering a Linkin Park gig in Hong Kong for the magazine she interned at. Shina was petite, loved floral mini dresses and spoke with boundless energy. They hadn’t met again since then, although they did email each other occasionally. Mimi’s mobile ringtone, which was Filth’s latest single, started to ring suddenly. There could only be one person calling her now.
“Mimi, where are you?” asked Roy, slowly. She knew that he was trying very hard to sound calm. Mimi imagined her brother pushing his glasses up his nose, a habit he had whenever he was irritated.
“Narita Airport,” Mimi replied. She sounded as if she was describing the weather.
“So, you are really going to try and find that punk!” he exploded, yelling again.
“Well, I don’t know.” Mimi answered honestly, “But since I am here, I will try and see what I can do. I will be alright.” There was a long silence at the other end.
“You know why I am worried. I mean, it’s like, you’ve never really dated anyone seriously before nor shown any interest in guys and suddenly you are flying to Japan to find someone you barely know. You can’t blame me if I’m worried. We only have each other, sis.”
“I know. I’m sorry if I’m stressing you out. But trust me. You know that despite my seemingly crazy decisions, it always turns out alright in the end. I’ll come home when I find what I am looking for. It won’t be long. I promise.”
Mimi heard her brother sigh at the other end but he eventually gave in. “Sis, please take care of yourself. Text or email me once you know where you are staying.”
“You take care too.” He ended the call and Mimi felt an unexpected wave of sadness. She was all alone now. Roy was right, they only have each other, especially after their parents passed away two years ago. That was when Mimi decided to focus on the bar and rock music while Roy concentrated on his studies, like a regular nerd. It was strange though, because before that he was bent on becoming a professional violin player. Roy had floppy hair and wore silver-rimmed glasses, which accentuated his sharp nose. He never spoke much to anyone in his school. But his tall built and mysterious aura earned him countless admirers. Whenever Mimi saw some of his fangirls lurking outside the pub, she felt like telling them, “My brother is a naggy hen, and yes, that’s his true side!” But of course she never did.
Despite the amount of pink in her life, she was a survivor. “It’ll be alright,” she whispered to herself as she got up. Walking to the train station located at the basement of the airport, she bought a train ticket for the Narita Express, her ride to the heart of Tokyo.
Mimi fished out her mobile and called her Japanese friend. “Hi Shina. This is Mimi. I am so sorry for calling out of the blue, but I am in Tokyo now.”
“Ah, Mimi, that is awesome! You are in Tokyo now? Wow, you should have told me, I could have picked you up from somewhere. I am in the office, but we should meet up.”
“Well, it was quite a sudden decision. But yes, we should meet up. I apologise for calling so suddenly, but would you happen to know of any good hotels in Tokyo? I’ll explain when we meet...”
“I see. I guess for someone staying alone, Shibuya has a nice business hotel. The location is good and it’s less than US$100 a night.”
Mimi took out a pen and paper and jotted down the directions. It sounded good, although she wondered if the price was a little steep for someone who didn’t know how long she’ll be in Tokyo. But she decided to check it out anyway.
The street lamps were switched on by the time she arrived at Shibuya. She walked out of the subway station and was greeted by organised chaos. Mimi found herself momentarily blinded by the neon lights, which were blinking non-stop. Maybe it had something to do with it being a Friday, but on a breezy spring night, the Shibuya pedestrian scramble area was packed with people and there was a constant buzz from the crowd, made up of bizarre youths, sophisticated yuppies and the usual horde of lost tourists, like herself.
Everyone seemed to be zipping past her at quantum speed. The streets were wide with various cross junctions and once the green man flashed, pedestrians would end up in the middle of the street, each one walking in a different line to get to where they wanted. Once again, Mimi found herself just following whoever was in front of her. This was like some sort of live-action video game, and she had yet to learn the proper controls and was just moving along, confused. But still, Mimi thought as she walked along the pavement, there was a certain unique energy about the place. Everyone walked fast as if they were full of purpose. Both male and females had their own quirky dress sense coupled with perfectly coiffed hair, and you’re faced with stores selling everything from mobile phones to manga.
But the truth was, no one really knew where they were going, or maybe she was the only clueless one. Loud Japanese pop music blared on the sidewalks, while giant plasma screens introduced the latest sugary pop sensation. “I’d rather have rock anytime,” Mimi mumbled as she trudged up a slope with her luggage and guitar.
After walking around for twenty minutes, Mimi realised that she was standing in front of a departmental store known as PARCO, instead of where the hotel was supposed to be. She scratched her head as she thought back, retracing her steps mentally. She figured that she had probably gone out of the wrong exit at the station. Rather frustrated, Mimi decided to backtrack and walk back to Shibuya train station. She turned a corner and suddenly froze. Right there and then, she heard Yuki’s voice.
“Do you remember me?” he whispered.
What? That is impossible, she thought as she held her breath and looked behind. A crowd of random people were walking towards her, but no Yuki. Maybe she really was going out of her mind. Now it sounded as if Yuki was chanting some weird sounds next to her. But the only thing next to Mimi was a store with a huge screen playing the music video of some manufactured boy band.
She turned towards the screen but it was too big and high up for her to decipher the figures dancing around. She took a few steps back and looked up. According to the heading at the top of the video, they were a b
oy band called Fire Boys. The music video displayed five guys, dressed in shiny white suits. Each one of them, clutching a red rose, was doing a series of synchronised finger jabbing dance moves. Their latest single, “Love Love Night,” was heard blasting from the screen.
“What the...” she gasped.
There was no mistaking it. Yuki was the one dancing in the middle. Mimi stared, gaping at the image of Yuki. She didn’t even realise that she was standing in the middle of the road. The next thing Mimi knew, there was a loud car horn and everything around her went black.
Track #2
Am I dead or alive?
Mimi opened her eyes to see a circle of fluorescent light. She was lying on a bed with white linen sheets. No one was around but she gathered that somehow, she had landed in hospital. Attempting to sit up, a sharp pain pierced through her leg, making her cry out. A nurse who happened to be passing by entered her room. “Miss Chan, how are you feeling?” she asked, pressing a button by the bed. Mimi’s bed started to recline upwards.
“What happened to me?” Mimi asked. She noticed that her left foot was wrapped up in a cast.
“You were brought in here in the evening. Don’t worry, you only sprained your left ankle. It’s nothing serious, although it may take a month to fully recover.”
