Pop Rock Love

by Raine Koh

  “How are you feeling?” her manager asked.

  “I seriously think I may have a mild case of narcolepsy,” Mimi mumbled, trying to stifle a yawn. They were walking towards the dressing room area when she spotted five familiar-looking guys. They were walking in the opposite direction. The Fire Boys, dressed in casual wear and followed by a big group of stylists and assistants, were walking towards her. She greeted them politely and out of at corner of her eye, spotted Yuki in the crowd who also bowed politely without a word. After passing each other in the hallway, Makoto turned to Yuki, “That girl is pretty. Who is she?”

  Yuki shrugged and put his arm around his friend, “Stop looking and keep walking!”

  Naoki and Jiro exchanged worried glances.

  Mimi entered her own waiting room in the studio. Her assistant, Ayaka, followed behind with her hands full with her stage clothes and make-up boxes. She carefully placed them on the table and sighed in relief. “I am definitely going to ask Niji for more hands!” said Ayaka, picking up the outfits and hanging them on the clothes rack. Mimi looked around the waiting room curiously. The room was rather bare with white walls but it had a dressing table, sofa and garment racks. She was still excited though, since it was her first television performance. She whipped out her mobile phone and went outside to snap a picture of her name “Mimi” which was pasted on the door. “If you don’t want to be laughed at, don’t let the other artistes see you doing that,” Kenta said, shaking his head.

  “Well, it’s my first time. Kenta. Can I see the music chart?” she asked, sitting on the sofa.

  “Here you go, and also please look at the program line-up too,” Kenta said, passing her two pieces of paper. Her eyes darted towards the number one position. The Fire Boys have been holding the top spot for over a month with their newest single, “Violet Crush”. She looked through the other entries and saw fellow Niji band Filth at number ten.

  “Is Filth performing too?” she asked. Kenta nodded and replied, “Yeah, they are in the waiting room next to yours, but I don’t think they have arrived.”

  Mimi sat down in front of the dressing table while Ayaka quickly got down to work, applying foundation on her face. Mimi shut her eyes and felt herself nodding off. “Mimi, you’ve got a message,” said Ayaka, tapping her lightly on the shoulder. Mimi opened her eyes and reached out for her mobile phone. It was a text message from Yuki. He texted:

  Good Luck! You are the best!

  She smiled slightly after reading it.

  “Who texted you?” asked Ayaka, picking up the hairdryer.

  “A friend of mine,” she replied hurriedly, putting her cell phone away.

  “Mimi, sound check start in an hour. I’ll leave you girls to get ready,” said Kenta, leaving the room.

  Ayaka applied some foundation on Mimi. “For the rehearsal, I’ll only be doing your hair and you’ll have some basic make-up on. I’ll do the full works later.”

  “Okay sure,” Mimi said. She could feel the butterflies start to flutter in her stomach.

  This time, her performance outfit was the pink Betsy Johnson dress she wore for her debut performance. Ayaka unzipped the garment cover and inspected the dress carefully, “Strange, we never knew who got you this dress. Maybe it was some big fan of yours.”

  “Yes, it is rather weird, especially since it was before my official debut,” Mimi said as she put on the dress. Ayaka passed her a small black top hat, complete with a black birdcage veil attached to it for her hair. Later, her band entered the waiting room and she noticed Kenta looking a little anxious.

  “Are you alright?” Mimi asked.

  “It’s nothing for you to be worried about. I was talking to Filth’s manager and it’s just that Shuji hasn’t arrived yet.”

  “What? But the rehearsals are starting soon.”

  Kenta sighed and shook his head. He placed his hand on her shoulder and said, “Mimi, don’t ever pull such stunts on me. If Shuji doesn’t arrive soon, he’ll be fired.”

  “Shuji will be fired?” she gasped.

  “No, Filth’s manager,” said Kenta, looking grim. “Anyway, let’s take a few deep breaths, we can make it. Your sound check is up soon. Take note of which television cameras are filming you during your performance. The shooting sequence will be the same during the actual filming, so make sure you’re looking at the right ones.”

  Mimi took a sip of plain water before stepping out of the room. Her heart was beating furiously. She kept telling herself that it was just a rehearsal but it was hard to calm down. The production assistant guided her to the stage and gave her a few technical instructions. With her band standing behind her, she took a few deep breaths and looked at the television producer, who was studying the camera monitor. He then looked up at Mimi and signaled with his fingers, mouthing the words, ‘Three. Two. One.’ Her band started the introduction to “Maybe” and tiny golden spotlights started to flash behind them. Placing one hand on the microphone stand, she started singing.

  After she finished, the producer gave her the thumbs up. “Thank you,” she said, as she stepped off the stage. She smiled at her band members, “Great job! Let’s knock them dead at the actual performance!”

  On the way back to the waiting room, Mimi saw Filth in the hallway with Shuji walking at the back. So he did turn up after all, she thought. She bowed politely and greeted them, but Shuji, with his hands in his pockets, pretended not to see her. Mimi shrugged it off and continued walking. She wondered how Yuki was doing. She turned towards Kenta, “Do we visit other artistes’ room? You know, like pass them copies of my single or something.”

  “Hmm... We don’t really do that unless you’re friends. I mean, in regards to visiting the other artistes’ rooms. But you can pass them your single personally if you get a chance to.”

  “I see.”

  “Anyway, you did a good job at the rehearsal. I was looking at the monitors and they did a lot of close-ups, so just take note of them.”

  “Oh my...” stammered Mimi, suddenly feeling self-conscious. In about two hours, Music Stage will go on air and she will have her debut television performance. A million thoughts were running through her head as she entered her dressing room. Ayaka carefully removed her hair accessory and said, “Have something to eat first. I’ll apply full make-up later.”

  Mimi sat down on the couch together with her band mates and Kenta. Each of them were given a bento set (chicken cutlet and rice balls). It was already 5 pm, but this was her first meal of the day. Her guitarist was only 18-years old. His name was Taku and he had long spiky hair.

  “Mimi, have you composed anything lately?” he asked with his mouth full with rice.

  “I’m working on a song, but it’s not finished yet.”

  “Cool, what is it about?”

  “About the galaxy!” Mimi replied, waving her hands around. He laughed at her enthusiasm and said, “Sounds awesome! Looking forward to it.”

  Her band members were clad in black skinny jeans, T-shirts and black fitted blazers. They all had spiky hair too, in varying lengths and colours. Ayaka asked Mimi to hurry up and eat. She needed to get her make-up done.

  Mimi sat on the make-up chair and saw fake eyelashes with tiny jewels on them, on the dressing table. “Will I be using those?” she asked, peering at them, curiously.

  “Yes,” she said. Ayaka was applying powder on Mimi’s face with a big brush. Mimi just looked at her own reflection in the mirror as Ayaka placed the finishing touches on her face. Mimi wondered if this was a dream?

  If it is, I don’t want to wake up, she thought.

  The production assistant came into the room and said, “Mimi, please stand by, you’ll be on soon.”

  “Thank you!” Mimi replied as Ayaka pinned the top hat on her hair. “Let’s do a cheer or something!” Mimi suggested, rounding everyone up. Everyone in the room placed their palms on top of each other’s. “Let’s give them a performance that they will never forget!” she said. The rest of them cheered lou
dly and shouted, “Go Go!” while bringing down their hands together in one full swoop.

  Mimi walked towards the stage and stood in position. The whole studio felt different now. The fans were seated in the audience and there was an energy of expectancy. The performance area was currently clothed in darkness. Mimi placed both her hands on the microphone stand and waited for her cue.

  Hiroki, the main host for Music Stage announced, “Now at number eight we have a hot new rock artiste, Mimi. Her debut single ‘Maybe’ is already causing a stir in the music charts. So please put your hands together for Mimi!”

  Taku’s guitar riff started and Mimi felt as if her heart was going to explode. The gold lights came on and Mimi’s raspy voice filled the studio.

  Half an hour later, Music Stage came to an end. Mimi’s first television performance had finished smoothly and everyone was happy. Sitting alone in the waiting room, Mimi was worn out. She slouched on the couch and closed her eyes. I miss Yuki, she thought.

  A clapping sound was heard in the room. Mimi turned to see Shuji clapping his hands. “Congratulations. Debuting at number eight is quite a feat,” he said with a smirk.

  “Shuji?” she said. Shuji had dyed his shoulder-length brown hair black, and was wearing thick black eyeliner. But what was he doing here? He didn’t really seem to be really congratulating her. She looked around and wished someone else would arrive soon. He stopped clapping and looked at her with a sour expression, “You did know Sato meant to give ‘Farewell’ to me right? I was Sato’s favourite, till you came along.”

  “I’m sorry...” She didn’t know what else to say.

  “Sorry? You and Sato have something going on, don’t you? Did you give him some personal favours?”

  “Excuse me, but what are you suggesting?” she said, sitting up.

  “We all know that Sato doesn’t like men,” he said, approaching her. He was getting too close for comfort and if he came any closer, Mimi was ready to scream for help.

  “Leave her alone!” someone yelled. They both turned to see Yuki at the door.

  “Mind your own business,” Shuji said, grabbing Mimi’s shoulders violently and causing her to yelp in pain. Yuki quickly pushed Shuji away from her and the rocker responded by punching Yuki on his stomach.

  “Stop it!” Mimi cried, horrified at the scene before her. The two guys ended up in a tussle on the floor. Thankfully, Kenta arrived and so did Jun. The two managers broke up the fight and pulled the artistes into their respective waiting rooms. Mimi saw that Yuki’s lower lip was bleeding while Shuji had a bruise on his cheek.

  “What happened? Are you okay?” Kenta asked, upon returning to Mimi’s dressing room. Mimi nodded feebly and described what had just happened. Her manager’s face turned grim. “Both of them are such troublemakers. It’ll be best if this was kept under wraps. If the media ever finds out, it’ll be trouble for everyone, even for you, Mimi. Let’s get out of here.”

  “What? Is that right? I have to apologise!”

  “Apologise? What for? It’s been a long day for all of us. We’ll deal with this mess tomorrow. Someone from Fame Factory will contact us soon.” Mimi felt unsettled, but she followed after her manager as he headed towards the car.

  The rest of the Fire Boys were joking around in the waiting room when Jun entered with Yuki.

  “Yuki, what happened to you! We need to call an ambulance!”Jiro cried, freaking out and running towards him.

  “Don’t worry, it’s just a cut,” he said, his eyes looking to the ground. Jun applied some medicine on Yuki’s wounds. He winced at the stinging sensation. Jun could not hide his annoyance at him.

  “Yuki, I don’t know what to do with you. Do you want to be sent away again? You were sent away to Singapore and instead of keeping a low profile, you went and messed around with another girl. Do you know what can happen if the CEO finds out? You will be kicked out of the Fire Boys, and no amount of ad campaigns can save you then!”

  Naoki looked concernedly at Jun, “What happened?”

  “He was fighting with Shuji from Filth over a girl.”

  “Jun, he was attacking her!” Yuki protested.

  “Look at your face! You think I care what happens to some other artiste! You and I are going to lose our jobs and you only care about being some white knight!”

  “Jun, I’m sorry but I had to stop him.”

  His manager let out an exasperated sound. “I’ll go and get some ice,” he said, getting up and leaving the room.

  Yuki looked woefully at the other members. “I’m sorry, everyone.”

  “It was her, wasn’t it?” Naoki asked.

  “Yes.”

  “What? Am I missing something here. Who? What?” asked Makoto, scratching his head. Ginta shrugged and looked puzzled as well. Naoki looked at the both of them and said, “I’ll explain later.”

  Jiro passed a bottle of water to Yuki, looking concernedly at him. Yuki looked like he was on the brink of tears. He muttered, “If I can’t even protect her, then I don’t deserve her.”

  Track #19

  As Kenta predicted, Mimi received a phone call from Fame Factory the next day. He introduced himself over the phone as Jun, a manager of the Fire Boys. “Please tell me what time you’ll be available today. We need to talk,” said Jun.

  “I have a magazine shoot and interview at Aoyama but I should be done by three.”

  “I will see you then.”

  “Do you need the address?” Mimi asked.

  “I’ll find you,” he replied, ending the call.

  Mimi felt a sense of dread seep in. It was early morning and the streets were jam-packed with cars. She was in one of those black celebrity vans with tinted windows while her manager was in the driver’s seat beside her. “Who was it?” he asked.

  “Jun from Fame Factory. Kenta, should I be worried?”

  “Well, it really depends. Did you do anything wrong?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so, but I feel like I did.” Mimi said, taking a sip of water from a bottle and pulled her pink muffler closer to her face. She was dressed in a striped pastel pink and grey knit dress with a white beret and knee high black leather heeled boots. Tokyo was starting to get chilly.

  Kenta looked at his artiste and asked directly, “Is there something between you and Yuki?”

  Mimi choked on some water and started coughing. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I...am....okay...” Mimi sputtered, patting her chest.

  “So is there something going on? You need to tell me if you want protection.”

  “Protection? From what?”

  Kenta turned into the magazine office’s parking lot and stopped the car. “Fame Factory may look all sparkly and sweet, but under that facade, it’s serious business. Every one of their artistes is worth millions, so they don’t let potential girlfriends off the hook easily.”

  “But Fame Factory has been around for decades, I’m sure there have been successful relationships with FF artistes.”

  “Yeah, but that’s when the artistes are in their thirties or if someone got knocked up. By then, the management may not have a choice but to let it go. Wait, so this means there is something going on between you and Yuki!” he said, pointing at Mimi.

  “Kenta, we are going to be late for the magazine interview.” Mimi hurriedly got out of the car and charged towards the elevator. Her manager entered the elevator with her and added, “Anyway, just to warn you, managers from Fame Factory are not as nice as me. Do you know, that FF managers are not allowed to get married? If you’ve noticed, all of them are single men.”

  “What, are you kidding? What happens when they do?”

  “They can’t work as FF managers anymore.”

  The lift doors opened and Mimi reminded herself to smile. She was greeted by a group of magazine journalists, photographers and assistants who started to fuss over her. Three o’clock seemed like a long time away but Jun’s words rang through her head like a threat, “I’ll find y
ou.” He sounded like a hitman to her.

  During the interview, Mimi tried to expand on her answers. Maybe if the interview went into overtime, she wouldn’t have to meet Jun. However, everything wrapped up by three. She bit her lower lip and looked at Kenta. Her manager just shrugged and gestured to the clock. At that moment, her cell phone started to ring. She glanced at the display screen to see an unidentifiable phone number.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello Mimi, this is Jun. I’m waiting for you at the carpark basement. I have already spoken with your manager and he’s agreed to let you come meet me... Now.”