Pop Rock Love (8 page)

“I don’t know if you will
believe me,” she said, leaning her head back on the seat. Mimi looked up at the
night sky and felt like crying.

“Tell me about it over dinner.
We’re here already.” They arrived at Hotel Seiyo in Ginza. Sato bought her to
Attore, a posh Italian restaurant with mauve wall panels and soft carpets. Mimi
could tell by the way the head waiter treated Sato, that he was a regular here.

“You should have told me we
were coming here. I would have dressed better,” Mimi hissed to Sato. She was
still dressed in her checkered shirt dress.

“It doesn’t matter, because
firstly they won’t turn a handicapped person away. And it doesn’t matter what
you wear; it’s about how much cash you have in your wallet.”

Mimi knew that it was hopeless
trying to talk any sense to him. The waiter ushered the both of them to a
private booth and handed over the menu.

“What’s good here?” Mimi asked
Sato.

“Everything is.”

“Are you paying for this?”

“Depends on how well behaved
you are.”

“I’ll have the walnut-smoked
lamb chops please,” she ordered quickly. The waiter nodded and turned towards
Sato.

“I’ll have the Gnocchi and a
bottle of champagne,” he replied passing the menu back to the waiter.

The waiter soon returned with
Sato’s champagne. He delicately poured the bubbly liquid into both their
glasses, and took his leave.
 

“So, what is it you wanted to
talk about?” he asked, sipping the champagne.

“I want to show you something,”
she said, reaching for her cell phone. She searched through the gallery
function and showed him the picture taken together with Yuki. Sato looked at
the photo impassively. She wondered if he recognised Yuki but he just continued
drinking his champagne.

“Is he the guy that dumped
you?” Sato asked.

“Yes.”

“Forget him.” Their food arrived
at this moment. Mimi didn’t expect Sato to react this way. “But you were the
one who said not to give so easily,” she hissed, after the waiter left.

“That was before I knew the guy
was Yuki. You’re just going to get hurt.” He finished the glass of champagne in
one gulp.

“It’s impossible, isn’t it?”
Mimi said, turning her attention towards the lamb dish. The food was probably
delicious, but Sato’s words just left her with a bitter aftertaste.

“Nothing is more complicated
than dating a pop idol,” he stated. Mimi glanced at Sato apprehensively, but he
said nothing more. Mimi ate her dinner in silence while he resumed his
champagne-guzzling marathon. Before she knew it, Sato was lying flat on the
table, knocked out.

Mimi poked him with her finger,
“Sato? Are you okay?” He didn’t budge. She sighed and wondered what to do next.
At this moment, the waiter came and told Mimi that he would help drive the both
of them home.

“Really? Does he do this
often?” He nodded matter-of-factly and helped to lift Sato into his car,
placing him in the back seat.

“If you don’t mind, I think you
should sit at the back with him, in case he needs anything,” suggested the
waiter as he pressed a button on the dashboard. The roof of the convertible
came on and covered the car. Mimi reluctantly complied and was sitting next to
the producer. Sato slumped his body against hers with his head leaning on her
shoulder. His breath smelt of champagne, which she hated to admit, smelt rather
heavenly. The backseat of the convertible was pretty compact and Mimi felt
squashed. Sato was sitting on her right hand and she had no choice but to place
her hand around his body to avoid getting a bad case of pins and needles.

With his face being that close
to her, she couldn’t help but to observe him. He really had rather long
eyelashes for a man and there was a faint scar on his left eyelid.
Unconsciously, Mimi reached out and touched his scar. Actually, he’s quite
handsome when he’s quiet, thought Mimi. Despite the fact that she shared the
same house with him, she really didn’t know anything about him.

Sato started to mumble in his
drunken slumber, “I’m sorry, Hiroki.”

*

Yuki lingered outside the CEO’s
office and hesitated knocking on the door. It has been ten years since he first
met the CEO yet seeing him always filled Yuki with a sense of dread. He took a
deep breath and knocked. “Come in,” sang a voice from the other side. Yuki
entered to see the CEO at his desk, looking through a bunch of photos. “Mr Kon,
you wanted to see me?”

Kon was in his sixties but had
a fit and buff body. He was wearing a black turtle neck and a white jacket,
while his grey hair was slicked back. Mr. Kon used to be a famous enka
(Japanese traditional music) singer in his twenties and thirties, strutting on stage
in flashy kimonos and enticing audiences with his deep and mellow voice. He
gave up the stage more than 20 years ago and founded Fame Factory. Kon was
currently at the top of the list for the richest man in Japanese entertainment.

Yuki sat opposite the CEO and
noticed that Kon was looking through photographs of potential trainees. These
photographs were usually sent in by the mothers, relatives or the boys
themselves to Fame Factory. Kon looked rather irritated at the current task.
“Look at this one,” he cried, pointing to one of the photographs, “He barely
turned six. Do they think we are a daycare centre? But this one takes the
cake,” he added, picking up another photograph. “No matter how her mom tried to
disguise this candidate, it’s obvious that she’s a girl! Everyone knows that FF
is an all-male academy.”

Yuki tried to look interested
in the photographs but he really couldn’t care less. The curly-haired boy just
nodded in response.

“Anyway, let’s get down to
business,” Kon said, sweeping the pile of photographs to the side. He stared
intently at Yuki. “Yuki, you have been in FF for about ten years. You have seen
many bands come and go. I have been observing the Fire Boys, seeing how you
guys are doing for the past three years, how far do you think the Fire Boys can
go?”

“We are going to be huge,” he
replied simply.

“Why?”

“I just feel it.”

“Good enough for me. I do
believe in you guys too. Especially since Makoto’s popularity in the new drama
is phenomenal. But Yuki, right now, no one in the group is indispensable. I
understand your tryst with the model, I mean I was 22 before, but the problem
is that you get too involved. Look at Makoto, why does he get away with all
those scandals? It’s because he never lets them get too close. So I’m telling
you this now, as your boss; Don’t fall in love until you are 30. Now go, I know
you’ve got a television show to go to.”

“I understand. Thank you, Mr.
Kon,” Yuki said, getting up from his seat.

“Yuki, I know you like your
band a lot, so don’t mess things up.”
       

*

The next day Mimi was woken up
by the loud humming of the vacuum cleaner. She rolled over on her bed and came
face to face with Yamada. “Hello Mimi! It’s already late afternoon,” Yamada
chirped, smiling from ear to ear. She drew the curtains and bright sunlight
filled Mimi’s room.

“Hello Yamada, where’s Sato?”
Mimi asked, rubbing her eyes.

“He left for the office ages
ago. Sorry to rush you but we need to leave for the studio in an hour’s time.”

“It’s alright,” Mimi said,
limping out of bed. She eyed the bathtub suspiciously as she remembered last
night’s events. She wondered how Yamada would react knowing that Jiro was in
this bathroom yesterday. Maybe she would look for a strand of dyed brown hair
or something. Mimi shuddered at the thought and started brushing her teeth.

Sato’s last words came back to
her, “Nothing is more complicated than dating a pop idol”. He’s right, she
thought, as she faced her own reflection. I should forget about Yuki.
Completely. “You can do it!” she told herself, punching her fist in the air.

When they both arrived at the
broadcast building, Mimi still had no idea what
Music Stage
was about.
Yamada couldn’t contain her excitement when they entered the television studio.
“Mimi, look at all the cameras! Will we be on television? My friends would be
so jealous! The stage is so gorgeous!”
 

The circular, upraised stage
was located in the middle of the studio with the words “
Music Stage
”
hung on top and lit up with pink neon lights. “The stage props will change
according to the guests,” explained Yamada, pointing to the front. “Two hosts
will have a short talk on the stage before the artistes perform. As the studio
audience, we can clap as loudly as possible, but no screaming is allowed.
Music
Stage
is a weekly pop show that invites the top ten artistes on the Oricon
Chart to perform. The Oricon Chart represents the official number of singles
and albums sold in Japan.”

The production assistant came
up on stage and gave the audience a few instructions. “We are going live in an
hour’s time. If you need to go to the restroom, please do so now. Please note
that the audience is not allowed to move around once filming starts. Please
turn your mobile phones off or to silent mode.”

“So who got into the top three
in this week’s Oricon Chart?” Mimi asked, looking around.

“Third is Namie Amuro, second
is Orange Range and number one goes to B’z. But Mimi, the reason why I am so
excited is because the Fire Boys will be performing later.”

“What!” Mimi exclaimed. The
production assistant shot her a dirty look. Mimi bowed apologetically for her
outburst.

“Really? So that means the Fire
Boys will perform here?” Mimi asked in a hushed tone.

Yamada nodded and smiled
brightly. “I can’t wait. Their single is not officially in the charts yet, but
they are under the ‘Hot Entry’ category, meaning that they are predicted to
enter the charts when the song is officially released next week.” Mimi didn’t
really understand what Yamada was babbling about and just stared at the
currently empty stage in shock.

Mimi tried to reason within
herself: the audience will be clothed in darkness. And I am not even sitting in
the front, the artiste won’t be able to see us. After all, they were only
singing one song, and they will be too busy facing the cameras. “Yamada, I
think I need to use the bathroom,” she whispered.

“Don’t be silly, it’s starting
soon.”

“My stomach hurts,” she
protested, trying to stand up. The lights in the studio suddenly dimmed and an
excited buzz rose from the audience.

“The show has started. Hold it
in,” hissed Yamada, using her hand to force Mimi to sit down.

Music Stage’s
two hosts, a male and female pair came on stage and
greeted everyone. “Good evening, I am Hiroki,” said the male host, bowing
slightly.
 
“And I am Masumi,” said
the lady, who was dressed in a black cocktail dress. “Welcome to
Music Stage
!”
they both cried in unison while the audience was prompted to clap. Hiroki
proceeded to say, “Today we have another exciting show for you. Will B’z be
able to hold their number one position this week? Or do we have a new
contender? Before we dive into this week’s music charts, we are going to
introduce the ‘Hot Entry’ acts. This week we have the Fire Boys, Koda Kumi and
Alice Nine.”

Loud cheers were heard from the
audience, mostly from teenage girls and Yamada. Mimi felt as if her heart was
going to burst. The hosts continued talking, “Please give a warm welcome to our
first performance by the Fire Boys as they present ‘Love Love Night’!” The
audience exploded with even louder applause as the Fire Boys walked up on
stage. Mimi’s hand reached out to grab Yamada’s when she saw Yuki among them.
They were all dressed in bright gold, boxy jackets and black top hats. Mimi
just stared at his face. Was this a dream? He was smiling and joking around
with his members and he looked better than she remembered him. Yuki shone when
he was on stage. Maybe it’s better this way, she told herself. They both
belonged to different worlds. The Fire Boys got into their positions and they started
to sing and dance to their upbeat, disco-influenced hit track “Love Love
Night”. The audience seemed to be familiar with the various hand actions and
chants. Mimi felt totally lost.