Eating Melons

Due to requirements regarding appearance and performance, the second round of auditions was scheduled at a small theater nearby. It was still early, but the auditioning singers had arrived one after another. They tacitly kept their distance, sitting scattered throughout the dim auditorium.

Song Ya observed silently from behind the stage curtain. Most of these girls were young and beautiful, and the majority had already applied their makeup, using thin coats to cover the outfits they would wear on stage later. Some looked around nervously, while others were calmly focused on studying the sheet music in their hands. Since SBK only allowed each person to bring one companion, most of the people beside the girls were their agents. Several agents who knew each other gathered together to whisper before the auditions began.

Mira and Mrs. Jovovich were the last to arrive. Mira was still sporting her signature combination of Ray-Ban sunglasses and a baseball cap, wearing that same look of disdain for everyone, though her gait was slightly awkward. She found a seat in the back row with Mrs. Jovovich.

Song Ya absolutely did not believe that Mrs. Jovovich hadn't noticed the changes in her daughter after she had been deflowered, but she chose to silently ignore it. Furthermore, she was following Song Ya's advice, quietly opening a small bottle of vodka and handing it to Mira, watching as she took a large gulp.

The rumors outside were true; Mira's parents were greedy. However, unlike that father far away in Los Angeles who had squandered all the money his daughter had earned since she was nine, the way Mrs. Jovovich expressed her greed was different. The large pearl necklace around her neck looked particularly garish at this moment.

At this time, an SBK staff member stepped forward and called the first girl scheduled to perform into the dressing room.

"It's starting soon, let's go over."

Daniel led Song Ya and other SBK executives to the front row of the auditorium. The agents who had been chatting returned to their respective girls, behaving quite properly and not coming over to disturb them.

Right on time, the first girl took the stage. She was a bit nervous, frequently tugging at the shoulder straps of her red evening gown, but she didn't forget to maintain a sweet smile toward the front row.

A staff member handed Daniel a microphone, with a long black audio cable trailing far behind.

"Are you ready?" Daniel asked as he turned on the microphone. After receiving an affirmative reply from the girl on stage, he handed the microphone to Song Ya.

"Then let's begin." Song Ya had practiced what to say in this situation; overall, being concise was the right approach. "Eric." He looked toward Eric at the side of the stage.

Eric gave him a thumbs-up.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1..." Song Ya counted down. Eric pressed the button, and the theater's sound system began playing the backing track for FXXXYOU, the original version recorded by Delay.

"Look inside, Look inside your tiny mind..."

After the girl finished singing, she gripped the microphone with both hands, her body already trembling slightly.

"No need to be too nervous." After Song Ya finished speaking, he leaned out to scan left and right. Seeing an SBK executive raise his hand to signal, he handed over the microphone, passing it toward that side.

"Uh... could you handle it a bit more..."

After that executive finished his suggestion, the person next to him added a few words. The microphone was passed back to Song Ya, and he signaled Eric to play the backing track again.

There were exactly ten singers in this second round of auditions: seven who participated directly and three who advanced from the first round. Everyone had one or two chances to re-sing.

As time slowly passed, Song Ya felt that the singing styles of all the contestants were gravitating toward the three who had advanced from the first round. It seemed that the people behind them had keenly sensed his preferences.

The singer Daniel had originally favored took the stage. She looked to be over twenty-five, the oldest among all the auditioning singers, and she had the best vocal technique and the most stable stage presence. Unfortunately, even without Mira, she was the first one Song Ya intended to eliminate. It was the same old problem: there was no need to consider any singer who treated this song too "solemnly."

After she finished the song, Daniel took the microphone and offered a few casual suggestions, even giving her an extra chance to re-sing. He had long known that Song Ya had his heart set on someone else; doing this was just to give an explanation to the connections behind the singer on stage.

The next turn was Mira's.

Mira, who came out of the dressing room, was wearing blue skinny jeans and a denim-style cropped vest. Her shoulders were bare, and a small section of her midriff was exposed, making her look youthful and slightly sexy. It was unclear how much vodka Mrs. Jovovich had given her to drink; the Mira who usually wore a sour face was gone. Now, her face was flushed, and the little expressions on her face had become vivid.

"Are you ready?" Song Ya asked.

Despite being told repeatedly not to reveal their relationship during the audition, Mira still giggled and winked at him, her little face turning even redder.

"If you're ready, let's start, Eric." Song Ya quickly had Eric play the backing track.

"Look inside..."

Mira began to sing. The results of the two nights of intensive training were excellent. Although her vocal technique was much worse than the other singers, especially the original, her lazy and casual style was very catchy in this era. In particular, that "FXXXYOU" was a level higher than the other girls' handling of it. In terms of performance, she also followed Song Ya's instructions, constantly winking, biting her lips, and flashing electricity toward the audience—a total Sexy Kitten.

Song Ya observed that Daniel had been nodding slightly.

After she finished the song, an executive on the side coughed, and Song Ya passed the microphone over.

"Your lyrical delivery has a bit of a British accent. How did you consider that?" the executive asked.

During the intensive training, Song Ya had compared the original singer's accent and, combined with the reality of the situation, hadn't copied it entirely. Instead, he had Mira add some British flair to the word linking and vocal runs. The effect was excellent; everyone in the audience was an industry veteran, and they had indeed noticed.

"I lived in London for a while."

Mira replied. After all, she was the one who gave Song Ya the epiphany for this song. If it were any other singer, if Song Ya—a boy from the Chicago slums who had grown up there—demanded they use a British accent, it would undoubtedly reveal a flaw.

The executive nodded and handed over the microphone.

Others offered a few more suggestions. Mira sang it again, then walked off the stage, swaying slightly.

After the ten girls finished singing, Daniel stood up. "Results will be announced before seven," he said concisely and loudly.

This was something that had been notified long ago. The girls' agents signaled their understanding one after another. Daniel left the theater and returned to his office, and Song Ya naturally followed.

"Mira?" This was the umpteenth time Daniel had asked.

"Don't you think she's very suitable?" Mira's performance gave Song Ya the confidence to retort.

Daniel pursed his lips. "Indeed, your intensive training was very effective. Go get something to eat; I'll announce the results at seven."

Song Ya returned to the recording studio and checked his watch; it was already six in the afternoon. Hayden had already prepared Chinese takeout with the pagoda logo.

"The rehearsal phase starts in two days. If there's nothing else..." Hayden indicated he was going back to Chicago. He had more than one client, and there were certainly many things waiting to be handled back in Chicago.

"No problem." Song Ya gave him a hug. "Our trip to New York this time was very successful."

"APLUS..." Lisa knocked on the door to tell him someone was looking for him outside.

Song Ya followed her out into a small reception room. Standing inside was an old white man. He had an impression of him; he was one of the agents for the ten auditioning singers.

"Sorry, it's not convenient for me to see you right now."

He glanced at Lisa, who was preparing to close the door, and turned to leave.

"Hey! ...The music classroom, remember it now?" The old man shouted from behind; it was the very place where he had been giving Mira special training.

Lisa closed the door, and Song Ya turned back to stare at the old man. "Are you stalking me?" He had previously underestimated the intensity of the competition in New York, but he hadn't expected to overestimate the bottom line of that competition either.

"A friend of mine happened to see it." The old man pulled a photo from his pocket. It was a shot of Song Ya leaving the music classroom early yesterday morning, with Mira sneaking out to see him off, the two of them locked in an embrace and kissing.

"Your friend has a very professional camera," Song Ya said coldly.

"Daniel said he would completely defer to your opinion, and I think my girl is the best choice, isn't she?" The old man was very direct.

Song Ya frowned and thought about it. Even if it was discovered that he had hooked up with Mira, so what? Things like this happened all the time in the film and music industries. "Sorry, your girl doesn't have a chance." He refused decisively.

"Ha!"

The old man's laugh was short and sharp. "You should know, Mira is still a minor!"

Song Ya wore a look of utter confusion upon hearing this. "So?"

"So what!? Aren't you afraid of going to prison?" The old man stared at him in shock.

Song Ya understood everything now and couldn't help but laugh. "But Mira and I are the same age! You have the energy to pull these stunts..." He pointed at the photo in the old man's hand. "Didn't you bother to find out how old I am?"

"You're also... what!?" The old man finally lost his composure, his face full of disbelief. "You're only fifteen!? You don't look like it at all; I thought you were at least twenty!"

Song Ya touched his own face. "Is it a crime for a Black man to look mature?" Leaving the old man standing there, he walked away after throwing out a single line: "I hope you won't appear in front of me again."

Halfway there, he was intercepted by a bespectacled, balding SBK executive. Song Ya had seen him in Daniel's office; he thought his name was Robert or something. "APLUS, I think... she's good, don't you?" He mentioned the name of a girl.

As soon as Song Ya heard it, he realized this Robert was the same person who had said "the reason the White House is called the White House" in the restroom earlier. "Sorry, she is not my choice."

"Hey!"

Robert grabbed Song Ya's arm, staring sharply into his eyes. "Work with me, and I guarantee you won't regret it. Plus, Mira will still get her album—an album! This is a very fair trade. Otherwise, the road for both you and her at SBK will be very difficult, I promise."

"Sorry." Song Ya pried his hand off and walked straight away.

At seven o'clock, Song Ya's pager went off. He dialed back, and Mira's excited voice came through. "Mwah! Thank you, honey, I love you! Mwah!"

"I love you too," he replied.

A knock came at the door. "I'm going to be very busy here, see you at the recording studio tomorrow, baby..." He hung up the phone with a smile. "Come in."

A strange blonde clerk walked in carrying a fruit platter. Upon seeing Song Ya, her expression suddenly changed, and she turned to leave.

"Deliver it!" Robert's command came from outside.

The clerk hesitated for a moment, then turned back, placed the fruit platter on the table, and scurried away with the tap-tap-tap of her high heels.

"Motherfucking white trash!" Eric was instantly enraged when he saw the platter and bolted from the mixing console.

"What's wrong?" Song Ya looked at the neatly arranged slices of watermelon on the platter, unable to react for a long time.

A commotion broke out outside, and Eric was pushed back in by Delay, who then slammed the door shut.

Song Ya finally remembered. Watermelon was what plantation owners grew in barren soil to keep the Black slaves hydrated while they worked in the sun all day. Later, it was frequently used in propaganda to discriminate against Black people, so...

"APLUS! We can't let him get away with this!" Eric shouted.

"I'll tell Daniel."

In this day and age, hitting someone was a crime, and there wasn't really a good way to deal with this kind of petty discrimination. "Robert, is it... I've got my eye on you." Song Ya picked up a slice of watermelon. "Actually, I used to quite like eating this." He took a bite. "Wait, used to?"