COME BACK TO ME - RM
Six Months Later
After the successof the SixJays launch, Lia’s next project was Trip Fest, a one-night event where the label could basically flex the skills of their current lineup in a festival setting.
One of Lia’s favorite decisions had been about the venue. She’d been given quite a few options. Any arena was too expensive, so they were immediately out. There was the open field in Makati, which, for a summer event, was going to be hot as all hell. No. There were several smaller venues that hosted regular events, cafes that had teeny stages, and a glasshouse on a rooftop that required stair access.
No, no and no. This event was abitmore special than a regular gig, and she wasn’t going to make people cram into a venue with a single exit that wasn’t even wheelchair-accessible!
They needed a space that was comfortable for people to stay all day, easily accessible for commuters, and had enough pedestrian foot traffic to really introduce the bands to new people.
Which was how they ended up at the Ayala Triangle Gardens. Lia loved that the atmosphere was a bit more relaxed, with the park’s winding walkways, hilly grass areas, and lights already installed in the trees. And she was right, for the most part. The band’s audience was mostly millennials looking for a relaxed time, and the park had been a great choice.
Also great was her companion’s choice of a viewing area. Andi had come to the event armed with a banig (purchased from a small social enterprise, and available to purchase at the venue), light-up scrunchies (in lieu of light sticks, from the merch table) and a spot under a tree on top of a small hill, with a direct view of the stage. After muttering “tabi tabi po” a few times, they settled there just before the show started.
“I love women in music!” Andi exclaimed. It was a hot summer night in Makati, but neither Lia, Andi nor the music festival crowd seemed to give a fuck, not when the band’s opening act, a new band Triptych had signed called Laya, was performing the best song from their new pop rock album. The song was a fun, bubbly pop song that wouldn’t be out of place in the early 2000s, except the band played every note live. It was the kind of music you could nod to, or if you were Andi and Lia, jump to and sing every word.
“My knees aren’t built for this.” Lia laughed, shaking her head as her laughter overtook her. “But this is great. Better than being in the sound booth for sure.”
“Told ‘ya!” Andi exclaimed, swaying along to the bridge. “Teddy gets stressed out when I try to enjoy the show from there, he says I’m likely to pull out a wire.”
“He’s more likely to pull out his back first, his posture is terrible.” Lia snorted, rolling her eyes. “Speaking of your boyfriend, where is he? He promised me he would steal Pocari from the green room for me.”
“He said something about meeting with a new act they want to sign.” Now it was Andi’s turn to roll her eyes. “Honestly, asking him to turn his work brain off is like…asking you to turn your work brain off.”
“Hey, I can turn off my work brain!” Lia gasped in mock offense, but Andi’s knowing smile clearly said she thought otherwise.
“I’ll believe it when I see it!”
But Lia couldn’t help it. Ever since she’d landed back in Manila six months ago, she’d hit the ground running with the new job. The learning curve had beensteep,but it helped that she was working with Mon and Teddy, who were as honest as she was about admitting that they didn’t know what they were doing. It made a huge difference to her mindset, that it was okay to take it a little slower, to make a few mistakes. Yes, she spent most of her weekends at events and monitoring some of their activations, but it was time she was willing to spend. Her job was also one that had the bonus of being incredibly slow on the weekdays, meaning if she and Andi decided to drive to Katipunan to have a two-hour lunch, it was no problem.
The funny thing that ended up happening, though, was that Lia had suddenly become friends with Teddy’s friends. She and Mon liked to read similar books, and he always had a recommendation ready for her. She had always liked Teddy’s girlfriend Andi, but as soon as the two of them divulged their secret love of the girl group formerly known as Jellie Ace, they hit it off easy. That Andi rented part of Triptych’s office space as her art studio meant that they were practically officemates.
It was funny how quickly Lia’s life had changed, and how completely different it was from the one she'd had before Korea, but it was a life she was happy to have. Of course, it still had its downsides—she was living in the Philippines, after all—but theywere downsides she could manage better, more confident that she could take it all on.
There was just one little thing that could make it better. But a quick glance at her phone told her it wasn’t happening today. Not when her notifications were at a highly efficient zero.
Lia
Link: @Cobolt Rehearsal Hits: Lightning Strikes with Steven Bae on drums!
Does Steven smell as good as he looks…
Cal
Sandalwood and sexiness, confirmed.
I smell like sea salt and wood sage, just fyi.
She scrolled down to the last messages they exchanged.
Cal
Can you tell that I’m crying in this N Countdown pic?
Lia
Yes. But you deserve it! My triple crown kings!
