From the barbecue restaurant to karaoke room, I get myself familiar with them and exchange stories and most importantly, contact number. Next year will be my last year contract with Derecho Games but I don't want to lose connection with people I share my work with.

As the night goes on and songs selection consisted of ballad songs, I excuse myself to the washroom. 

I felt like my head was spinning and the air in the room felt stuffy, so sat outside of the karaoke joint and put my head against the cool brick. I closed my eyes hoping that my head would stop spinning immediately.

I felt a presence on my right side. My body guard still waiting for me this late at night. I thought I had dismissed him a few hours ago.

"Do you want to go home now?" he asked.

I shook my head. I can't just leave the group like that. At least I need to say my farewell and thanked them for inviting me over to this party. 

"Have some water." He handed me a bottle of mineral water and I took it without complaint. 

A few gulped of water and I choked and gagged. 

My body guard pat my back. "How many did you drink?"

It sounded like a beginning of a long nag. "5 cans?" I guessed though I felt like I drink less than that. Is this my limit? My body finally showing signs of aging a lot faster compared to other life I had before. 

Probably because this life is just an ordinary human life with average age of 80 years old. 

Heh, in my last life, 80 years old was equal to an age of a teenager and I lived out my life until I was almost 300 years old.

Then again, what is the meaning of long life if there is no purpose? 

Long life, short life... all is equal in the eyes of destiny. 

I took a long breath and sat on a empty bench. My body guard followed suit. 

"Didn't you go back home already?" I asked.

"I went to office to drop your shopping bags and came back here. I'm worried that you might 'lost'," he said.

I laughed at his words of concern. "Thank you," I said. "It's a bit assuring to know that there's someone patting my back. Hehe."

"At your service." The end of his mouth stretch. 

I inhaled exhaled once again and stood up. "Can you wait at the car? I need to say goodbye to my friends... then you can send me back home."

"Are you sure?"

I fisted bump his shoulder and walked back inside the building. 

Walking through dimly light halls, I tried to remember which room they were in when I heard a voice singing a song so heart wrenchingly ache and sorrow. 

Despite other rooms too were echoed with various singing voices, this one stood out to me as if a siren had tempted me to her shore. 

I arrived at the front door, peeking inside the room, searching for the owner of this bewitching voice. 

It was a woman, of course, who surprisingly, is singing an upbeat EDM song. Then why does it sound so sad and so sorrowful? As if she was yearning for something she can never have again. A moment of her life that has passed that she can never regain back, is what I am feeling from her voice. 

"She sings so good," I admired her talent. 

Then my eyes met with another pair of eyes inside the room. I quickly hid myself and ran to the end of the hall. My heart beating so fast and my cheeks flushed. I can't believe I became a peeping tom and got caught in action.

So embarrassing!

But why do I ran like that? I can just simply said that I was searching for my room and compliment the singer. So why do I runnn?!

I clapped my cheeks a few time, quickly sobering myself up.

Should I go back there? To be honest, I want to listen more of her voice and watch her sing. In that dim room with only the tv lighting the room, I could make out her outline figure. Her hair was brown? Dark blonde?

But, on top of her head, I sure I saw it before I got caught, meeting eye-to-eye with that person. 

Or was it a flashing light from screen tv?

"Are you okay?"

I flinched. Suddenly a woman stood in front of me. 

We both gasped. Yes, I'm sure she gasped too. She probably realised who I am, standing so close like this. 

I averted my eyes, looking at the floor, at my shoes, her shoes, anything other than her beautiful face. This time I'm rectifying myself, I gasped not because I was shocked to see her beautiful face but I was shocked that she was to close to me. 

"Could you give me some privacy," I asked with gruffy voice. I don't understand at this point why do I need to be like this. From running away to this poor acting. My reputation as three times Millain award winner is crying bloody tears right now. 

"Sorry, I thought you were a pervert or something. My friend said he saw someone was peeping on me singing," she said sounded like she was embarrased. She took a step back and I felt a bit relieved.

Wait, she said something about peeping! "That!" 

I looked up, finally looking at her in full view. from her shoes to the top of her head. A white ball of seed swaying on top of her head. As the saying goes, the man is too stunned to speak. 

"It's nice meeting you and I really enjoyed watching your movies. Um, I hope to see your future drama and movies more."

I blinked in disbelief as I saw her slowly creeping away to her karaoke room. 

Stop her. Stop her. Stop her!

"Wait!" I called her out with loud desperate voice. 

Her shoulder jumped and she turned slowly. "Yes?"

"That..." Come on, Wren Klauzen! Make an excuse! Anything! "Name card!"

"Yes?"

"Can I have your name card?" I spit out my words like my life depended on it which is exactly true. The seed of destiny still swaying on top of her head, beckoning me to try my hardest to catch it.

"What?" she sounded bewildered. Probably cannot fathom the reason for my request. 

My hands danced around my pocket pants, fishing out my wallet and gave her an old crumple name card. I can't believe this name card finally have it's own use. Lucas, you're my guardian angel for sure. He's the one been forcing Loft artist to carry name card of our own no matter how popular we are. 

'Name card is your own identity!' or so he said. 

Looking back, why does it has to be this crumply card that I have to give it to her? 

"Let's exchange name card," I said shamelessly. "By the way, what's your name?"

She blinked her eyes a few times. Her two hands holding my card as if it was a treasure or something. She coughed a little. "Um... my card is... um, my name, yeah..."

I waited patiently for her to finish organize her thoughts. 

She exhaled suddenly. Like a great regret escaped from her lungs. "Can you wait? My name card is in my bag."

"Yeah, sure. No problem."

She walked away and I looked at her figure dissapeared into a karaoke room. Many things churned in my head but I stay still. I believe in destiny that I saw. True to that, she popped out right away.

She gave me a slick embellish black card with one word carved on top of it. It was her name, written in big white and bold arial font. Behind it was a qr code. That's it. 

"My name is Myra. Um, I have to go. Bye," she said her farewell and off she goes as if she was persued by a zombie. 

But I don't mind. At least, I have her contact number. Whatever kind of destiny we might share in the future, we are bound to meet again. 

* * * * *

Getting up in the morning after having an after party usually made me feel groggy and extra lazy but not this morning. I instantly pushed my body and sat with my head bowed down. Then the pain hit.

"Eurghhhh," I groaned like an old man. I should have stop at the second can. I can't take it anymore. Maybe I should have stop altogether. 

"Bro, you awake? Mommy said you should drink hangover broth first," Allen called from outside of my room. He didn't even bothered to check on me properly. 

That ungrateful brat. 

I crawled out of my bed and started searching for my pants I wore last night. I need to double check if what happened last night was a real or a dream. 

Ergh, my mouth tasted like bile. I really need my mother broth. 

"Where is it?" I was sure that I took off my pants near the hamper. But the pants nor the hamper was not there. 

"Mommy..." I called out to my mother as I stepped out of my room. "Do you see my pants?"

There is only one person who touches my things. My mother dearest who loves to intrude into my room and keeping it clean everytime I'm at home. 

I sat on the dinner table. My father was reading news on his phone and Allen was eating his breakfast before going to school. 

"Do you want me to send you to school?" I asked while scratching my neck.

"Bugger off," he said in low tone. He didn't even gave me a glance. 

This damn brat, I'm trying to be a good brother. 

"Mommy, how about my pants?" I asked again when my mother didn't replied to my question before. I didn't hear the washing machine rumble. 

"Yes? Oh, I washed it last night after you got back home. It smells really nasty," she replied emerging from the back door with a hamper. My hamper. 

That nasty smell she spoke of must be because of various smell mixed in when he went to the barbeque restaurant and then to the karaoke joint, plus he puke a bit one time. Yet the most important thing is the name card.

"How about the pocket?" I asked nervously. I can't focused on the broth my mother put in front of me. 

"What pocket?" she asked me back. "Drink this first-"

No...

"I think I left my wallet in my pocket pants. You don't feel it mommy?"

She sat beside me. "Ah... you meant that. There's nothing of sort though. Why?"

Without answering her question, I ran back to my room. I open my door as wide as I can, switch on the light, slide the curtain to left and right and scanned my room.

My room was neat and organize. Thanks to my mother who loves to clean my room whenever I left to San Angelica and even when I'm at home, I can't even get mad at her for doing so. My focus entirely on acting and script, so my room can be a bit abandoned whenever I'm home.

"Thank god it's here!" I reached out to my wallet that was situated near my desk, below the chair. It must have dropped when I slipped out of my pants. 

Frantically, I dug out a black name card and I heaved a sigh of relief. The card was embellished and coated so it does not easily destroy in washing machine but still, the qr code might dissolve nonetheless. 

"What's wrong Wren? Something important missing?" My mother asked standing on the treshold. 

I shook my head and got up. I put back the name card inside my wallet and left it on the desk. "No, nothing missing. Thank you mommy for washing my clothes," I thanked her and kiss her on the cheek.

She pushed my chest away. "How about you go brush your teeth then eat your broth. Maybe change into something nice too. Honestly, you're already 30."

"Aw, mommy!"

I heard Allen laughed.

"Then go send Allen to his school," she gave her order.

"Mommy!" Allen shouted.

This time I laughed hysterically.