Shiny pretty things

Chapter 17

The city of Bangkok is paradoxical. Gigantic skyscrapers juxtapose with abysmally constructed buildings. A city bursting with people yet one feels alone. A cacophony of sounds that fail to drown out intrusive thoughts. Despite it all, something about its grandiosity appeals to Tay. It affords him the latitude to be who he is, to blend in with the bedlam. In this grand city, he is but a quark. Just a tiny part of the whole sum and not the thing that makes the sum whole. Here, he is not the son of the city.

Tay does not give himself any time to acclimate. He throws himself into meetings with shareholders, a few he has worked with before and some new ones. He is lucky to have Namtan Tipnare, an actress on board. She volunteers her services by taking Tay through the ins and outs of the entertainment industry. She does the introductions and Tay plasters on a smile and shakes prominent hands.

After brainstorming for days, they finally decide on a name for the company, Eagle Studios. Tay wants the company to be a safe space for every artist who will be signed under their care. He wants them to have the liberty to be who they are and do what they love at the same time. Nothing represents freedom quite like a bird soaring in the skies.

During the day, Tay works nonstop to keep his mind busy. But at nighttime, he gazes out the plain windows of his new condo, several heights above the city, away from the crowd and the noise pollution, and wonders which of the headlights below belong to Newwiee.

Tay has done superbly at avoiding territories the actor could be. Once upon a time, New gave him a play-by-play of his daily routine. He knows the shops the man frequents, the restaurants he likes to eat at, and the cafes he likes to unwind at.

Tay makes sure these places do not see as much as his shadow. He is protecting himself, something he should've done from the start. He should have ran on that first day they met, he should have heeded the alarm bells. Perhaps if he had, he wouldn't be where he is now, tending a broken heart like the main lead in a fucking lifetime movie.

So now he runs. He looks left, right, and then left again before he enters any building. It may look like weakness but it takes a strong man to resist Newwiee Thitipoom.

**

A month after moving to Bangkok, Eagle studios signs 10 new artists and goes public. Tay receives welcome emails and gift baskets from some other company heads. He feels welcomed into this whole new world.

It is for this reason that he is less than surprised when he gets an invitation to the annual Thai filmmakers' dinner. It is a private event for CEOs, actors, directors, acting coaches, editors, and the like. Sometime last year, he recalls receiving several photos of Newwiee dressed in a tux at this same event.

Tay turns the invitation card between his middle and index fingers. His lower lip suffers the brunt of his nervousness, teeth digging into the flesh.

"You don't have to go. You know that, right?" Namtan points out. She is seated across from him in his office, her brightly painted nails drumming rhythmically on the polished wood.

"Really?" He drops the card onto the table and feels his nerves start to dissolve.

"Honest opinion?"

"Always."

"You are free to decline the invitation but not everyone gets invited to these things. Not even all good actors are accorded the opportunity. We're a small company. It'll do us some good to show your face there and get in some good graces."

Tay knows all of this. Meeting people and forming connections is not the problem. It is something he has been doing for as long as he can remember. He slumps back in his chair. Scratches a spot behind his ear. "Do you—er—happen to know who else could be on the guest list?"