Gold, But Not Cold

THREE

This chapter is dedicated to my friend.

"Ang bilis niyo naman sumuko, dalian niyo! May 4 burpees pa tayo!" The president of Dulaang Banal actively shouts at the members while they are doing a 40-minute warmup. It feels unsettling for Janine that she'd actually start her challenges in Dulaang Banal.

Her legs are aching, since they have been squatting for four minutes already. And their female coach is just monitoring them.

"You." Ang sabi ni Ms. Marisa kay Janine. "Ibaba mo pa ang katawan mo." Utos niya. At sumunod naman si Janine, mas binaba pa niya ang kaniyang katawan. Ang mukha niya ay parang daga sa dibdib.

Their warmups are so harsh, I don't even know why. Janine scrunches her face as she's experiencing pain. But Ms. Marisa immediately told them to stop and move to the burpees.

"Find your space." Saad ng Vice President na ang pangalan ay Eli.

"MAGBILANG KAYO!" Shouts Marisa, and they jump down and up, counting until they reach the fourth.

Everyone is sweating inside the room, exhausted. Some are dizzy due to their health conditions, and some are coughing like monsters. Janine took a sip of water from her yellow bottle and deeply exhaled, meanwhile, her friend, Maiko, inhaled and exhaled for five minutes for recharging.

Dulaang Banal's warmups consist of 16 crunches, nine fire hydrants, six sit-ups, and 16 jumping jacks. It's crazy how twenty-four members managed their guts on doing this hell-week inspired warmups. Hindi lang sanay ang mga bagong juniors sa custom na ito.

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Diamond Hotel Manila

"Sir, are you ready?" Kandren's stylist asked him, using his lint rolls to remove any dirt from his clothes. The man confidently replied with "I look like the hotter version of Henry Diaz."

"You are." The stylist applies a handful of hair gel on the elder's hair. It's Kandren's 24th birthday, and his family are formally celebrating it inside the Diamond Hotel. At the first function room, which has been reserved for 2 weeks already.

Kandren carefully wrapped his Cartier on his right wrist, he looks himself in the mirror, feeling stunned that he's the birthday boy who will really shine in the stage later once he's done with fixing himself.

When Kandren and his stylist exit the room, a staff assisted them in the elevator. The hallway was quiet and no one is entering or exiting their respective suites. The staff is very kind, especially to the VIP guests like Kandren who are celebrating their birthdays in this hotel.

"Happy birthday, Mr. Tanpoco." The staff greets.

"Thank you."

Just 10 minutes later, Kandren arrives inside the wide function room. Only to stumble upon the darkness inside. No guests, friends, or family members are fully present. He's confused, he wanted to ask if he entered the wrong function room but the staff is outside of the concierge.

But, the sound of cameras shuttering is loudly heard. A lady in a red dress walks towards him, holding a cake that has plenty of beautiful visuals that are related to his field, Biology. The lady is Oh Seol-Hyeon, his gorgeous ex-girlfriend and a 17th-generation noble. Seol-Hyeon is the daughter of the founder of South Korea's most opulent hotel, MilkyWay Hotel.

"Happy birthday, Drennie!!" Seol-Hyeon cheers, in unison with others. They all sang the Happy Birthday song and clapped their hands. Kandren does not bat an eye at the woman, or the cake she's holding. But he feels uncomfortable with the appearance of his ex-girlfriend who broke up with him for six years. It's been a while, and he never expected that she is the one who would surprise him in the function room.

The man hoped that she wasn't the one who baked his birthday cake, and then he would throw it into the Makati waters. And as soon as everyone is done greeting him with the song, Seol-Hyeon lets him blow the candle.

"It's your birthday; blow the candle already," She says. Thus, Kandren blew the red candle aggressively, feeling annoyed by her looks, especially in that cool tone makeup that did not fit her at all.

She didn't have to attend his birthday party without his awareness. His mother could have set her up so they could be together again.

Kandren did not, in fact, like Seol-Hyeon at all. During those days when they were in a relationship, his girlfriend's bodyguard, Do-Hyeon, was always following them wherever they went. He understands that it's for their safety since their job is always to watch them like how Mary Poppins would discipline those little shits.

And there goes Richelle Tanpoco, Kandren's only mother, and the respected chairman of Tanpoco Hotels. During the 1920s, when Kandren's great-grandmother Victorina, built an Opera House near Dewey Boulevard (now Roxas Boulevard) which is just near the beautiful Malate Church. When talking about relevancy and power, the Tanpocos are always on top, even if they're just neutral about businesses and other stuff. Although they are more on Philanthropy nowadays their foundation called "The Helping Hand" donated 300,000 to the hurricane victims. Kahanga-hanga na sila lang ang kumpanya na tumutulong sa mga naapektuhan ng Hurricane Katrina noon, and they somehow managed to balance business and camaraderie.

Richelle managed to hug his son after months of distance due to work, and she still keeps that smile whenever she sees Seol-Hyeon and Kandren together. Her eyes widened when Seol showed her perfect smile to the partygoers.

"Dearest Kandren, it's been a while since we have shared our affection." Richelle starts her message while holding a card. "As your mother, I want us to cherish the memories we've shared since I delivered you."

"Mom, how did Seol–"

"Mahal na mahal kita, anak. Remember that your father and I love you." The woman exhales, holding the dark microphone. Meanwhile, the stage is filled with an LED screen that says "The 24th Year." which means the guy is turning 24. Then, his father, handicapped and negatively aging already, shows him his childhood photos. From when he started teething until he graduated from De La Salle University, wearing his black graduation toga before he threw it off in the ceremony.

The party host delivered his excitement by saying, "From the Engineer's son to an educator with a percipient mind. We are celebrating Mr. Tanpoco's birthday with a special guest!!" so, everyone inside the function room clapped.

"Does anybody know who?!" The male host enlightens the audience. "She is a singer who is noted for her rich and masterful vocals in all her albums, with more than 1,000 concerts that took in different parts of the world."

"In 1997, she collaborated with Steely Dan member Michael McDonald and singer Kenny Loggins for a US debut album in 1997 as the two were the composers of her tracks in the album. Surprisingly, it became a top 20 at the Billboard Charts, specifically for the Jazz genre." He continued. "Anddddd... She's the original Diva of the Philippine Music."

Seol-Hyeon places the cake on the tall, round table close to the stage. She and Richelle whisper together.

"Auntie, does he know that it's your favorite singer who will sing that delightful Happy Birthday to him?" Seol-Hyeon asks, and the woman responds "I always sing her songs to make him sleep. Because all of my LP's are not getting in contact with the dust."

"Heol, the only accurate reason that I have for that is because you play them on the gramophone overnight." Seol giggles, and she tucks a strand of her hair to the side.