Love and Fame | Mikha x Fem Reader

CHAPTER TEN - ASAP

The energy inside the ASAP studio was on a completely different level today. The crowd was massive, sobrang dami than usual. Naririnig ko na ang mga chants nila backstage palang, kahit sa dressing room. The staff were busy running around, para lang ihanda lahat ng mga kailangan. Lahat ng artists naghahanda na rin.

And me? I was sitting on a chair, kabadong-kabado, paulit-ulit ko lang na tinitignan ang cue cards na hawak ko na muntikan ko nang masaulo.

"Breathe, Y/n. Kaya mo 'to," I whispered to myself, pero mas lalo lang akong kinabahan.

Paano kung magkamali ako? Paano kung matapilok ako? Baka bigla akong mautal?!

Paano kung-

"Hoy." A hand suddenly waved in front of my face. Si Ate Maloi.

"Relax ka nga diyan. Kaya mo 'to! Hindi ka naman nandito kung hindi mo kaya, noh!"

Sinubukan kong ngumiti, pero halata namang pilit. "Easy for you to say, ate. You've done this kind of thing a million times. Ako? Isa pa lang, tas live pa with this crowd?"

She crouched in front of me, holding my hand gaya ng ginagawa niya lagi tuwing ninenerbyos ako. "Makinig ka sakin, Y/n. Pinili ka dahil may talent ka, alam ng mga tao na kaya mo, and let's be real, ang lakas ng charisma mo."

Napatawa lang ako. "Flattery won't save me from humiliating myself on national TV."

"Hindi 'yan bola, totoo 'yan!" she said, tapping my hand. "And besides, andito lang ako. If you need anything, signal ka lang. Kunwari mahihimatay ka, ganun. Ako bahala."

Bago pa ako makasagot, Kuya Robi entered the room, his usual cheerful self. "Y/n, ready ka na ba? Ako na magsasabi sa'yo, once you get out there, your nerves will turn into excitement. Maniwala ka sakin."

"Kuya, ikaw naman kasi, sanay na sanay ka na rin-"

"Hala, sino may sabi? Akala mo lang 'yon! Dati nga, nagkamali ako ng script sa live show, pero anong nangyari? Wala lang! Smile and wave lang, like a penguin!"

Ate Maloi smirked. "Tama 'yan. Kung magkamali ka man, di bale na! Mas lalo ka pa nga mamahalin ng fans mo, noh!"

I sighed. "That's easy to say, pero..."

"Ano ka ba, cous?" she cut me off, hawak na niya ang magkabilang braso ko. "Gusto mo ba ng pep talk o gusto mo mas stressin kita? Look, hindi mo kontrolado ang iniisip ng iba. What you can control is how you show up today. So stand up, smile, and fake that confidence until it becomes real."

I gave her a small smile. "Thanks, ate... ikaw na talaga fav ko."

"Dapat lang," she said smugly.

My manager peeked into the room then. "Y/n, five minutes."

My heart dropped.

Bakit ang bilis ng oras?!

"Y/n," ateMaloi said, standing up, "Magiging okay ka. Just breathe, okay?"

As I stood up, I felt a bit better. Pero hindi mawala ang kaba na kahit anong isipin ko ay parang hindi na mababago. At sobrang attentive ni ate Maloi ngayon, which wasn't really her style.

What's going on?

I shook the thought away. No time to overthink. Showtime.

Habang palakad sa studio, I could hear the cheers from the audience growing louder. Sumilip ako sandali at mas lumala pa ang kaba ko.