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There had been a running joke about the people of Perlientas that their parents had made them swallow a music recording when they were infants because everyone could sing well and belt out. At least, that was what outsiders believed, but the locals would always be the first to argue it was only a stereotype.

Sure, singing had been ingrained in the city's culture that, for most families, karaoke was a must at every celebration. Sure, one would not have a hard time stumbling upon a person or two who could easily hit the high notes of Celine Dion's 'All By Myself' or Beyoncé's 'Listen' in the most random places.

On the flip side, not all Perlientans were as talented. Some were average like Laurence, who could sing but would never stand a chance of getting through the pre-screening audition for The Voice. And some were tone-deaf like the man in the neighboring KTV room, who was currently ruining Backstreet Boys' 'I Want It That Way' with his flats and sharps.

"Are we still supposed to wait for Mr. Ruiz before we start?" Odessa asked, settling on the corner of the black sofa. Beside her, Laurence sat.

"Was he even serious about hanging out with us?" Jonas picked up the songbook from the table and leaned back against the loveseat further from the door.

"Who knows?" answered Melvin from the side opposite his friend. "We might as well make use of our time here as soon as possible since we're paying hourly rates. Where's Yna?"

As if on cue, the door to the room opened, and came in the female supply officer.

"I just went to the washroom."

Yna passed by Melvin to go to the sofa. Just as she was about to take a seat next to Laurence, the key chains that were attached to her shoulder bag snagged the stem of the plant decoration near the chair, causing it to topple over.

Thankfully, Melvin was quick to react and caught the ceramic vase before it could fall to the floor.

"Gee, thanks." Yna accepted the pot from her friend, placed it back on the side table, and sat down. "I wonder why I see them everywhere. Aren't the little potted trees we have in the office similar to this? Only, this one is smaller."

Laurence slanted his head to peer at the plant in question. He noted how the stems intertwined, forming a resemblance to a tree trunk. Five elongated leaves grew on the ends of each stalk. Indeed, it looked like a miniature of the ones they had in the main office.

He lost the chance to get the plant's name out of his tongue when Melvin beat him into it.

"Money trees? Right. They are the same plants as the ones in the building, but maybe this one was cultivated to become a bonsai."

"What's its name again?" Jonas stopped flipping through the songbook, one brow shooting up while the other creased. Not only the pendant lights but also an imaginary question mark reflected in his eyes. "Money tree?"

Melvin raised his shoulders. "It's said to bring in abundance and prosperity. Grandma has always believed they signify wealth and good luck."

In approval of his coworker's trivia, Laurence nodded. He thought it might have been for the best that he'd not gotten the chance to speak earlier. Just let Melvin do the talking to avoid making it awkward again in case he said something very un-Florence-like.

Odessa opened her mouth, making a soundless 'ah.'

Yna poured herself a glass of cold water from the pitcher. "So that's why I often see them in business establishments. Even Renascence Café has them. Anyway, your grandma sure loves these superstitions, huh?"

"Can't even disagree with that. She's into feng shui too, and aside from a money tree, she also has a Chinese money plant in her house."

The crinkles on Jonas's forehead deepened. "What? So there's also something called a money plant, and it's different from a money tree?"

"Apparently. Have seen them. They look different, but they're said to signify the same thing," Melvin said with another shrug. He took the remote control and switched the television on. A mechanical female voice and a short melody welcomed them as the monitor lit up.

Before Laurence could catch himself, he blurted out, "The latter's called Pilea."

His four colleagues turned to him. Jonas's questioning gaze was now aimed in his direction. Odessa stared like she would always do whenever she waited for Rence to elaborate.

The terrible singer next door had finished disrespecting BSB's music. Instead, a woman was performing Vanessa Carlton's 'A Thousand Miles' with ease; her honeyed voice might have been healing the ears of those who were confined in their room and had to sit through the spectacle of their other companion a minute ago.

A short hum escaped Yna. "Pilea?"

Laurence grinned sheepishly, realizing late that his plan to keep his lips buttoned had fallen through. And there was no backtracking now. "Pilea, the Chinese money plant..."

He faltered as the door opened again.

Isaac entered, prompting everyone to pause and give him the attention his presence commanded.

Following behind like a dog, Warren walked in. He scanned the room through his glasses, a scowl still etched on his face as if someone had forced him to be here.

"You can sit down here, sir." Melvin sprang to his feet.

In coordinated movements, Jonas scooted over on the two-seater couch to give space for Melvin when the latter transferred to his side.

The young boss settled down, and Warren took the single sofa beside him.

A female and two male staff arrived, bringing in the trays of their orders. The diner assistants placed the plates of food on the table. Calamari. Shanghai and dynamite spring rolls. Roasted peanuts. Chicken nuggets. Pizza. Nachos with cheese. Raw veggie sticks.

Laurence sighed internally, relieved when he saw the pan of rice vermicelli noodles. A real food, at last, although he would have preferred to have actual rice.

The employees told them they were delivering the drinks in a minute and asked if the group would like to add something else. Jonas let Isaac and Warren know they went for lager beers, but if they wanted something harder, the place had soju too. The female worker added that canned mocktails were also available for anyone who would rather have something non-alcoholic.

In the end, everyone agreed to have beers. Fruit-flavored ones for Yna, Odessa, and Melvin; standard for the rest.

"So we were just talking about..." Jonas began as the staff went away to get their drinks. Now that there was nothing else to distract them anymore, the awkward atmosphere in the room since Isaac's appearance could no longer be ignored. The supply officer fiddled with the pages of the songbook. "Well, Melvin was telling us some interesting facts about the money trees, like the ones in the main office. How they bring in good luck."

Melvin nudged his friend on the ribs, but Jonas ignored him while examining the remote control he'd snatched from the other man.

Across from them at the table, Warren curled his upper lip and gave the pair a once-over.

Witnessing the expression of disdain, Laurence rolled his eyes. He directed his unimpressed gaze at the young CEO, who was busy with his phone again, oblivious to the nervousness he'd induced in his employees.

Why are you even here?

"Yeah, they remind me of the four-leaf clovers," Yna mumbled, contributing to Jonas's earlier attempt to diffuse the uneasiness in the area.

"It's seven leaves for the money tree."

All eyes darted to the source of the flat statement. Isaac remained fixated on his device, unbothered by the puzzled gazes thrown at him.

Because the young CEO didn't seem thrilled to explain himself, Jonas tried for a casual exchange again. "Ah, yeah... Yes," he said with a forced chuckle. Remote control in hand, he inputted a few numbers on the karaoke TV.

Everyone's attention went to the device mounted on the wall. The automated female voice counted down while the timer appeared on the screen.

Three. Two. One. The intro of I'm Yours by Jason Mraz filled the room.

Jonas cleared his throat, the sound reverberating through the microphone, before he started singing, drowning out the buzzes from the next door.

Nice, Laurence thought, at least he ain't screwing it up.

The tension brought on by their boss's attendance dissipated as the ND Corporation employees got lost in the performance. Yna went next with the English version of Sparkle by RADWIMPS, followed by Melvin with Side A's Forevermore.

Laurence took a sip of his lager and watched as Melvin closed his eyes while he sang, reveling in the emotions of the music. No wonder this trio of friends had chosen a place with a KTV; they all had singing voices that were a shame to be kept hidden.

Laurence popped a few pieces of roasted peanuts in his mouth. He smirked when the two other supply officers clapped and whistled, mock cheering for their friend. Beside him, Odessa beamed and applauded as well.

"The next song's still mine," Melvin said on the mic.

"Go off." Yna laughed while eating a slice of pizza. She offered the songbook to her seatmates.

With a wave of her hand, Odessa explained she didn't have a pleasant singing voice. Laurence stalled by saying he had yet to remember the title of a certain song he liked.

"How about you, sir? Would you like to try?"

Maybe it was only out of courtesy that Yna had asked the young CEO, but Isaac surprised everyone when he put away his phone in his pocket and accepted the songbook.

Warren gaped. His hand holding the can of beer froze an inch away from his mouth.

A choking sound came from Laurence's right side, but he could not tell if Odessa was caught off guard by the spiciness of the green chili in the dynamite spring roll or shocked by Isaac's response.

Melvin missed a few notes as a soft gasp broke free from his lips.

The karaoke show carried on. Another Western pop music resonated in the four corners of the room as Jonas had his second shot. Still, it did nothing to override the prominent apprehensions of the occupants.

When Isaac held the microphone at last, everyone seemed to have forgotten to breathe. Anxiousness rushed through Laurence; he suddenly felt as if he was a stage dad who was both excited and nervous to witness his child's most awaited performance. And judging by how his colleagues fidgeted around him, he suspected they were all the same.

An unfamiliar melody permeated the area. Laurence picked out the slow tune from a drum set and piano.

And then, a rich vocal added to the music.

I often find myself going astray

Walking fast, running slow, no destination at all

Where are my feet going to lead me? What are my eyes searching for?

They don't know, I don't know

I may be chasing, trying to reach for the unknown

If there's no space for me here, maybe somewhere faraway

I'll find the place where I belong

Goosebumps crawled on every bit of Laurence's skin as he stared, spellbound, at the singing Isaac. Lost in the distinct, deep voice, the rest of the lyrics flew over his head. But he didn't need to comprehend the words for the song to touch his soul. He gulped and blinked, sensing the urge to cry as overwhelming emotions coursed through his whole being.

Isaac wore the usual impassive expression on his face, but the bittersweet sentiment every time he uttered the lyrics exquisitely could not be denied. This was a person who was always so reserved, always had his guard up. But at that second, it was as if the high wall he'd built around himself created a crack. And if one cared enough to peer through the narrow gap, they would discover a young man who had waited since forever to be found inside.

Laurence curled his hand into a fist when the desire to reach out took over. He wanted to connect with him. He wanted to be the one to find the real Isaac. Like how it had been around ten years ago.

Fearing he would get carried away, Laurence stood up and excused himself. He left the room, passed by the reception area, and proceeded to the foyer.

That surprised me. He tilted his head skyward and closed his eyes, breathing in the cool air of the January night. Isaac's bass voice, which fit the R&B song, replayed in his mind.

Who'd have thought that punk could sing that well?

"That reminds me," Laurence whispered into the space, opening his eyes and smirking ironically. "He's a son of a former band's vocalist."

For a few more minutes, he stuck around in front of the establishment, entertaining himself with the view of colorful festive lights from the huge house across the road. Laurence went back inside once he was certain he had gotten a hold of himself.

As he approached their rented KTV space, he spotted his young boss outside the room, lounging by the closed door and browsing through his smart device. As usual.

What's even that something so important in your phone that you can't seem to ignore? If I know, you're just playing Candy Crush. Laurence snorted as he thought of his previous team's foreman and Engineer Abel, who both always spent their breaks enjoying that certain mobile game.

He opened the door, hesitated for a second, and glanced at Isaac to confirm if he would not go in yet, but the man did not even pay him any heed. With a huff, he re-entered the KTV room.

A mellow instrumental tune played inside, but none of his colleagues were singing. The microphone rested, abandoned, on the coffee table. Everyone was occupied with the food and drink; all eyes focused on the moving texts on the television screen.

Laurence went back to his seat in between his two female coworkers.

"What's going on? You guys taking a break?"

"Not really," Jonas said. He shoved a forkful of vermicelli noodles into his mouth.

"It's Mr. Ruiz's. He must have received an important message on his phone earlier, so he had to step out a bit. He told us we could take it if his song came up and he wasn't back yet," Yna explained. With her hand, she gestured at the KTV system. "But none of us knows this. We didn't want to skip it either, in case Mr. Ruiz came back soon."

Laurence turned to the monitor and read the flashing lyrics.

So many questions, no answers at all

The reason I've been able to breathe is no longer breathing

I love you's are nothing but empty words

To you who can hear no more

Kisses are meaningless against your icy skin that can't feel

A contemplative frown formed on Laurence's face. Well, that's kinda dark, but... "I think I've heard this song before," he muttered and started humming with the melody.

This time, Laurence had no excuse to refuse when Odessa picked up the mic and pointed it close to his mouth. His lips rose and tightened. Rather begrudgingly, he took the device from his female colleague and began singing the next verse.

Too late, I can't turn back the clock

I don't need a rewind, but just another chance

To tell you how much you mean in my life

His voice quavered at the first line before steadying little by little. Just as he was about to dive into the outro, the young boss stepped inside.

Laurence threw a glimpse at the door, his fingers around the microphone twitching as his gaze met Isaac's. He averted his eyes and kept reciting the words of the music.

Why do regrets always come last?

I can scream, I can cry,

But none of those can wake you up again.

Once the song ended, Isaac informed his employees he was taking leave first because something important came up.

Unsurprisingly, Warren, who had been acting and treated like a statue the whole time, checked out a minute after the young CEO's exit. He walked off the room, but not before giving his officemates another jeer.

"What's that dude's problem?" Jonas made a face and sipped his beer.

"Forget about him," Yna said, offering the shanghai spring rolls to Laurence, which the latter received on his plate with thanks. "He doesn't matter at all. Let's talk about Mr. Ruiz singing that... I'm not familiar with that song, but, wow. Did you guys hear his voice?"

"We were here too, Yna, and we have working ears," Jonas pointed out.

"Okay, sure. So what I was trying to say is, damn, we must have been so lucky to witness that performance. If those people in the office heard that too, most of them would have gone even crazier for him. But that really shocked me. I'm glad we got to invite him, although I was nervous about the idea at first."

Laurence nodded absentmindedly. He crunched a piece of shanghai roll, licking the crumbs of the fried wrapper that had fallen on his lower lip. Wistfulness visited him as the savory flavor of ground pork hit his tongue. This was one of his late little brother's favorite foods. LJ would often ask their mom to make this roll together with sweet spaghetti on his every birthday.

"Actually, you surprised me too, Florence."

Laurence tore his attention off the fried dish and fixed it on Melvin.

The male supply officer stared at him with an unreadable expression. "None of us was familiar with that last song, yet you didn't seem to have any problem singing it for someone who's supposedly forgotten his..." Melvin stopped and knitted his brows, appearing as if he was having some second thoughts.

There were a few seconds of delay before Laurence got his coworker's drift. His eyes widened.

Way to go, Laurence. So much for not behaving very un-Florence-like. You even did something any amnesiac person would not normally do.

"Ah, never mind." Melvin ran his fingers through his hair. "It's not really any of our business. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone there. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Jonas delivered a playful slap on his friend's arm while Yna touched Laurence's shoulder, like they were telling both men not to make a big deal out of it anymore.

"Thank you," Laurence whispered, relief washing over him. He did not say anything more, worried he would only make his coworkers more suspicious if he did.

He let out a deep breath and ate the rest of the shanghai roll in his hand. At the back of his mind, a voice gave him a firm reminder to be extra mindful of his actions and words in the future.

Laurence told himself he might have been safe for now. But how many more oversights would it take before his cover would be blown?