The MRT was late.
Again.
Sweat pooled at the back of his neck as he stood packed between strangers, their collective silence louder than the screech of the rails. Phones in hands. Eyes dead. Everyone waiting, for the next stop, for payday, for something to change.
I glanced at my phone.
8:45 AM
Office time was 9:00AM
"Shit, I'd barely make it in time"
I thought to myself
When the train lurched forward, I didn't stumble. I was used to it. I was used to everything now: late nights, pointless reports, fake smiles, and the slow grind of a life that had long lost color.
My name is Alvarez Ilagan. A 27 year old guy who works at a mid-sized logistics and distribution company located in Manila, called:
Brenze Corporation
I didn't wanna work there,
I never did. But due to the
circumstances of my life...
I had to.
I was an only child.
I studied at Yapingan University,
One of the most prestigious
university in Metro Manila.
Before that?
Just a quiet student with forgettable high school memories. Except for a few close friends I eventually drifted apart from.
I was never a "genius".
Just above average at best.
I never admitted, but i did try my best , yet it was never enough.
Regardless of my efforts, i could never stand out the way others did.
I earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS).
My parents wanted me to become a Software Engineer because of the good salary. I never knew why Software Engineering specifically, but good salary is good salary.
Even though i really wanted to become a YouTuber. A content creator. Someone who can film whatever content they wanna film and earn money from it.
I decided that, that dream can wait.
Money had to come first.
To become a software engineer, earn enough money and start a hobby as a YouTuber before making it a career.
Turns out I would achieve neither.
The job market was competitive.
Too competitive for me to handle.
It was stressing. Most of the time, I didn't even know if i passed or not, they take too long to reach back, to tell me if i passed the interview, and sometimes, they never even do. They just ghost me.
After months of rejections, I knew I was becoming a burden to my parents. They never said it, but I could feel it. So when I finally landed a job, unrelated to my degree, I grabbed it.
Moved out, and rented the cheapest apartment I could find near work.
I still had to commute, but it was better than nothing.
The first few days at Brenze were awkward.
It was my first real job.
I never had part-time work before, only a few small freelance gigs online.
I wasn't even good at those.
But at least it made me a few pesos.
Months has passed since then.
This routine became repetitive.
Wake up. Commute. Work. Eat. Sleep.
Repeat.
All to earn a mediocre salary, while enduring a toxic environment.
My manager was retarded.
My colleagues were unbearable.
But i needed to keep enduring it.
Soon loosing the passion i had for content creation.
Until one day,
everything changed.
In the middle of that 'ordinary' morning, crammed inside a train, exhausted and dozy...
A glowing digital interface blinked into view. Right Infront of my eyes:
| [SYSTEM] INITIALIZING |