Elana's Agenda. Monday, September 15
7:00 a.m.: Take Timy and Kelly to pet school, then head to the agency (don't forget to buy an Americano!) 8:00 a.m.: Photoshoot for Wardah's new product 9:30 a.m.: On the way to Tangerang (don't forget to buy wet food!) to be the TikTok livestream host for a perfume brand 11:30 a.m.: Back to Jakarta, lunch with Mr. Thamrin (hopefully it falls through!) 1:00 p.m.: Casting 2:00 p.m.: Marina lotion commercial shoot 3:00 p.m.: Apartment hunt with Tama (if possible, find a cheap one. It's okay if it's a little haunted.)
Elana let out a heavy sigh and looked back at the day's schedule she'd written in the Remember app on her iPad. Today's schedule was no different from yesterday's—or even last week's. Everything felt monotonous and exhausting.
No, she wasn't complaining. Elana loved her job, but wasn't it normal to feel bored sometimes? Especially since she hadn't gotten a day off last Sunday. Come on! Since when did she ever get time off on a public holiday? Her job was modeling, not being a government employee who got every weekend and national public holiday off. Every day and date felt the same. Her calendar didn't have a single number in red.
Her hand reached for the Americano she'd bought a few minutes earlier from the café across from the agency. It was her usual Americano, which she had no choice but to drink almost every day if she wanted to stay awake until her schedule was over. The cute barista already knew her order by heart and always prepared an iced Americano with an extra shot before she even ordered.
Ah! Elana had forgotten to ask for the cutie's WhatsApp number.
What was his name again? Elana frowned as she twirled the Americano cup, then chuckled when her eyes landed on the barista's name on the receipt still stuck to the cup.
"Vincent..." she murmured, chuckling again before startling at someone clicking their tongue behind her. Elana spun around in the makeup chair she was sitting in and grumbled when she found Tama looking at her skeptically.
"How many times do I have to tell you? He's already got a girlfriend." Tama grumbled as he set his bag on the table, then grabbed Elana's iPad from the vanity table. The move made Elana frown.
"Who?" she asked in confusion, making Tama roll his eyes before gesturing with his chin toward the Americano in Elana's hand.
"The barista out front," Tama replied, making Elana blink before her ears turned red and she grew flustered.
"Huh? So what if he's already—how do you know?" Elana stared blankly for a moment, then quickly shook her head when Tama opened his mouth. "No! It's not important! Don't answer that."
Tama snorted as he walked over to the sofa, his eyes never leaving the iPad in his hands. He wrote tomorrow's schedule and edited today's, as things like that happened all the time. Sometimes Elana or even the brand could cancel or reschedule a booking without warning.
As her manager, Tama was constantly driven crazy by Elana's packed schedule and the last-minute cancellations that happened so often. Like this time—just look at his rumpled face. Elana was sure Tama had gotten here even before the nasi uduk vendors out front had opened their stalls.
"And you turned down a date with Kaiden? Come on, that's perfect! He's really taking off because his movie blew up yesterday. He's got more than ten million followers too—great for some tacky publicity gimmick," Tama muttered.
Elana rolled her eyes and sighed, leaning her back against the chair before taking another sip of her Americano. Tama could be pretty blunt, annoying, and kind of obnoxious, but even so, Elana loved that man dearly.
Tama wasn't just Elana's manager. He was like an older brother who was always picking fights with her while looking out for her at the same time. Tama would get angry if their boss didn't give her a break. He'd defend her and object whenever their boss ordered Elana to do something ridiculous just for the sake of popularity. Even so, Tama also constantly bothered and teased her simply because he enjoyed insulting Elana—especially when it made her mad.
Just like what he'd said a moment ago, it had already become a topic of discussion for their boss—the agency's CEO—ever since that Kaiden guy had announced to the entire agency staff that he had a crush on Elana.
"I don't like younger men," Elana replied calmly.
That was enough to make Tama snort loudly. "You think that barista is around the same age as Yoga?"
Elana chuckled. Speaking of Yoga, he was the agency's CEO, the boss they were discussing—the dapper thirty-eight-year-old who might have a little NPD.
She wasn't crushing on the cute barista. Maybe there was nothing wrong with making a new friend, right? What was wrong with expanding her network? Then she could order her Americano more easily without having to wait in line. Besides, with her incredibly hectic schedule and packed daily life, Elana wouldn't have time to go on dates anyway.
Elana could already imagine her boyfriend yelling at her because she'd forgotten to reply to his message asking whether she'd eaten. And then there was her schedule, which would make it difficult for him to take her out and enjoy a Saturday night. They wouldn't be able to put up with how busy she was. And let's not forget the snarky netizens who would drag her if her future boyfriend failed to live up to their expectations.