When This Is All Over

In the thick of a city under strict lockdown, Manila’s towering condominiums become hollowed‑out stages for lives paused in place. The streets outside grow silent while the interior of each high‑rise pulses with the quiet desperation of people confined to their own walls. The atmosphere is heavy with the hum of fluorescent lights, the distant echo of sirens, and the ever‑present sense that the world outside has been temporarily switched off, leaving its inhabitants to confront what rises within.

Enter The Guy, a young man whose privileged surroundings mask a restless yearning for something beyond the polished glass and polished façade. Stuck inside his upscale condo, he drifts between idle contemplation and the pressure to find a way out, his thoughts constantly drifting toward a distant family he hopes to reunite with. Though surrounded by affluence, his days are marked by a lingering sense of aimlessness, a desire to break free from the monotony imposed by the pandemic’s constraints.

Across the hall, Rosemarie works the building’s staff corridors with quiet diligence, embodying the hardworking spirit that often goes unnoticed amid the opulence. Their paths cross in fleeting moments—shared breaths on a rooftop, brief exchanges in hallways—each interaction offering a glimpse of a world beyond their respective bubbles. Through these encounters, a tentative friendship forms, bridging a socioeconomic divide and hinting at a deeper connection that steadies both of them against the unrest of the times.

As the city’s lockdown tightens, whispers of rebellion begin to ripple through the otherwise hushed corridors. A small group of residents, eager to reclaim a sense of agency, contemplates an audacious, unsanctioned gathering—a clandestine rave that promises sensory overload and a temporary suspension of the rules that bind them. The idea crackles with the promise of liberation, setting the stage for a tense dance between duty and desire, restraint and release, as the characters navigate the thin line separating order from chaos.

Last Updated: August 28, 2025 at 18:50