Part 1 (Returning Home)

Jakarta's got a lot of stories and memories. This Indonesian capital, with its 10 million plus people, is a whirlwind of activity from sunrise to sunset. Everyone's busy, from the folks opening their shops first thing in the morning, to people heading to work, school, chasing trains, and stuck in traffic. Basically, the capital's always buzzing. Oh... wait... Hold up, it's not the capital anymore, is it? Jakarta isn't the capital anymore. It's the same for them, four friends who have grown up together from childhood to adolescence, but one day, without any clarity, without any goodbye, their friendship of over a decade just vanished, leaving two siblings in Jakarta confused and only able to reminisce about the happy memories in their minds. Tshabina, Tsabinu, Zioh, Zeremia—they were so close, what actually happened? Who knows, even Tshabina and Tsabinu can't answer any of those questions when they come up.

"Biba!!! Biba! Tshabina hei!" Andi yelled, calling out to his friend, who'd arrived 30 minutes early for an important meeting. Only close friends call Tshabina "Biba." "Biba" was a baby nickname for her and her twin, "Bibu," while they were still in the womb, and it stuck. She and her twin, Tshabina and Tsabinu – or Biba and Bibu. And, coincidentally, Andi's been close friends with them since middle school. No grand plan, it just so happened that Andi and Tshabina were always in the same class from middle school through high school, college, and even when they started working, they met again.

"SHHHH.....what's up with all the noise so early in the morning! Stop yelling in the office, dude, you know everyone's got loose lips around here. You really want to be tomorrow's gossip?" Tshabina hissed and scolded her friend who was already making a fuss in their office hallway.

Hearing that, Andi immediately looked around nervously, "Oh come on, are you seriously saying my shouting is gonna make me the talk of the office?" Protested Andi in disbelief.

"You forgot? Last time you came to the office with that pink Stanley tumbler, and the next day everyone was buzzing because they thought you were gay?" Tshabina reminded him.

"That's just because people are so backward! In this day and age, they're still judging by color! I bought the pink one because I saw Kelly Clarkson using it! Maybe if I use it, my voice will also sound like he-" Before he could finish his complaint, Tshabina cut him off with a somewhat firm tone as she spotted a man stepping out of the elevator right in front of them.

"Shh...it's Mr. Aditya." Tshabina quickly tugged at the hem of her friend's shirt.

"Morning, sir.." Both of them spontaneously greeted him, bowing their heads slightly.

"Yeah, morning. Tshabina, we start the meeting in 20 minutes. Please prepare the room and equipment." Their boss said briefly before walking ahead of them.

Seeing that, Andi looked at his friend, raising his eyebrows. "Poor you, girl. You're just a regular employee, but you're always the one getting told to do everything. If I were you, I'd ask to be made a personal assistant. It's always 'Tsabina this,' 'Tsabina that'..." Tsabina cut her friend off, pressing the elevator button to their office floor.

"Enough already, Andi, you've been rambling on and on. I've told you not to talk weird at the office, and change your habit of shouting. My ears are numb! It feels like I'm at the Ragunan Zoo whenever I'm with you!" Tsabina, who was overwhelmed by her friend's behavior, could only sigh.

Getting a response like that, Andi clicked his tongue, while leaning his shoulder against the elevator wall, "Jeez, why so sensitive this early in the morning! You think I'm a monkey?! The loud one in Ragunan, right? AHHHH! Wait, this reminds me, you have to see this, Biba!" Andi shouted, shoving his iPad in Tshabina's face.

"I told you not to yel-" Tshabina couldn't finish her sentence. Her eyes caught sight of a news article displayed clearly on the iPad. Tshabina didn't know how to react, there was a mix of emptiness and sadness when she saw the news, but there was also a flicker of happiness, or more precisely, a sense of relief—at least he was okay, thought Tshabina. Once again, Zioh Danudara's achievements had resulted in the best Architecture trophy in Google's latest office building project. Tshabina stared at the headline intensely for a few seconds.

"Look, Bi! Damn, Zioh is so successful now, it's crazy! He's getting really famous since he moved back to his mom's homeland, AND ALSO, yesterday I bought the latest edition of British Vogue, and yeah, I intended to check out Tom Holland, but you know what? THERE'S ZEREMIAH, DAMN! Those two siblings are killing it as Brits, even though I know they've been smart since we went to school here. They were already rich and, well, kinda famous, cause they're basically a chaebol family. But what I mean is their luck has skyrocketed since their mom-" Again, Andi didn't get to finish. Tshabina cut him off and got out of the elevator as they reached their floor.

"Alright, alright, you're talking too much! Hurry up and help me prepare for the meeting," Said Tshabina, already leaving Andi behind as he tried to catch up.

Actually, Andi knew that Tshabina and Tsabinu always changed the subject whenever it came to their two friends. Ah... correction, former friends. Since Zioh and Zeremia suddenly moved to the United Kingdom, Tshabina and Tsabinu had never talked about their two friends again.

Whenever someone brought up Zioh or Zeremia, they always tried to avoid the topic and looked uncomfortable. When asked about Zioh and Zeremia, the twins would always respond, "I don't know." But they used to be very close, how could they not be? They had been friends since they were 4 years old, not only that, their houses were even next door to each other, their parents were also close and friendly, and they were always together for 13 years until at the end of their high school years, their friendship just faded away especially after Zioh and Zeremia moved to the UK right after that night.

A night filled with painful moments for those four people, not just for them but also for their closest ones. But no one knew what their actual issues were, not even Andi, or even their parents. Only they understood.

---

"Does anyone have suggestions for content ideas? The Superior want us to put out 3 pieces of content to tone down the issues surrounding the recent fuel price hike." Mr. Aditya as their division leader said during their meeting. It just so happened that Tshabina and Andi work as employees of a state-owned enterprise engaged in energy, and they are one of the largest contributors to dividends in Indonesia. They work in the Media Communications division, so their job is to publish all forms of information and document activities carried out by the company. Especially now that they are going to be super busy because the recent fuel price hike has drawn negative reactions from the public towards the company.

"Hmm, for the Instagram account, I have a suggestion to endorse some comic strip accounts, especially since comic strip content is really popular on Instagram right now, like the accounts tahilalats, sampahisasi, komalima. We can provide information with a touch of comedy, at least to help ease people's emotions about the fuel price hike. Then, for the content topic, we can filter out the negative comments that are still flying around so we know what people are actually arguing about regarding this issue, and then we can create content about that using comic strips," Tshabina explained with her input.

"Okay, sounds good. So, please gather the rate cards for each of the comic strip accounts, hmmm... then sort them by the number of followers they have, create the material, and we will have another meeting... this afternoon or tomorrow." Said Mr. Aditya as he stood up, signaling that their meeting this morning was over. Tshabina was already thinking about getting to the station in front of their office to grab a snack before the office elevator got crowded. She felt like she wanted to get to the front of the elevator quickly, so when she was about to call Andi to invite him for lunch, a voice in front of her made her reconsider that plan.

"Ahh Tshabina, come with me please? Mr. Hendrik Thahir wants to meet the colleagues from Medcom to discuss the content for next week's press conference, It's just a rough outline, though. Just write down the main points of his discussion when I'm talking to him." Added Mr. Aditya to her before he stepped out of their meeting room.

"Ah.. y-yes, sir!" Hearing that, Tshabina hurriedly organized her bag, grabbing all her gear and just tossing it into the bag.

Andi, who saw this scene immediately turned to his friend with a faint smile, "Woahh.. you're the one being invited to meet the State-Owned Enterprises Minister, huh? I mean... look, there's Ms. Nisa and Mr. Anto, who are more senior... don't tell me, bib—" Before Andi could finish his sentence, Tshabina had already interrupted him; it seemed that Tshabina's number one hobby was cutting off Andi's conversations.

"How do I look? Come closer, sniff my armpit, does it smell? I'm not stinky, right?" Tshabina said nonchalantly, checking herself out in the small mirror she had put on the table in front of her, occasionally glancing at her armpit.

"Yeah, playing it up, huh? What are you trying to do?" Andi replied suspiciously to her.

"First impressions are important, Andi, especially when it's the Minister."

"Hey, don't be ridiculous, he's married and—" Before Andi could finish his sentence, Tshabina interrupted him again. She knew where he was going with this, and she was in a hurry, so she didn't have time for his nagging.

"IN A GOOD WAY. The last thing I want to be in this life is a homewrecker. No way, under no circumstances will I go for a married man, so before I bash your head in with this mirror, you better shut up, especially since we're at the office, Andi. If I get involved in any kind of scandal because of your nonsense, I'll kick you out of here. It's a good thing our office is on the 20th floor, you might get amnesia from the fall!" Tshabina retorted, slightly annoyed, hurrying out of the meeting room to catch up with her boss who had already left.

"Amnesia, amnesia, I'll die you dumbass, hei bib! Want me to pick something up for you?" Andi yelled after Tshabina had already left him.

"ODENG! TOPOKKI! The spicy broth, and one tuna onigiri!" Tshabina shouted as she stepped into the elevator that wasn't far from their meeting room.

"Don't yell in the office you loudmouth~ you're the one yelling, you idiot clueless woman, HEI! Nisa! Going to Lawson's? Let's go together, I'm scared to cross the street alone." Andi teased, his voice mocking until he yelled again upon seeing one of his office mates.

--

"Okay, so Mr. Aditya, during the press conference, I want the media team to be on standby one hour before it starts. I want our journalists and the media team to discuss first so that the information for the news on the website and social media isn't the same, but the core information conveyed is still related to the discussions in the press conference. Then..." While watching her two bosses chatting, Tshabina focused on writing down the key points of the discussion, occasionally glancing ahead, thinking to herself, when will I get to meet the minister again? I wonder if it's okay to ask him for a photo—

Before Tshabina could finish her daydream, she had already bowed her head, because it seemed her bosses' discussion had wrapped up just as Mr. Hendrik Thahir was leaving the room, leaving Tshabina and her other boss behind.

"I apologize, I stole your lunch time, Tshabina," Said Mr. Aditya, interrupting Tshabina daydream and bringing her attention back to him.

"It's okay, sir. It's my responsibility." Tshabina replied briefly with a friendly smile.

"Yes, I know. You're the one who knows the SOEs core values best: trustworthy, harmonious, adaptive, competent, collaborative, and…" Said Mr. Aditya, he deliberately prolonged the last word, as if asking Tshabina to finish. .

"Loyal, sir." Tshabina immediately completed her boss's words.

"That's right, just like you always do and what you're doing today. But still, I apologize. Usually, Mr. Hendrik doesn't directly handle the content upload issues, but since he will be the speaker at our press conference next week, he wants to add some protocols and instructions. So I want to take responsibility," Mr. Aditya explained at length to Tshabina, who was standing in front of him.

"Excuse me, sir?" Asked Tshabina, not quite understanding her boss's last sentence.

"I've made someone hungry, it's already 2 pm. You have gastritis right? Let's eat together. Coincidentally, I'm having lunch with our colleagues and working business partners for a subsidiary project that will be built in the Setiabudi area, at that new steak restaurant that opened last week. You still like steak, right? Or have you changed your taste? Or maybe you're into Korean food now? I often see you watching Korean dramas during your break." Said Mr.Aditya, making Tshabina flustered, not knowing what to say. She was silent for a few seconds until Mr.Aditya who stood in front of her spoke again.

"Tshabina? Do you want to eat with me, right?" Mr.Aditya asked again.

To be honest, moments like this were the ones Tshabina hated the most about her job. Tshabina didn't like it, she didn't like it when Aditya started acting like this towards her, especially when they were alone, like now.

--

Upon entering the restaurant, the first thing Tshabina saw was a large number of her office superiors having lunch and chatting with each other. There were many other division leaders, managers, and even their CEO. Ugh... Tshabina really hated this. She always felt awkward, especially in her position as a mere ordinary employee, and besides, why did that one boss of hers; Aditya, always enjoy inviting her to events she shouldn't attend.

"Please sit down, Mr. Aditya," Greeted one of the division leaders.

"Thank you," Said Mr.Aditya and then turned to Tshabina who was sitting next to him. "Oh yeah Tshabina I forgot to mention, for the construction of our subsidiary office in Setiabudi, we are actually working with an outsider. Actually, he's Indonesian but has lived abroad for a long time, his father is our investor and our company has taken the initiative to invite his son as the architect for the construction, the founder of INDTV Group, or the Chairman of INDTV Group, Mr. Bakti Danudara, he is our investor, and his son will be working on this project with us - oh there he is." Mr.Aditya's explanation made Tshabina silent. She didn't know how to respond, she could only daydream while nervously biting her lip. What did he say? The founder of INDTV Group? The son of the Chairman of INDTV Group? An architect? So basically, the son of the founder of INDTV Group who is an architect? That... that's…

Before she could finish her anxious thoughts, her boss's speech was interrupted, and she turned to look at the entrance too. Tshabina stared intently at the newly arrived man for a long time. He was tall, with a broad build, wavy black hair, brown eyes, and a casual suit. His clothes and accessories looked very overpriced, and Tshabina could even smell his cologne from this distance. More importantly, he looked very healthy and well.

"Welcome to Indonesia, Mr. Danudara. It's a pleasure to have you with our company, please take a seat," Their CEO greeted, bowing slightly, which was then followed by everyone else in the room.

"Thank you, and don't worry, I can speak Indonesian. I've lived here for 18 years for those who don't know," The man said, taking a seat in one of the empty chairs, more precisely, right in front of Tshabina.

Tshabina daydreamed for a while, looking at the company's honored guest who was sitting and chatting with other colleagues, until a few seconds later their eyes met. That's when Tshabina finally spoke.

"Z... Zi... Zioh..." Tshabina whispered, staring at the man.

That's right, the man sitting in front of her was Zioh Hadyan Danudara. Her former best friend, or rather, her ex-fiancé.