×Remember Again×

"Are you two really sure you want to stay here for a while?"

Karel asked once the three of them arrived at his family’s old house in South Jakarta.

Located in the elite residential area of Pakubuwono, this was Karel’s childhood home—up until he turned eleven. After that, the family moved to the United States because his father had a job overseas he couldn’t leave behind. Since then, Karel had no idea what condition this house was in. Whether it was still livable or not was a mystery.

His father, Endru, and mother, Estell, exchanged glances, briefly shrugging as if they weren’t too sure either—after all, how would they know until they checked inside?

"I just hope it’s still livable..." said Estell, ever the practical one. "It would be a waste of money to book a hotel or rent an apartment again."

Karel looked at his mom, then turned to his dad.

"As for me," Endru replied calmly, "whatever your mom wants is fine by me."

"Hmm..." Karel hummed, then nodded.

"In that case..." he paused for dramatic effect, then wrapped his arms around both of his parents.

"Let’s clean this house together!"

Like superheroes, the three of them transformed into cleaning gear in a flash—complete with capes! Each held their own cleaning tools: Karel with a broom and dustpan, his dad with a duster and hand cloth, and his mom with a mop and bucket. Their superhero capes fluttered in sync, glittering with stars descending from the sky, like a commercial ad scene.

Yep, Karel helped Estell and Endru clean the inside of the house. The front yard and roof inspections? Those would be handled by the workers his father had already called. The same workers who used to help out back when the Arisatya family still lived in Jakarta. One of them, Pak Dono, had been the family gardener. He also brought two friends along to help today.

The cleaning reminded Karel of his childhood memories... particularly the bad ones from elementary school. He used to be bullied often, and it completely crushed his confidence when it came to making friends. His only daily companion back then was his sister, Vivianda Amanda Arisatya.

He was bullied for being chubby, wearing round glasses, and having very narrow eyes. The kids thought he looked so mismatched—his appearance made him a target. They used to call him “Barongsai,” poking fun at his Chinese-Semarang heritage, using that dragon dance figure as a mockery. Karel nearly dropped out of school because of all the bullying.

But one person made school bearable back then.

A girl—a lifesaver. Besides his sister, there was another who stood up for him. She was his sister’s peer, named Frastyana. As Karel remembered, she was cheerful and bold, the most confident person he'd ever met. She seemed completely immune to shame and defended him fiercely. Sometimes, when he got picked on, it was his sister and Frastyana who took the heat instead.

Actually, Frastyana wasn’t even her first name—but Karel couldn’t recall what it was. He only remembered his sister and her friend had some secret agreement to call each other by their middle names. He never understood why, but that’s what they did. So, Karel didn’t really know her full name. Perhaps the memory loss stemmed from the trauma he endured after being kidnapped years ago. Many of his memories were missing—including the good ones with his sister and her friend, back when they still lived in Jakarta.

"Dad."

Endru glanced over while still cleaning, wiping the window near the kitchen door.

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember our old neighbors—the ones who used to live right across the street?"

Endru paused to think.

"Umm... yeah," he replied. "I remember. Why?"

"Do they still live there?" Karel asked, hopeful.

"No idea," Endru replied shortly. "I’m not sure." He moved on to clean another area of the house.

Karel looked disappointed by the answer. He pouted a bit and resumed sweeping the floor.

While everyone was still busy, Karel decided to take a short break. He sat on the front porch, legs stretched out, whistling softly as he looked around.

When one of the workers passed by—someone his father had hired for today—Karel stood up from his seat and stopped him. He wasn’t sure, but there was something he needed to ask—about the girl, his sister’s friend, Frastyana.

He recognized the face—it was the family’s old gardener. The man hadn't changed much after all these years.

"Sir," Karel called, gently tapping his shoulder.

The man turned around to face him.

"Yes, young master?"

Back in the day, this gardener used to call Karel Aden—a respectful nickname for the master's child.

"You’re... Pak Dono, right?" Karel asked hesitantly, afraid he got it wrong.

"Yes, young master, this is Pak Dono," the man answered with a light smile.

Karel, now feeling more at ease, made small talk with Pak Dono before diving into the real question.

"Do you still visit this area, sir? Do you remember our neighbors across the street—the ones with a daughter named Frastyana?" He tried to dig a little deeper.

"Ah yes, of course, I remember them," Pak Dono nodded.

"Do they still live there?" Karel asked, pointing discreetly at the house across the street.

"No, young master. If I remember correctly, not long after your family left for the U.S., they moved out too. I also heard the girl’s mother has been in poor health." Pak Dono glanced toward the house as well.

"I see..." Karel mumbled, wondering how the girl’s family had been all these years.

"Yes, young master."

Karel vaguely recalled the family being as well-off as his. The girl often wore a bracelet with the letter F on it. His sister had one with the letter A. The bracelets had little heart-shaped magnets in the center that connected together.

---

Meanwhile...

Staylie was lounging in the TV room, enjoying her favorite pastime—watching Thai dramas during her free time. As she watched, she sampled the chocolate cake given to her yesterday by the VIP hotel guest.

She took her first bite. And the taste...

It was like she floated into the sky. A chocolate-themed sky. Even the fountains were pouring chocolate.

"Oh my God, this is insanely good..."

She kept devouring each piece of the cake. The taste was so familiar, though. She couldn’t quite place it... but she was sure she had tasted something like it before.

"Whose cake recipe does this remind me of... hmm..." She kept wondering, trying to recall the flavor’s origin.

"Ugh... I’m doomed, Lun..." Lana suddenly dropped beside her on the couch. Her older sister was on the phone with someone.

"I don’t even know if I’ll show up or not. Let’s just see..."

Lana, noticing that Staylie was chewing on something, glanced at the table. She spotted the open rectangular cake box.

"Alright, talk soon. Byeee." Lana ended her call with Kaluna.

"Aren’t you working today, Sty?" she asked while opening a work document on her phone.

"Nope," Staylie replied without looking up. She reached for another slice of chocolate cake. "I got the day off today."

"Oh, I see..." Lana replied while nodding, eyes still glued to her phone screen.

"What about you, Sis? Not working today?"

"I am. Just working from home—not going to the studio."

Staylie responded with a casual “Ohh,” while continuing to watch her show and munch on the cake.

Tap!

Lana’s hand reached toward the cake box—but Staylie snatched it away just in time. She hugged the rectangular box close to her chest.

"Sty," Lana frowned.

Staylie’s eyes widened as she pulled the cake even farther from her sister’s reach.

"Just a bite, come on! Don’t be so stingy!" Lana groaned, still trying to grab it.

"No way!" Staylie got up from the couch, holding the box like it was sacred.

"Ugh, seriously, Sty?!" Lana grumbled, crossing her arms.

Staylie headed to her room after turning off the TV...

But whoosh!—Lana moved like lightning, seizing the chocolate cake box while her sister was off guard.

"Sis!" Staylie shrieked, dashing after her.

Too late—Lana had already fled from sight.

"Give it back! That’s my chocolate caaaake!" Staylie's voice echoed dramatically through the house.

And just like that, the two sisters ended up playing tag.

Until—yep—Staylie tripped over the table leg and fell face-first. Haha!