"How are you now, Jay?" asked Rudi, a kind and attractive man.
"Fine, still the same as ever," Jay replied with a smile, but his eyes held a melancholy tone.
"Thank goodness, then We haven't seen each other in almost five years. I thought you'd moved on." Rudi asked again, asking about Jay.
The two were best friends who had been close since college, but after a year they graduated, Jay experienced a situation he never could have imagined, which ultimately led to his disappearance.
"Yes, time has flown by, and before I know it, we're already 30," Jay replied with a sigh, as if remembering the fleeting years of youth.
"Those were wonderful times," he seemed to reminisce about the college years they had spent together.
"Hey... what are you guys talking about?!" A cheerful, mature woman's voice greeted the two.
"Here's the one we've been waiting for! Hey Luna, long time no see!" Rudi greeted happily.
"Yeah, you look quite cheerful," Jay also commented.
"Ahhh, sorry guys for keeping you waiting. There's a student who broke school rules, and I have to deal with him first. So, once again, I apologize for keeping you waiting," Luna replied apologetically.
As they sat down in the chairs provided, the three were good friends who had been friends since college. However, due to their busy schedules, they rarely saw each other, especially Jay, who had disappeared for several years.
And just last Sunday, he informed them that they were meeting again for a reunion.
"Still like old times, a portion of beef ribs and warm white rice?" Rudi asked jokingly, pointing to the menu on their table.
This time, the three decided to meet at a cafe in a quiet area on the outskirts of Detos.
"You still remember it, Rudi," Luna replied happily, knowing her best friend remembered her favorite food.
"How about you, Jay? Is it still seafood fried rice with spicy sauce?" Rudi then asked Jay, telling him about his favorite dishes.
"Yes, you still remember my favorite food, Rudi, that's amazing. And in return, let me remember yours... a portion of beef soto with spicy rice, how about it?" Jay repeated Rudi's favorite dishes that he remembered.
"Ohhh... you still remember my favorite food, that's good, it means we still care about each other, ahhahah!" He laughed happily when his friend also mentioned his favorite food.
#######
On a quiet street, around 9 p.m., the summer breeze felt cool in the town of Detos.
As a satellite city of the nation's capital, Detos, which is only about half the size of Singapore, has a population of over 1.5 million.
This makes the town relatively dense, although the southern part of Detos borders the Bintang Mountains.
The scenery still looked quite beautiful, with many trees and a well-maintained greenery.
Here, in every ordinary home, there are several trees and plants growing and tended in their yards.
This makes the southern part of Detos feel cooler than other areas of the city, which have seen massive development.
And now, on a quiet paved road in the southern part of Detos, a red 125cc automatic motorcycle is seen quietly moving.
A man wearing a blue jacket and jeans is riding leisurely, speeding along at 40 km/h.
That figure is Jay, on his way to his home in a village south of Detos.
Jay, now 30 years old, is unemployed and appears slightly overweight, standing at 175 cm and weighing 67 kg.
Jay isn't exactly handsome, but he's quite pleasing to the eye.
For some reason, Jay believes his appearance qualifies him as a sweet man, and a sweet man is better than a handsome man.
Because women won't get bored with a sweet guy, while handsome guys will just pass by as boredom sets in.
And that's what Jay believes, at least it's proven by the several girlfriends he's had over the years.
Passing the main intersection, it took about another 10 minutes on his automatic motorcycle to reach his neighborhood, which was on an alternative route.
Finally, after driving for almost an hour, Jay arrived at a deserted yard.
A headlight shone brightly out front. The yard fence, which makes the yard quite bright at night.
Opening the iron fence of the yard, Jay was greeted by a 30-square-meter yard, with several potted ornamental plants and a papaya tree planted in the yard.
Unnoticeable at night, unlocking the door, Jay drove his automatic motorcycle inside.
This was done because, although security in Detos City is quite good, for some reason, theft of automatic and electric motorcycles is quite common at night.
So, it has become a habit for Jay to drive his automatic motorcycle inside the house.
The house, which is approximately 150 square meters, has three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.
Built over 15 years ago, with the passage of time, some parts are looking old and in need of renovation.
Despite this, Jay, who had apparently returned home, appeared less than enthusiastic and, in fact, a little lost, as if he still lacked the motivation to make changes in his life.
Going to the bathroom to clean himself up and change into his pajamas, Jay paused as he passed the living room.
With a heavy sigh, he glanced to his left at a cabinet filled with decorations and other items in the living room.
There was a framed A4-sized photo of four people.
After a few seconds of staring at the photo, Jay sighed and returned to his room to sleep.
#####
The next morning, bright sunlight shone through the old green curtains in Jay's room.
From there, a normal, slightly messy room was visible, with Jay still asleep on a queen-sized bed.
"Kringggg...kring..." the sound of his phone alarm woke Jay.
"Emmmm," Jay opened his eyes and skillfully turned off the alarm.
Looking at the 6:30 a.m. time on his phone, Jay decided to get up.
"Yawn!!!"
"Yeah, I still feel the same!!" He said lazily, deciding to go to the bathroom to freshen up.
After a 10-minute shower and change, Jay went to the kitchen.
Opening the refrigerator, Jay found only one chicken egg left, along with a few potatoes and carrots.
Moving to the rice storage area, Jay discovered that there were only about 3 liters of rice left.
Seeing this, Jay consciously reached into his back pocket and pulled out a thin, faded black wallet.
Opening the wallet, Jay found only about 7 dollars and 40 cents left in his wallet.
Looking at his thin wallet, Jay shook his head and decided to quickly cook the rice and make breakfast.
Grabbing a few measuring cups of rice, Jay thoroughly rinsed the rice in the sink.
After rinsing several times and ensuring the rice was clean, Jay added water using the tip of his ring finger.
Afterward, Jay put the rice in the rice cooker and waited half an hour for it to cook.
During the wait, Jay decided to open the door and let in the morning air.
Going outside and sitting on the front porch, Jay took out his phone and opened an online novel app.
After logging in and entering his password, Jay was immediately connected to his author account.
However, a feeling of anxiety mixed with hope filled Jay's heart.
Especially when he saw the 5th of the month in the top right corner of his phone screen, Jay began to feel a surge of anticipation.
Logging into the back of his account and seeing the payment menu, Jay consciously clicked on the screen.
A few seconds later, the payment menu appeared. Jay, who had been full of hope, was now weak and, with an unbearable feeling of sadness, simply said, "Why?" And he closed the app again with a heavy heart.
"It's been over four years, and only in the beginning and middle did everything seem okay.
But now... it all seems to be over. I can't hold on to this anymore!!" Jay said to himself with a heavy heart.
A few minutes later, after a moment of silence, Jay spoke.
"Never mind, maybe this is the path I have to take. Then let's find another way!!" As if accepting his fate and compromising, Jay made a firm decision in his heart.
[ Ding... the system detects the Host has made a firm decision... System... ]
A strange voice echoed in Jay's head.