The plane carrying Yubi finally landed smoothly at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in the late afternoon. Jakarta's sky looked gray, as if welcoming him home with weather that wasn't truly bright, but wasn't entirely gloomy either.
Yubi unfastened his seat belt, then drew a long breath.
More than five years had passed since he left his homeland.
Long enough for many things to change.
He reached for his black backpack in the overhead compartment, then stood and joined the line of passengers slowly making their way toward the exit. Among all those unfamiliar faces, no one had come to pick him up. No warm embraces. No words of welcome.
That was exactly what he wanted.
As soon as he arrived in the arrivals hall, the airport announcements, the passengers' footsteps, and the laughter of families reunited after missing one another filled his ears. Yubi paused beside a glass wall, looking at the crowd before him.
Someone ran to hug his father.
In another corner, a mother cried as she kissed the cheek of her child, who had just returned from overseas.
Yubi only managed a faint smile.
"Welcome home," he murmured softly to himself.
The ride-share car he had booked was already waiting outside. The driver helped load his two medium-sized suitcases into the trunk.
"Where are you headed, sir?" the friendly driver asked.
"Tebet."
"Just got back from overseas?"
Yubi gave a small nod.
"Yeah."
"Wow, did you work there?"
"I just finished college."
"Wow, congratulations."
"Thank you."
Their conversation ended there. Yubi had never been the type to chat easily with strangers.
The car pulled away from the airport.
The high-rises stood closer and closer together. The streets were packed with vehicles fighting for space. Horns blared back and forth, a sound he hadn't heard in a long time.
Strange.
Five years in China had gotten him used to a different rhythm of life. Yet the moment he saw Jakarta's streets, he felt as if he were coming home to the place he had always missed.
His hand rummaged through his wallet.
Tucked inside was a small photograph whose colors had begun to fade.
A man was smiling broadly as he put his arms around two little boys.
One of them was Yubi.
The other was Kenan, his cousin.
They were still wearing elementary school uniforms.
Their father stood between them, his face filled with pride.
Yubi slowly rubbed the photograph with his thumb.
"Dad..."
His voice was so quiet that only he could hear it.
If only he could turn back time...
If only he had been able to reject all of his mother's decisions that day...
If only he had gotten the chance to see his father's family...
Maybe everything wouldn't have turned out like this. The awkwardness of having no family to welcome him in his own homeland.
Yubi slowly shook his head.
Regretting the past wouldn't change anything.
He put the photograph away.
The car continued on until it finally entered a lane that wasn't very wide.
"We've arrived."
Yubi paid the fare, then unloaded both suitcases.
The boarding house he had chosen was simple. Three stories, with paint beginning to fade on the walls, but it was clean enough.
The landlady, a middle-aged woman, greeted him warmly.
"You're Yubi, right?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Room twelve, on the second floor."
"Okay."
After thanking her, Yubi carried his suitcases up the stairs.
His room wasn't spacious.
It contained only a bed, a small table, a wardrobe, and a window facing the narrow lane.
But for him, it was more than enough.
He sat on the edge of the bed.
Silence settled over the room.
There was no mother telling him what to do.
No schedule he had to follow.
No pressure.
For the first time in a long while, he was truly alone.
Strangely, the loneliness felt like freedom.
Yubi took his clothes out of the suitcases and arranged them neatly in the wardrobe. When he was finished, he lay down for a moment.
His gaze fixed on the ceiling.
"Dad... I'm home."
That simple sentence made his chest tighten again.
The next morning, Yubi woke before sunrise.
He was used to it.
While studying in China, he had often worked part-time before going to class. The habit had stayed with him.
After showering, he put on a plain white shirt and black pants.
In front of the mirror, he straightened his hair.
His face looked more mature than it had five years ago.
His jaw was more defined.
His gaze was calmer.
But there was a weariness behind his eyes that was difficult to hide.
Today, he had to start looking for work.
He had no intention of asking anyone for help.
Especially not his father's family. Shame and fear held him back. How would they react if they found out he had returned after being gone for so many years?
After a simple breakfast of bread and milk, Yubi headed to a public library that provided computers and internet access.
He opened one job site after another.
Administration.
Operations.
Logistics.
Mandarin translator.
He saved every position that matched his abilities.
"Hmm..."
His eyes stopped on a company name.
Mahardika Nusantara Group.
His heart seemed to skip a beat.
He knew that name all too well.
The company had grown out of Kenan's family's small business and expanded rapidly over the past few years.
Yubi stared at the screen for a long time.
A brief company profile appeared on the right.
Its founder was Mr. Surya.
Its chief executive...
Kenan Mahardika.
Yubi smiled faintly.
"So... you really made it."
He still remembered how Kenan had studied late into the night to earn his scholarship.
Kenan had once said with a laugh, "Someday, I want to start my own company. I'll call it Mahardika Nusantara Group—or MNG for short."
It turned out that dream had really come true.
Yubi felt proud.
Even though he knew Kenan might no longer consider him family.
His hand moved slowly over the mouse.
The available position was Operations Staff.
The requirements matched the skills he possessed.
He drew a long breath.
"Should I... give it a try? Would Kenan even accept me?"
There was no answer.
Only the quiet hum of the library's air conditioner could be heard.
A few seconds later, Yubi clicked the Apply Now button.
He uploaded the documents he had prepared back in China.
His diploma.
His transcript.
His Mandarin language certificate.
His internship letter.
Everything was complete.
When he pressed the final button, the screen displayed:
"Your application has been submitted successfully."
Yubi stared at the words without blinking.
Whether he was accepted or not, at least he had taken the first step. It was better to work for his own family, even if they might no longer consider him family.
He stood, put his laptop in his bag, and left the library.
Outside, the afternoon breeze blew softly.
Yubi didn't realize that the simple decision he had just made would change his life.
It would not only reunite him with Kenan.
It would also reopen old wounds that had never truly healed in four years. But problems had to be faced, not avoided forever. Now that Yubi had returned, the young man was trying to draw the loosened bond of brotherhood tight again.
Yubi decided to take a short walk to revisit places that had changed so much, though some remained just as they had been before—Monas, for example.