Yubi was still sitting in his chair.
Kenan's words from a few seconds ago kept echoing in his head.
"I don't even know if it's still appropriate to call you my brother."
He lowered his head, trying to hide his increasingly uneven breathing.
Meanwhile, Kenan sat back down behind his desk. His fingers tapped slowly against the desktop. He stared at Yubi for a long time, as if trying to find even the slightest trace of regret or a lie on the man's face.
But all he saw was exhaustion. And that only made him angrier.
"Answer one question."
Yubi lifted his head.
"During those five years... did you ever once think about contacting us?"
Yubi fell silent.
"I did."
"Once?"
"Many times."
"Then why didn't you?"
Yubi bit his lower lip. "I... couldn't."
Kenan smiled sarcastically. "Couldn't?"
"Yes."
"Or you didn't want to?"
Yubi didn't answer. To him, staying silent was better than revealing a reason he still wasn't capable of telling. His mother had thrown away his old phone at the airport and replaced it with a new one. He had nothing with which to contact Kenan.
Kenan let out a harsh breath.
"Even now, you still choose silence."
"I'm sorry."
"Again, that's all you have to say."
The atmosphere froze once more.
Not long afterward, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
Nisa stepped inside carrying several documents that needed to be signed.
She immediately sensed the tension in the room.
"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Kenan."
Kenan accepted the documents without taking his eyes off Yubi.
"Nisa."
"Yes, sir."
"How did he do on the written test?"
"Mr. Yubi got the highest score out of all the applicants."
Yubi was slightly surprised. He hadn't paid much attention to his test results.
Kenan opened the evaluation sheet.
It was true.
Yubi's score was far higher than the other applicants'.
He also read the notes from the HR team.
"Quick to understand workflows. Excellent problem analysis. Good communication skills. Has the potential to develop into a supervisor."
Kenan slowly closed the file.
Several seconds passed in silence.
Nisa began to grow confused.
"Sir... should we proceed with the recruitment process?"
Kenan looked at Yubi once more.
Then he said calmly,
"He's hired."
Both Nisa and Yubi were equally shocked.
"Sir?"
"Starting Monday."
Nisa nodded quickly.
"Yes, sir."
She promptly left with the administrative documents.
Once the door closed, Yubi finally spoke.
"Thank you."
"It's not because I've forgiven you."
Yubi nodded slowly.
"I know."
Kenan stood and slipped both hands into his trouser pockets.
"I want you to work like every other employee."
"That's what I want, too."
"There will be no special treatment."
"All right."
"If you make a mistake, I'll reprimand you."
"All right."
"If you can't handle it, you can leave at any time."
Yubi shook his head. "I'll stick it out." His eyes weren't pleading for mercy. They held only... determination.
For some reason, that stirred something in Kenan's heart.
That afternoon, Yubi left the company building with a folder containing his job acceptance letter.
The Jakarta sky was beginning to turn orange.
He stopped for a moment in front of the building.
"Dad..."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"I got the job."
Even though he knew the road ahead wouldn't be easy.
On the eleventh floor, Kenan was still standing by the window of his office.
As usual, Raka entered without knocking.
"Well?"
Kenan didn't turn around.
"I hired him."
"What?"
Raka's eyes widened.
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
Kenan nodded slowly.
"If he's really changed, I'll see it for myself."
"And if he hasn't?"
Kenan gazed at the traffic beginning to thicken.
"Then he'll leave this company of his own accord."
Raka fell silent.
He had known Kenan for a long time.
The sentence sounded simple.
But he knew what it meant.
Kenan wasn't going to make things easy for Yubi.
In a warm home in South Jakarta, Mr. Surya had just returned from work.
"Maya, is Kenan home?" he asked as he took off his shoes.
"Not yet."
Mrs. Maya came out of the kitchen carrying two glasses of tea.
"You look exhausted."
"Meetings all day."
Mr. Surya sat down in the family room.
His eyes settled on the family photo displayed on the cabinet.
There was an old picture there.
Himself.
His wife.
Little Kenan.
And...
Yubi.
The photo had been taken during a family vacation many years ago.
Mr. Surya smiled faintly.
"It's been so long..."
Mrs. Maya followed her husband's gaze.
Her expression changed.
"Why are you looking at that picture again?"
"I don't know."
Mr. Surya slowly ran his hand over the frame.
"I just hope that boy is all right."
Mrs. Maya sighed.
"You're still thinking about him?"
"Whatever else he may be, he's Ardi's son."
"But he's also the one who left us."
Mr. Surya fell silent.
As Ardi's younger brother, he had been devastated when he learned that his older brother had died without him there to care for him.
Yet deep in his heart, he had never truly believed Yubi was capable of doing all of it deliberately.
It was just that...
He didn't have any answers either.
That was when the front door opened.
Kenan came in while taking off his jacket.
"Good evening."
"Have you eaten?" his mother asked.
"Not yet."
Mr. Surya smiled.
"Perfect timing. Come eat with us."
Kenan nodded.
But before heading to the dining room, he paused.
"Dad."
"Hmm?"
"Today... I met Yubi."
The spoon in Mrs. Maya's hand fell onto the table.
The room suddenly went silent.
Mr. Surya slowly stood.
"W-... Yubi?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"He applied for a job at the company."
Mrs. Maya's face immediately turned cold.
"How dare he come here."
Mr. Surya, on the other hand, looked both shocked and worried.
"How was he?"
Kenan answered briefly.
"He looked fine."
Yet for some reason, the image of Yubi's eyes—far less confident than they had been five years ago—kept appearing in his mind.
He quickly pushed the thought away.
No.
He couldn't soften just because of how Yubi looked.
There were still too many questions Yubi hadn't answered.
That night, the Mahardika family's dinner table was not as peaceful as usual.
Mrs. Maya set down her spoon several times with slightly more force than usual. It was obvious that the news of Yubi's return had disturbed her peace of mind.
Mr. Surya, meanwhile, stayed mostly silent.
Kenan ate without saying much.
"Did he come looking for us on purpose?" Mrs. Maya finally asked.
"I don't know."
"Or did he hear that this company had grown?"
Kenan didn't answer right away. He remembered Yubi's application folder.
There was no recommendation letter.
No connections.
No special request.
Yubi had truly applied like any other applicant.
But he quickly brushed the thought aside.
"If he came here on purpose, he came to the wrong place."
Mrs. Maya nodded in agreement.
"Don't let him think we'll just accept him back like nothing happened."
Mr. Surya sighed softly.
"Maya."
"What?"
"At least... let's hear his explanation first."
Mrs. Maya turned to him sharply.
"What explanation is there left to hear?"
"It's been five years, Surya! Ardi died. We didn't even find out until it was all over—the factory house had been sold. Lina and Yubi just left without a word."
"And now he shows up again. They never considered us family at all. Is there really anything left to explain?"
The room fell silent again.
Mr. Surya couldn't respond.
Because everything his wife had said was true.
It was just that...
Something had always bothered him deep down.
He had known Yubi since he was little.
That boy wasn't the type to abandon his family just like that. He could even still remember the child's silly words. "Uncle! Kenan's smart and I'm dumb. If Kenan becomes the boss someday, I don't mind being his subordinate."
On the other side of the city, Yubi was arranging his work clothes in the small closet of his rented room.
He had only three white shirts, two light-blue shirts, and several pairs of slacks.
Everything was simple.
Not a single item was from a brand-name label.
He opened the envelope containing his savings.
It wasn't much.
It would be enough to get him through a few months if he lived frugally.
"I really need to watch my spending."
His phone suddenly vibrated.
The number was from overseas.
Yubi stared at the screen for a long time before finally answering.
"Hello."
A middle-aged woman's voice came from the other end.
"Have you arrived?"
"Yes."
"How did it go?"
"I got the job."
"Don't stay in Indonesia too long."
Yubi fell silent.
"I'm going to decide how to live my own life from now on."
The words caused the atmosphere on the other end to freeze.
"Are you defying me now?"
"No."
"Then what?"
"I just want to live life my way."
His mother's voice turned cold.
"Don't forget who paid for your education."
"I haven't forgotten."
"Then listen to your mother."
"I've listened to you enough for the past five years."
Yubi closed his eyes.
His hand trembled.
He had never talked back to his mother like this before.
"I'm tired, Mom. Tired of fighting with myself."
After saying that, Yubi ended the call.
He set his phone on the table.
His chest rose and fell.
He felt guilty.
But for the first time... he felt like he had truly made a decision for himself.
Monday came sooner than expected.
At seven in the morning, Yubi was already standing in front of the Mahardika Nusantara Group building.
This time, he wasn't there as an applicant.
He was there as a new employee.
He straightened his tie one more time before going inside.
Several new employees had gathered in the orientation room.
Nisa stood at the front, explaining the company's work culture.
"Here, we value teamwork, discipline, and honesty."
"Anyone who performs well will have opportunities to grow."
Yubi listened attentively.
He wrote down several important points in the small notebook he always carried.
The attitude caught Nisa's attention.
It was rare for a new employee to actually take notes during orientation.
After orientation, a man around thirty approached them.
"Good morning."
"I'm Dimas."
"Starting today, I'll be the supervisor of the Operations Division."
Dimas's gaze swept across all the participants.
Then it stopped on Yubi.
"Oh..."
"You're Yubi?"
"Yes, sir."
Dimas gave a curt nod.
"Come with me."
Yubi immediately stood.
Dimas didn't say much as they made their way to the operations department.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, the office's busy atmosphere came into view.
Rows of desks filled the room.
Phones and keyboards sounded over one another.
"This is your station."
Dimas pointed to a desk in the corner of the room.
"Starting today, you'll assist with distribution administration."
"All right."
"Don't ask too many questions."
"If you don't understand something, study it on your own first."
Yubi nodded.
"All right."
Several employees glanced in his direction.
Some smiled politely.
Others merely whispered to their colleagues.
"He's the one, right?"
"Yeah."
"I heard he's related to the director."
"Seriously?"
"Who knows."
The whispers reached Yubi's ears.
But he pretended not to hear them.
To him, his first day wasn't the right time to change people's opinions.
All he could do was work as hard as possible.
Not far away, behind the glass wall of a small conference room, Kenan stood watching the operations department.
Raka, standing beside him, slowly shook his head.
"You deliberately put him in the busiest division."
"He applied for a position as operations staff."
"That's where he belongs."
"That's not what I mean."
Kenan kept his eyes on Yubi as he tidied his desk.
"I just want to make sure..."
"That he really came here to work."
"Or that he has some other motive."
Raka followed his friend's gaze.
Yubi was bent over, carefully arranging his stationery and documents. Every so often, he smiled politely at a coworker who greeted him, though they only responded with a brief nod.
Raka exhaled.
"Let's hope... you aren't punishing someone who's actually innocent."
The words left Kenan silent for several moments.
But he still chose to turn away.
"Too late."
"Five years ago, he didn't give me a chance to understand either."
Outside the conference room, Yubi had no idea that his every first step at the company was being watched.
He simply turned on his computer, opened his notebook, and said to himself, "I'll stay here, no matter how tough the challenges Kenan throws at me are. Kenan's the type-5 kind of grudge-holder, after all."