A few days after meeting Nara, Arel began going through his days differently. He still lived in the small place he rented, but now he no longer spent all his time thinking about his mistakes and fears.
Every morning, he started going out to look for temporary work. Not because he wanted to forget his problems, but because he wanted to prove to himself that he could still keep moving even when things weren't easy.
That day, Arel walked past a small bookstore not far from where he lived. In front of the store, there was a piece of paper with a job opening written on it.
"Part-time bookstore clerk wanted."
Arel read the notice several times.
It had been a long time since he'd done something truly new.
In the end, he went inside.
The little bell above the door rang when he opened it.
"Welcome."
A young woman who was arranging books turned around.
"Feel free to look around first."
Arel approached the checkout counter.
"Excuse me, I wanted to ask about the notice outside."
The woman glanced toward the door.
"Oh, the part-time job?"
"Yes."
"You want to apply?"
Arel nodded.
The woman smiled.
"I'm Maya."
"Arel."
"Maya, the owner of this store."
Arel flinched slightly.
"The owner?"
"Yep. It may be small, but it's my store."
Maya picked up a piece of paper.
"Have you worked before?"
"Not at a bookstore."
"But what have you done?"
Arel thought for a moment.
"I've helped a friend sell things, and I used to handle a few things at school."
Maya studied Arel.
"You're a quiet person, aren't you?"
Arel gave a small smile.
"A lot of people say that."
"Being quiet isn't a problem. What matters is being responsible."
Arel nodded.
Maya looked over the simple résumé Arel had prepared.
"When can you start?"
The question made Arel pause.
It was a simple question, but it felt like a new opportunity.
"I can start tomorrow."
"Okay. Come in early tomorrow."
"Thank you."
After leaving the store, Arel sat for a while on a bench near the road.
For some reason, something as small as getting a job made him feel a little better.
Maybe he'd been so focused on finding big answers that he'd forgotten change could begin with something small.
That afternoon, Arel got a call from his mother.
He stared at the screen for a few seconds before finally answering.
"Hello, Mom."
His mother's voice sounded relieved.
"Are you healthy?"
"I'm fine."
"Have you eaten?"
Arel smiled.
"Already."
"That's always your answer."
"Because I have."
His mother let out a soft laugh.
"Thank goodness."
There was a brief pause.
Arel knew his mother wanted to ask him about a lot of things.
He wanted to ask her about a lot of things, too.
Finally, his mother said,
"Rel."
"Yeah?"
"Are you still angry at home?"
Arel fell silent.
"No."
"Then why haven't you come home?"
The question made Arel look up at the evening sky.
"I'm not done with myself yet, Mom."
His mother was silent.
"I don't want to go home just because I feel guilty."
"What do you mean?"
"I want to go home because I'm truly ready."
His mother let out a quiet sigh.
"I understand."
"I'm sorry, Mom."
"Don't always apologize."
Arel gave a small smile.
"Do you know what Mom is most afraid of?"
"What?"
"Not that you'll leave."
Arel fell silent.
"I'm afraid you'll leave and feel like you have nowhere to return to."
Arel's eyes began to grow heavy.
"Home will always be home, Rel."
"Yeah, Mom."
"No matter how far you go, don't forget the way home."
After the call ended, Arel sat there for a long time.
His mother's words kept echoing in his mind.
Meanwhile, in the city where Arel lived, Raka and Dimas still talked about him often.
They were sitting in their usual place.
"I'm curious. What exactly is Arel's problem?" Dimas asked.
Raka shook his head.
"He hasn't told me everything."
"Do you think he'll tell us?"
Raka looked at his drink.
"The old Arel probably wouldn't."
"What about now?"
"I don't know. But I feel like he's starting to try."
Dimas nodded.
"That's good, then."
"But I still feel guilty."
Dimas looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because I'm his close friend. But I didn't realize he'd been struggling all this time."
Dimas immediately shook his head.
"Don't think that way."
"Why not?"
"Because Arel isn't a child. He had a choice to tell us, too."
Raka fell silent.
"What matters is that we're still here now."
The words calmed Raka a little.
That night, Arel opened his little notebook again.
He wrote something down.
The pages used to be filled with questions.
Now he was beginning to write answers.
"I don't always have to look strong."
He paused for a moment.
Then he continued.
"It's okay for me to feel tired."
"It's okay for me to ask for help."
"I don't have to leave to make everything better."
Arel closed his notebook.
For the first time, he felt that what he'd written wasn't just a collection of words.
It was something he genuinely wanted to live by.
The next morning, Arel arrived at the bookstore early.
Maya was already there.
"You're early."
"I was afraid I'd be late."
Maya smiled.
"That's good."
Arel's first day at work didn't go perfectly. He arranged the books incorrectly several times, miscounted money, and even forgot to write down an order.
But Maya didn't get angry.
"It's okay. Everyone makes mistakes at first."
Arel nodded.
"Thank you for being patient."
Maya looked at him.
"You often feel like you have to do everything right, don't you?"
Arel fell silent.
"How did you know?"
"It's obvious."
Arel gave a small smile.
"Everyone says that."
"Then that means a lot of people are paying attention to you."
Arel paused.
The sentence was simple.
But it was true.
All this time, he'd felt alone because he'd chosen to shut himself away.
When in fact, a lot of people had been paying attention to him.
The days went on.
And without Arel realizing it, that little place slowly became a new space for him.
Not a place to run away to.
But a place to learn how to start again.
Yet in the middle of those small changes, news from the past suddenly arrived.
Arel was cleaning a table when his phone rang.
A message came in.
From someone who hadn't appeared in his life for a long time.
Someone who had once been a major part of his life.
The message contained only one sentence.
"Arel, we need to talk."
Arel looked at the sender's name.
And his expression changed at once.
Because that name was the one he'd avoided most all this time.
Someone from the past who had made him choose to leave.