The sound of birds chirping sounded so beautiful in the morning, followed by the sound of whistling played by Roni who was enjoying himself inside the bathroom. This morning, he started his day with cheerfulness because he had made up his mind to stay enthusiastic in chasing his dreams.
After finishing his bath, he had breakfast, then left for his campus. Meanwhile, Mbak Maya was still fast asleep because of the hot play Roni did last night, which made her very exhausted.
As usual, Roni walked on foot with the sling bag he always carried when going to campus. On the way, he greeted everyone he met, including his friends on the road. Sometimes, with his mischievous nature, Roni threw small stones at one of his friend's foreheads, then ran away while being chased. Instead of panicking, Roni laughed while mocking them. Maybe that was one of the reasons why Roni was always out of breath when he arrived at the gate of his campus. On the campus gate, it was written: Bina Bangsa University.
"Finally arrived," he muttered while exhaling deeply, then began to walk leisurely and greet other students.
"Beep… beep…" the sound of a car horn greeted Roni's steps that were focused forward. It was the sound of Bobi's car, who always greeted Roni when they passed each other on the road.
"How are you, buddy?" Bobi asked.
"Yeah, just like usual. How about you guys?" Roni asked back Bobi, Seli, and Miya who were inside the car.
Miya opened the car door and got out. "Brother, I'll get off here. We're in the same class today. Come on, Roni!" Miya invited. Now Miya was bolder in greeting Roni first, unlike the previous days.
"Alright. Roni, I entrust my sister to you," Bobi said before continuing to park his car in the parking area.
Now Miya even dared to hold Roni's hand openly in front of the students who had been watching them since earlier. Bobi and Miya were indeed always the center of attention whenever they arrived on campus, because they were so popular.
Not long after, Jack's car arrived after Bobi left. He honked the horn to greet Miya.
"Morning, beautiful. How are you?" Jack greeted.
"Hello, Jack," instead of Miya, it was Roni who replied politely.
Jack looked at Roni, then his gaze went down to their hands that were holding each other. Seeing that, Jack became annoyed.
"Damn it, this guy again! Does he have a relationship with Miya? Why are they always together, even holding hands," Jack muttered irritably, then left.
Jack did not have the courage to act further as long as Bobi was still on this campus. He chose to be patient waiting for Bobi to graduate so he could be more aggressive in approaching Miya. The reason was simple: Bobi was known for his group that dominated the campus.
On this campus, students generally had groups or gangs, and Bobi's gang was the most feared. Meanwhile, Jack's gang was in second place. Even so, Jack's group often caused trouble and chaos. If there were no Bobi gang, perhaps this campus would have been controlled by Jack's gang. Therefore, Jack waited for the senior members of Bobi's gang to graduate first before acting.
"Why did you stay silent when he greeted you?" Roni asked Miya, who earlier did not respond to Jack's greeting.
"He is Jack, someone my brother dislikes because he always causes trouble on campus. So don't associate with him," Miya answered while warning Roni.
"Relax. I'm indeed easy to get along with, but I don't trust people carelessly either," Roni replied while continuing to walk, still holding Miya's hand.
"Hello, handsome, let's get acquainted. Hi, handsome…" greeted a group of female students when Roni and Miya passed by them.
Roni just smiled while saying, "Hi." That response made Miya feel jealous.
However, because Roni kept replying to every woman who greeted him, Miya could not stand it and acted more aggressively.
"You don't need to greet them back!" Miya said while gripping something important that belonged to Roni. That immediately made Roni fall silent and look at Miya.
"Miya, why are you touching it here? Please don't repeat it again. Otherwise, I can't hold myself back," Roni warned.
"That's why, don't greet them. Don't you realize, every time you reply to them, they become emotionally attached," Miya replied in an annoyed tone.
"But they mean well by greeting me. I have to reply," Roni said innocently.
"Yes, but without you realizing it, they become obsessed with you. You are handsome and attractive, Roni. Oh my God…" Miya muttered while shaking her head.
This was one of Roni's weaknesses. He did not realize how many women were attracted to him, to the point that they became obsessed.
For example, Miya. At first she was a calm and quiet woman, but now she had become more jealous and even dared to openly touch something belonging to Roni in public.
They finally arrived at class and chose empty seats to occupy.
Meanwhile, in another place, namely in the village, Reza and his family were seen arriving at Ayu's family house. Mr. Hasan, Ayu's father, welcomed the arrival of Reza and his father, Juragan Said.
"Please come in, Sir," Mr. Hasan welcomed politely.
"Thank you, Mr. Hasan. You know the reason we came, right? I can no longer restrain my son's desire. He told me about your daughter and asked me to come to propose to her. After all, he is young, but his intention is good, so I can't forbid him," Juragan Said said explaining the reason for his arrival.
"I already understand your intention, Juragan. Reza has informed me beforehand that you would come. I am very happy that you visited our place," Mr. Hasan replied politely.
"Dear, please call Ayu to come down. Reza's family has arrived," Mr. Hasan asked his wife.
"Yes, Sir. Please wait a moment, Juragan," his wife replied while going upstairs to call Ayu to come down.
"Dear… my child, come out. Reza and his family are already downstairs. Come on, dear," her mother called from outside Ayu's room, because the bedroom door was locked from the inside.
"How many times has Ayu said that Ayu does not want to marry except with Brother Roni," Ayu replied from inside the room. Fortunately, the voice did not reach downstairs.
"Oh my God, dear. It's fine if you refuse, but please come down first. It's not polite. They are waiting," her mother persuaded while continuing to knock on the door.
"Just say that Ayu is not feeling well. What's the point of Ayu coming down anyway? Mother can go down alone," Ayu replied, insisting on not coming out.
Seeing the situation, Mr. Hasan felt uncomfortable seeing Juragan Said waiting. He went upstairs to help persuade Ayu.
"Sorry, Juragan. I'll go upstairs for a moment to call her. As usual, my daughter is shy. She needs to be persuaded first. Please wait a moment," Mr. Hasan said.
"Please," Juragan Said replied. Meanwhile, Reza felt restless. He knew Ayu would surely refuse, but he was still determined to keep trying to get Ayu no matter what.
His obsession with Ayu was very great. Besides being beautiful and gentle, Ayu was the only woman with the body posture desired by the young men in the village. Moreover, Reza had repeatedly imagined sleeping with Ayu, which made him even more eager to make Ayu his wife.
Mr. Hasan went upstairs and found his wife still standing in front of Ayu's bedroom door.
"Why hasn't she come out yet?" Mr. Hasan asked his wife.
"You know how Ayu is. You still ask! I'm confused myself about how to deal with her. Go on, you persuade her," his wife replied helplessly.
"This child… Ayu! What's wrong with you? Will you keep embarrassing your father like this? How many men have you rejected for that poor young man? Don't make me angry, Ayu! Open the door quickly!" Mr. Hasan said, slightly emotional while knocking on the door.
"No matter how hard Father forces me, I will not agree! If Father feels I embarrass you, then let me go. I will find Brother Roni!" Ayu shouted from inside.
"At least come down and meet them first. You are only embarrassing your father!" Mr. Hasan said. However, Ayu remained stubborn and finally chose to stay silent.
"Ayu… Ayu…" her father called again, but there was no answer.
With a dizzy head, Mr. Hasan went back downstairs and was forced to make an excuse to Juragan Said.
"Sorry, Juragan. It seems my daughter is not feeling well. She sent a message that she will meet you in a few days. So the matter of my daughter's matchmaking with your son will still proceed. Sorry for today," Mr. Hasan explained.
"Alright, it's fine. The important thing is that you understand my intention. After I meet your daughter, we will determine the wedding date," Juragan Said said. He did not mind Ayu not coming down today.
"Alright then. I still have many matters, so I will come again tomorrow," Juragan Said excused himself.
"Alright, Juragan. Once again, I apologize for today. But don't worry, the matchmaking will continue. I will be very proud if Reza becomes my son-in-law who can be a good husband for Ayu," Mr. Hasan said.
"Father, please go home first. I'll stay behind for a while. I want to talk briefly with Mr. Hasan," Reza said.
"Alright, I'll take my leave first, Mr. Hasan," Juragan Said said goodbye, then left.
"Sir, is Ayu really not feeling well?" Reza asked Mr. Hasan.
"No, that was just an excuse so as not to disappoint your father. You know how Ayu is. She keeps thinking about that poor young man. Please help me so that she can accept you and forget that poor young man," Mr. Hasan pleaded.
"Alright, I will try later, Sir. I truly desire your daughter. If I can marry her, I will give you many concessions in your business. You know about my capabilities," Reza said, convincing Mr. Hasan to let Ayu go to him.
Meanwhile, back in the city, all the students were seen listening very seriously to their lecturer's explanation. Occasionally, they took notes of important points explained.
There were also Roni and Miya sitting side by side, focusing on listening to the material.
"Roni, what are you writing? It looks like a letter?" Miya asked, noticing Roni busy writing something outside the discussion material.
"I'm writing a letter to someone in the village. It's been a long time since she received any news from me," Roni explained.
"I see," Miya replied, not wanting to ask further. She did not yet know that the letter was written by Roni for his lover, Ayu, in the village.
"Hey, you there! You've been busy on your own. Please repeat what I explained earlier," the lecturer pointed at Roni, who had been busy on his own.
Roni immediately stood up and casually explained again the material that the lecturer had explained. His explanation was very accurate, even more concise and clear, so the lecturer gave him a thumbs-up. The lecturer did not expect there to be a student who was so smart and able to explain the material so well, even adding some examples.
"Please state your name?" the lecturer asked.
"My name is Roni, Sir," Roni replied.
"After this, meet me in my office. There is something important for you," the lecturer said.
Miya, who was sitting beside Roni, felt even more amazed. Moreover, the lecturer who was known to be smart and disciplined could be impressed by Roni.
"Handsome, smart, and intelligent. Who wouldn't be attracted to Roni?" Miya thought, who had already fallen in love, becoming more and more fluttered.
On the way home, Roni stopped first at the post office to send the letter he had written to Ayu in the village. He did not forget to add in the letter that he had just received a special reward from his lecturer and was asked to become his special student.
"I hope you receive and read my letter, Ayu. I miss you. I hope you are always fine there. If we are destined, we will surely meet. But are you still willing to wait and accept a dirty man like me?" Roni said in his heart, before turning away and leaving the post office after submitting his letter to be sent to the village address he had written.
On the way home, Roni faced a small problem. Several cars he did not recognize suddenly blocked his way. The people inside the cars surrounded him while laughing, mocking, and calling Roni a shameless village boy.
"Look at that village boy! He looks scared, haha… Let's make him suffer so he realizes that he is just a shameless village boy," one of them said.
Roni, who was provoked, remained silent and self-aware. But that did not mean he just let them do whatever they wanted.
"Even though I am a village boy, I don't behave shamefully like you who only know how to bully me as a poor person," Roni replied calmly.
They heard Roni's words while laughing. After that, they began throwing eggs at Roni one by one, making all of Roni's clothes and face dirty with broken eggs.
Roni did not know them and did not know what his fault was until they did that to him. He thought maybe it was just the act of mischievous people. Therefore, Roni only responded with a smile and let them go just like that.
However, that act was not merely without reason. That action was the result of Jack's order, who asked his gang to humiliate Roni.
"Good job, buddies. Let him know that a village boy shouldn't act handsome here. Just watch, I'll spread this recording tomorrow so all students see and laugh at him," Jack said with a satisfied smile at his phone, which contained the recording of Roni being humiliated by his gang members earlier.
Meanwhile, Roni walked slowly on the sidewalk while cleaning the remaining eggs that dirtied his clothes. He was not angry at all; he even looked normal. Because insults like this were something he had often experienced in the village. If here he only received egg throws, in the village he had been thrown with mud and even stones that could injure his body.
Often Roni came home with an injured face, but he never complained or told anyone. Because he had no place to complain. He lived alone and could only rely on himself.
That was why when he met good friends like Bobi and Mbak Maya, Roni always felt uncomfortable and very grateful. It had been a long time since he felt such kindness. The only person who had always been his encouragement in the village was Ayu.
However, even Ayu often received scolding from her father for approaching someone poor like him.