"Talia!"
"(Sobs)."
"Talia! Wait!"
I chased after Talia, following the turn in the corridor, matching her pace.
"..."
I stepped in front of her path, but she avoided me.
"Talia! Please, listen to me first."
She didn't care. She hurriedly pressed the elevator button, desperate to escape my sight as quickly as possible.
"Talia! Give me a chance to explain."
Ting. The elevator doors opened. Talia, her face streaked with tears, entered without hesitation.
Inside, there was already an older man about my height standing in the corner. A foreigner. Wearing glasses, carrying a brown cane, dressed in a black bowler hat, a long coat, slacks, and matching leather shoes.
I stepped in. He stepped out.
I was confused. What did that mean?
"I want to be alone, Wisnu."
"Talia?"
The elevator doors started closing. I held down the open button.
"I want to be alone." Her tearful voice trembled.
"..."
Suddenly, the old man behind me tapped my shoulder.
"Ah. Sorry, sir." I turned to apologize, realizing how inappropriate it was to argue in public.
"Let your girlfriend be alone for now. Give her time to calm down. If you push too hard, she might really leave. She'll listen to you another time." The man spoke fluent Indonesian.
I sighed. He had a point. Maybe this wasn't the right time.
I released the open button and stepped out of the elevator. As soon as I did, Talia entered completely and shut the doorsâwithout looking back at me.
She was gone.
"Hah."
I walked back to my apartment. On the way, I crossed paths with Rachel and stopped.
"..." Me.
"..." Rachel.
"..." Both of us, looking down, avoiding eye contact.
"I'm leaving, Wisnu."
"Rachel?"
"Wisnu." And then, she left. Disappearing past the corridor corner.
Only then did I realizeâTalia's groceries were no longer on the floor. Rachel had already brought them inside before she left.
***
Midnight.
Murdani and I arrived at one of the world's largest airports, shaped like a six-pointed star, after a four-hour flight to the capital of the Bamboo Curtain Country.
Winter was in full swing in this city. Situated in a temperate climate and with the calendar nearing the end of the year, the outdoor temperature could drop below freezing. A scarf, thick jacket, and gloves were a must if one didn't want to freeze or turn into ice.
At the pickup area, a local-looking man, about ten centimeters shorter than me, wearing thick clothing, held up a sign that read Wisnu and Murdani among the crowd.
"Mr. Wisnu, that's our escort," said Murdani.
We approached the man.
"Mr. Wisnu and Mr. Murdani?" the man asked.
"Yes, we are," I replied.
"Ah. I'm Chen, your escort from Pavlo." He shook both our hands.
"Where is he?" I asked as we walked toward the car.
"He is in the safe house. But we are not going there tonight."
"Where are we going?"
"You must be tired from your flight. We are going to your hotel."
A man with European features stood beside an SUV, assisting with loading our suitcases into the trunk.
***
Wow. This was incredible. An unexpected level of service. Was I really that important? Staying in a five-star hotel, in the presidential suite no less. Fifteenth floor, with an elite cityscape view.
"Good night, Mr. Wisnu. I'll pick you up at nine o'clock in the morning."
"Thank you, Chen."
Chen left along with the bellboy who had helped carry our luggage.
"Mr. Wisnu, is there anything I can assist you with? If not, I'd like to take a shower."
"Go ahead. After that, just rest."
"Alright, Mr. Wisnu. I'll excuse myself then."
Murdani headed straight to his room. But I... couldn't sleep. I was also too lazy to unpack. I... was thinking about Talia.
I poured myself a glass of water, gazing out at the city lights, which looked like a sea of stars on Earth. Watching the snowfall, adding to the chill of the night.
"..."
Honestly. There was nothing between Rachel and me anymore. Although, in some way, I was happy to see her again. After eight years, we finally sat down and talked like that. Like going back in time. Beautiful. So beautiful. But Rachel was still the past.
I had to explain everything clearly to Talia. My mind felt increasingly uneasy. I grabbed my phone from the table and dialed Talia's number. I hoped she was ready to talk to me.
Tuuut.
Tuuut.
Tuuut.
"Hi! This is Talia. I'm currently busy. Please leave a message."
Just as I was about to respond, I realizedâvoicemail. My call had been rejected.
I sent a WhatsApp message.
"Talia. Can you pick up the phone for a moment? I need to talk."
Two blue checkmarks.
Online.
No reply.
"Talia. I need to explain. What you saw this afternoon isn't what you think. That was Rachelâmy ex. She came to my apartment after eight years without contact. She warned me not to go to China because it could be dangerous for me. She knows what kind of enemy I'm dealing with because Rachel was his daughter-in-law. That's allânothing more. There's nothing between me and her anymore. Please, I hope you understand."
Sent.
"I love you."
Sent.
Two blue checkmarks.
Online.
An hour passed as I stayed awake, waiting for a reply. Still, nothing.
At the very least, I had done what I could. And I had sent my final words to Taliaâjust in case tomorrow, something happened to me.
***
Nine o'clock in the morning. The doorbell rang. Murdani answered.
"Good morning, Mr. Wisnu. Are you ready?" Chen asked.
"Just a moment, Chen." I said while checking myself in the mirror, fixing the collar of my shirt, tie, and blazer, then putting on my suit and coat.
Murdani was dressed in his butler attire along with a coat.
Chen? This morning, he looked more formalâlike a bodyguard. Different from last night. Although it was winter, the temperature wasn't always below freezing. But if one didn't want to get cold, a jacket was still necessary because the highest temperature during winter was only around twenty degrees Celsius.
An hour later, we arrived at the Interpol safe house. It was located in a hilly area, secluded, far from society. The house was small, resembling a typical residential home, with a semi-oriental style.
The yard was bustling with assault vehiclesâtwo ARVs (Armored Rescue Vehicles) and three Land Cruisers. There was no visible security outside, but three CCTV cameras were strategically installed, camouflaged among the snow-covered tree branches.
We entered, and Chen led us to a room filled with trained operatives (or so I assumed), gadgets, weaponry, and Pavlo, who was having a serious discussion with one of his colleagues.
"Pavlo, Wisnu is here," Chen announced.
Pavlo turned around and greeted me and Murdani.
"How was the hotel?" Pavlo asked to start the conversation.
"Fantastic."
"I hope you slept well last night."
"I wish I did."
"Good. Now follow me, Wisnu."
I followed Pavlo and Chen, who held an analog stopwatch in his right hand, into an empty room with a single ventilation window. Chen closed the door from the inside. The four of us faced each other.
"Alright, Wisnu. We will attack in two hours."
"..."
"But before that, we need to fight first, Wisnu."
"Huh?! What do you mean?"
"Yes. We will beat each other up. If you can take me down within a minute and a half, I'll let you join. If not, Chen will take you back to the hotel. You'll just sit there and wait for the good news from me."
What was this guy talking about? I didn't understand his logic.
What if we both got injured? The operation would be compromised.
"Relax, Wisnu. I won't put a scratch on your handsome face. I just want to see if you'll be a liability or not. Besides, this operation will continue with or without you. Not with or without me."
"Are you underestimating me?" I was slightly offended.
"Maybe." He deliberately provoked me further.
"Mr. Wisnu?" Murdani hesitated.
"It's fine. I'll win over this guy."
Murdani nodded in agreement.
I recalled ten years ago when I faced an opponent much bigger than Pavlo. My opponent now was different. He might not have the same brute strength, but Pavlo was smarter, trained, and experienced in extreme situations.
Still, I had also developed my martial arts skills over the past decade.
During college, I had trained in Jeet Kune Doâthe martial art of Bruce Lee.
I took off my coat and suit, handing them to my butler.
Pavlo and I took our stances.
Chen set the alarm for ninety seconds.
"3. 2. 1. Fight!" Chen shouted.
The fight began.
For the first fifteen seconds, I launched a barrage of punches.
As I expected, he blocked them all effortlessly, only returning a couple of counter punchesâwhich were easy for me to defend. I could tell he wasn't being serious yet.
"Just warming up, Wisnu. But your punches aren't bad," Pavlo taunted.
I attacked again. Rapid punches aimed at his headâblocked. I attempted a spinning kick toward his midsectionâhe dodged. Then, he counterattacked swiftly. A lariat. His right arm slammed against my neck. His right leg hooked my foot.
I fell. Hard.
"Ahhh..." My back ached.
I still had time.
I quickly got back up, assuming my stance.
Seeing me stand again, Pavlo glanced at Chen.
"Forty-five seconds." Chen announced.
Pavlo got back into his stance.
This time, he moved first.
Fast.
He ducked, charging like a bull.
Locked his arms around my thighs and waist.
Lifted me. Smack Down!
"Ahhh..." My back hurt even more.
Pak Murdani almost stepped forward, but I stopped him.
My heart and mind were troubled because of my issues with Talia. This couldn't go on. I had to focus on the mission first.
I still had time.
I stood up again, taking my stance.
I slapped my face twice, trying to regain control of the atmosphere.
Seeing me rise once more, Pavlo checked with Chen.
"Twenty seconds."
"It's pointless, Wisnu." Pavlo smirked.
He moved lightning-fast.
Same move.
"Five!"
I wouldn't fall into the same trap.
"Four!"
I dodged, moving even faster.
Jumped. Spun 360 degrees.
"Three!"
Focused all my strength on my right heel.
"Two!"
A 180-degree kick slammed into Pavlo's back.
"One!"
Pavlo fellface-first.