When Tomi felt restless, his go-to escape was the nightlife—whether it was just dancing, or taking over the DJ booth. But when a hobby turns into a job, it isn’t always fun. There were times when Tomi felt utterly drained. He was a musician, a composer, and occasionally, a producer for indie singers.
Tomi was gifted with the ability to play various instruments and create songs that touched the heart. He had lost count of how many songs he had sold to rising stars in the music industry. Some songs continued to earn royalties every time they were performed or covered, while others were sold outright for a higher price, and a few were given away freely as favors to friends. Everyone in the music world knew about Tomi Setiawan’s brilliance. On top of that, the name of his famous father added to the proof that musical talent ran deep in Tomi’s blood.
This city had an unbearable level of stress, with everyone in a rush, terrified of missing out on the fleeting success train. For Tomi, living in these times felt like a relentless race with no rest; achieving success at a young age seemed to be the only way to be considered worthy. If you failed, you were simply seen as a loser.
“This is the path I chose, so I have to see it through to the end,” Tomi muttered to himself as he drove through the congested streets at night. “But damn, I’m out of inspiration!” he shouted at no one in particular.
Forcing the creative process never produced good work. As an artist, Tomi knew this better than anyone. The problem was, he was stuck in a creative rut, unsure of what to write. Call it writer’s block—the moment when an artist’s mind feels utterly drained, and they’re left without a clue of what to do.
It was a moment when he felt disconnected from his source of inspiration. Every artist has their own muse. Working in this field felt like walking a fine line between reality and imagination. This time, Tomi felt like he had lost his magical touch, and it weighed heavily on him.
Before long, he found himself driving towards a hotel, alone this time. The man was single and had no interest in dating. His looks were above average, though he couldn’t be compared to Leonardo DiCaprio. Of course not—his heritage was purely Javanese. Tomi was born and raised in Jakarta by parents who had long ago migrated from Java to the capital. He spent more time indoors than outside, which once led to a vitamin D deficiency, leaving his skin paler than most.
Tomi had a masculine charm, with a typical Indonesian tan from the tropical climate. Many women found him handsome, though they often excluded Aldo and Rey from the comparison, as the current beauty standard leaned towards East Asian features. Girls obsessed with Korean, Japanese, and Chinese dramas would be weak at the sight of Rey, and even more so at Aldo. Then there was Indra, who exuded an expensive and sexy aura. But Tomi wasn’t as obsessed with working out as Indra, so he ranked below him in attractiveness since Indra had fair skin. Ardo and Tomi, however, still attracted women with a more down-to-earth sense of beauty. Anyone who fell for these five men had to brace themselves for heartbreak, as they all had a tendency to play with women’s hearts using their looks and influence.
But fate has a way of repeating itself for those who see the world through naive eyes. Women tend to be drawn to handsome men who are dedicated to their work and surrounded by wealth. It was as if they saw themselves as Cinderella, waiting for Prince Charming to come and save them. But Tomi didn’t care about something called love. In his mind, only fools tied themselves down to one person for life.
So, due to the stress, Tomi developed a new habit. When your hobby becomes your job, you need a new hobby. For Tomi, a secretive massage was a sort of hobby whenever he was dealing with too much stress.
The location of this place was quite exclusive, not known to everyone. It spread by word of mouth and only among certain circles. The place Tomi was heading to was in the business district, inside a luxurious hotel that looked ordinary from the outside. But on the ninth floor, it was open to those who had the right connections. It was a playground for the elite who craved different kinds of touch and fleeting pleasures. Tomi parked his car in the basement and headed to this earthly paradise, hoping for some inspiration.
He was a regular here. Tomi usually got exactly what he wanted—a young woman who caught his eye. She didn’t need to be a true massage expert because he didn’t really need that. If he were truly tired from work, Tomi should have gone to a doctor or a hospital. Here, he was only looking for entertainment, so as long as the woman was willing to let him massage her back, Tomi was ready to pay a reasonable price.
“What’s taking so long?” Tomi muttered as he checked his phone. He was already in one of the rooms.
The door opened, and a very young woman stepped in hesitantly. She looked unfamiliar to Tomi, someone he had never seen before. His lustful desire had to be postponed as he suddenly felt pity for her, she seemed too innocent. Tomi wanted to be pampered, but he knew that sleeping with someone who didn’t want to be there wasn’t satisfying. This time, he decided to be kind and let the poor girl go, his interest fading away.
***
Tyana stood awkwardly by the door. She didn’t know what to say, everything she had learned seemed useless as she stood there, frozen, staring at the man who looked about 25 or 26 years old. This was her first customer, and she wished lightning would strike her dead rather than continue doing this degrading work.
It was humiliating to think of herself as a commodity, having to be friendly and ready to serve these lecherous men. But this was for Sarah, who was being held as collateral. For God’s sake… Tyana hated being in this situation, wearing such revealing clothing, she just wanted to die. She had no other choice; if she disobeyed, her sister would be hurt. Let her be the one to suffer so that Sarah could live on as a happy girl—or at least pretend to be.
The man just stared at her, his expression indifferent, but there was a hint of pity in his eyes. If Tyana had met him outside this place, she might have felt something different. But what she felt now was akin to washing her hands in fresh blood.
“You’re new here, right?” the man asked, his voice calm.
“Yes, Sir,” Tyana nodded, lowering her head deeply, too scared to meet his intense gaze.
The man got up from his seat and approached her, causing her heart to pound so hard she thought it might burst. When they were just a few centimeters apart, he gently held her chin, making her look up. Their eyes locked, and the man grinned with amusement. Then he let her go, returned to the bed, and grabbed a lighter from the table to light his cigarette.
Tyana didn’t understand his behavior. Did this mean she was off the hook? Why was he smoking? Maybe it was just a trick. The man sat on the bed with his legs stretched out, looking completely relaxed, focused on his cigarette.
“In that case, let’s just talk until our time is up. I don’t like being forced,” he said, patting the empty space beside him, signaling for Tyana to sit down.
“No, Sir. I’m here to work.”
“You’re scared of that Wicked Witch, aren’t you? Don’t worry, I’ll still pay you and even give you a little extra for yourself.” He smiled widely as he said this.
For a moment, Tyana was stunned, because he was handsome. Why would a man this handsome come to a place like this? He should have a girlfriend. “How will that work?” she asked, her voice tinged with doubt.
Tyana wasn’t easily convinced. She had been let down too many times. Even people she knew well had betrayed her. The proof was that she was here, on the verge of losing something precious to a woman, something that would never return, no matter how advanced medical technology became.
“Don’t think too much about it. I’ll handle everything. Besides, I just need someone to talk to,” he said, still trying to persuade her.
Meanwhile, Tyana rubbed her arms, feeling cold. The air-conditioned room made her shiver in her skimpy clothing. A man waited on the bed, ready to do something Tyana never wished for. It was a fate she never imagined would befall her.