Beneath the Kuala Lumpur Sky

Kuala Lumpur was nothing like her village. The blaring horns, the rush of people chasing buses, the overlapping announcements, it all made Indah's head spin.

She took a deep breath. "Stay calm, Indah. You can do this."

Carrying her small bag, her shoulders ached, but she forced herself forward. This was the new journey she had to take.

“Indah!”

A tall girl waved from afar, running towards her.

“Farah!” Indah smiled in relief.

Farah grabbed her hand warmly. “Thank God you made it safely. I was so worried. Come on, Hani’s waiting outside.”

Indah nodded. Seeing her old friend’s familiar face was enough to ease the fear inside her chest.

Outside the terminal, Hani was already waiting, her smile bright and genuine. “Indah, you’ve lost weight! I missed you so much!”

Indah hugged her tightly, tears welling up again — but this time, they were tears of joy.

“Thank you… for being here for me.”

“Hey, no more tears, okay? You’re starting a new life here. We’ll take care of you in KL,” said Hani, patting her shoulder.

Farah added with a grin, “Exactly. Don’t be afraid. You’ve got us now.”

As they walked through the busy streets, the three friends chatted away.

Indah mostly listened, trying to memorize every signboard, every street name, everything that still felt so foreign.

She realized the challenges ahead were huge. But at least… she wasn’t alone anymore.

That night, lying on the small bed in Farah’s rented room, Indah stared blankly at the ceiling.

“Dear God, please let me succeed. Don’t let me burden anyone.”

She clutched her pillow tightly. Her eyes grew heavy, but her thoughts wandered back to the man she saw earlier at the terminal — the one with the cold, unreadable gaze.

“Who is he? And why did his eyes feel… different?”

Indah didn’t know that fate was already arranging their second encounter — sooner than she could ever imagine.