Drrrrt... drrrrt... drrrrt!
Ardo's phone vibrated. He smiled faintly when he saw the caller ID—it was his mother.
"Hello, Mom. What? The social gathering fund? I transferred it this morning. That means your internet banking must be acting up. Ask Dad, okay."
The brief mother-son call ended, and Indra turned to Ardo, eyes gleaming with enthusiasm, clearly struck by a brilliant idea.
"I've got it. Lottery!" Indra announced.
"Lottery?" Aldo echoed, confused.
"Huh? Like housewives do?" Tomi blurted out.
"Actually, it sounds pretty fun. Indra should be the host," Rey chimed in.
Indra playfully smacked Rey's shoulder in gratitude. Ardo listened intently. "Not just any social gathering fund like a lottery... but the grand prize," Indra hinted, trailing off.
He leaned over and whispered something to Rey, who then passed it on to Ardo, who whispered it to Tomi, and finally to Aldo. They all fell silent for a moment. Indra had come up with something crazy.
Indra explained that for one month, they would pool money together—not just randomly, but with a system. Using a roulette app on their phones, one person would be chosen daily to contribute one million rupiahs. That person would also receive a special raffle slip.
"Basically, whoever gets hit by the roulette has to pay up and gets their name in the draw. It’s pure luck—no way to predict the winner," Indra elaborated.
The four of them grasped the concept. Tomi laughed—it sounded like a blast.
"What about the girl? There have to be criteria. If it’s just any girl, we could all find one easily," Tomi pointed out.
"She has to be a virgin, between twenty and twenty-three years old," Ardo declared.
"Damn, you’re wild! Insane!" Tomi exclaimed.
"Who's going to find the girl? I don't have the time to go hunting for some random chick," Aldo said, considering his packed schedule balancing work and his master’s program.
"I just launched Lafdive," Rey added as an excuse.
Indra sighed, rubbing his temples. Among them, he had the most flexible schedule since he was a businessman. Tomi was busy producing an artist’s album, Ardo often traveled out of town.
"There are plenty of girls in nightclubs, but I’d rather we all put in some effort. If the opportunity arises, we go for it," Indra proposed.
"A virgin in a nightclub? Really?" Ardo scoffed.
"That’s the challenge," Indra countered. "So, are we in?"
Aldo nodded. "Okay."
"Agreed," Rey said.
"Hell yeah! Let’s do it!" Tomi said excitedly.
"Alright," Ardo agreed.
"Whoever wins gets to enjoy a nice vacation with the girl using the prize money. You have to record it as proof," Indra instructed.
"Indra, you’re insane!" Tomi said in awe.
Rey and Aldo pretended to cough. Ardo smirked at them. "Don’t act all righteous. Like you two are still innocent?" he teased.
Rey and Aldo pelted him with tissues.
"This is a bit extreme, but I can’t not join," Aldo admitted.
Rey hesitated before speaking. "Isn’t this borderline illegal? At least before, we did things with mutual consent or some kind of benefit exchange. This is different—she’d be too young for guys like us."
His first time had been in his freshman year of college—with his girlfriend. He knew his friends had similar stories—always about love or mutual attraction.
"We’ll make her agree on her own. Come on, who would say no to money? Whatever we spend to seduce her, we’ll get back from the social gathering pot at the end," Indra reasoned.
***
Only Indra could come up with such a crazy social gathering idea. Aldo stepped into the smoking room, leaning against the wall as he lit a cigarette. He had promised himself to quit this year, yet the temptation was irresistible.
"Thought you were done smoking," Tomi commented, walking in to join him.
Aldo didn’t turn to look. He stubbed out his cigarette. This year’s resolution was to quit, but the stress from work and his master's program weighed heavily on him.
Aldo was a journalist at one of Indonesia’s major media outlets. For the past six months, he had held the position of deputy editor. These days, he avoided writing anything that could stir controversy—his superiors didn’t want the company shut down.
His past articles had caused legal troubles, threats, and even a hacking incident. Some mysterious people wanted Aldo to stop covering economic issues and unresolved cases buried by media manipulation. Aldo chuckled, recalling when his boss, Geon, had called him into the chief’s office and reassigned him to a less risky role.
"Too in love to quit," Aldo joked.
They both stared out the window, lost in thought. Aldo and Tomi were nearly the same height. Their passions, however, were different. Tomi had turned his love for music into a career, while for Aldo, music was just a hobby—despite being the lead vocalist of their band.
"You’re not interested in Indra’s idea?" Tomi asked curiously.
"It’s not that I’m not interested... I just don’t have the time to agree or disagree. I probably won’t be the one looking for the girl. You get it, right? Work, school, work, school, crash at home, aging prematurely," Aldo reasoned, laughing.
Tomi snorted. "But you’re still in, right?"
"Of course! You guys can be my ticket to happiness. Who knows, maybe I’ll win without lifting a finger," Aldo said nonchalantly.
Tomi scowled. "You sly bastard."
In their unnamed group, Indra was the glue that kept them together. Unspoken yet understood, he was their leader, always generous. Years ago, Indra and Aldo had fought because Aldo wrote an exposé on Indra’s father—a coal tycoon involved in a major scandal. They didn’t speak for a long time, only reconciling after Aldo got fired from his old job and moved to his current media outlet.
"When’s your new artist’s album dropping? Let me know when it’s ready—I want the exclusive story," Aldo said.
He was always the first to cover Tomi’s agency’s latest developments. Tomi had once dreamed of being a band’s lead singer, but after working in the industry, he found his passion in composing and producing. At one point, he even begged Indra for financial support to pay his agency’s staff when the company was struggling.
"Soon, bro, soon. I’m sick of everyone asking—media, my parents, ugh," Tomi grumbled.
"I’ll be waiting," Aldo replied.
"Why are you even doing a master’s? You really have nothing better to do?" Tomi squinted at him.
"Just to keep busy. Personal pride, Tom," Aldo tapped his forehead and grinned.
"Oh, so it’s just for showing off," Tomi quipped. "You’re a real piece of work."
They kept chatting, going through cigarette after cigarette. Meanwhile, outside, Indra, Ardo, and Rey discussed the future of their restaurant. Rey believed Lafdive should remain an upscale yet accessible brand.
"Isn’t that too generic, Rey?" Indra questioned.
"Lafdive is still developing. Don’t rush to throw money at it—I’m still studying the market," Rey explained calmly.
"Sorry, sorry. You know me—I’m a businessman," Indra replied.
"Why don’t you just fund me instead, Sir? My channel is booming, you know." Ardo refused to back down, deliberately calling Indra ‘Sir’ just to tease him.
"What?" Indra eyed him skeptically.
"My channel views, Boss!" Ardo exclaimed.
"You’ve already got plenty of endorsements. Don’t be greedy, idiot," Indra retorted.
Ardo pouted. "Yeah, yeah, Boss," he muttered.
Their meeting that day resulted in the finalization of their 30-day "social gathering" game. The winner would claim riches and pleasure. An absurd game—unthinkable to anyone but them. Five bastards indulging in their earthly paradise.