The day of the lottery had arrived, held virtually this time. They couldn’t meet in person as everyone was exhausted from their own activities. Aldo listened while busy typing up the remainder of his work, Rey was in a private room at his restaurant, Ardo and Tomi were lying in their beds at home, while Indra sipped soda in his luxurious house.
“Hurry up, Ndra! I’m so damn sleepy.
Pulled an all-nighter. I just wanna have my beauty sleep,” Tomi complained, his eyes barely open and beyond saving.
“Yeah, yeah, let’s go!” Ardo urged.
The influencer’s enthusiasm startled Tomi, who had almost dozed off. He wiped his face and forced his eyes wide open, making the others chuckle.
“Hold your horses,” Indra interjected.
He opened a roulette app, which would determine who had to pay the first one million. Aldo barely paid attention, while Indra smirked at Rey, who was deliberately flaunting slices of steak in front of the camera, chewing with exaggerated delight just to tease Indra, a known meat lover.
“Damn you, Rey! Eating without sharing?” Ardo whined.
“Well, come over, bro,” Rey replied.
“Rey’s doing some undercover promo,” Aldo remarked, briefly glancing at his phone’s camera. He was the one who had suggested a virtual meeting instead of gathering in person.
“I feel like a professor giving a lecture,” Indra laughed.
He held his phone screen up to his laptop camera as he prepared to spin the roulette. Only Tomi and Ardo looked excited, while Rey was indifferent, and Aldo completely ignored it. Indra’s name came up as the first one to pay a million. He raised his hands as if he were being held at gunpoint, giving a thin smile before promptly transferring the money to their designated e-wallet. The meeting ended quickly.
So far, the roulette spins had been fair, with almost every member having paid their agreed amount. But after two months of playing, they started to grow bored—none of them had successfully lured a virgin girl as planned. More girls claimed to be virgins than actually were.
One night, the five of them were drinking at Indra’s bar. The later it got, the more lively the city became. The night only brought more customers. As typical men, Tomi and Ardo’s eyes constantly roamed over the scantily clad women walking in. Maybe they were escorts, bored trophy wives, or socialites unwilling to settle for just one man.
Days passed, and each of them had experienced the sting of suddenly having to transfer a million when their name was called. Until one day, Indra said, “This game is starting to get boring.”
All they did was contribute money but still hadn’t found a virgin girl willing to cooperate.
“Besides, what sane girl would even agree to our stupid game?” Aldo added.
“What if we skip the payment this time?” Indra suggested before sipping his iced orange juice.
They were gathered at a luxurious hotel restaurant, their seats conveniently overlooking the pool. From there, they had a clear view of women parading in bikinis to show off their curves and sleazy men pretending to teach their girlfriends how to swim—when in reality, they were just being handsy in the water.
“They should just take private lessons with a professional female instructor,” Aldo scoffed, shaking his head before refocusing on Indra’s latest crazy idea. “Sounds fun. So, what’s the new rule?” Aldo asked cheerfully, removing his glasses to wipe off the condensation with a tissue.
“I’m in, as long as it has nothing to do with politics or crime,” Rey said. He was the kind to avoid trouble—or rather, someone who preferred to stay out of the spotlight.
Ardo yawned, unusually quiet. He was exhausted from a multi-day motorcycle tour. He had left in style on his bike, only to pass out upon arrival. In the end, he had to be driven back in the team car while his motorcycle was hauled in a truck—not that his subscribers knew the truth behind his extreme content.
Indra’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he prepared to reveal his master plan. He was sure this would be much more thrilling. The collected money had already reached hundreds of millions since they started spinning the roulette more frequently than initially agreed.
“Whoever gets chosen by the roulette arrow has to find a virgin girl as the prize. He’ll be exempt from paying the lottery fee, but he must find the girl,” Indra declared.
His statement was immediately met with groans of disapproval.
“Ugh, no way. I’d rather pay! Finding a girl is too much hassle,” Tomi protested, taking out his AirPods, feeling overwhelmed.
“No, no, no! Too difficult,” Ardo grumbled.
Indra sighed in frustration, furrowing his brows in thought. The majority was against it. He turned to Aldo, seeking help to spice up the challenge. Aldo raised an eyebrow, contemplating, his already narrow eyes squinting further as he thought hard.
“Ndra, I’m swamped with work and my thesis. Why the hell are you dragging me into this nonsense?” Aldo crossed his arms in front of his chest, forming an ‘X’ to reject Indra’s idea.
“Please, Do. Help me out,” Indra pleaded.
Aldo let out an exasperated sigh, taking a long sip of water before speaking. The others waited, eager to hear what the journalist would say.
“Indra’s idea isn’t bad, but... the challenge is a bit too tough. How about this—if someone doesn’t want to find the virgin girl, they have to pay 50 million instead? That way, whoever gets chosen will be desperate enough to hunt for one no matter what. Sound fair?” Aldo suggested enthusiastically, raising his glass for a toast.