Gabriella opened her eyes when she heard the loud ring of her cell phone. The long-haired woman reached for the flat object and quickly pressed the call acceptance icon on the screen.

"Hello, Wen?" Gabriella's hoarse voice reached Wendy's ears.


Making Wendy who was turning on the television across there immediately turned off her watch, leaving her favorite Korean drama, just to be able to hear her best friend's voice more clearly. "Did you just wake up or did you cry, Elle?"

"Hm, both maybe."

"About Ken, huh?"


The woman in her pink sleeping pajamas rolled over, making her body face sideways, to the plain wall that was a silent witness to her sobbing. "I resigned from Ken's restaurant, Wen."

"Oh my godness!" exclaimed Wendy in shock. She spluttered, then added, "How did Ken react?"


"He drove me to the boarding house last night. He seems fine," said Gabriella. She got up and sat on the edge of her bed. Her eyes looked around her room, then with the remaining tightness, Gabriella exhaled heavily there. "She suddenly asked to be friends with me."

"Huh, how?"

"Well... she wanted to be friends with me," Gabriella said, getting up from her bed. The twenty-five-year-old walked over to the mirror and looked at her own reflection. "What do you think friendship means? I can't think or guess anything about him."

"I swear I do too," Wendy said, still in her excited tone. "He was courting you, then he found out he was just making you a bet. Now, she's asking to be your friend. Does that mean she wants to date you for real this time?"

"What do you mean?"

Tin! Tin!

"Uh, just a minute. I think I have a guest outside," Gabriella interrupted.

"Okay, I'll call you later," Wendy replied in the affirmative. "See you, Bae."

"Okay."

Gabriella's eyebrows knitted together. She raised her body, moving her neck while guessing at her place. "Who came to visit so early in the morning."

In answer to her curiosity, Gabriella chose to leave her cell phone in the room and went out to check where the familiar voice was coming from. The woman who walked barefoot in the house unlocked the door and found her car, which she had left at the restaurant last night, visible in front.

"What?"

Ken got out of the car, making Gabriella gasp. However, the man widened his smile as he lifted the bag of groceries in his hand, showing it off to Gabriella who was still standing in the doorway.

"How come... you brought them yourself? Did you say you were sending Alan?" asked Gabriella as Ken walked up to her.

The man in the gray polo shirt and knee-length pants with randomly scattered small bird motifs just flashed a smile, then said, "You and I are friends, not you and Alan."

"Huh?" What kind of answer is that?

"Well, I just wanted to drive your car," Ken corrected.

Gabriella's eyebrows raised, she looked incredulous at Ken's chosen course of action and was confused now. "So, how will you get back?"

"It's easy. Uh, I brought you breakfast." Ken suddenly walked into Gabriella's boarding house without permission or being invited, making Gabriella round her eyes in shock. He walked into Gabriella's room and sat down on the sofa, placing the bag of groceries in his hand on the table. "I brought you a special chicken porridge with the most delicious cakwe in New York. Let's eat first, I know you just woke up. Right?"

Like a statue, Gabriella just chose to stay where she was without giving any significant movement there.

Ken, who realized that his interlocutor was silent, decided to take out the stereofoam box from the plastic bag and arrange it on the table. Not forgetting the condiments such as chili sauce and the porridge soup itself.

"Let's have breakfast first."

"Ken."

The man looked up and saw that Gabriella's eyes were puffy from last night's tears. "Yes, Elle?"

Gabriella inhaled as much oxygen as she could, then sat cautiously in front of Ken. "What exactly are you doing here?"

"Inviting you to breakfast, what else do you look like?"

The woman's brow furrowed deeply, making her astonishment clear there. "But we've never had breakfast together before."

There was a pause there. Ken and Gabriella just stared at each other without any sound afterwards. Until finally, Ken lifted both corners of his lips up and said, "Then, starting today, I will invite you to have breakfast together more often, even lunch together and if possible dinner together too."

"But why?"

"Because we're friends now."

"Huh?"

Ken smiled at Gabriella who was staring at him in confusion.

I'm going to change, Elle. And... I'll start everything from here, from this friendship.

****

"Change? You want to change? A Ken kalandra, willing to change just for one woman? Wow! This is impossible."

Ken glared sarcastically at Harry who was now laughing in his chair. He spluttered, then tapped his best friend hard on the forehead. Making Harry grimace and look back at Ken with an annoyed look.

"That's good," Alan added, contrasting with Ken. "Especially if the change is for the better."

Harry's laughter stopped after that. The man with a larger body when compared to Alan or Ken turned his head quickly. Raising one eyebrow, Harry opened his voice. "Why are you supporting Ken anyway?"

"What's wrong if he wants to change for the better?" Alan said.

"Yes, if he wants to repent. We'll only go to the club together tomorrow, what if people think we're gay?" Harry shrugged his shoulders indifferently. Before one hand pulled a glass from the table and raised it, ready to drink. "It's no fun at a party without Ken."

Ken looked at Alan and Harry in turn. He took a breath and tried to lower his voice. "I like Gabriella and I think I want to get serious with her."

"Hahaha, seriously? Are you sure you can? Serious and committed means you give up all your freedom, Wa. You can't go to clubs anymore, message girls when you're in a bad mood, collect porn videos or drink, it will be a rare thing if you're committed to a girl." Harry emphasized each sentence after the man finished with his drink. He also leaned back against the sofa, before looking at his two friends one by one. "Especially if you get married tomorrow, you have kids, have to take care of the in-laws, take care of the household. Alah, it's complicated. Do you think committing to one girl will work for you? Are you sure?"

Alan interrupted. "Never mind, Ta. If Ken really wants to change, just support him. What's the hassle?"

"Lan, why do you think you're still sitting here and hanging out with us? Because you also don't dare to be serious and committed to anyone in this world." Alan flinched at those words and fell silent. "A lot of girls were close to you, but you chose to hang on to them, right? What do you think that's because of? Well, because you still want to be free, Lan."

Ken looked at Alan who was now downcast. Secretly, Ken also thought about what Harry said. The three of them had lived a very free life for a long time. In fact, because they had been in such an unhealthy environment so often, Ken didn't realize that they were now in their thirties.

Harry raised his mocktail glass again and looked at Ken and Alan. "I'll stay in this circle. I don't care about anything, because this is the only world where I can feel free and be myself. Just so you know, I will never leave the nightlife just because of a girl. If I have a lot of money, I can buy any girl. So, why bother changing and learning commitment? We just need to have fun, guys, not a relationship that ties us down and makes us unfree. Do you understand? So, think carefully about the change, Wa. Don't you want to give up your freedom just for Gabriella?"