Legend has it that before a human soul is born on Earth, it is crafted from starlight—stars in the sky made of male and female halves before they fall to the world. They will be born as babies into different families, circumstances, and times. Then, one day, time itself will... bring them together, regardless of their situations... The Twin Flame.

​This story unfolds in Bandung during the 1980s. A cool, breezy Bandung, still adorned with many large, lush trees.

​A girl runs towards her school, a heavy backpack slung across her shoulders. She's tall, wearing large-framed glasses—brown mixed with black—that she always wishes she could throw far away. She feels like her face is drowning in them.

​Sometimes Ratna thinks, "Am I... a little pretty? Well, I’m not sure. Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I think... yeah, I guess I might be... Ah, but I doubt it. Maybe pretty, but... these glasses make me look weird!"

​"Sometimes I want to take them off at school, just to be... pretty," Ratna muses. It’s puberty, after all, and Ratna has already developed an interest in boys. Sometimes, looking down from her second-floor classroom, Ratna removes her glasses. The breeze feels cool on her eyes. She longs to shout, "Hey, I am pretty, you know! I'm pretty without my glasses!"

​Ratna's family had recently moved to Bandung. Their house was quite far from the school. Ratna is the youngest of three siblings. Every day, the three of them had to get used to walking about 15 minutes to the public transport stop, followed by another 15 minutes on a 'angkot' (public minivan) to get to school.

​It was still early morning when Ratna folded her glasses into her wallet and walked out the door. As usual, her father, Pak Rikita, would yell, "Ratna, where are your glasses? Don't stumble around!" And with a heavy heart, Ratna would put them back on.

​Actually, Ratna’s prescription was still low. She could see fine without them—minus 0.5 for the left eye, minus 0.75 for the right. But... somehow, her father always insisted she wear them.

​Ratna was just an ordinary high school girl. Her hair was shoulder-length and slightly wavy. She wore a skirt five centimeters below the knee and socks that reached above her knees.

​She attended Harapan Muda High School (Young Hope), a school for the wealthy families of Bandung. She was currently in her first year. Her grade only had two classes: Ratna's class had 21 students, and the neighboring class had 17.

​It was genuinely hard for Ratna's parents to afford a "rich kids' school," but they insisted she attend, hoping she would get a good education and be able to enter a state university. Part of Ratna's tuition was covered by her grandfather, who was slightly better off than her parents.

​Going to a rich school often felt heavy because the students generally demanded conformity in everything: uniform jackets, uniform hats, even shoes. They also formed groups they called "gangs." The largest one was led by Harold, whose parents were one of the largest donors to Harapan Muda. Ratna was a quiet girl; she didn't want to join any gang, but... they weren't interested in a strange girl like Ratna anyway: a bookworm whose appearance was far from captivating.

​"You have to pay, now!" yelled Michael, a gang member, that morning, addressing Ratna. "The jackets are ready. Everyone has to buy one; it’s for class solidarity."

​"Um, but I don't have the money. If I ask my dad, he'll get mad," Ratna complained.

​All eyes turned to Ratna. They might not have been thinking anything, but Ratna felt scorned.

​"No, absolutely not! There is no money for unnecessary things at school!" Pak Rikita had thundered when Ratna asked for the money for the class jacket. "This cannot be allowed! Tomorrow I'm reporting this to the school. Today a jacket, tomorrow a hat, the next day shoes? Your friends are just looking to make a profit!"

​"Yes, you should be grateful you can even go to school. If your Grandfather didn't help, there wouldn't be money for school at all," added her mother, Ibu Sari.

​"Don't cause trouble. Study is study. Nothing else strange or unnecessary," her father stressed again.

​"Yes, you need to be mindful. We don't have much money; don't waste it on things you don't need," Ibu Sari chimed in, chopping vegetables for dinner. "You're sent to a rich people's school to take advantage of their good facilities and education, but you are not one of them," her mother finished.

​Ratna felt genuinely frustrated and angry. On one hand, she was pressured by her friends at school; on the other, by her own parents.

​There was bullying in the class, yes, bullying. Even among the girls. Their names were Vera and Rani. Ratna didn't know why they enjoyed throwing paper at her, laughing loudly and being so irritating. She wanted to scream. Fortunately, so far, they hadn't gotten physical. Ratna didn't know what she would do if they did. She usually just threw the paper back, pretending to laugh to give the impression that she wasn't bothered. Deep down, however, she truly cursed those two girls.

​Because of all this, Ratna honestly didn't feel comfortable at Harapan Muda High School. School days felt incredibly boring and heavy, but she kept trying to endure it because school was her only hope for social and economic mobility.

​Fortunately, Ratna had one kind deskmate, Helen. At least there was Helen; Ratna felt a little sane. Ratna didn't understand why Helen wanted to be friends with her. Helen looked like a typical teenager—not beautiful, but quite fashionable

The students of Harapan Muda High School were going through the rebellious phase of adolescence. It was a scorching hot afternoon. Inside the classroom, a tall, handsome boy was seen pelting his friend with paper.

​Ms. Sofi, the Singing Arts teacher, was clearly annoyed.

“Harold, stop it! Concentrate!” she snapped, irritated.

​Harold was Ratna’s classmate, came from a wealthy family that owned a prominent company in Bandung. Harold was known as the class ringleader, and as usual, he ignored Ms. Sofi's warning. Casually, he continued to throw crumpled paper at Handy.

​“Harold, stop!” Ms. Sofi yelled again, louder this time.

​Finally, Ms. Sofi’s patience ran out.

“Fine, now you get out. Get out!” she said firmly.

​Harold gave a small, mocking smile. He was indeed handsome—tall, fair-skinned, and the crush of many girls in class. But, well... he was also notorious for being a troublemaker. Harold didn’t budge from his seat.

​Ms. Sofi began to lose her temper.

“Either you leave, or I leave?”

​The class suddenly erupted.

“You leave, Ma’am!” several students shouted, laughing.

“Yeah, you leave! Harold stays here!” Laughter, desk pounding, and chair scraping echoed like a chaotic rhythm in the classroom.

​Ratna remained silent, as did Helen next to her. Behind them sat Hengki and Dani, who also chose to stay quiet. Hengki was the class champion, and he knew when to hold back.

​In Ratna’s class, students were free to choose their seating partners. Ratna felt comfortable sitting with Helen because they were like-minded—both took public transportation every day. She also knew that Hengki and Dani were the same. The four of them shared the same view: teachers must be respected. Watching the chaotic scene unfold, they could only remain silent and concerned.

​Ms. Sofi finally became genuinely angry and stormed out of the classroom.

But instead of calming down, the atmosphere grew even rowdier. Laughter and the sound of slamming desks intensified.

​A moment later, a male teacher entered—Mr. Subrata, the Math teacher.

“Quiet! All of you, be quiet!” he shouted loudly.

Behind him, Ms. Sofi was visible, her face pale as if holding back tears.

​But the class only got noisier. Until eventually, Mr. Subrata and Ms. Sofi also left the class in frustration.

The situation became completely uncontrollable.

​A few moments later, the Vice Principal, Mr. Bram, entered, along with Ms. Sofi, Mr. Subrata, and the Chemistry teacher, Mr. Wadi. They immediately approached Harold and told him to leave.

​For some reason, Harold complied this time. As soon as he stepped out, the class suddenly went silent. Some students just chuckled softly, looking down.

​Since then, Ms. Sofi decided not to continue the lesson for the day. The class was replaced by Mr. Subrata. He started teaching Math, and the atmosphere slowly returned to normal.

​“You’ve been very naughty today,” he said.

“Look, Ratna, Helen, Hengki, and Dani weren’t affected at all. They are good and smart students.”

​For some reason, since that day, Harold and his friends began to act coldly toward the four students. It seemed they were angry after hearing Mr. Subrata praise Ratna and her friends for continuing to respect their teachers.

Harold's gang was a large group that controlled many of the boys and girls across two classes. Their parents likely knew each other through business, and that connection had carried over to their children.

​That morning, as usual, Ratna stepped off the public minivan. She walked down the street toward the school when her steps suddenly halted—a car screeched to a stop and cut off her path.

​Harold stepped out of the luxury car, followed by his younger sister. He paused briefly in front of Ratna, giving her a sharp, haughty look while making a swirling hand gesture.

"Miss Holier-than-thou," he hissed, a mocking smile on his face.

​Despite his malice and intimidating nature, Harold’s face remained captivating. The morning sun cast a reddish glow on his skin, and his body was firm beneath his school uniform. It was no wonder many girls secretly watched him wherever he went.

​For a few seconds, Ratna was stunned, speechless, and shocked. She had never had an interaction with Harold before. They had never even paid attention to each other. But this time, Harold intentionally stood in front of her—and only now did Ratna truly register his presence.

Harold was so handsome and mesmerizing that Ratna forgot he was actually angry at her.

​Harold laughed mockingly, then turned away. His heart was still burning from yesterday's incident. All his life, everyone had always praised and adored him. This was the first time someone hadn't supported him—especially a plain girl who was far from being interesting. How dare she not take his side.

​It took Ratna a little while to process the situation. She didn't know whether to be annoyed or mesmerized. But one thing was certain: today, for the very first time, she realized just how handsome Harold was.

​That afternoon, Ratna and Helen had an extra lesson. Since it was Helen’s birthday, she wanted to treat Ratna.

​"Ratna, it's my birthday today. You can't refuse, okay? Let me treat you for once," Helen said with a bright smile as they walked out of class.

​Ratna rarely ate during recess. While her other friends rushed to the canteen, she usually strolled to the library or read in the classroom. As a good seatmate, Helen often invited her to eat together, but Ratna always refused. Sometimes Helen brought bread from her parents' bakery, but Ratna was reluctant to accept—she didn't want to feel indebted.

​"Today, let's eat at the café near the school, okay?" Helen pleaded.

​"I’d be embarrassed by your friends," Ratna complained quietly.

​The students at Harapan Muda School generally formed cliques. Helen's gang included Aryo, Tim, and Julia.

​"Don't worry, today it's just the two of us. We'll hang out with the others another time. Please?" Helen looked at her with pleading eyes.

​Because the school catered to the elite, many cafes lined the road leading to the school gate.

​That afternoon, Ratna and Helen sat in one of the cafés. The place was already somewhat quiet because most of the students had gone home.

​"What do you want to order, Rat? Here, take your pick," Helen said kindly, handing over the menu book.

"I'd like Lontong Kari (curry rice cakes) and Jus Kedondong (ambarella juice)," Ratna replied after scanning the list.

"I'll have Nasi Goreng (fried rice) and Es Peuyeum (fermented cassava ice)," Helen said, waving to the waiter.

​"One Lontong Kari, one Jus Kedondong, one Nasi Goreng, one Es Peuyeum," Helen placed the order.

​A short time later, their order arrived. Since she rarely ate out, Ratna ate heartily. She genuinely enjoyed her food.

​Suddenly, a commotion came from the doorway. Harold and his gang entered the café. There were ten of them—six boys and four girls. They were as loud as a pack of gorillas, but they still looked cool in their uniform jackets labeled COOL.

Yes, their gang was called Cool—because they wanted to look cool.

They were known for being wild and causing trouble, but the café staff seemed used to their antics.

​Harold walked straight towards Ratna and Helen. His gaze was sharp, piercing through Ratna. His black eyebrows framed his intense eyes, contrasting with his smooth, pale skin.

​Ratna was confused—torn between being mesmerized and terrified. She knew Harold was targeting her.

​Harold lifted one foot and placed it on the chair next to Ratna.

"Hey, Miss Holier-than-thou!" he exclaimed with a scornful laugh.

His deep baritone voice sounded so commanding in Ratna's ears. She and Helen just stayed silent.

​Ratna finally realized she should be scared. But her eyes wouldn't compromise—they seemed to want to capture Harold's figure as much as possible.

​"Sit here, Harold!" shouted Vera with a laugh, her hand gripping the chair at Ratna's table, as if about to shoo them away.

​Vera's voice reminded Ratna that there were many other "creatures" around Harold.

​Helen quickly stood up, pretending to be calm.

"Excuse me, I need to go to the restroom," she whispered quietly.

Helen's eyes looked calculatingly at Harold and his friends, while Ratna was still transfixed on Harold. In her little heart, Ratna screamed,

​"Oh God... how incredibly handsome this guy is. If only I could have him."

​A moment later, Ratna snapped back to reality. Seeing Helen walking away, fear began to engulf her. She tried to grab Helen's hand, as if begging not to be left behind. Helen quickly pulled Ratna toward the restroom.

​Their food was actually still on the table. They hadn't finished eating when Harold arrived. But now, that table was already taken over by the Cool gang. Ratna felt like she had just faced a pack of gorillas.

​"Let's just leave," Helen whispered fearfully.

​Helen quickly paid, then the two of them slipped out of the café.