Chapter 12: Abel and Reno

There were many activities we did at Cinta Kasih Orphanage.

We played various games with the children, shared stories, told fairy tales, sang songs, and even ran around laughing happily with them.

Before returning to school, the orphanage staff gave us permission to see the condition of all the rooms. Some students chose to walk around guided by one of the caretakers. Others, however, openly refused—especially Farah and a few other spoiled girls—claiming the place was dirty and smelled bad.

Their refusal came as no surprise. From the moment we arrived, they had already shown their dislike. Even when the children ran toward them asking for hugs, they immediately stepped away with looks of disgust.

They only pretended to be friendly when there were handsome male students around. Truly hypocritical behavior.

Oh, right—earlier this morning, before we left for the orphanage, the results of the title draw for the student council members were announced. Just as I’d expected, the titles “Cruelest” and “Most Sadistic” OSIS Member went to Farah. Meanwhile, the title “Most Favorite” OSIS Member was won by Kevan. And of course, Kevan would always be number one in my heart.

Okay. Focus.

The orphanage building wasn’t very large. It had two floors and housed around ninety residents. I climbed the stairs slowly, observing my surroundings. Scribbles of ink—words and drawings—decorated almost every part of the walls. Photos of the children were displayed along both sides of the hallway, accompanied by sheets of paper filled with their handwritten messages.

I stopped in front of one sheet that immediately caught my attention. At the very top, written in large capital letters, were the words: “WE ARE ALL FAMILY.”

My heart felt soothed as I read it, like touching clear, cold mountain water. That simple sentence carried such deep meaning. Many of them may have lost or been separated from their biological families, but that single line was enough to show that in this orphanage, they were taught to look after and love one another like real siblings.

When we reached the second floor, I and the group who chose to join the tour continued walking down the corridor toward the residents’ rooms.

There were several rooms on this floor. Each one contained four to five bunk beds. Don’t even ask what it was like inside. Anyone would be grateful not to have to live in a room as cramped as that.

Suddenly, the loud cry of a small child echoed through the hallway. Bu Siti, the caretaker guiding us, immediately ran toward the room at the very end of the corridor. All of us followed behind, curious—and worried—about what was happening.

Inside the room, there were two small children, about four or five years old. A little girl looked as though she had just woken up from sleep and was crying loudly on the bed. Meanwhile, a little boy sat on the floor, playing with toy cars by himself.

Mrs. Siti tried to calm the little girl, but her cries only grew louder. She shook her head hard while screaming and calling for her mother.

“Where’s Mom? Where’s Mom? I want Mom….”

My chest felt tight hearing it. Was her longing really that deep?

Suddenly, the child climbed down from the bed and looked at us one by one with innocent, untainted eyes. Her face was incredibly adorable—round eyes, chubby cheeks, fair skin, and curly hair.

Then she walked toward me, studying my face closely. Not long after, a bright smile bloomed on her face.

“That’s Mom…,” she shouted as she ran toward me and wrapped her arms tightly around my waist.

I froze, not yet able to understand what was happening.

“Why did Mom leave me and my big brother?” she asked innocently.

Did they think I was their mother?

The child looked up at me. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Pain and compassion immediately surged in my chest. My heart felt like it was crying along with her. Unable to let her sink deeper into sadness, I bent down and lifted her into my arms. Her body was so small. She buried her face in my neck and held me tightly.

Everyone fell silent. The little boy who had been sitting and playing earlier—who seemed to be her older brother—smiled softly, then ran over to hug me as well. I almost fell from the impact of his embrace. Without realizing it, my hand brushed over his head, and I felt a large bump.

Oh God … what is this?

I covered my mouth at once. My throat tightened. Tears immediately welled up, impossible to hold back.

I gently set the little girl down, wiped the tears from their faces one by one, then kissed their foreheads in turn. They looked at me with longing eyes that cut deep into my heart before hugging me again, sobbing uncontrollably.

Oh God, why did all of this have to happen to children this young? What did they ever do wrong? Wasn’t it enough that I alone had to grow up feeling like an orphan?

I couldn’t bear to imagine how they lived their days without a parent’s love. My heart truly shattered every time they called me Mom.

When our school group was about to leave, the two children—Abel and Reno, the names I’d asked Mrs. Siti about—were still clinging tightly to me, to the point that I could barely move.

As the afternoon grew late, I tried to loosen their embrace. Dara and Tomi even stepped in to help. But instead of letting go, they held on even tighter.

“Please don’t leave us again, Mom,” Abel said, wiping his cheeks as tears fell once more.

“Don’t go, Mom. Reno’s begging you,” Reno whispered. He blinked rapidly, trying to hold back his tears. “Every night, Abel always calls for Mom. Please … pity Abel, Mom.”

I truly didn’t know what to do.

They were like a reflection of myself. For a moment, a thought crossed my mind—what if Grandpa and Grandma had never been by my side all this time? Maybe I would have grown up in a place like this.

In the end, I dared to look at Kevan, hoping he would understand. Thankfully, he did. He caught the meaning behind my gaze and gave me time to calm them down.

But unexpectedly, Kenn—that infuriating guy—stepped forward with his usual arrogant attitude.

He offered to stay by my side and promised to take me home safely. Or rather, with full confidence, he declared that I would be completely safe as long as I was with him.

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