The Lost Promise

Hana tidak pernah menyangka bahwa obrolan santainya di sebuah aplikasi bahasa bisa membawanya pada seseorang yang begitu jauh namun terasa dekat. Oppa, begitu ia memanggilnya, berasal dari negeri yang berbeda, budaya yang berbeda, tapi cara bicaranya yang lembut membuat Hana merasa nyaman.

Awalnya, mereka hanya berbincang singkat tentang cuaca, makanan, dan perbedaan budaya antara Indonesia dan Korea. Namun, semakin lama, percakapan mereka semakin dalam. Oppa mulai berbagi cerita tentang masa kecilnya di Swedia dan pekerjaannya saat ini. Hana pun menceritakan impiannya untuk belajar di sana dan bagaimana ia berjuang untuk mendapatkan beasiswa.

Mereka sering bertukar pesan dari pagi hingga malam hari yang dimana mereka memiliki selisih perbedaan waktu 8 jam, Hana di Indonesia lebih cepat 8 jam dari Oppa yang tinggal di Gothenburg, Swedia. Jalinan komunikasi diantara mereka membutuhkan effort yang luar biasa mengingat perbedaan waktu yang sangat jauh, hari-hari mereka dipenuhi dengan membahas hal-hal kecil yang terasa spesial, perlahan mereka mulai berbicara tentang hal yang lebih personal. Oppa bercerita tentang kehidupannya, keluarganya, bahkan impiannya di masa depan. Hingga suatu hari, ia berkata, "Aku ingin menjadikanmu pasanganku."

Hana terkejut. Hatinya berdebar, tapi oppa menambahkan, "Aku ingin ini menjadi pernyataan istimewa, meskipun hanya lewat online."

Sejak saat itu, percakapan mereka semakin dalam. Mereka tidak hanya berbicara soal perasaan, tapi juga rencana jangka panjang: tentang pernikahan, tentang bagaimana menyatukan perbedaan, bahkan tentang kemungkinan berpindah agama demi bersama.

Namun, seiring waktu, sesuatu terasa berubah. Oppa tidak lagi sehangat dulu. Kadang ia bersikap manis, kadang terasa menjauh. Hana sering merasa bingung, seperti ditarik-ulur dalam perasaan yang tidak pasti. Dan anehnya, setiap kali ada kesalahpahaman, ia yang harus meminta maaf.

Di tengah ketidakpastian itu, oppa mengatakan sesuatu yang menghangatkan hati Hana. "Aku tidak akan pernah menyakitimu."

Hana ingin percaya. Apalagi, beberapa hari kemudian, oppa berkata bahwa ia ingin mengirimkan hadiah sebagai bentuk perhatian. "Ini dari bonus ulang tahun kantorku. Aku ingin kamu memilikinya," katanya. Ia bahkan dengan bangga menceritakan tentang Hana pada teman-temannya di kantor.

Tapi Hana merasa ragu. Hubungan mereka masih sangat baru, dan ia takut jika ini adalah love scam. Ia menolak hadiah itu dengan halus, berharap oppa mengerti. Namun yang terjadi justru sebaliknya oppa mulai diam, tidak membalas pesan.

Hingga akhirnya, mereka benar-benar lost contact.

Setelah sekian lama, Hana mencoba menghubunginya lagi. Ia hanya ingin memastikan semuanya baik-baik saja. Tapi jawaban yang ia terima sungguh tidak terduga.

"Pergilah!."

Dada Hana terasa sesak. Semua perasaan, semua percakapan panjang mereka, semua rencana masa depan, apakah semua itu tidak berarti? Apakah ia telah salah karena menolak hadiah itu?

Ia menatap layar ponselnya, jari-jarinya gemetar. Dalam hatinya, ia ingin bertanya: Apakah semua yang kau katakan padaku dulu hanyalah ilusi?

Sejak hari itu, Hana mencoba meyakinkan dirinya sendiri bahwa ia telah melakukan hal yang benar. Tapi yang tidak bisa ia kendalikan adalah perasaannya.

Malam-malamnya terasa sepi. Ia masih sering membuka galeri ponselnya, menatap foto oppa dengan senyum lembutnya yang dulu selalu membuat Hana merasa spesial. Kadang, ia ingin mengirim pesan lagi, berharap oppa merespons seperti dulu, seolah tak pernah terjadi apa-apa. Tapi ia sadar, tidak ada gunanya.

Rasa rindu itu tetap ada, tapi Hana tahu, ada hal-hal dalam hidup yang harus dilepaskan, meskipun hatinya belum siap.

Dan malam itu, seperti malam-malam sebelumnya, Hana kembali menatap layar ponselnya, menelusuri percakapan mereka yang lama.

Lalu, dengan napas berat, ia berbisik pelan, "Aku merindukanmu, oppa."

Namun, layar itu tetap sunyi.

In English

Hana never expected that her casual conversations on a language app would lead her to someone so far away, yet so close to her heart. Oppa, that’s what she called him, came from a different country, a different culture, but the way he spoke so gently made Hana feel comfortable.

At first, their conversations were simple about the weather, food, and the cultural differences between Indonesia and Korea. But over time, their talks grew deeper. Oppa started sharing stories about his childhood in Sweden and his current job. Hana, in turn, told him about her dreams of studying abroad and how she was fighting for a scholarship.

They exchanged messages from morning until late at night, despite the eight-hour time difference between them, Hana in Indonesia, living eight hours ahead of Oppa in Gothenburg, Sweden. Keeping their connection alive required immense effort, but every little conversation felt special. Slowly, they began talking about more personal things. Oppa shared his life, his family, and even his dreams for the future. Until one day, he said, "I want you to be my partner."

Hana was caught off guard. Her heart pounded, but Oppa added, "I want this to be a special confession, even if it's just online."

From that moment on, their conversations deepened even more. They didn’t just talk about their feelings, but also about longterm plans, marriage, how they would overcome their differences, and even the possibility of changing religions for the sake of being together.

But as time passed, something felt different. Oppa no longer felt as warm as before. Some days, he was sweet; other days, he felt distant. Hana often felt confused, like she was being emotionally pulled back and forth. And strangely, whenever there was a misunderstanding, she was always the one who had to apologize.

In the midst of all this uncertainty, Oppa said something that warmed Hana’s heart. "I will never hurt you."

Hana wanted to believe him. And a few days later, Oppa told her he wanted to send her a gift as a token of his affection. "It’s from my office’s birthday bonus. I want you to have it," he said. He even proudly mentioned that he had told his office friends about her.

But Hana hesitated. Their relationship was still very new, and she was afraid this might be a love scam. She gently refused the gift, hoping Oppa would understand. But instead of reassurance, she was met with silence. He stopped replying.

And then, they lost contact.

After some time, Hana gathered the courage to reach out again. She just wanted to make sure he was doing okay.

But the reply she received was shocking.

"Fuck off."

Her chest tightened. All those deep conversations, all those shared dreams, did none of it mean anything? Had she been wrong to refuse his gift?

She stared at her phone screen, her fingers trembling. In her heart, she wanted to ask:
Was everything you said to me just an illusion?

Since that day, Hana tried to convince herself that she had done the right thing. But what she couldn’t control was her feelings.

The nights felt lonelier. She still often opened her gallery, looking at Oppa’s pictures his soft smile that once made her feel special. Sometimes, she wanted to send him another message, hoping he would reply like before, as if nothing had happened.

But deep down, she knew there was no point.

The longing remained, but Hana knew that some things in life had to be let go, even if her heart wasn’t ready.

And that night, like many nights before, Hana once again stared at her phone, scrolling through their old conversations.

Then, with a heavy sigh, she whispered softly, "I miss you, Oppa."

But the screen remained silent.