65. A More Attention

Dayyan was already standing in front of the house when Zahra came out with her mother and the catering worker. "Mas Dayyan, what's wrong?" asked Zahra anxiously and went over to where the maid was standing, seeing that Dayyan's cheek was bruised from blocking the thugs from hitting him. His lip was busted and he was holding his chest which had been kicked. Dayyan shrank from the blood dripping from his lips. "I'm fine, Mrs. Zahra. Just a little weak, I haven't exercised in a while." Zahra had already seen the blood and grimaced. "Ouch, Mas. That must hurt. Umi, help me get Dayyan's father inside." "No, don't worry, I can walk, Mom," Dayyan refused. "He needs to be treated first. Bring in Rike, Adisty! Help Umi here!" Mursida, who knew what happened when Dayyan helped her son and chased away the thugs, couldn't bear to let the injured Dayyan go. Meanwhile, Adisty and Rike, who had been hiding in fear, finally came out after hearing Mursida's call and helped Zahra carry Dayyan into the house. Meanwhile, coinciding with the fleeing thugs, Nurman's car entered the yard and was surprised to see several people running in fear with battered faces. Some of Ehsan's neighbors and friends who were curious about the previous commotion, but had been hiding in fear, now gathered in front of their house. Their intention was to ask about the chronology of the incident. On the back porch, Nurman found his family in a panic. His gaze was fixed on the uniformed motorcycle taxi driver who looked like he had been beaten but not as badly as the thugs who were running out of the house. Zahra looked worried and was facing Dayyan to prepare to treat him. "What's wrong, Umi, Zahra, Rike, Adhisty, are you okay? Abah saw the thugs who ran away from here, but their faces were battered. They didn't do anything to you, did they?" Nurman asked anxiously. "Alhamdulillah, Umi is fine, Abah. Zahra and the children are fine too." Mursidah explained and welcomed her husband. "No, Bah. Thank God for Mas Dayyan's help. He beat the thugs so badly that they ran away scared," Zahra explained. "Yes, sir. Mas Dayyan is great, they begged for mercy, they were defeated by him," Rike, who was carrying a first aid kit, added. "You're not the one who likes to go back and forth to pick up orders here?" "Yes, sir, I'm Dayyan, Ms. Zahra's regular Kang Ojek." Dayyan nodded politely. "Where's Ehsan, isn't he the one who's been standing guard in front of here?" asked Abah in surprise. "I don't know, Bah. He disappears when he's needed. But as far as Umi knows, he was at the front earlier, because he had made a deposit with Umi in the morning." Mursidah explained with a little annoyance at Ehsan. "Oh, so that's it. Even though there are many of his friends too, right?" Nurman wondered. "Everyone has disappeared somewhere. Zahra was just screaming for help and no one came, Bah." Now it was Adisty who answered as she brought Dayyan a glass of drink. "O, I see. Did Ehsan and his friends disappear after the thugs and the fight?" Nurman thought and tried to digest, then he nodded to himself. "Maybe, Bah. Zahra doesn't know where he went," Zahra replied. "And she doesn't care about him either, Bah." Zahra thought to herself. Her focus had been on Dayyan who had saved them all. "Is this water for Abah, Neng?" Nurman asked Adisty, seeing her bring him his favorite sweet tea. The girl shook her head. "No, Bah. This is for Mas Dayyan, our hero today. Yeaaay. Here, Mas, drink it first, I'm tired of gelud. Let me calm my mind." Adisty smiled sweetly at Dayyan. "Thank you, ma'am." "Well, just call me Adek, I'm still young, you know, Mas. And I should be the one thanking you for helping us earlier." "It's nothing, luckily we're all safe." Dayyan said. "Maybe, Bah." "Uh," Dayyan made a grimace as Zahra wiped the corners of his bruised lips and cheeks with a cleaning cloth. "Ah, sorry, Mas! Does it hurt?" "Hehe, a little, ma'am." Dayyan chuckled to make Zahra feel better. He knew that she felt bad for him. Zahra looked at the wounds on Dayyan's face with uncertainty. There was guilt and a strange feeling in her heart. The wounds were caused by Dayyan protecting her. If he hadn't protected her and helped her face those thugs, she wouldn't have gotten hurt, she thought. Zahra also felt something strange running through her heart. A feeling of peace and security after being protected by someone who was not her parent. It was a strange feeling that she felt for the first time. Zahra didn't understand that. "Sorry, yes, Mas. Because of me, Mas Dayyan got hurt," Zahra said sadly. "Don't be like that, Mom. This is because of my negligence. As someone who has learned Pelintau silat, I should not have been caught off guard and not been hit. That means I'm still not agile, right?" Dayyan's jokes tried to assuage Zahra's guilt, but Dayyan's answer took Zahra aback, as she calmed down and thought back to the previous incident, where Dayyan clearly could have dodged their punches. However, he only flinched apparently to protect her who was standing right behind him. It was like Dayyan deliberately let himself become a punching bag so that he wouldn't get hit. Indeed, the man in front of her was a noble man for daring to protect a woman. Dayyan, who had felt awkward for a few days due to Zahra's silence, was happy with the return of the friendly and worried attitude. He began to feel touched that they were so worried about him and wanted to treat him. She also somehow felt grateful in her heart to be able to help Zahra. "Fortunately, Ms. Zahra is safe, and her family is fine," Dayyan said. At first he thought they would at least be in shock after the incident. But apparently, they were more calm. "Yes, Mas Dayyan. All thanks to you for protecting me, otherwise I might have been the one hit by the thug. Mas Dayyan is amazing, I would like to thank you very much for helping us." "You're welcome, ma'am. This just happened to come, if not surely the others would also help you. And of course this is my duty as a fellow human being." Dayyan replied humbly. "Mas Dayyan is really cool, you know, it turns out Mas Dayyan is a martial arts champion." Adisty, who was still there, praised Dayyan as a new hero in her eyes and Dayyan blushed with embarrassment. "Well, it's over, Mas. Did you get hit again?" asked Zahra. Dayyan thought he had been kicked in the chest earlier and it still hurt. However, there was no way he could admit it. Zahra might force him to treat it. Wouldn't that mean he had to take off his shirt? Dayyan's face immediately turned red. "No! Nothing, ma'am." Dayyan hurriedly shook his head. In his heart, he really felt ashamed. "Thank you for treating me." "Yes, you're welcome, Mas. I also thank you for saving me." "When did you learn martial arts?" "Oh, that. It's been a long time, back in the boarding school in my Acehnese hometown, ma'am." "Amazing, yes." Dayyan just smiled in embarrassment. He did come from the Land of Rencong. However, when a disaster struck his village and his entire family died, Dayyan chose to go to Sebrang and migrate in the Big City until now. Remembering his past, Dayyan's face turned gloomy. "What's wrong, Mas?" asked Zahra, who was starting to notice that she was becoming very worried about the side effects of the fight. "Let's go to the doctor. Check first, I'm afraid there are internal injuries." "No, really. Sorry, I just miss my hometown." Dayyan shook his head. Bruises and busted lips were nothing for a fighter. They would heal over time on their own. Zahra, who had been watching Dayyan, secretly smiled and acknowledged Adisty's earlier remark that Dayyan was her hero. Her heart suddenly felt like there were flowers blooming.