Original subtitles

My wedding isn't for another six months.

But my world is collapsing.

Little by little.

And my beloved life...

will vanish...

once I marry some stranger.

Come on, don't act like that, please.

Smile. We're taking pictures.

Show your beauty. Hey.

Fix your clothes, Rukayah.

M CITY, 1964

Dasiyah, why aren't you changing your clothes?

We're going to take a photo.

Now?

What for, mother?

For mementos, of course.

You'll be leaving this house once you get married, remember?

Come on, go change your clothes.

Now.

Dear, take a look at your daughter.

Oh, sweetheart, why are you always wearing black?

- Let's go. - Come on. It's almost noon.

- Ms. Marem! - Yes, sir?

Let's take a picture of everybody while the photographer is here.

- Yes, sir! - Everybody, come on!

Mr. Dibjo, let's take a picture.

- You don't want to be left out! - Mr. Raja!

Come on, let's take a picture together. Come on.

- Come on, let's take a photograph. - Come on.

- Make it look good, sir! - Okay, sir!

Move a little.

Okay, a bit more.

Okay, good.

One, two...

BASED ON NOVEL BY RATIH KUMALA

CIGARETTE GIRL

Why are you holding a picture of my mother?

Really? Which one is your mother?

May I know your mother's name?

Well, I'm sorry, sir.

But I can't tell a complete stranger, like you, my mother's name

if you understand what I'm saying.

I apologize for interrupting but I have to answer a call in my room.

Please call me if you need anything at all.

Excuse me.

Okay.

I'm...

Something wrong?

Hold on, give me a minute.

- Excuse me. - Ma'am?

Could you please call the hospital for me?

Of course. Hang on.

- It's ringing. - Thanks.

You're welcome. There.

Yeah, this is Dr. Arum.

Mm-hm. What time did the body temperature start to rise?

- She's a doctor. - Okay.

Please ask Dr. Ratih to handle it first.

Uh-huh, fine. I'll return shortly to the hospital.

Thank you.

Thank you, miss.

- Sorry, I have to go back to the hospital. - Are you done?

- Okay. - If you need my help for anything

just reach me through this number.

I'm sorry.

- Thank you. - Hold on. Miss, please just wait.

Do you need my help right now?

Yes, here's the thing. I... I really need to know your mother's name, doctor.

I promise you it's urgent.

My father is actually looking for the person in that picture.

Why, though? I mean who's your father?

I don't even know him.

Is he my mother's friend?

A distant relative of hers?

Please be as specific as you can

- so I can understand. All right... - Okay. Yeah...

- ...instead of asking bluntly. - Listen. Actually,

I don't know anything about my father's relationship

with the person he's looking for.

But...

my father is very sick.

This is his last wish.

And I'm sure this must be important.

Here. This is my mother, Rukayah.

These are my grandparents, Idroes,

and Roemaisa.

And this is my aunt.

Who's your father looking for again?

Jeng Yah.

Jeng Yah. Which one is Jeng Yah?

Hold on.

I have no idea.

Ah, do you... do you know where the building in this photo is located?

There are many similar buildings here,

however, they're in poor condition, not like in this photo.

Okay, I have to go now. It's already late.

H... Hold on, please. Hold on. I just have one more question.

Could you make it quick?

This is an old letter written by Jeng Yah.

I really have no idea if it's related to my family or your family though,

since I don't know who she could be.

But I'm sure it contains a few clues.

Please, read it before you go, please.

Please.

KRETEK MUSEUM, CENTRAL JAVA

The universe spins around you like a mystery

you'll never fully understand.

But... we'll always discover a space

that will lead us to the answers we seek.

As for me,

there is only one place I want to explore.

A place where I can smell every scent of life.

The scents that can bring me...

to my true self.

Although no one should ever find out

what I do when I'm in this place.

Wait. Please continue, miss.

I'm not going to tell anyone.

Mr. Dibjo just asked me to put this here.

Mr. Dibjo?

Hold on.

Mr. Raja, oh, it's only you.

Please be careful when you're working.

- Do you want me to help you? - No need to.

Don't bother you, madame. Thank you.

By the way, Mr. Dibjo said that your Klepon is very delicious.

It is true?

- Of course, it's true. - Oh!

I've never tried your Klepon. I'm upset.

Well, tomorrow I'll make it for you. Huge portion.

- I'll make it special. - Yes. Thank you.

Okay.

I have to go!

Huh?

I'll get back to it.

Mr. Raja!

As promised, here's your Klepon.

I've been waiting for this!

Mmm, let me share some of them!

They are delicious, right?

- Try Yu Marem's rice cake, sir. - Go for it!

Enjoy it, sir!

This is really delicious! Everyone, please have some!

Please have some!

Yu Marem, thank you

- for your generosity. - Yu Marem's the best!

This is really nice!

- Now, there is no need to fight! - Here, come on, grab some!

- Good? - Please, help yourself.

Yes, it's good!

The ones in the back didn't get their share!

Plenty for everyone, don't worry!

Please, don't hold back.

- Mr. Raja, thank you for the Klepons. - You got it.

- There's more if you want. - Okay.

I see you've already befriended a lot of people here.

Well,

not all of them, miss.

Have a look.

Our first order of tobacco leaves from Mr. Mego.

- High-quality. - Yeah.

I didn't think he'd give us so many leaves.

- That man is very generous. - Yeah.

Hey.

What is all this?

Is this a cigarette plant or a tobacco farm now?

How are we supposed to make cigarettes

if the tobacco leaves are still looking like this.

- Hmm? - But, Dad, I thought we'd agreed.

If we want to get good quality tobacco, we need to buy fresh leaves.

I'm fully aware. I am.

But this makes it more complicated.

We must find the time to dry everything.

Besides,

we never did business with Mr. Mego before.

Well...

as a matter of fact, I used to work at Mr. Mego's tobacco field, sir.

The original Srintil tobacco field.

Mr. Mego trusts me a lot.

Sir, he even sent it all without a down payment.

Without any down payment?

How did you do that?

I told them about Kretek Merdeka's reputation.

And by chance, he's also looking for regular customers.

I said to him, that if the price is good, we can buy them from him again

and he agreed.

And about drying the tobacco, sir,

we can use that empty storeroom.

I'll take care of everything, sir.

- Kid. - Yes?

Tell me please how long you've been working here?

Ah, almost three months, sir.

Three months.

Mm.

Congratulations.

Good work.

Now you can go back to work.

- Okay? - Okay.

Excuse me. I'm going back to work.

Yah.

Did you see, Yah?

This is what we call divine intervention.

You asked me to help this young man when you saw him at the marketplace.

And now, he's become the answer to all of our prayers.

Dad, what do you mean by that?

Come on, sweetheart. I doubt that my very smart daughter

doesn't understand what I mean by that.

Look.

What I could do is make Raja the new foreman of the factory.

You know, I was quite worried about this. Very anxious.

You'll have to leave the factory after you're married.

Then who will help me?

But now, I guess I found the solution to that issue, haven't I?

Excuse me, sir.

I'll go see what Mom is up to.

Okay. By the way,

don't forget to let her know about this.

Go.

That's why it's called the mystery of life.

Because we never know...

...when it will take our side.

Are you sure Jeng Yah is not your mother?

Listen, "Jeng" isn't even a name, but like,

it was an honorary title given to noblewomen

during the '50s or '60s perhaps, that time period.

And also, I've never heard anyone call my mother "Jeng".

That's why you should explore outside of Jakarta more.

How do you know I'm from Jakarta?

Oh, please, come on. I knew the minute I saw you.

I could tell from your appearance,

from the way you talk and the way you dress up too.

I knew you were from Jakarta, without a doubt.

I'm sorry, it's just... I didn't mean to be...

Yeah, it's just when I open my lips,

my mouth loves to go off on its own. So, that happens.

It's fine. Plus, you're not wrong.

I was the one who...

started the conversation awkwardly, you know.

So, when I'm trying to make things right, I'm a little...

confused about where I should start.

Why don't we... restart, okay?

Good afternoon, doctor. My name is...

Lebas.

And actually, I really need your help.

Yes, I'm from Jakarta, but not everyone from Jakarta is annoying.

Actually, I'm not.

Okay.

I, uh, think that you should put more effort and sincerity

to back up everything you just said. I'm not convinced yet.

And one more thing, stop calling me doctor, please.

I'm here not as a doctor, you know, right?

And you are not my patient, Mr. Lebas.

Okay.

Arum.

What other information do you have

so I can find that mysterious Jeng Yah?

Uhm...

What you need to know is,

I know very little about my family to be honest with you,

because my mother never told me.

That being said, what I'm pretty certain about is,

is that my mother was never interested in my Grandfather's kretek business.

- Hmm, okay. - Mm-hm.

- But, let me... ask you a question. - Hmm.

Who do you think is most likely to be called "Jeng Yah" in this picture?

Not my grandma, it can't be her.

I also don't know the names of the other female workers.

Therefore, the one who is most likely named Jeng Yah

is my aunt.

Her name is Dasiyah.

Okay.

Do you think I could meet your aunt?

I'm not saying that you couldn't.

It's just that I don't even know where my aunt is right now.

What? Sorry, wait... wait. What do you mean?

- Hmm? - Well...

- She's your aunt, Arum. - Mm.

How come you don't know? Does your mother know?

Well, she probably knows,

but every time anyone asks about my aunt to my mother, she always starts crying,

so I stopped asking.

You know?

Hey, wait a second.

What kind of place is this?

This is a storage area where they've kept donated items for years.

Oh...

Don't we need to ask permission?

It belongs to my family. So, no, we don't.

Yeah, but you donated these items, right?

So, technically, they're not yours anymore.

What do you want then?

Stay out here or get into the room and help your father?

- I don't care, it's up to you. - Okay.

I haven't gone through everything in here

but I recall finding a letter once. I think it was somewhere on this shelf.

That letter had very similar handwriting

to the one in the letter you brought, Bas.

We can confirm that if I find it.

Okay.

MOM GOT QUIET AFTER TEGAR MENTIONED JENG YAH

I'm sure it's in here somewhere.

YOU SHOULD TALK TO HER

Uh... hmm...

Dasiyah, you are no longer required to look after the factory.

And I don't want you to go anywhere from now on.

Until the day of your wedding.

Your period of isolation has started.

Careful there.

MERDEKA DJAJA KRETEK CIGARETTE

IDROES MOERIA

There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you two.

How is your research going so far?

Well, Mrs. Sri, it's going well.

I've been going through the donated items here.

I looked for you, but I couldn't find you,

so I assumed you were busy and we decided to come here.

No problem. It's okay, no problem.

Uh, Mr. Lebas, would you mind if I took a quick picture with you?

Yes, I mean, it's not every day

that the son of Kretek DR's owner makes a visit here.

I already have a picture with your father, Mr. Raja.

And I want to display both photos next to each other, okay?

It'll only take a minute.

- Let's hurry. Ms. Arum is waiting for you. - Huh?

Come on, hurry up! Come on, come on!

I wanted to thank you for the Flavor Room key.

The tempeh must be fried. Put it down slowly.

Come on. Please try it. Slowly.

Have a seat here.

Now this is... your chair.

This is your table.

You have the right to use everything here.

You can control everything.

If you throw it from too high like that, the oil will splatter!

It's dangerous!

Do it slowly like I showed you. No need to rush.

Where are you going?

Why are you leaving the tempeh?

Ladies and gentlemen.

Yes, sir.

Starting today, Mr. Raja is the new foreman.

Congratulations, Mr. Foreman!

Please, don't make a big deal out of it.

Mm... Mr. DR in person.

Don't get the wrong idea,

but I have to tell you from the start

what I'm doing here is a personal matter.

It has nothing to do with the company.

I told you right away, didn't I?

I don't know why my father is looking for Jeng Yah.

But if you're looking for compensation or something...

Hold on a sec, hold on a sec, hold on.

What did you just say?

I didn't hear you. Can you repeat that?

Compensation...

I thought you were the one who asked for my help.

Yeah.

I'm the one who asked for help.

- Um... I didn't mean to insult you. - So, what exactly did you mean?

And please, explain slowly

- so that I can understand. - Okay. Well...

The majority of people I meet, as soon as they hear the name Kretek DR,

they always beg for money...

...or ask for something.

Let me...

Just so you know,

cigarettes in any shape or form, are what I despise the most in the world.

Smoking causes diseases, cancer in multiple ways.

Multiple!

Yeah.

Sorry, sorry.

I'm not done!

Listen, I'm not helping you out of pity or because of any other stupid motives.

I also want to find out what happened to my aunt and my family.

For crying out loud, I'm talking to you!

Last but not least, in my capacity as a doctor,

I would never say, "I'm sorry, Mr. Lebas, but I can't help your sick father."

Despite the fact that his spoiled son has no idea how to ask for help

in a respectful manner. Understand?

Do you understand or not?

Yeah, sorry, okay?

Sorry, sorry, sorry...

You're annoying.

- I found a letter. - I'm reading!

With the same handwriting.

It's fine if you don't want to read now, maybe later.

All right, let me have a look then.

Want to read it together?

The proposal ceremony is only a few days away.

My mother advised me to learn the qualities of a true woman

whose only duties are to cook,

put on makeup, dress up, and give birth.

Oh, God, Dasiyah. You should be able to do such basic tasks.

If your mother-in-law finds out, she will assume I didn't teach you.

Mm, let me show you.

Tie the back side first, then put it in here... like that.

Excuse me, Auntie.

- Hey, gorgeous, how are you? - Hi, Dasiyah.

Auntie, I brought roses from the garden in my house.

My father asked me to bring them to you.

Consider it a present to congratulate you for Dasiyah's engagement.

Father said, Auntie likes roses, right?

- Oh, thank you, sweetheart. - You're welcome, Auntie.

Are you coming?

In a minute, I haven't finished this.

You go to the factory first.

- Mr. Raja is there, right? - Shh!

Okay, I'll go there first. Miss.

I'll catch up later.

What's wrong with Mr. Raja?

I think that Purwanti likes Mr. Raja.

Mr. Raja also likes Purwanti.

How do you know? Did he tell you?

No, but a woman's intuition is never wrong.

I'm done.

- I'm going. - Go, go, go.

Don't say anything about the roses to your father, okay?

Yes, Mr. Djagad and I,

once had a relationship but that was a very long time ago.

Think of it as something from the past that you don't need to bring up again.

And you may consider it as a reminder

that both your father and your mother...

we have a lot more experience than you.

This marriage will not only be the best thing for you, my daughter.

It's also important for our family business.

Yes, Mom.

I know.

Simply think of it

as one of your obligations.

I'm sure you won't regret it.

Call me if you need anything.

Thank you very much for the goods.

They're very good quality.

- Thank you very much. - No, Mr. Raja,

- we also want to thank you. - No, I'm very grateful.

- Let's keep working together. - My pleasure. Keep me up to date.

Thanks. Take care now.

Hold it right there for me. Hold on.

What do you have there?

How the hell did you get inside the Flavor Room?

Who gave her permission?

Women aren't supposed to enter the Flavor Room.

Mr. Dibjo.

I'm sure there's a reason why Dasiyah was in the Flavor Room.

Right, dear?

I have an idea for a new flavor.

Oh, for crying out loud!

You have to understand.

If we don't provide something new and unique for our consumers,

they'll start buying Kretek Proklamasi.

Are you saying that my flavor is not good?

- And what do you know about flavors? - I know a lot.

If you give me the opportunity.

Give me time to show you.

- I'll prove to you that... - She's crossing the line, Mr. Idroes.

She's crossing the line!

No way! Women aren't allowed to enter the Flavor Room!

It can't be changed.

If it's a result of this

the flavor of Kretek Merdeka becomes acidic, don't blame me.

Mr. Dibjo.

I'll make sure to clean the Flavor Room by tomorrow, sir.

How about that?

Make sure it's been completely cleaned.

Very well, sir. I can guarantee that.

Get rid of any female's odor.

You'll have to clean this bottle too.

Sweetheart...

give the bottle to Raja.

Hand it over. Give it to him.

Miss!

Miss Dasiyah!

Miss!

It seems there's some misunderstanding about my actions earlier.

Hold on!

Miss Dasiyah!

Miss Dasiyah.

Miss Dasiyah.

Miss, please, miss.

Can I explain myself?

First of all,

you began by flattering my father and factory employees

so you could replace me as the overseer.

Second of all,

you only gave me the key to the Flavor Room

so you could trap me and leave me on the sidelines for good.

Third,

I know that you're conducting business

with those that came by to visit the factory.

- I saw them. - Wait, miss. Wait a second.

I would never betray Mr. Idroes's trust in me.

I... I owe my life to Mr. Idroes.

I owe your family.

I agreed to be the overseer...

...only so you could get the key to enter the Flavor Room.

I have no intention to trap you or leave you on the sideline at all.

As for... the people you mentioned,

I just had an opportunity to get funding.

And you didn't tell my father, did you?

No, miss.

But it won't affect Mr. Idroes's business at all, you have my word.

You're not satisfied with your income?

I'm more than satisfied.

But that's not the problem.

I...

I need to prove myself.

My father trusts you a lot, Mr. Raja.

The factory employees respect you as well.

Mr. Raja, who else do you need to prove yourself to?

Only to you.

Every time I'm with you...

I feel something that I don't understand.

I've tried many times to hold it in, but...

my heart has its own desire.

Every time I see you,

I feel... something that...

Something that I've never felt before.

When you see me?

Me, really?

But I'm so different from all the other women.

I don't want to serve men, I would never want that.

I don't want to stay at home and wait all day for my husband.

I only have one thing on my mind, you know.

- Kretek. - Yeah.

I know that.

Maybe not everyone understands you.

But I do.

Everything that you just said...

I like it a lot.

I don't have anyone.

I don't have anything.

But I can promise you

that I will... try my best

to give you the life you desire,

that you deserve,

Dasiyah.

But why haven't you said anything about it until now, huh?

It's already... it's already too late now.

All my dreams and desires, I already had to throw them away.

And I know...

I might never be able to get anything that I truly want.

Then, please, miss, tell me.

What is it that you want?

What's the point?

IDROES MOERIA KRETEK FACTORY

Who are you? May I help you?

Are you lost, sir?

I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be actually.

Miss Dasiyah.

How do you know my name though? Have we met before?

No, it's the first time.

I had hoped our first meeting would be in a nicer setting than this,

or at least in much better weather. The rain is unpleasant.

Nice to meet you, I'm Seno Aji.

The road is a bit slippery right now. May I help you?

To be honest,

I knew exactly what I wanted back then.

But how far can I be trusted to make my own decisions?

Even until now...

"That still remains a big question for me."

Have you seen any other part where she mentioned her fiancé?

Seno.

No.

She mainly uses initials like P or R.

She talks about Raja a lot.

Why are you asking?

Because Seno...

is my father.

I would have never guessed that my aunt and father

were engaged so many years ago.

Maybe that's why my mom doesn't like to talk about my aunt.

Oh, my God!

Well...

So what do you think?

Fun, isn't it?

Turns out your father also has a secret.

Sorry, sorry.

Now I'm the one who can't control my tongue.

Well, as a matter of fact, my father...

died even before I was born, Bas.

So, yeah, I don't know anything about my father.

What my mom told me though,

is that he was an amazing soldier.

And a man that was always there for his family.

Well...

at least now we can add my father to our list of unsolved mysteries, right?

We absolutely can do that.

Let's find the other letters.

I want to...

find out more stuff about my father.

Okay.

My engagement day with Seno is approaching.

Both families already know each other.

And they always... find ways to leave the two of us alone.

How many do you want to take? Choose.

- I have other flavors here... - I merely follow the plan

that they have devised for us.

Okay, let's leave the young man to it.

- Give me a minute, please. - Okay.

I realize

that rejecting Raja isn't wrong.

But then, why is my heart so restless?

So, Mr. Tira, you will help my sales over there...

- Mm-hm. - ...and I will help your sales over here.

Our cigarettes have their own experts in the market.

- Yeah, yeah. That's right. - So, it's a win-win situation.

Dad.

We need more than just a marketing strategy to make it work.

What?

Are you also interested in cigarettes, young lady?

Actually, Dasiyah's been assisting me at the factory

since she was a little girl so that explains why.

- Mm. - Although that's not something

that I should be proud of.

Actually, I noticed it

from the moment I saw you in the market.

Well, to be honest,

I want Dasiyah to do things that are more appropriate for a woman her age.

Hmm.

Excuse me, Mr. Idroes.

I promise, you don't have to worry about this.

In fact,

Dasiyah will never have to work again.

And I will always protect her

starting from the moment of our engagement tomorrow.

I mean, your son is so confident.

It's true.

Thank you very much, Seno.

I'm following my father's footsteps.

When I agreed with Mr. Idroes

to have our children engaged to each other...

honestly, I was not 100% sure.

As you all probably know,

for a few years now, my son has had a very successful career in the military.

So, it was only fair that I sought out the most ideal possible partner for him.

But... now that I've met Dasiyah,

I'm not afraid to say that I'm hoping

that my son...

will be the most ideal partner possible

for Dasiyah.

So dear, please rest assured,

I truly hope

that this son of mine can prove himself

to be the one

who's most suitable for you,

Jeng Yah.

Sir...

- We'd like to order... - Mr. Joko!

Hi, doctor.

- Are you doing well? - Yes, it's been a long time

- since you came, miss. - Mm-hm. I've been busy.

- And how are you, doctor? - I'm fine.

Thank heavens for that.

- I'll have the usual, sir. - Sure, miss.

Hello there, old man!

How are you yourself, doctor?

- How have you been? - Excellent.

If you want to be healthier, just put out your cigarette...

in the ashtray.

- Put out that cigarette. - Okay, okay.

- You really have to stop smoking so much. - Yeah.

- You don't want to get sick. - Okay... Okay, thank you.

Cut it out, okay?

Do you come here often?

Mm-hm.

That old man used to be my patient at the hospital.

- Ah. - And Mr. Joko here is his son.

So I often come here to eat.

They're like my own family.

So we're already certain...

that Jeng Yah is uh... my aunt, Dasiyah.

Mm-hm.

Okay.

Hang on. I think there's one more letter that we haven't read yet.

- Really? - Yeah.

Let's read it.

Goodbye for now.

- Bas. - Yeah?

I can't find the rest of the letters.

Is this the end?

Yeah, this is all we've got.

So, what now?

We should put the letters here.

I don't want to lose them, you know.

Okay.

Wait. Hold on, Arum.

It has a false bottom?

- It can open, that's all. You didn't know? - No, I didn't know.

So you haven't read any of these pages?

- No, Arum. - What is wrong with you, man?

I can't believe you, I swear. Okay, let's read this.

Hold on a second.

- Lebas. - Hmm, what's wrong?

I think... I think this isn't my aunt's handwriting this time.

- On the other letters, it's different. - Let me take a look.

Look.

This is my father's handwriting.

I had never felt...

such a strong desire in my life.

These past few days...

I kept seeing you spending time with that man.

It's hard to admit...

but I know very well...

that neither he...

nor I can...

can bring you the happiness you want.

But...

I'll do everything you need, everything in my power,

I can guarantee you this.

Because I'm madly in love with you,

Jeng Yah.