Just A Few Numbers Away

Chapter 51.5

The Homecoming

"Ma'am abot na ta sa poblacion, asa man mo dapit nako ihunong?"

​[Translation: "Ma'am, we're almost at the town center. Whereabouts would you like me to drop you off?"]

​At that, Aen stiffened slightly.

Hearing the driver say 'poblacion' and seeing the sun-bleached pillars of the Municipal Hall through the windshield made her breath hitch.

This wasn't a high-altitude dream or a cinematic set in Seoul anymore; the sight of the town center, with its familiar tricycles and the rhythmic sound of her native tongue, made it feel terrifyingly, beautifully real.

She was actually here.

She was home.

Still, she managed to point to the driver, guiding him toward the specific spot where they would be dropped off.

​Then the van came to a complete stop.

Outside, the world was quiet, save for the distant sound of a rooster and the rustle of acacia tree in the morning breeze.

The driver turned off the engine, and for a moment, the silence inside the van was deafening.

​"Ready?" Yoongi whispered.

​Aen nodded, her hand already trembling as it reached for the door handle.

"Ready."

​As the door slid open, the humid, sweet scent of the province rushed in while her heart was racing.

As she stepped out of the van, she was hit with a wave of nostalgia.

It wasn't noisy like the city; it was exactly as she remembered it.

She looked around.

The house hadn't been this big before-it didn't even use to have a doorbell-but she knew this was the one because of the pictures her family had sent.

She and her sister had bought the land together, and through her two years of hard work abroad, she had helped build this dream house for them.

She shakily pressed the doorbell to their home.

Then, ​a middle-aged woman came out of the house.

At first, she didn't recognize Aen.

​"Yes, ma'am? Unsay inju tujo?"

​[Translation: "Yes, ma'am? What do you need?"]

"Ahhh... Uhmm..."

​"Wait... Familiar kaayo ka... Ma'am Aen? Oh my gosh!"

[​Translation: "Wait... You look so familiar... Ma'am Aen? Oh my gosh!"]

The woman unlocked the gate with trembling hands and welcomed them in.

She then ran inside, shouting to everyone that Aen was home.

​Aen looked at Yoongi, and they both chuckled lightly at the chaos.

​"Who was that?" Yoongi asked.

​"It's Auntie Lynn. Mom hired her to help keep the house clean."

​"Oh... Is she a relative?"

​"No, but we've known her since we were little. She used to do our laundry," Aen explained.

​"I see."

"Moommmmmhiiiiieeee!!!!!"

Upon hearing that voice, Aen looked ahead to see her daughter sprinting toward her.