Just A Few Numbers Away

Chapter 96

​A Heartbeat at Zero

The first thing Aen felt wasn't the creeping warmth of the sunlight, but the grounding weight.

​It was a heavy, possessive warmth that anchored her completely to the luxury mattress-a physical, undeniable reminder that the explosive events of the previous night were not a Cabernet-induced hallucination.

Yoongi was still there, his arm draped firmly across her waist, his chest a steady, rhythmic heat against her back.

​She shifted slightly, her muscles aching with a dull, pleasant soreness that made her breath hitch.

As she moved her hand to brush a stray lock of hair from her face, the movement caught the light.

​There it was.

​In the pale, golden morning glow of the master suite, the "0" on her wrist pulsed with a steady, quiet clarity.

It was no longer emitting the blinding sapphire fire glow of the night before; it was softer now, translating into a gentle, rhythmic hum that beat in perfect sync with the man holding her.

​Aen stayed still for a moment, simply watching it.

For years, those numbers had been a countdown, a tracker of her uneasiness, afraid she'll meet Yoongi and ruin his life.

Now, they were like a seal.

​She turned her head slowly, careful not to break the spell.

The room was bathed in a soft, hazy gold.

On the floor, the midnight silk of her dress lay tangled with his discarded slacks-a messy, dark contrast to the pristine white linens of the bed.

While they had shared mornings like this since the new year, the air in Hong Kong felt heavier, saturated with the permanence of what they had just signed.

​Yoongi was still asleep, his features softened in a way the world never got to see.

His dark hair was a mess against the pillow, and his jaw, usually set in a line of clinical focus, was relaxed.

​Her gaze drifted past him to the foyer.

From this angle, she could see the corner of the dark wood console.

The blue velvet Darry Ring box sat there, closed and silent, resting next to the Minjeung identification card.

​The contract was signed.

The claim was made.

​"Stop thinking so loud, Aen-ah," a gravelly, sleep-thickened voice rumbled against the shell of her ear.

​He didn't open his eyes, but his grip on her waist tightened, pulling her back until there wasn't a single inch of air between them.

​"You're going to give yourself a headache before breakfast."

"Sorry, did I wake you up, Yoon?"

He finally opened his eyes, though they were still half-laced with sleep.

He didn't pull away; instead, he buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of her skin-a mix of her perfume and the lingering heat of the night before.

​"The silence woke me up," he murmured, his voice vibrating against her skin.

"I got used to the sound of you sobbing my name last night, Jagi. It's too quiet now."

"Yoongi!"

​Aen felt the heat creep up her neck at the bluntness of his memory.