Just A Few Numbers Away

Chapter 99

The Ghost of the Mall

​The morning had started with the usual, comfortable hum of their new reality.

Yoongi had dropped her off at the main entrance of I'Park Mall, his hand lingering on hers for a second longer than necessary.

He had a brief meeting at HYBE, but he'd promised to pick her up for a late lunch.

​"Don't get lost in the Sanrio aisle," he'd teased, his gummy smile bright in the morning light.

"And tell Angel I said hi."

​Aen had laughed, waving him off.

Meeting Angel was exactly what she needed-a chance to process the "Mrs. Min" reality with her best friend, who also happened to have a weekend day off.

​"Ate! Over here!" Angel waved frantically from the entrance of a café.

​The two of them spent the first hour in a blur of excitement.

Aen showed her the temporary registration receipt, and Angel had nearly screamed, her eyes watering as she hugged Aen.

"Min Aen. It actually sounds perfect," Angel whispered.

​As they walked through the crowded atrium toward a boutique, the weekend rush was in full swing.

Families were everywhere.

​Suddenly, a small blur of energy-a boy no older than six or seven-bolted out from a nearby toy store, head down, racing toward the fountains.

He slammed right into Aen's legs, nearly knocking her off balance.

​"Whoa! Careful there, buddy," Aen said in English, reaching down instinctively to steady his shoulders.

​The boy looked up.

He had a mop of dark hair and a very specific, familiar shape to his eyes.

He didn't look like a stranger.

He looked like a memory.

​Angel gasped, leaning in to look at the boy's face.

"Wow, Ate... he looks just like you. It's like looking at a mini version of your old photos."

​Aen's heart did a strange, painful somersault.

The boy's resemblance to her wasn't just a coincidence-it was a mirror.

Her hands went cold.

The Taboo.

She thought of Carly back home, who carried Yoongi's exact features despite having none of his blood.

And now, here was the inverse.

Her heart hammered against her ribs.

She didn't have a son.

She hadn't seen her ex in years.

But she knew the structural rules of the Soulmate Taboo better than anyone.

The System didn't just punish the woman left behind; it permanently branded the man who walked away.

​"Andrew! Andrew, stop running!"

​The voice hit Aen like a physical blow.

It was a voice she hadn't heard in years, yet it was burned into her subconscious.

She froze, her hand still resting on the boy's shoulder, as a man sprinted toward them, his face pale with worry.

​He skidded to a halt a few feet away, breathing hard.