In a world governed by the Soulmate System, everyone receives a faint countdown on their wrist at age 21.
These numbers track the exact distance between them and their soulmate, revealing just how near-or how far-they truly are.
Started: February 2...
The black Hyundai Grandeur didn't turn toward Hannam-dong.
Instead, it glided through the neon-drenched arteries of Gangnam, moving with a purpose that felt different from their earlier escape.
Yoongi was on his phone, his voice a low, melodic growl as he issued commands that sounded less like requests and more like royal decrees.
"Clear the terrace. I want the corner table. And notify the usual outlets—make sure they get the 'right' angle."
Aen looked down at the elegant, understated dress she had worn to the Hyatt.
It was sophisticated enough for a private dinner, but it felt heavy now, stained with the memories of Andrei’s desperate gaze.
"Yoongi, what are you planning?" she whispered, smoothing a phantom wrinkle.
"Min Aen," he said, finally pocketing his phone and turning to her.
"I almost forgot you're wearing the ghost of that meeting."
His eyes were dark, burning with a mix of lingering protectiveness and a new, sharp ambition.
"I won't have you seen by the world in the same threads you wore to face him. Tonight, I want a complete erasure of the last hour."
Aen looked down at her dress again.
"Yoon, it's fine. We’re already dressed for dinner. We can just head there."
"You could be wearing a paper bag and you would still be the most captivating woman in this city, Aen-ah. But tonight? Tonight, I want them to see exactly what they’re not allowed to touch."
The Grandeur pulled smoothly into the private underground bay of a renowned Cheongdam-dong atelier.
Within thirty minutes, the "Hyatt meeting" attire had been discarded.
In her place stood a woman draped in a floor-length, silk-charmeuse gown of deep, bruised plum—a color that looked like a liquid twilight.
Around her neck sat a collar of brilliant-cut diamonds that caught the light like trapped stars.
"Now," Yoongi whispered, stepping up behind her in the triple-mirror display, his black-on-black suit framing her perfectly.
He leaned down, his lips brushing the bare skin of her shoulder just above the diamonds.
"Let’s give them something to talk about."
***
The entrance to People the Terrace was already swarming.
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Somehow, the word had "leaked" that they are dining there tonight.
