Just A Few Numbers Away

Chapter 146

A Seat at the Table

As they walked out of the facility, the air in Seoul felt different-lighter, as if the suffocating weight that had been pressing down on them yesterday had finally been lifted.

​Yoongi was driving, his movements fluid.

He turned toward the business district, his mind clearly operating on the assumption that he was dropping Aen off to resume her duties.

Aen watched him for a moment, then reached out, her hand resting firmly on his forearm.

​"Yoongi-yah," she said softly.

​He glanced over, his eyes clear and attentive.

"We're almost there, Yeobo. Do you have everything you need for the office?"

​"I do," she replied.

She took a breath, meeting his gaze.

"But... I think I'd rather go back home for now. I want to spend the day with you and Carly. Just for today. We can have a proper dinner with the boys tonight, and I can start fresh at the office tomorrow."

​Yoongi blinked, his hands tightening slightly on the wheel before he consciously relaxed them.

He pulled the car over into a quiet, tree-lined lane and put it in park.

He turned to face her, searching her expression.

​"You don't have to," he said, his voice steady.

"The doctor said you're cleared. And I promised you, I wouldn't be the reason you feel suffocated. If you want to go in, you should."

​Aen smiled, reaching up to smooth the furrow in his brow.

"I know. And I'm going to go in tomorrow. So I want this day for us. A transition. I want to be home because I want to be. I want to spend time with you and Carly."

​Yoongi looked at her for a long moment, the tension in his shoulders finally fully ebbing away.

He let out a long, slow breath and covered her hand with his.

"Okay then. Let's go home."

***

Later that night, ​the dinner was held in a private, soundproofed room of a restaurant they frequented.

The air in the room was thick with the scent of high-end Korean barbecue and the familiar, chaotic warmth of the group.

Even with the physical distance, the screen propped up at the head of the table brought the final piece of the puzzle into view-Hoseok, beaming through the display, waving frantically at the camera

​"Finally!" Jimin shouted, gesturing to the empty seats.

"We were about to start without you guys. Hobi-hyung has been threatening to call the police on you for keeping us waiting!"

​"I did no such thing!" Hoseok laughed, his voice crackling slightly through the speaker.

"I just said if you guys didn't show up in five minutes, I was going to order everything on the menu and bill it to Yoongi-hyung's account."

​"Yoongi, you look different," Jin noted, his eyes narrowing playfully.

"Did something good happened in Seychelles?"

​Yoongi just smirked, pulling out a chair for Aen, his hand resting gently on the small of her back-a gesture of support rather than a claim-before settling in beside her.