Just A Few Numbers Away

Chapter 152.5

​The Eighth Year

​The morning sun streamed brightly through the windows, casting a golden glow across the living room where a mountain of colorful gifts and festive decorations awaited.

​It was Friday morning.

​Carly's eighth birthday.

​The moment the sound of little footsteps pattered down the hallway, the door flew open.

​"Happy birthday, sweetheart!" Aen chorused, stepping forward just as an eight-year-old tornado of energy came barreling into the room.

​Before Aen could even bend down, Carly launched herself straight toward them, her face split into a brilliant, gap-toothed grin as she went straight for Yoongi's knees first, nearly tackling him with a squeal of pure joy.

​Yoongi caught her effortlessly with a soft, rumbling laugh, lifting her up with a practiced ease as he spun her around gently.

​"Happy eighth birthday, princess," Yoongi murmured, pressing a fond kiss to the top of her head.

"Did you save any space for birthday cake today, or are you too busy running around?"

​"I saved all the space, Dadhie!" Carly declared proudly, throwing her arms around his neck before turning eagerly toward Aen for a tight hug.

"And look at all the balloons, Momhie! I love it! But... can we open the presents now?"

Aen laughed, her hands framing Carly's beaming face.

"Hold on, little boss. At least let us feed you breakfast first. Even birthday girls need fuel."

​Before long, the dining table was packed with family, laughter, and a chaotic spread of traditional Filipino birthday treats alongside the sweet pastries Carly loved.

​But once breakfast was cleared, the real main event began.

​The morning flew by in a blur of wrapping paper, ribbon shreds, and delighted gasps as Carly tore into her gifts-including a gorgeous, mid-sized artisan tabletop easel complete with a wooden artist's mannequin, a set of high-grade canvas boards, and a miniature wooden artist's palette from Aen and a professional-grade tablet bundled with a digital stylus and a specialized graphic design app already pre-installed from Yoongi.

But the biggest box in the room, wrapped in obnoxiously bright purple paper, was sitting right in the center.

​"Open that one next," Yoongi said, leaning back against the sofa with a knowing smirk.

"We practically had to sacrifice half the cargo hold space just to fit that on the charter."

​Carly tore the paper away, lifting the lid of the box.

She let out an ear-piercing squeal of delight.

​Inside was a massive, custom-made jacket adorned with all her favorite Sanrio and BT21 characters, along with a brand-new instant camera.

Tucked inside the pocket was a card signed by all six of her samchoon, with a polaroid of them holding up a banner that read: Happy Birthday to our favorite Princess! - Love, the Uncle Squad.

​"Uncle Jimin and Uncle Tae picked and customized the jacket, but Uncle Jungkook insisted on the camera so you could take pictures of the new baby," Yoongi explained, his eyes crinkling as Carly immediately put the oversized jacket on, practically drowning in the fabric.

​"And look at this!" Aen chimed in, pulling out two meticulously wrapped, slim rectangular box from the bottom of the pile.

"This one's from Uncle Namjoon and Uncle Jin while this one is from Uncle Hobi."

​Carly carefully peeled back the silver wrapping paper gifton the first gift to reveal a gorgeous, deluxe watercolor and sketching kit paired with an illustrated hardbound collection of classic fairy tales.

​"Uncle Namjoon said he picked out the sketching set so she can draw her own comic books, and Uncle Jin added the book collection with strict instructions that she has to read at least one chapter a night," Yoongi added with a soft huff of amusement, crossing his arms.

"Jin also included a handwritten sticky note warning you not to let Jungkook near your art supplies because he'll just use them to paint his sneakers."

​Aen laughed, shaking her head.

"Knowing Jungkook, that warning is entirely justified.

"Right. He'd probably try to paint a banana on them," Yoongi added with a dry smirk, earning another laugh from Aen.

Then ​he handed the final box to Aen, gesturing for her to take the lead.

​"Alright, last but not the least, darling," Aen prompted gently, sliding the second, slightly squarer package closer to the birthday girl.

​Carly eagerly tore away the vibrant yellow wrapping paper and lifted the lid of the box, gasping as she pulled out a sleek, portable electronic keyboard designed for kids, complete with a built-in microphone and flashing rainbow keys.

Nestled right beside it was a pair of matching pink headphones.

​"Uncle Hobi sent a video message earlier saying that since you're already a master at drawing, it's time to test your rhythm," Aen explained, kneeling beside her with a fond smile.

"He said he expects a full concert performance the next time we're back in Seoul."

​Carly immediately pressed one of the demo buttons, and a cheerful, upbeat melody filled the living room, making everyone burst into laughter as the little birthday girl happily bobbed her head to the beat.

​Yet, amidst the excitement, Carly kept glancing down at her left wrist, where the secret silver bracelet engraved with Carly Min rested safely under her sleeve, a quiet, constant reminder of the promise waiting for her back in Seoul.

​By the afternoon, the yard was filled with cousins, neighborhood friends, and the rich, mouth-watering scent of barbecue grilling over charcoal.

​When the multi-layered birthday cake was finally brought out, complete with eight glowing candles, the entire room broke into a roaring, enthusiastic rendition of the birthday song.

​"Make a wish, sweetheart," Aen whispered, leaning down beside her.

​Carly closed her eyes tightly, her tiny hands clasped together in fierce concentration.

​She wished for her drawing skills to get better, she wished for endless mangoes, and then, casting a quick, sideways glance at Aen's slightly rounded stomach and Yoongi's steady, protective gaze standing right behind them, she added one final, silent wish to the universe.

​Blow!

​With a mighty puff, Carly extinguished all eight candles in one go, sending up a small plume of smoke as the courtyard erupted into cheers and applause.

​As the afternoon melted into a warm, tropical evening filled with laughter and shared stories under the string lights, the hurried pace of their busy lives in Seoul faded completely away.

​With the weekend stretching out ahead of them-filled with family, laughter, and tropical warmth-the hurried pace of their busy lives in Seoul faded completely away, leaving only the joy of the present moment before their Sunday night flight back home.