Just A Few Numbers Away

Chapter 33

Under the Influence of Truth

"Hello. Are you Miss Aen's Friend?"

"Who... Who is this? Why do you have Aen's phone?"

Yoongi was starting to panic.

"Ahh... I'm a bartender from Bar Imbibe. Miss Aen is a frequent customer here, and currently, she's very wasted. Could you please pick her up?"

Upon hearing the bartender's explanation, Yoongi felt slightly relieved.

He had been worried when it wasn't Aen who answered, fearing she had gotten herself into a terrible accident.

"I-I'll be there in 5 minutes."

"Okay. Thank you."

After the call ended, Yoongi threw his phone on the bed and hastily changed his clothes.

He picked up his phone again, and searched for the bar's location.

He grabbed his keys, and practically ran out of his apartment.

***

When he entered the bar, he carefully looked around until a bartender waved at him, pointing toward Aen, who had her head down on the bar counter.

He carefully approached her and the bartender handed Aen's phone to him.

"Thank you for coming to pick her up. I was afraid she'd try to go home by herself. I'm not sure what happened, but she usually doesn't drink until she's this wasted."

Yoongi nodded, looking at her with a mix of pity and fear.

Seeing her like this—the woman who usually stood so tall and guarded—crushed him.

She wasn't a 'scandalous' figure right now; she was just a girl trying to outrun her own heartbeat.

"Has she paid for the drinks yet?"

"She already did."

"I see. What kind of drinks did she have?"

"Usually, she orders two or three bottles of soju. But tonight, she ordered more—shots of vodka, tequila, and a bottle of beer.

'She is completely wasted.' Yoongi thought as he looked at Aen.

He gently shook her.

"Aen-ah..."

"Hmmmmm...??"

"It's... It's time to go home."

Aen lifted her head and squinted her eyes at Yoongi.

"Hommeeeee???"

Yoongi nodded but Aen shook her head.

"I can'tttttt. It's tooo farrrrrrrr."

"T-then I'll give you a ride. Come on."

"Realllllyyyy? Do you have a... a planeeeee???"

"Ehh? Uhm... n-no but... I have a car."

"A... car? That... that won'tttt dooo... The Philippines is... we... need to cross oceannssss... We'll drownnn... I don'tttt wanna dieee yet..."