The meal ended quietly.
Mira barely touched her food after returning to the table. Jae Min didn't tease her like he usually did. Ares didn't press her with questions. Instead, both men shifted into a quiet kind of alertness subtle, but protective.
When they left the restaurant, the night air was cool and damp, carrying the scent of fresh rain.
"I'll get the car," Jae Min offered, pulling out his phone to unlock it remotely.
"I'll walk Mira to the corner," Ares said casually, already stepping beside her.
Mira didn't protest.
They walked in silence.
The streets were quieter now, the world rinsed clean. Streetlights reflected off the puddles, and the sky was a deep, bruised grey.
Ares didn't say anything until they reached the quieter part of the block.
"You don't have to talk about it," he said, keeping his gaze forward, hands in his coat pockets. "But you don't have to pretend it didn't hurt either."
Mira looked down. Her fingers gripped the hem of her sweatshirt.
"I wasn't pretending," she whispered. "I was just.… surviving."
That made Ares stop walking.
She stopped too.
He turned to her slowly, the light catching the soft edges of his expression.
"You've done a damn good job surviving," he said. "But you don't have to do it alone anymore."
She didn't reply but she didn't look away, either.
Just then, Jae Min's car pulled up. He leaned out the window. "Need a ride?"
Ares exhaled, half-laughing, and turned back to Mira. "Come on. We'll drop you home."
Inside the car, the heater hummed softly. Mira sat in the back seat, in Ares and Jae Min's quiet presence. No words were needed. Their silence tonight didn't feel heavy. It felt…. safe.
By the time they reached her apartment, Mira hesitated before unbuckling her seatbelt.
Jae Min turned around from the passenger seat. "Want us to walk you in?"
She shook her head. "I'll be okay. Thanks for dinner."
Ares gave her one long look. "Get some rest. And Mira.…"
She paused, fingers on the door handle.
".…Next time someone tries to bring up your past, remember you've already made it through the worst of it."
Mira Nodded.
Then she left.
Inside her apartment, the quiet hit harder.
The lights were dim, and the echo of Yoo Ri's words rang in her head like poison. But slowly, Mira moved. Put her bag down. Let her wet hair down.
She filled the tub. Lavender bath salt. A moment of warmth.
As she sank into the water, her phone vibrated on the sink counter.
Ares.
Are you okay?
She stared at the screen.
Then typed back.
Yes. Thank you. For tonight.
His reply came seconds later.
I'm outside.
Her heart stopped for a beat.
She rushed to the window and sure enough, Ares was there, leaning against his car, arms folded, looking up at her window.
Another buzz.
Don't worry. I'll leave in five. Just wanted to make sure you got inside safe.
Mira didn't think she just called.
"Ares?"
His voice was warm through the line. "Hey."
"Thank you, Ares" she said.
A pause. Then: "sleep well, Mira"
Mira's heartbeat skipped.
Silence. Then the sound of his car door closing.