I don't follow you. The light from this event traveled 12 billion light years to get to us and current best estimates put the age of the universe at 13.75 billi

I don't follow you. The light from this event traveled 12 billion light years to get to us and current best estimates put the age of the universe at 13.75 billion years, so this light was emitted relatively close to the beginning of the universe. To reach this object now, you would indeed have to travel much farther than 12 billion light years due to the expansion of the universe.