Stigma Love's Algorithm [ A BTS x Reader Poly ]

Chapter 1: Unseen Threads

Y/N (Private to Suga)
You don’t think it’s… strange? That the system just decides who we should be with, who we’re compatible with?

I bit my lip, waiting for him to respond. Of course, he would probably just give me one of those cool, composed answers he always had in meetings. I could already hear his voice in my head, flat, almost too pragmatic.

Suga (Private to Y/N)
Mmm. I understand. But I feel like that is something we should answer together.

Suga (Private to Y/N)
We’ve all heard the stories. People find each other, feel less alone.

Suga (Private to Y/N)
I guess what I'm trying to say is. I think this is at least worth to explore.

I could feel my heartbeat pick up.

People find each other. But what about the ones who didn’t want to be found?

What about the ones who were still questioning everything, like me?

I glanced over at the screen again. Seven profiles. Seven potential “soulmates.”

Six of them deactivated, just empty shells of human connections that meant nothing.

One of them, however, was real at this very moment.

Suga.

I let my fingers hover over the screen again, trying to decide how much to say, how much to reveal.

There was a part of me that wanted to dive into this with him, to talk about the app, to figure out what it meant for us.

But then, another part of me—the part that had spent years pushing away everything that made me feel vulnerable—wanted to shut down the app, walk away from the whole thing, and pretend it hadn’t happened.

But I couldn’t. Not now.

Y/N (Private to Suga):
I don’t know if this is even real, Suga. Yes, I’m part of the team that made this system. But this is exactly why. I know its flaws, its limitations, and the way it forces people to connect with others whether they’re ready or not. I never thought I’d be one of those people, but here I am.

I paused after I hit send, biting my lip, preparing for whatever would come next. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear it, but I had no choice.

Suga:
So… what, you’re telling me you didn’t want this? That we weren’t supposed to be matched?

Y/N:
I didn’t want it. I’ve spent years avoiding it, actually. I mean I have a profile since it's mandatory but I have never activated it. I thought I could just focus on my work, on the app, and not get involved. But now—now it’s real. I’m here. You’re here.I have no idea how this happened, or why it’s happening.

I pressed my lips together, feeling a sudden wave of frustration building in my chest.

Why was this happening? It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

Suga’s response popped up almost immediately.

Suga ( Private to Y/N)
I understand, believe me I do. But maybe we can at least talk about it. You don’t have to do this alone.

Suga, the distant, prickly genius who barely acknowledged anyone outside of his work, was offering to talk. Talk.

Not like the teasing way he always done. It was in the way that offered so much more, like he really does care about this and dare I say—me.

My fingers shook as I stared at the message.

That was the last thing I expected him to say.

Was Suga actually offering me a lifeline?

Y/N (Private to Suga)
Why are you even willing to talk to me about this? You never really seemed… interested in the app or the people involved.

I could already feel my face turning red.

Why would he even care? I rubbed my palms together nervously, the words already forming in my head as I typed.

Suga (Private to Y/N)
Maybe I didn’t care about the app. But I care about you, Y/N.

Suga (Private to Y/N)
You’re not just some employee I work with.

Suga (Private to Y/N)
You’ve been there, trying to make everything work

Suga (Private to Y/N)
You’ve probably got more on your shoulders than you let on. I see that.

My breath caught in my throat.

I hadn’t expected that. I hadn’t expected him to see me at all, let alone acknowledge everything I’d been struggling with.

Suga always kept to himself, hiding behind his cold demeanor and sarcastic comments.

Yes, I couldn't deny the glances he has sent me all these years. I've seen it, the way he stares longer than necessary, the way he sometimes looks out for me even when I pretend he doesn't.

I know. I feel it everytime. the pull. The way he reacts to me. The way he acknowledges me even when it's not in his personality to do so.

Somehow, at the back of my mind, all these years, I know.

I know, I've always known because I'm exactly the same.

But to hear him say something like that, even if it was a bit cryptic, threw me off balance.

I ran my fingers through my hair in confusion. What is happening?

Before I could gather my scattered thoughts, another message from him appeared.

Suga (Private to Y/N)
I’ll be at EchoTech tomorrow. We can talk about this then. You don’t have to answer right now. Just think about it.

I stared at my screen, heart thudding in my chest.

Tomorrow. I would have to face him.

Wacha, who had been quietly nestled next to me, suddenly pawed at my lap, meowing loudly.

“Ow! Wacha! Why are you always so dramatic?” I exclaimed, gently prying her off my leg.

She shot me an annoyed glare, then went back to licking her paws, indifferent to my impending existential crisis.

Yeah, thanks, cat. That helps.

I stood up, pacing a little in frustration.

My mind was racing a million miles an hour.

I looked at the phone again. Tomorrow was coming, and I couldn’t hide from it.

With a resigned sigh, I grabbed my phone and typed out the simplest response I could manage.

Y/N (Private to Suga)
Alright. Let’s talk tomorrow.

I hit send and collapsed back onto the couch, staring at the ceiling. There was no turning back now.

Whatever happened next, I would be in it.

I would be part of something bigger than me, bigger than either of us.

Something that had already started to take shape, and I was no longer sure I could control it.