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

Chapter 2: Tangled Conversations

All I could think about was how close he was.

His scent was intoxicating—a subtle mix of sandalwood, vanilla, and something warm I couldn’t quite place.

It filled my senses, and for a second, I forgot about the app, the questions, and everything else.

But of course, my clumsy self had to ruin it.

I stood up too quickly, knocking my chair backward with a loud screech.

My hands instinctively reached out to steady it, but in doing so, I knocked over the stack of papers on Suga’s desk.

“Great,” I muttered, bent down to scoop them up, my face flushed with embarrassment.

“Just perfect, Y/N. You manage to spill a paper disaster in the middle of a super important conversation.”

Suga chuckled softly, his low laugh causing the awkwardness to melt just a little. “You’re not exactly a walking disaster, you know. It’s okay.”

I looked up, meeting his gaze just as I stood back up, the papers now safely back on the desk.

“Well, I’m trying not to be,” I said with a little grin, my nervousness easing just enough for me to joke. “But sometimes it’s like my brain doesn’t get the memo.”

The smile he gave me—genuine, slightly crooked—sent a bolt of warmth through my chest. “I can relate.”

And just like that, the atmosphere lightened.

It wasn’t perfect, but there was something in the air now, something palpable, something real.

We were getting somewhere. Slowly, but surely.

“So,” I said, once the room wasn’t quite so stifling, “I guess we’re doing this. We’re... figuring it out.”

He raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. “You’re agreeing to this?”

“Well, yeah,” I said with a shrug, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

“I mean, I have to, don’t I? To really understand the app and... the connection. It’s the only way I’ll really get what the users are experiencing. I’m not just some... detached developer, I’m in it now. We’re in it.”

Suga nodded thoughtfully, and I could swear there was a flicker of approval in his eyes. It was a small thing, but it was there.

“But…” I continued, twisting my fingers together nervously, “I still have my reservations. Ethically speaking, this whole thing makes me feel... uncomfortable. It’s messy. People’s lives are at stake, and if this app is as powerful as it seems, then I can’t just ignore that. I need to know it’s doing more good than harm, you know?”

His gaze softened. “I get that. I do. But you’re not just an outsider anymore, Y/N. You’re part of this. And if we’re going to understand it—really understand it—we need to experience it. Together.”

I swallowed, feeling the gravity of his words. This wasn’t just about data anymore.

It was about real human connections. Real feelings. And that terrified me.

What if this connection—this thing between us—was too real? What if it consumed everything?

What if it made me lose control of something I couldn’t undo?

But there was something else gnawing at me too.

Something I hadn’t even started to address yet, something that lurked just below the surface: The app didn’t just connect us. It connected people—multiple people.

Suga and I were only two of the eight soulmates the app had paired each of us with.

How was that going to work? What about the other six?

What if I started to feel something for him? What did that mean for the other people?

Could I handle sharing that kind of bond with six other strangers? Could he?

"So... what about the others?"

I asked, my voice quieter now, as a new layer of worry settled over me.

"The other soulmates... I mean, we’re only two, but if we... if we explore this, what happens to them? What happens to their connections? How do we all... work together? What if they feel something too?"

Suga’s expression shifted—he seemed to be considering the weight of what I was asking.

After a moment, he exhaled slowly, looking away briefly before meeting my gaze again.

“I don’t know,” he said quietly.

“I can’t pretend to have answers to that. But I think... if we’re really going to try to understand this, we’ll have to deal with it. Maybe we’ll all have to face these kinds of questions. But for now, I think we need to start by understanding us—by figuring out what’s real between us. The rest of it... it’ll come.”

I wanted to argue, wanted to push back against that easy certainty. But I couldn’t.

Deep down, I knew he was right. It was just... hard to let go of the fear that things would spiral out of control, that it would all be too much.

“So we’re going to try it?” I asked, my voice quieter now, but resolute.

“I mean, I can’t promise I’ll have all the answers, but I’ll give it a shot. I’ll try to understand... what it really means to be connected like this.”

Suga stepped closer, his eyes never leaving mine. “That’s all I’m asking for.”

And in that moment, I realized something.

It wasn’t about making sense of everything right away.

It wasn’t about controlling the outcome.

It was about trying, about being willing to explore something I’d spent my life avoiding.

Maybe this was the only way forward—by accepting the unknown, and by facing whatever it was that pulled us together.

And maybe, just maybe, I could make sense of it. With him.

“I guess this is the part where we buckle up,” I said, my voice light but my heart pounding in my chest.

Suga gave a small smile, his eyes softening. “Yeah. The ride’s just starting.”

And as much as I wanted to run away from this whole messy situation, something told me I wouldn’t be able to.

Not anymore. Not with him standing there, quietly waiting for me to take the plunge.