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

Chapter 4: Foundations of Fate

"Great. It's a date, then."

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—Flashback—

Suga's POV

The days blur together when you're constantly immersed in the world of cybersecurity.

The hum of servers, the endless stream of code, the quiet clicks of my keyboard-it's all second nature to me now.

I've made a life of it, built my world around it, piece by piece.

At EchoTech, I'm just another face in the crowd.

No one knows my story. No one needs to.

I didn't ask for this life. I didn't ask for the way things turned out, for the tight grip that life had on my family when I was growing up.

When I was a kid, we were just like any other upper-middle-class family.

My dad ran a business, my mom stayed home most of the time. We had everything we needed.

Then, everything crumbled.

I was fourteen when my father's business went under.

The sudden shift was like a slap in the face, one I wasn't prepared for.

My mom had to work two, sometimes three jobs just to make ends meet.

I hated seeing her tired all the time, but there was nothing I could do.

My dad? He disappeared from the picture, his pride too big to admit we were sinking. I'd never seen him again after that.

He left us, and I learned early that trust and family are often just illusions.

That's when I started relying on myself. I buried my emotions, hid behind my walls.

I became independent, self-sufficient. No one could be trusted to have my back, so I made sure I never needed anyone to.

I put my head down and worked. I excelled in school, in everything I did.

It wasn't about showing off; it was about survival.

The pressure to do well was always there.

My mom was proud of me, but I could see the exhaustion in her eyes.

She was always so grateful for anything I did, even though I knew she was struggling to keep it together. I took care of her the best I could, but I couldn't fix the hole my father left behind.

By the time I landed my job at EchoTech, I was already well on my way to carving out a future for myself.

Cybersecurity wasn't just something I fell into-it was a path I chose because it was stable, it was predictable.

And, most importantly, it was something I could control.

I didn't have to rely on anyone, and I didn't have to talk about the things that really mattered.

EchoTech offered me stability, more than I had ever known.

I could pay my bills without worrying. I could buy the things I wanted, go wherever I needed.

I didn't have to flaunt it.

My apartment in a quiet part of Seoul was modest. Minimalist. I valued privacy, comfort.