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

Chapter 7: The Tension In The Air

I didn't tell her about any of this.

She never mentioned it, and I was fine with that.

I wasn't doing it for thanks or praise. I just... wanted her to have one less thing to worry about.

Another time, I found her walking to her car in the rain.

I had seen her rushing out of the building, clearly not prepared for the downpour.

Without thinking, I grabbed an umbrella from my desk and quickly caught up to her.

She didn't notice me at first, but when I stepped beside her, offering the umbrella, she looked up, surprised.

"You didn't have to-" she started, but I interrupted her.

"Don't make a big deal out of it. It's just rain," I said, though the awkwardness in my voice betrayed me.

She glanced up at me, her eyes softening just a little. "Thanks, Suga"

I didn't know what to say to that. So I just nodded, keeping the umbrella between us as we walked to the parking lot together.

These little moments weren't much.

They didn't mean anything significant-at least, not to her.

But to me? They were starting to add up, piece by piece, like I was slowly seeing something bigger that I couldn't quite make sense of.

Still, I pushed these thoughts away.

I had a job to do, and it wasn't to get tangled up in whatever this feeling was.

She was just a colleague. Nothing more.

And yet, as more months passed and eventually another year, I found myself checking in on her more and more.

There were days when I'd notice that she hadn't eaten lunch yet, and I'd leave a small snack on her desk.

Days when I knew she was working late, and I'd make sure she had coffee on hand.

I never let her know. I just did it because I couldn't help myself. It was the weirdest thing-caring for her without actually saying a word about it.

Then came the day I found myself alone with her in the break room.

I was making coffee when she walked in, looking more tired than usual.

"Long day?" I asked, not sure why I'd even bothered to say anything.

She nodded, rubbing her eyes. "Yeah, you could say that."

I watched her for a moment, and without really thinking, I handed her the coffee I had just made. "Here. You look like you need it more than I do."

Her eyes met mine, and there was a quiet pause.

Then she smiled, that small, genuine smile that made me feel like maybe I wasn't completely invisible to her.

"Thanks, Suga."

"You're welcome," I muttered, feeling something tighten in my chest. But I didn't say anything else.

I started to wonder, late one night as I sat at my desk, if maybe she could be more than just a colleague.

But the thought was fleeting, and I pushed it away quickly. I had no time for distractions, not now.

It was October 2023, when the LoveMap app's update rolled out to everyone in the company.

It was a company-wide announcement, and as I sat there, watching the screens flicker with the logo, something tugged at me.