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

Chapter 54.5: The Countdown || Part 2

Yoongi huffed. "I don't hover."

I snorted.

Jiwon grinned. "Oh, he's that type?"

Tae nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, absolutely."

Yoongi sighed, dragging a hand down his face.

Jiwon's mom just laughed, squeezing my arm.

"Oh, I love you all already."
And honestly?
I felt the same way.

We weren't just meeting Taehyung's family.
We were becoming part of it.

We barely made it to the dining table before Jiwon's mom started fussing over everyone.

"Oh, sweetheart, you must be tired from all the cooking," she said, cupping Yoongi's cheek and shaking her head affectionately.

"I hope you left some energy to eat too, hm?"

Yoongi blinked, caught off guard, his ears already turning pink.

"I-uh, yeah, of course," he muttered, suddenly looking so much younger, so much softer under her gaze.

Tae grinned, practically radiating happiness beside him.

Jiwon laughed, clapping Yoongi on the back again. "Wow, Hyung, never thought I'd see someone like you turn into a shy little kid."

Yoongi scowled, smacking Jiwon's hand away. "I am not shy."

"You totally are," I teased, squeezing Yoongi's wrist, watching as he glared at the entire room in quiet betrayal.

Tae cackled, pulling Yoongi down into the seat beside him.

Jiwon's dad, who had been quietly observing all of this, suddenly sighed deeply.

"Alright, let's eat before the food gets cold," he said, voice low and steady.

Everyone immediately listened.

It wasn't out of fear or obligation-it was respect.The kind that comes from love, not authority.

The food was incredible-but honestly?
I barely remembered eating.

Because there was so much love, so much joy woven into the night that I could hardly focus on anything else.

Tae was glued to Jiwon's mom's side, leaning into her touch whenever she refilled his plate, humming happily every time she called him her baby.

Yoongi, who rarely let himself be taken care of, didn't even argue when she did the same for him.

"I can do it myself," he said weakly, barely protesting as she placed another piece of meat onto his plate.

She just smiled knowingly, patting his hand. "I know, dear."

Yoongi sighed, but there was no fight in him at all.

Tae wiggled his eyebrows at me, mouthing- He likes it.

I laughed, nudging Yoongi playfully.

Jiwon and his dad spent the meal talking to Yoongi-and it was the first time I had ever seen Yoongi so openly engaged with someone who wasn't us.

"Hyung, your brain is insane," Jiwon declared dramatically, shaking his head.

Yoongi rolled his eyes, but his lips twitched. "It's really not that impressive."

Jiwon's dad, however, just nodded thoughtfully.

"That kind of intelligence is rare," he said. "Especially when used to build rather than destroy."