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

Chapter 60: A Love That Never Left

Tae, ever the brave soul, tried one more time. "But-"

"No," I cut in smoothly.

Yoongi hummed, sipping his tea. "Not now."

Tae pouted.

I smiled. "You don't want me and Yoongi to team up on you, do you?"

Tae huffed but let it go-for now.

Jin Oppa, finally safe from interrogation, exhaled and focused on his still empty bowl.

And Namjoon?

Well. He shot one last glance at Jin Oppa, something small and unreadable in his expression.

But then he stepped back, carefully avoiding the shards of ceramic at his feet.

And we moved on-because whatever this was, they'd tell us in their own time.

We pulled together an easy meal-warm rice, side dishes, reheated soup from this morning. Simple. Filling. Comforting.

The second Jin Oppa had his bowl filled out in front of him, he dug in immediately.

We let him eat first.
Let him breathe.
Let him have this moment of rest.

Only when his second bowl was half-empty did Namjoon finally ask-
"How bad is it?"

Oppa wiped his mouth with a napkin, leaning back. His exhaustion was still there, but his sharpness remained.

"The media's eating this up," he said, voice steady. "Mr. Choi's reputation is shattered. He's already trying to push for bail, but..."

He smirked slightly.
"It's not looking good for him."

Tae stilled.

Yoongi noticed first, his hand instantly finding Tae's knee. "Baby?"

Tae exhaled, shaking his head. "It just... it doesn't feel real."

Jin Oppa's expression softened. "It is."

Tae glanced at him, eyes flickering with something uncertain. "But what if-"

"No." Yoongi's voice was firm.

I reached for Tae's hand. "He's not getting away, baby. Not this time."

Namjoon nodded, solid and steady. "We're going to make sure of it."

Tae swallowed.
Yoongi squeezed his knee.

Jin Oppa leaned forward slightly, exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "Listen to me, Tae."

His voice was low, certain. "You won't ever have to fear him again. Not while we're here."

Tae's lips trembled slightly.
Then-he nodded.
Believed.
Trusted.

But just before Jin Oppa could pull away completely, he surprised all of us-himself included.

He reached for Tae and pulled him into another hug, softer this time, before pressing a kiss to Tae's temple.

Tae froze.

Then absolutely lit up, eyes wide with disbelief. "You kissed me!"

Oppa chuckled against Tae's hair. "Yeah, I did."

Tae beamed, pure joy radiating from him.

And then, across the room, something unspoken passed between Jin and Namjoon. A soft smile. Quiet understanding.

I noticed first-and so did Yoongi.

Yoongi's hand slipped around my shoulder, pressing a kiss to my cheek. "We did good."