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

Chapter 77: Everything and Nothing

The field stretched out before us, quiet and open, a hidden spot outside the city where the world felt bigger and time moved slower.

I'd set up a blanket beneath a thick patch of stars, a small lantern flickering beside it, casting warm light against the dark.

Jin took it all in-his gaze flicking from the whiskey bottle to the empty space I'd left for him.

For a moment, he hesitated.

Then, with a quiet sigh, he sank down beside me.

He didn't ask why I'd picked this place.
Didn't ask why I hadn't taken him somewhere loud, somewhere crowded, somewhere with distractions.

I think-
I think he already knew.

At first, we filled the space with easy conversation.

Jin told me about the case he was working on-a high-profile fraud trial, corporate sharks and under-the-table deals.

I told him about the latest roadblocks I was facing-government red tape, wealthy investors backing out, people in power doing everything they could to shut me down.

At some point, the whiskey started working its way into our limbs, loosening our edges, making the words flow easier.

Jin leaned back on his palms, exhaling slowly. "You're fighting a war you can't win, you know."

I huffed a laugh. "Doesn't mean I won't try."

He glanced at me, something unreadable flickering in his gaze. "I know."

Silence settled between us.

Soft.
Strangely comfortable.

Jin tilted his head back, eyes tracing the sky. "You really think you can fix this world, huh?"

I shrugged. "Someone has to."

Another pause.

Then-A small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at his lips. "I used to think that, too."

My breath caught.

For all the times we'd argued, for all the times we'd pushed and challenged each other-this was the first time he'd let me see it.

The part of him that wanted more.
The part of him that wasn't just the ruthless, cutthroat lawyer.
The part of him that cared.

I swallowed. "What changed?"

Jin let out a slow breath. "The system."

He shook his head, staring at the sky like it held answers he'd stopped looking for.

"You spend long enough inside it, and you realize how impossible it is to break. It doesn't bend. It doesn't listen. It just-" He exhaled sharply. "-crushes you."

I was quiet for a moment.

Then-softly-I said, "Maybe it only wins if you let it."

Jin turned his head, meeting my gaze.
Something flickered there.
Something unspoken.

His lips parted slightly, like he was about to say something-But before he could, a streak of light cut across the sky.