Stigma ✔

Bonus Chapter

Two figures hide against the walls of an unknown alley as a crowd runs past them. The man tries his best to blend into the wall while the woman crouches down next to him with her head buried in her knees and long lush hair covering her face. Even in that position both of them had their hands locked tightly together.

They freeze in that position for a few minutes before the man leans forward and checks if there is anyone still lingering around. After making sure that the coast was clear, he went back into the alley and nodded at the woman.

She lets out a deep sigh of relief and quickly takes the outstretched hand of the man. Before exiting the alley, the man takes out a bucket hat from his satchel and puts it on the woman. Sensing her questioning stare in the darkness, He softly said, "It's Yoongi's hat. I borrowed it from him."

"And he just gave it to you?", she asks, doubtful.

"Well...I did tell him. He just didn't reply on time." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

She lets out a small giggle and takes his arm as they both leave the alley. Jeju city is silent around them as their take a short walk along the beach.

"Mr.Kim SeokJin, You have to wait till one gives permission. This is basically theft, you know?" The woman says, slightly shivering when a cold blast of air brushes past them.

Noticing the little action, he opens up his padding jacket and pulls her closer to him. The woman lets go of his arm and wraps her arms around his waist, pleased with the heat she received from his body.

"One would think that after becoming public again, we would have some peace of mind when we are out." Kim SeokJin says, completely ignoring her claims.

"When has it ever been peaceful for celebrities. It's those who get used to this attention that deserves to be called legends." Bae JooHyun replies. Jin hummed in agreement and both of them fall silent as they watch the sea.

Two years ago, Jin and Irene had decided that hiding their relationship from the fans was hurting them and their relationship too. After a lot of thought and discussion with both the agencies, the couple decided to reveal their relationship to the public again. They chose to reveal it on their SNS pages through a letter to their fans, signed by both of them.

The results were what they expected, perhaps even more. While there was a huge influx of comments from fans and non-fans alike that disapproved of their union (like the first time) and did rallies and petitions to separate them or demand them to exit their group, there was an even huge part of the two fandoms who embraced the news with open arms. They heartfully congratulated them and even as far as setting up ads on trains announcing their approval and support.

When things got a little bit out of hand, many popular fan pages on social media platforms started a movement where they would try to disciple their fellow fans and try to make upset fans understand why Jin and Irene being in love will be a fabulous thing for their own sake. Because at the end all a fan hopes for is happiness for their idol and if a man/woman makes them happy, why is there a need to worry?

Since both of them were part of very popular idol groups, the news stayed trending on Naver for a whole month before it was very naturally taken over by another scandal. The following three or so months were quite stressful for both the couple and the two companies. The companies worked hard to protect their artists from both mental and physical harm as best as they could. Extreme cases were also handled through judicial means.

Slowly but gradually the craze died down and like the phrase 'After a dark night, comes a bright day, the time came when things were manageable to some extent. However, the biggest problem remained the paparazzi's who continued to disregard the couples' wished to keep their relationship silent.