ACATALEPSY I BTS AU

CHAPTER 1 - Connections in the chaos

**Sunday evening.** 

Jimin stormed out of his father's office, his mood soured by the all-too-familiar conversation for what felt like the millionth time. His father refused to let him break off the engagement to Suzy Bae, the actress everyone seemed to believe was perfect for him. There wasn't a single paper that hadn't speculated on their relationship since the day they were spotted together at the premiere of the most recent drama she starred in. A proper cult seemed to follow their every move.

Desperate to shake off the weight of responsibility hanging over him, he decided to gather his friends for a night out....anything to distract himself, even if only for a little while.

"Where should we go?" Jimin asked, running a hand through his hair as he and his friends squeezed into a taxi. One of them suggested a neighborhood famous for its vibrant nightlife—exclusive clubs buzzing with young people, university students and neon-lit streets that never seemed to sleep.

His best friend, Tae, had been itching for a night out, desperately hoping to meet someone interesting after surviving a brutal breakup from a relationship that had dragged on for over four years.

Several hours later, the night was wearing thin and so was Jimin's patience. Clubs weren't exactly his favorite habitat and while he usually enjoyed dancing with friends, tonight was somehow different (surprise, surprise).

Several "enthusiastic" partygoers had "spotted" him and, in their charmingly drunken state, repeatedly tried to cozy up, using his apparent inebriation as a perfectly reasonable excuse to invade his personal space. He was, unfortunately, no stranger to these encounters—men and women alike targeting his wealth and fame, some even attempting to trap him with false promises, because why not aim high when it comes to payday schemes?

"Hey, Mr. Jimin," came a voice from the side as a woman grabbed his arm, rudely interrupting his brief escape to the bar. He sighed and brushed her off with the kind of weary tolerance only repeated annoyance can teach. Then another woman appeared, her botoxed lips curling into a smile that screamed "dangerous."

"Dance with me, Mr. Park .... even if I'm not Suzy" she purred, grabbing his other arm. Jimin, now thoroughly fed up, tore himself away from them both.

"Leave me the fuck alone," he snapped, his voice sharp enough to cut through the noise of the club. 

The women finally relented, and Jimin shoved his way through the crowd, desperately searching for an escape route. Eventually, he spotted Tae in a quieter corner, flirting with some lucky girl.

"Tae, I'm done," Jimin muttered, tapping his friend on the shoulder like a man surrendering to exhaustion.

"Alright," Tae replied, completely unfazed, leaning in to kiss the girl before whispering something in her ear.

"Call me later, sweetie." With that, the two friends made their great escape, stepping into the cool night air as they headed toward Tae's condo, just a mere ten minutes away from the chaos. To their luck, nobody followed them. Jimin started regretting not bringing a bodyguard, but then again having one around wouldn't have made the night feel quite the same.

They meandered through the city streets, soaking in the peacefulness nightfall brought, the neon lights gleaming mockingly off the wet pavement.

After a while, Jimin suddenly stopped, inexplicably drawn to a nearby bakery window like a moth to a flame. The pastries inside looked downright heavenly, and his stomach voiced its agreement with an audible rumble.

"It's closed, idiot," Tae laughed, tugging him away, but Jimin broke free, pressing his face against the glass, his breath fogging up the display as if to claim it.