ACATALEPSY I BTS AU

CHAPTER 23 - In Bloom

Sitting at his breakfast table, Jimin pushed the food around absentmindedly, feeling like he was just going through the motions. The house staff had prepared a perfect meal, yet everything felt bland without you there. If he were at the Christie, it might be even worse, with your boss glaring at him—none of that mattered when you weren't around.

His thoughts, as they often did lately, drifted back to you. He couldn't stop thinking about that night—the way you looked so peaceful when you finally fell asleep, completely unaware that he had been watching over you. And how yesterday, you had turned down that girl, so gentle and sweet, like you always are. That moment stuck with him, not because he was surprised, but because it reminded him of something important: he had to stay on his toes.

Since he'd met you, everything had changed. He wasn't just the same old Jimin anymore, coasting through life, going wherever his father directed him like a leaf in the wind. You stirred something in him, something deeply human. It wasn't just love—it was jealousy, concern, the kind of care that made him constantly want to protect you. Before meeting you, his days blurred together, one after another, a series of empty interactions. The engagement to Suzy had felt like the next box to tick, a step on the path laid out for him. But since you entered his life, he couldn't stop feeling—something he hadn't truly done in so long.

It wasn't just the warmth you brought, either. Yeah, you made him feel things he never knew were possible—like happiness so deep it scared him sometimes—but you also introduced him to pain, frustration, and jealousy. Suzy stirred anger in him in a way that would've once made him just retreat into himself, but now? You balanced it out. You gave him the strength to handle it.

And that's the thing, really. Without you, he would've probably just accepted his fate—marrying Suzy, doing as he was told, living that same monotone life. He wouldn't have questioned anything, let alone fight his father, which he'd never dared to do before. You made him realize he could push back. That his life didn't have to be dictated by someone else's plans.

"May the best one win," he thought, smirking to himself, knowing full well that without you, he wouldn't even be in the game. Now? He was all in, ready to fight for the future he wanted.

**At Your Place**

You and Adam were almost ready to head out for the day. You were helping him close his backpack when the doorbell rang. A wave of anxiety hit you. 

*Who could that be at this hour? Is it another gift from your stalker?* You hesitated to open the door, hoping it wasn't. Yesterday had been quiet; nothing showed up from him. 

*Is he back at it?* The doorbell rang again. 

You opened the door cautiously and were completely caught off guard...

**About an hour earlier, across town...** 

Tae had just left his apartment near the Christie and was heading to the boutique where he worked when he spotted your boss rushing to his car, holding an enormous bouquet of white roses.

Tae squinted, watching him. "I wonder who those are for... his girlfriend maybe?"

He kept watching until your boss drove off, but a sudden, ridiculous thought popped into his head: *What if those flowers were for you?*