Love and Power

Crossed Paths

Jimin (smirking, still suspicious): "Well, looks like we're going to be seeing each other a lot, huh?"

Y/N (trying to stay composed): "Seems like it."
She forced a smile, though her mind was racing.

Jimin (holding out his hand): "Park Jimin, by the way."

Y/N (shaking his hand, trying to stay casual): "Y/N Mehta."

Jimin (grinning): "Guess we can start over, right? Since we're going to be around each other often."
His eyes still held a hint of suspicion, but he played it cool.

Y/N (nodding, though uneasily): "Yeah... I guess we are."

Aarya took a deep breath and looked at Jungkook. "I'm Aarya Agarwal."

Jungkook gave a polite nod. "Jeon Jungkook. Nice to meet you, Aarya."

She offered a slight smile. "Looks like we'll be seeing each other often."

He smirked slightly. "Seems that way."

Isha glanced at Yoongi. "I'm Isha Rathore."

He gave a subtle nod. "Min Yoongi, but you can call me Suga."

Meera looked over at Taehyung. "Meera Kapoor."

He flashed a charming smile. "Kim Taehyung, but friends call me V."

She nodded. "Nice to meet you, V."

As the introductions ended, an odd tension settled among the group. None of them seemed thrilled about the idea of constantly crossing paths, but it was clear that fate had other plans.

Aarya's Mother smiled brightly. "Now that you all know each other, why don't we have some tea? It'll give you more time to talk."

Jungkook glanced at Aarya, who was avoiding his gaze. "Sounds good," he muttered.

As they all sat down, the room seemed to buzz with silent tension. Y/N kept stealing glances at Jimin.

Jimin, noticing her glances, leaned in slightly. "You're acting strange, Y/N. Anything I should know?"

Y/N (coolly): "Just surprised to see you here, that's all."

Jimin smirked. "Right. Because bumping into you twice in two countries isn't strange at all."

Y/N shrugged, trying to play it off. "Like I said, small world."

Across the room, Isha kept her eyes on Yoongi, but the hacker in her couldn't help but wonder if he'd noticed something about her. He was sharp, and the way he was looking at her was making her uncomfortable.

Yoongi finally spoke up. "So, Isha, what do you do?"

Isha hesitated before giving her typical cover. "I work in tech. You?"

Yoongi (with a sly smile): "Same. Though I'm sure our jobs are pretty different."

Isha narrowed her eyes. "Probably."

Meanwhile, Aarya and Jungkook sat in silence. Their parents were already deep in conversation, clearly happy with the match, but the two of them exchanged nothing more than  polite smiles.