Love Maze | BTS 8TH Member

Danger

The room was buzzing with excitement. Arin, dressed in a loose white t-shirt, varsity jacket and black jeans (which she had to beg Sejin to allow her to wear instead of a skirt), sat patiently at the table, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she greeted each fan with warmth and sincerity, the boys sitting on her left and right.

Many fans skipped Arin because they still hated her so much, even after a year of debut, so she was passing most of her time by looking around the room. A sad smile painted her lips, the thought that there was still a large number of ARMY that didn't welcome her presence, ached in her heart.

As she was running her gaze around the room, waving at some joyful fans at times, her blood ran cold at the sight of him. He was a familiar face in the crowd, a young man with an intense gaze fixed on her. It was him. The sasaeng. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over her, as if her body automatically knew he was bad news.

Her smile faltered. She remembered their last encounter, and the feeling of being constantly watched. Fear pierced through her.

The sasaeng continued to approach BTS's table as the line kept moving forward at a steady pace. His eyes, filled with a disturbing intensity, held hers captive. Arin felt a knot of fear tightening in her stomach. 

Namjoon and Hoseok, who were seated on her left and right respectively, sensed her discomfort and exchanged worried glances. They didn't know what exactly caused this reaction from her because they had no idea that the sasaeng was here or how he even looked like, but if she was so nervous that she started biting her lips and fiddling her fingers, then they knew something was terribly wrong.

The members were seated age-wise, so Seokjin was up first and Jungkook was last. The line of fans continued moving forward, and soon, it was the sasaeng's turn. 

Seokjin greeted him, grinning, maintaining his joyful persona, not knowing that this man was the same man that haunted his best friend in her sleep. He thought he heard the man scowling at him, but he simply brushed it off and signed his album anyway.

The sasaeng walked ahead, and now stood in front of Yoongi, who felt a chill crawl down his spine. Yoongi recognized him immediately because of their previous encounter. The same unsettling intensity in the man's eyes, the same predatory glint.

Seeing that Yoongi had recognized him, the sasaeng simply smirked at him, and walked forth without getting the album signed by him. Yoongi may have appeared to be calm, but it was only because he didn't want to make a scene. But on the inside, his blood was boiling. This man was the cause of Arin's sleepless nights.

On the other hand, the sasaeng just couldn't wait to reach Arin's table but he decided to not skip all the unnecessary boys in between, because he didn't want to be seen as suspicious by the other ARMYs.

Hoseok, being the bright sunshine that he was, initially beamed at the approaching fan. He was always eager to interact with ARMYs and spread positivity. However, as the fan drew closer, something in the man's eyes made him pause. His gaze had a fixedness that went beyond simple admiration. Hoseok felt a shiver crawl down his spine. He glanced at Arin, who looked really pale and terrified. He didn't know what was wrong, but something was definitely off. 

Getting too excited to see Arin again, the sasaeng casually skipped Hoseok as if he never existed there in the first place, and almost ran forward to Arin. 

Arin forced a smile, her voice trembling slightly. "H-Hello," she greeted him, her mind racing, trying to think of a way to escape the situation.

On the other hand, Yoongi whispered in Hoseok's ear, his voice urgent, "Hoseok-ah, that guy...he's the one." 

Hoseok's eyes widened in alarm as he sneakily looked over to the fan who was now standing in front of Arin. "What do you mean?" he whispered back, his voice barely audible.

Yoongi pointed towards the fan, his voice barely above a whisper, "The sasaeng. The one who's been stalking Arin." 

Hoseok's blood ran cold. He looked sideways at Arin, whose hands were now visibly shaking under the table. He felt a surge of protectiveness, a fierce determination to keep her safe. He put on his happy facade, and draped his left arm around Arin's shoulder, subtly indicating that he would protect her.

The sasaeng's lips turned to a scowl when he noticed Hoseok's doing. He didn't like anyone touching his Arin. But nevertheless, he focused his gaze back onto the said beautiful, yet shivering girl in front of him. He, however, seemed oblivious to Arin's distress. He simply stared at her, his gaze unwavering, his lips curving into a disturbing smile. Arin felt a cold dread creeping over her. This was worse than she had anticipated.

"Arin-ah...it's me! You remember me from the last time we met? Well, I missed you~ Did you miss me too? Oh my god, you look so beautiful. Again. Sign this album for me, please? I love your voice in these songs," the sasaeng said, his voice a creepy mixture of excitement and possessiveness.

To other fans, this response of the sasaeng might have seemed like normal fanboying. But to Arin and the members seated nearest to her, they felt as if they could almost puke, hearing the hint of possessiveness lying in the undertone of his words. 

She forced a smile, her voice trembling slightly. "T-Thank you," she managed to say, her hands reluctantly signing the album.

The sasaeng beamed, his eyes gleaming. As he was about to leave, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper, and handed it to her. "This...this is for you. Open it later, okay?" he whispered, his eyes gleaming with a disturbing intensity.

Arin hesitated, but she couldn't refuse the gift. She thanked him again and watched him walk away, as he skipped the rest of the members. She slipped the paper into her pocket, her fingers trembling.

"RiRi," Namjoon whispered, his voice low and urgent. "Are you okay?" he asked, confused at all the events that took place before his eyes. 

Arin nodded, her voice barely a whisper. "Y-Yeah."

Hoseok noticing the tremor in her hand, removed his arm from her shoulder and took her hand into his under the table, hidden from the watchful eyes of ARMYs. His thumb ran over the soft skin of Arin's hands, trying to soothe her. 

Yoongi, meanwhile, continued to engage with the other fans. He knew he had to stay calm and act normal with the other fans, but a wave of anger washed over him. How dare this man make his friend feel so afraid?

Arin, feeling the unspoken support of her friends, tried to calm herself. She took a deep breath, trying to focus on the music playing softly in the background. 

The fansign continued, but the incident had left a lingering unease in the air. Among the members, Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hoseok remained vigilant, their eyes constantly scanning the room, ensuring Arin's safety.

As the last fan left the room, a sense of relief washed over Arin. However, she knew this was not the end of the matter. The members got up from their seats, stretched their sore limbs and headed backstage. Sejin, their manager welcomed them, a smile on his face, snacks filling his hands.

The members took turns to change out of their stage outfits, as there were only two changing rooms. Meanwhile, Arin was on her way to the washroom, which wasn't much far away from the dressing room where the boys were. Humming a tune, she put her hands in her pocket, when she felt the paper the sasaeng had given her earlier. She paused in her steps and stopped humming. She took the paper out with shaky hands, and unfolded it. It read, 'You're mine.'

Suddenly, she felt something cold and damp press against her nose. She gasped, her eyes widening in alarm. She tried hard to not breath the chloroform, but she couldn't hold back her breathe for long. She inhaled it, and soon, everything went black for her.

A/N: Guess whose back?!? I got this idea a few days, and I literally only wrote it down like yesterday night. I feel bad for what might happen to Arin, but I guess, life aint perfect, and shit's gotta happen, so sorryyyy. Anyways, at this moment, I have written a bit of the next chapter already, but I haven't completed it yet, so I guess yall gotta wait till...next week, maybe? I don't know 🤷‍♀️ Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Keep reading, voting and commenting, and stay tuned for the next chapter, which is a continuation of this! Byeee