Bangtan's Baby | 18+

thirty-seven ༘⋆ ꕥ fuck off (paparazzi version)

Li's POV

There's a media storm over the next few days, especially with the video evidence we have against Cara, Gyeo, and Minju.

Their words against me and Jin have been disproved, and everything's back to normal—besides the continual press showing up at our work buildings and grilling us with questions on how we feel about the situation, we're on the road back to normality.

Kind of.

There's a part of me that wishes the media didn't believe us so quickly. I wish we didn't have to hide our relationship with each other; I wish we could be ourselves with no judgment, but we're not in a perfect world, and in a blemished world, we can't be ourselves without backlash.

Taehyung seems to share the same process as I do during a board game. "We shouldn't have to hide our relationship," he says. "It's ridiculous."

"We're celebrities in the public eye," Namjoon returns drily. "Everything about being a celebrity is ridiculous."

Hoseok adds to that, "I was photographed eating pancakes, and it made headlines. You know why?" He shakes his head, annoyed. "I don't want peanut butter on my pancakes."

Taehyung scoffs. "That's groundbreaking shit, Hoseok. Why are you surprised it made headlines? It's not like there are world topics far more important than whether or not you like peanut butter on your pancakes."

"Right," Hoseok mutters. Lifting his voice slightly, he adds, "So what if we're in a polyamorous relationship? Who the fuck cares? We're happy, and if our fans are truly our fans, they'll be happy we're happy, and vice versa."

I scratch the top of my wrist. "Some fans get it, and some don't, but that's every fandom, right? It's just..." I shake my head. "I wish we could all go out together, and I could kiss each of you. Even if I'm too close to one of you, it sparks cheating rumors." I make a face. "It's annoying."

Yoongi sighs. "It is, but it's good we had the article debunked. The press that follows will dissipate soon."

"Yeah," I mumble. "But what if...I don't know, what if we tell them?"

"Tell who what?"

"The press. I don't know. Everyone. That we're dating. All of us."

Their brows raise, and a chorused 'what' is aimed back at me.

"Think about it," I counter. "We wouldn't lose our actual fans; it could be like a fandom cleanse." I trail off when they simply stare at me. "Or...not." I turn my hand out, palm up. "It's my turn."

Taehyung hands me the dice, and Namjoon clears his throat as I roll, causing our attention to flit to him.

"Realistically," he begins slowly. "You're right, but logically, it wouldn't be a good idea. We would breach the contract with our companies, and our careers could potentially be over."

I deflate, and my voice reflects the change. "Okay."

He sighs, a muscle in his neck ticking. "I know it would be nice to stop hiding our relationship. Trust me, I get it, but in the bigger picture, it would only cause drama, and the hate would be primarily targeted toward you."

"I already get hate for the rumors," I reveal. "If I stand too close to anyone other than Jimin or hang out with one of you alone, the media is all over that. Even if it's just shopping or going to watch a movie. In their eyes, rumors are just as good as the truth anyway."

"There's a difference."

"Not really."

"Li."

I roll the dice, landing a five and grabbing my character to move across the board. "Hoseok's turn." I hand the dice to him, keeping my eyes on the board as I do.