author's note:

hey guys, the new chapter is here! I'm so sorry for the delay, but I wanted to make this chapter good for you. Once again, thank you everyone for your engagement on the last chapter. Your wish is my command, so here you go.

Like the previous time, this chapter is dedicated to the people that voted on the options from last time! Like always, there's a question for you at the end of this chapter as well. Enjoy!

This chapter is dedicated to:

Introverted3xtrovert

tttaaeee07

Maia_Gail_

ToriGBear0

YoonMinIsMyHope

***

Jimin's POV

Speeding through yet another red light, the beeping of the phone echoed through my head, magnifying the anxiety building up in my chest.

Why was I anxious?

I couldn't tell.

All I knew was that she had to pick up. It was imperative that she picked up.

Before it was too late.

The almost imperceptible pause of silence after the last beeping sound made my stomach turn upside down.

"Y/N? Y/N, are you there?" my voice was raspy as it left my mouth, my fingers inadvertently clutching on the steering wheel as I took a sharp turn.

"What do you want?" she sounded almost cruel, if I didn't know better I'd think she was doing it on purpose but at the same time, I could hear the unfiltered horror in her voice.

Did it already happen? Was I too late?

"What's going on? Did you- did you already see them?" I shuddered, realizing I couldn't control my stuttering. Just a second later, I winced, wanting to punch myself in the face for the last words that left my mouth. Good job, Jimin, you blew it. Think before you speak, will you?

The quietness that followed was so intense, I felt as if my body was being stretched in every possible direction.

"What do you mean have I seen them?" her usually soft voice boomed through the phone. "Jimin, do you have anything to do with this?!" she thundered. She was shaken, I could sense it even through the phone. Moreover, she was jumping to conclusions I wasn't ready to clarify but it seemed like I'd have to.

"Y/N, I'm two blocks away from your apartment complex, please wait for me. I'll explain everything," I begged, I was so hopeless I didn't realize that had been the first time I was begging a woman for anything, ever. "Please, just don't do anything stupid."

I could barely breathe when I heard her hang up on me. I didn't have time to worry about that now, all I knew was that I had to see her, to explain everything to her. How do you even get out of something like this? I fucked up really bad this time. For the first time, I let feelings get in the way and now I was going to pay for this.

I had to tell her. I wasn't the person she thought I was.

I pulled up my car in front of her building, jumping out of it without even remembering to lock it. Rain was pouring down heavily but I didn't even care, I didn't give a flying fuck about my clothes or hair getting wet now.

Everything felt like in a haze, I rushed into the foyer as fast as I could. I ran up to the fifth floor, the elevator would have slowed me down. After arriving at her doorstep, I straight up started knocking on the massive wood.

"Y/N, open up," I couldn't control the tone of my voice, completely unaware that I was probably looking like a crazy person swatting his hands on her door right now. I took a deep breath in and tried to calm my rampant emotions. I didn't want to scare her further.

Some moments later, the door swung open. She stood there, eyes red and puffy, seeming smaller than she was in her oversized t-shirt and sweatpants. A few locks had broken free from her messy bun, sticking to her forehead.

My eyes darted to the photos scattered across the floor next to her feet. You know how sometimes you know you have to look away, but you just can't? I knew I shouldn't stare at them but I also couldn't help it when my gaze lingered unintentionally.

A couple of weeks ago, I would have been more than happy to see her naked body. But this now, it was so different. This was so wrong, so intrusive that it made my gut twirl in an unpleasant way.

She wasn't supposed to see them.

"Why are you here?" she rasped, her chest heaved as she tried to sound calm. "Jimin, why are you here?" There was a storm raging in those eyes, I couldn't help but be afraid to even come into the apartment. It wasn't like she had invited me either, keeping me outside until she knew she could trust me.

"Can I come inside?" I breathed out, the raindrops dripping through my dampened bangs and falling on my shirt. I couldn't offer her an explanation now, at least not a brief one. How do I explain a thing like this? I wanted us both to calm down and have a normal conversation.

She pressed her lips into a thin line, her whole face hardened. Her hand shot to her pocket as she took out her phone and started dialing.

"What are you doing?" the worry was evident in my voice as my whole body lurched forward, my muscles tightening.

"I'm calling Taehyung," she announced in a flat voice, not picking her gaze up from the phone to even look at me. The first ring cracked through the air as if it was a gunshot. "He's in these photos too, he deserves to-"

"You're doing no such thing," I growled, my arm instantly reaching out to grab the phone from her hand and take it away from her with force. I hung up instantly, hoping it wasn't too late.

Her eyes rounded with horror as her whole body froze, unable to process what I had just done. Instinctively, she took a small step back as I felt the distance between us grow even more.

My thoughts started crashing around my brain frantically. Scaring her was the last thing I wanted to do right now, yet I had managed to do just that. She was terrified of me, I could see it in the way her watery eyes grew enlarged, her breathing becoming shallow and uneven.

"Get away from me," she grumbled, the way she looked at me pierced with a sharp sting through my heart.

"It's not what you think it is," my tone was close to a whisper.

"Oh yeah, what is it then?" her voice was faint and hoarse as she struggled to keep her composure. "Because right now it seems to me that you're a psycho stalker, Jimin!" she exclaimed out of her breath. "How did you know about the photos before I even told you about them?"

My heart raced at tremendous speeds. "Can I at least come in?" I pleaded. I didn't want us to have that conversation there, in the doorway where all the people living in the building could hear us.

"Can I have my phone back?" she retorted, eyes darting to the small object clutched in my hand.

I sighed heavily, reaching out to hand her the phone but pulling away the last second. "No calls," I bid, seeing her nibble on her lower lip hesitantly before offering me a firm nod.

"You have thirty seconds," she retaliated, crossing her arms in front of her chest after I had followed her to her living room. She remained standing up, eyebrows furrowed as she waited for me to start talking.

"Can't we sit?" I asked reluctantly, unwittingly pushing back the subject as I realized I wasn't ready to talk about it.

She plopped her body on the beige sofa and I mirrored her action instantly. The betrayal on her face was evident, she didn't trust me and most probably hated me, thinking I was a sick freak.

"Start talking," her stare was sharp, cutting into me like a cold blade. "How did you know about the photos?"

"I've known about them for a long time," I massaged my temples as a small groan forced its way up my throat.

Her eyebrows shot sky high as she let out an audible gasp. "You've known? Why- why didn't you-"

"Why didn't I say something?" a bitter feeling filled my mouth. "I didn't care about them back then."

She let out a long sigh as her lungs deflated slowly, her whole frame shrinking in between the sofa cushions. Already three sentences in and I had said too much, soon enough she'd figure everything out, if she hadn't already.

Why was I being so transparent? I usually hide my emotions so well.

"Are you behind all of this?" she obviously struggled to contain her shock as her voice trailed off. She slightly moved further away from me, as if she was retreating in herself. A shadow of disgust started dancing in her wide orbs, making my heart drop almost instantly. I couldn't bear the look she was giving me.

I bit my lip nervously. "Y/N, the necklace he gave you wasn't the only way I found out about you and Taehyung," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"When you're in this business for as long as I have, you learn to look out for yourself," I explained very slowly, trying to make her focus her attention on me and not spiral back into her scared daze. "I know a lot of people, and those people know a lot of things. They keep me in the loop." I tried being as vague as I could about my ways, I didn't want to get into too much detail.

"The photos, did- did they tell you about them too?" she mumbled, the words almost inaudible as they left her mouth, her gaze shifting blindly to the floor.

I nodded. "They did." It was obvious she felt uncomfortable with the fact I had seen them. I wanted to tell her that she shouldn't be, but I couldn't put my thoughts into words.

"Do you know who took them?"

"It was one of Taehyung's stalkers," I let out a frustrated groan. "She's bat-shit crazy, really, so I've heard. Someone told me she was planning to sell them to the tabloids, being mad at Taehyung for ignoring her or whatever," I rolled my eyes. "She's absolutely delusional, apparently. I tried to buy them out from her the moment I found out about her intentions. Turns out the bitch lied to me and those weren't the only copies."

Y/N continued to observe me silently, not peeping a word. I suddenly felt so helpless, not being able to do anything. I tried to protect her, I really did.

And I failed.

As a public person, I was used to my privacy being invaded at all times. You couldn't move an inch without someone following you or filming you. But for her, being a woman at that, to go through such a thing was probably hell.

And in such a vulnerable state... During a moment of intimacy that was supposed to be private, just between two people... I was disgusted by the person who thought it was okay to do that.

And that's coming from a person like me, who's had his fair share of fucking people up.

I couldn't even begin to imagine how she was feeling on the inside at that moment.

It wasn't her fault she got caught up in all this.

Suddenly she put her legs on the sofa, hugging her knees to her chest. And then I heard a sound that made me stop breathing. It was a stifled sob that abruptly made its way up her throat that she tried to suppress but couldn't.

Her defenses started crashing down one by one. Her breathing was ragged as the strength left her body, her shoulders shaking slightly with each rake of emotions that came over her. Both shame and anger radiated through her, along with pure hopelessness as she sank to her knees.

"This is the most humiliating thing that's ever happened to me," she admitted through muffled yelps, burying her face into her palms in an attempt to hide her tears.

Each sob that left her mouth sent a trail of agony through my stiff body, and as I watched her wordlessly, something inside of me broke.

"It's not your fault," I breathed out and suddenly, my body felt like someone was controlling it from a distance as my hand darted to rest on her shaking shoulders. A wave of electrifying impulses shot through my fingertips all the way to my brain as I brushed over the bare skin that was showing underneath the fabric of her t-shirt and involuntarily, I shuddered.

"Why are they doing this to me? What have I ever done to them?" she mumbled mindlessly, the words directed more at herself than at me, her gaze pinned to the wall in front of her.

"Nothing," I felt the throbbing of my own eyes, as emotions I didn't even know I was holding in started to emerge from my chest. "People like that psycho and her friends, they don't care about anyone's feelings. They wanted to hurt Taehyung and you got caught up in this fucked up mess," my heart sank when she looked at me, mouth agape and eyelashes heavy with tears.

She was a picture of raw devastation and suddenly I wanted to pull her in towards my chest, wipe away her tears. My whole body ached as I suppressed the urge to take her hand into mine, at that moment I really felt as if touching her was the most natural thing to do.

"Did you really try to buy her silence?" she suddenly asked, wide eyes fixated on me, making my heart rate pick up its pace.

The pause that followed felt so long that when I spoke out, it sounded like glass shattering in my ears.

"Yes, I did," I confirmed finally and pulled my hand back when I realized it was still resting on her shoulder, my heart beating vigorously against my chest.

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to protect you."

"But why?" she pressed, her breathing a little bit more even now. "Why do you care? Why me?"

I didn't give myself time to think whether my response was the right one or not.

"Because the thought of someone doing that to you almost tore me apart."

There was a baffled pause as her eyes didn't leave mine. I refused to look away as well. The gasp that escaped her lips was audible as her arms loosely fell to her sides, eyes widening in disbelief. All of my restraint flew out the window as she shifted in her seat slowly, her loose t-shirt showing me a glimpse of the soft skin over her collarbones. I gulped loudly and slightly turned as well to face her, none of us peeping as much as a word.

"You don't really mean that," she said breathlessly.

"I do."

"I don't believe you."

"You probably shouldn't."

My primal instincts taking over me, every atom of my body screamed at me to act at the impulse that overwhelmed me. I leaned in, my face inches away from hers, our foreheads touching. I couldn't resist, I didn't want to resist her. I wanted her so much, I wanted her in a way I've never wanted any woman before. It was something absolutely new for me, but for the first time in my life my desires weren't purely sexual.

I longed to take her in my arms, to hold her and let her troubles melt away under my touch. I wanted to cherish her as if she was my last drink.

I took her small hand in mine, intertwining our fingers. My excitement rose as I realized she didn't stop me. Should I continue, should I not? Hesitation still lingered on my mind as I swallowed loudly.

The quietness grew deeper as none of us broke the intense gaze. Her very scent was flooding my senses, intoxicating me.

"Jimin," she whispered slowly, prolonging each letter as if she was savoring my name and all of a sudden, I couldn't control myself.

My lips quickly found hers as my hand rested below her ear, my thumb stroking her cheek. The world fell away and melted in an unimportant blur as I tilted my head, deepening the kiss even more. Her palm suddenly splayed against my chest, probably intending to push me away but instead, it just rested there.

My emotions swirled as I fought back the urge to let my hands explore her beautiful body. I didn't want to be too forward and scare her off. Encouraged by the way her body reacted to my touch, I slid my tongue between her soft lips as she granted me access. All of my desire and passion poured into that kiss as I relished the feel of her mouth against mine, I was almost drunk on the pleasure.

The words that followed broke me from my trance, making my heart drop.

"Wait."

author's note:

To all the people that thought Jimin was a stalker: I'm sorry, guys 🤷‍♀️ I lied. Our Mochi turned out to be a good guy.

So I guess that makes our task a little bit more difficult. Hold your breath for this chapter's question:

Should we:

- return Jimin's kiss and see where that gets us

Or

- push him away?

Or if you have another option in mind, I'm all ears as always.

What do we do, guys?

Thank you everyone so much for reading! Your comments and engagement on this story make me super happy ❤❤❤