I'm happy, Hoseok claims, even though he doesn't look very happy in the moment. Jungkook tries his best to take Hoseok at his word, but it's hard when there are so many reasons Jungkook can think of at a moment's notice that could cause despair — a more trying future, less of a safety net, and having certain friends move on in ways that feel isolating. For all that Jungkook knows he wouldn't abandon his friend for the mere shine that appears elsewhere, doubt is a feeling that creeps too easily into the mind.

Briefly, Jungkook's gaze strays low, wondering what can be done. Wondering if there's anything that can help besides the passage of time.

"Hyung, these things aren't things to apologize for," Jungkook says frankly, shaking his head with a simple press of his lips. "I told you, right? I wanna be here for you, and I don't want you to hide how you feel. Not even when it's about Yoongi. I mean." He rolls his eyes slightly, shrugging in an effort to bring some levity back into the moment. "I can't exactly judge you for having a crush on him, right? That would be completely hypocritical of me."

He reaches out, wrapping a hand around Hoseok's knee and giving it a squeeze. "How you feel isn't going to get in the way of anything, so don't feel bad about that. It's only if you actively try to steal him from me that things, you know. Might get a little sticky." Jungkook grins. "But I know that's not how hyung operates."