There's no way to quickly erase the melancholy from Hoseok's expression, or to push away lonely thoughts from his mind. Moods like that have a tendency to linger, Jungkook knows, until there's distraction enough to pull one's mind away — distraction of a sort that Jungkook probably can't offer today, not when he sits there as a physical reminder of how some of Hoseok's friends have found a deeper kind of affection for one another. (Is deeper the right word? Maybe not. But different, to be sure.)

But Jungkook tries nonetheless to make the moment a gentler one, reaching out towards Hoseok's hair, brushing it lightly to either side and exposing his forehead. He's not sure what the best outcome is that he should be hoping for. Some mix, perhaps, of Hoseok coming to realize that there are people who like him that way, and for him to meet someone who can reciprocate his own desires directly.

Even, Jungkook thinks to himself, if that happens to pull Hoseok a little bit away from the group. He still hopes that it'll happen. Because he's sure that Hoseok would be the type to dole out that love in spades, and it'd be a shame for the opportunity to go unrealized.

"I don't think it's so bad for someone to worry a healthy amount. It builds character," Jungkook says, his tone light as he smiles. "Besides, I've been told that I might even look mature if I had a few worry lines here or there, you know?"