If asked, Jungkook wouldn't be able to say that he doesn't have regrets. He has them, and often, sometimes turning thoughts over in his mind until there's little else left that he hasn't explored. But if there's one thing that Jungkook thinks he's gotten pretty good at over the years, it's coming to some level of acceptance, acknowledging that even the worst moments may have played their role in getting Jungkook to where he is today.

He realizes, of course, that Hoseok might not feel particularly happy about where he is now. That the loneliness he lamented when they spoke months ago might still be pervasive through his life. If only, Jungkook thinks, he could pass over some of his optimism. Some of that firm belief that he still so easily holds on Hoseok's behalf, that there will be better times to come.

"Maybe it'd be easier, but I guess... I don't know," Jungkook says, wishing he had the right words. Sometimes he just feels clumsy, stumbling around sentiments that don't sound as nice when he explains them out loud. He stretches his legs back out, letting his toes skim across the chilly water, splashing some drops out into the distance. "You never know what good things might come down the line, thanks to where you've been. Right? I think about my dad sometimes, and how much I wish he was still around, but. If he was, then I probably never would've moved to where I am now, and I don't think I would have met any of you. Stuff like that."