The dorm felt louder than usual that night, but not because anyone was talking. It was more like the silence carried energy, something unspoken but pulsing through the air. I walked into the living room with a cup of tea, phone in hand, trying to read a few messages from staff. Nothing important. Nothing urgent. But my mind kept drifting.
Taehyung and Jungkook had not come back yet.
It wasn't suspicious. Not to me. But it made me pause, because I could feel the shift in the group lately. Not a bad shift. A warm one. Like we were settling into a new rhythm. They were settling into a new rhythm.
I sat on the couch and exhaled slowly.
Jimin came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of cereal like it was dinner. "Hyung, why are you staring at the wall like you offended it?"
I blinked. "Thinking."
"You always think," he said, sitting beside me. "But this looks like heavy thinking."
"It's nothing heavy."
He nudged me with his shoulder. "Is it Taehyung and Jungkook again?"
I looked at him. "You noticed too."
"Namjoon," Jimin sighed. "Everyone noticed. They glow like someone plugged them into a charger."
That made me laugh. "It suits them."
"Do you feel weird about it," he asked. Not judgmental. Curious.
"No." I leaned back against the couch. "I feel… peaceful."
It surprised me, how honest that sounded out loud.
"I saw them changing," I said. "Not a sudden spark. More like a slow shift. Two people finding a place they feel safe. They still hide some things, but they don't hide from us. That's enough."
Jimin stirred his cereal like he was thinking of something. "It made me think about us too."
"What about us?"
"Our group. Our friendships. Our…" He paused. "Connections."
"Connections," I repeated. "Plural."
He nodded. "Don't you think everyone is changing in small ways?"
"I do."
I thought of Yoongi spending more time outside the house. I thought of Jin texting the group more often since enlisting, trying to keep us laughing even though he wasn't physically here. I thought of Hoseok's late-night messages, his new hobbies, the quiet signs of things shifting inside each of us.
"We're growing," I said softly.
Jimin leaned his head on my shoulder without asking. "Sometimes I feel like I'm growing into something I don't fully understand yet."
I rested my cheek on his hair. "That's not a bad place to be."
He stayed quiet for a moment. Not tense. Not troubled. Just thoughtful.
"You know something funny," he said. "I used to think relationships in a group like ours would break things."
"And now," I asked.
"Now I see it strengthening something. Giving us more trust. More honesty."
I breathed in. "It brings a new kind of responsibility. We protect each other, even from our own fears."
Before Jimin could answer, the front door opened.
Taehyung walked in first, relaxed, eyes soft. Jungkook followed a step behind him, hoodie slightly crooked, lips a little red. Their energy filled the room in seconds. Light. Warm. Quietly connected.
Jimin sat up straight beside me and whispered, "Charged. I told you."
I didn't respond. I only smiled at the sight.
Taehyung's eyes caught mine. Something passed between us, deeper than a greeting. A silent assurance: this is real, and we are okay.
Jungkook dropped onto the floor with a tired groan. Taehyung sat beside him, their knees touching. Not obvious. Not dramatic. Just natural.
The room felt warmer.
Jimin murmured, "I think the next few weeks are going to change everyone."
I nodded. "I think it started already."
And I felt it, deep in my chest. Something soft. Something hopeful.
A new chapter opening inside all of us