Hoseok arrived at the practice room before anyone else. That was not unusual. He liked the quiet. It helped him settle the noise in his head before the real noise began. The lights were still warming up, casting long lines across the floor. He dropped his bag near the wall and stretched his arms over his head, vertebrae popping one by one.
He checked his phone. Taehyung had sent a short message about going home with Jungkook after the studio session. Jimin had left a vague update about working late with Yoongi. Namjoon had said he'd join practice after a meeting. Jin had sent nothing except a sticker that made no sense but felt like him.
Everyone living their own small storms.
Hoseok sat in the middle of the room and tied his shoelaces. He hesitated for a moment, thumb brushing the knot. He had been watching the others drift into their own changes, their own conflicts, their own closeness. He felt proud of them, but he also felt something else. Something private. Something he did not talk about.
He stood and walked to the stereo. The music started slow, a simple beat. He let his body answer it. First the shoulders, then the hips, then the legs. He added layers to each step, building from habit and muscle memory. He went hard, then soft, then clean again. When the song shifted, he shifted with it.
The door opened.
Jin walked in, hair tied up, hoodie half zipped. He blinked at Hoseok, then smiled the small, tired smile he used when he had been thinking too much.
"You started without me," Jin said.
"You were late," Hoseok replied.
Jin dropped his bag and joined him. They worked through warm-ups, mirroring each other without planning to. Hoseok watched Jin's movements. He always moved with intention, even when the moves were simple. Hoseok liked that about him.
"You seem quiet today," Jin said. "Quieter than normal quiet."
Hoseok wiped his forehead. "Been thinking."
"About the album?"
"About everything."
Jin nodded. He leaned against the mirror and waited. Jin never pushed. That was the thing. He waited until Hoseok decided to speak, and Hoseok always did eventually.
"You ever feel like everyone is changing except you?" Hoseok asked.
Jin crossed his arms. "Change shows up differently for everyone. Some change slowly."
"Feels like I'm stuck."
"You're not stuck. You're steady. There's a difference."
Hoseok let that settle. Jin always said things that sounded simple but hit deep. He stepped closer and sat beside him on the floor.
"Taehyung and Jungkook," Hoseok said. "They're… something. Jimin and Yoongi are… something. Namjoon is doing his leadership spiral again. You and your schedules. Everyone is growing into new versions of themselves."
"And you are dancing," Jin said. "Same as you always have. That's your version."
Hoseok gave a weak laugh. "Feels too easy."
Jin nudged his shoulder. "Nothing about you is easy."
Hoseok looked at him, really looked at him. Jin's eyes were soft but sharp at the edges, like he saw more than he ever admitted. Hoseok realized Jin had been paying attention the whole time. To him. To all of them.
Jin stretched his legs out, ankles crossing. "If you want change, you start small. You try something new. You let yourself surprise yourself."
"Like what?"
"Like saying the thing you're scared to say."
Hoseok inhaled. "What if I don't know what the thing is?"
"Then you keep talking until you find it."
Hoseok stared at the floorboards, then at his hands. He did not find the words, not today. But something shifted inside him. Something subtle, like a hinge being loosened.
The door opened again. Namjoon walked in, followed by Taehyung and Jungkook. Jimin and Yoongi trailed behind, laughing at something private between them. The room filled with voices, bags hitting the floor, the rustle of jackets.
Jin stood and offered Hoseok a hand. Hoseok took it, and Jin pulled him up with one smooth tug.
"You good?" Jin whispered.
Hoseok nodded. "Better."
Jin smiled, and this one was brighter.
Practice began. The group moved as one, then in scattered pieces, then back together. Hoseok found his rhythm again. Steady. Clear. Changing, even if no one else saw it yet.
But Jin saw him first.
And that was enough to start something.