A New Perspective

Snowflakes drifted lazily from the sky, landing soundlessly on the cobblestone paths of the town square. The world around Taehyung was quiet, save for the distant hum of a street musician playing a soft melody on his violin. The tune was slow, almost melancholic, blending into the crisp winter air.

Taehyung sat on a wooden bench, his gloved hands clasped together as he stared at the ground. He had wandered here without thinking, letting his feet carry him as his mind drifted. The laughter and warmth of the night before still lingered in his thoughts—Jungkook's easy smiles, Taemin's teasing, Eun-woo's quiet wisdom, and Seongmin's grounded presence. It had been a long time since he had allowed himself to be surrounded by people like that.

And even longer since he had felt seen.

His breath curled in the air as he sighed, leaning back against the bench. He had always been the type to retreat—to build walls around himself, to keep his emotions neatly packed away where no one could reach them. Music had been his escape, the only way he knew how to translate what he felt into something tangible. But even that felt distant sometimes, like he was composing songs without ever truly letting himself feel them.

Jungkook had changed something in him.

Taehyung didn't know when it started—maybe the first time they spoke, when Jungkook had looked at him as if he were something worth understanding. Or maybe it was when Jungkook had invited him into his world so effortlessly, as if Taehyung belonged there. It was subtle, the way Jungkook's presence made him feel less like a ghost and more like a person who was meant to be here.

His gaze lifted as he spotted Jungkook a short distance away, standing near the town's frozen fountain. His camera was raised to his eye, his expression one of quiet focus. A warm scarf was wrapped loosely around his neck, and his dark hair fell over his forehead, dusted lightly with snow.

Taehyung watched as Jungkook moved with instinctive ease, adjusting the angle of his camera, finding the perfect shot. His fingers brushed against the lens with the same delicacy Taehyung used when pressing the keys of a piano.

Jungkook always saw things differently.

Taehyung had noticed it from the start—how Jungkook's world wasn't confined to what was in front of him. He didn't just capture images; he captured emotions, moments that would have otherwise faded unnoticed. And Taehyung had begun to wonder… was that what he had been missing all this time? Had he been so focused on keeping his emotions at bay that he had forgotten what it meant to feel them?

Jungkook lowered his camera then, tilting his head slightly as he noticed Taehyung watching him. A small smile tugged at his lips, the kind that made something tighten in Taehyung's chest.

Without thinking, Taehyung stood and walked over.

Jungkook grinned as he tucked his camera away. "Didn't think I'd find you here."

Taehyung stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. "Didn't think I'd be here either."

Jungkook glanced up at the sky, where the snowfall had begun to lighten. "Something on your mind?"

Taehyung hesitated. He had never been good at sharing, at putting words to feelings he didn't fully understand himself. But Jungkook had a way of making silence feel like it belonged, like there was no rush to fill it.

"I think…" Taehyung exhaled, watching his breath disappear into the cold. "I've spent a lot of time trying not to feel things. Or at least not letting myself show them."

Jungkook stayed quiet, listening.

Taehyung shifted his gaze to the fountain beside them, the frozen water glistening under the streetlights. "Music has always been the only way I let anything out. But lately, even that feels… incomplete." He paused. "Like I'm missing something."

Jungkook's expression softened. "And you think that something is letting yourself feel things more?"

Taehyung let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "You make it sound so easy."

Jungkook smiled. "It's not. But it's worth it." He nudged Taehyung's shoulder lightly. "You know, you don't have to figure it all out at once."

Taehyung met his gaze, something warm settling in his chest. "Then where do I start?"

Jungkook thought for a moment, then pulled his camera out again. "Here," he said, adjusting the settings before holding it out to Taehyung.

Taehyung blinked. "What?"

"Try looking through the lens," Jungkook encouraged. "See the world the way I do."

Taehyung hesitated before taking the camera. He lifted it carefully, his fingers adjusting to the unfamiliar weight. When he peered through the viewfinder, the world shifted. The soft glow of the town square, the way the snow caught the light, the quiet beauty of the moment—it all became clearer.

For the first time in a long while, he wasn't just existing.

He was seeing.

And maybe, just maybe, he was finally starting to feel.