Taehyung pulled his face mask up to cover his lips, chapped from Osaka's cold winter air. He had managed to take a cab from the airport to his hotel with his limited Japanese. After unpacking his luggage, Taehyung had set out on a stroll. With no destination in mind, he had been aimlessly wandering around for half an hour, armed with nothing but his Canon DSLR. Osaka's streets were unsurprisingly busy with people out shopping for last-minute Christmas presents, couples entwining hands to keep warm, and children having snowball fights. The sights brought a small smile to Taehyung's face, but he didn't feel any joy. Nothing seemed to bring him joy anymore.

He had no idea where he was and no idea of how to get back to his hotel, but Taehyung decided he would deal with that problem later. He paused in front of what looked like a bar. Its outer appearance, dark and dull, stood in stark contrast to the brightly decorated stores around it. Heck, it was just what he needed right now. Upon entrance, he was greeted with what he assumed was "Welcome." The place was exactly what he expected it to be; dim lights, roudy men, constant clangings of bottles, and pretty girls. He found an empty seat and picked out a random drink from the menu. 

Sana tried to make her greeting sound as enthusiastic as possible when she heard the door opening and a customer entering. She took a deep breath before carrying a tray stacked with drinks to the loudest table in the bar. The men were aggressive, but Sana was experienced in declining their suggestive offers without getting herself fired. She mentally thanked God that her shift was almost over, and that it was the last day of work before a three-day break for the holidays. 

Sana could never bring herself to enjoy the holidays, partly because it meant more messes to deal with at work, and partly because she couldn't spend it with her family. She had friends in Osaka, of course. Sana was good at making friends. But the Christmas magic was just not the same without family, she always believed. Her thoughts were interrupted when a loud crash rang throughout the small bar. Sana's eyes quickly scanned the place and soon found the cause of the outbreak. The customer with the face mask from earlier was up from his seat, one fist clenching the collar of another man, the other fist balled tight and raised high. He was going to hit him. For a moment, the whole place was quiet. Sana desperately looked around, and when none of her co-workers seemed to have any intention of stopping the fight, she pushed her way over. 

Taehyung had lost count of how many glasses of alcohol he had downed. He was never fond of the taste, but it helped him forget about all his problems, even if it was just for a while. Just as he was reaching for the bottle to pour himself yet another glass, a stranger brushed by his table, his elbow knocking into Taehyung's camera. Taehyung's mind blanked. The camera in his vision blurred, replaced with images of her and him. He didn't know what came over him. He just wanted to get rid of those images. Maybe that was why he abrubtly packed up his things and flew to Osaka. But those images still didn't leave him alone. 

"Hey!" Taehyung stood, ripping his face mask off, "Apologize for bumping into my camera, son of a ." He mentally reminded himself to thank Jeon Jungkook for the crash course on Japanese curse words. The stranger turned and prized him with a death glare. He glanced down at the camera and, seeing that it was unharmed, spat at Taehyung before yelling something that was too fast for him to understand. The stranger spun around huffily but before he could take another step, Taehyung grabbed his collar, causing his glass to drop to the floor in the process. 

Sana wanted to slap herself for voluntarily getting into this mess. Before she got there in time, the face-mask man had thrown the first punch. It was obvious that he stood no chance; he was much skinnier and smaller than the other man. The bigger man punched his opponent square in the face before kicking him to the ground. Sana ran in between them and yelled "Stop" with her palms raised. The bigger man shoved her aside and continued to kick the one on the ground, who gave no response until the bigger man grabbed his camera. 

The smaller man's eyes burned with shock. He twisted his body around so that he was grabbing onto the bigger man's leg, "Don't break the camera. Please." It took a moment for Sana's mental translator to recognize that he was speaking Korean. 

Taehyung felt his face burn with shame. Here he was, starting fights with strangers and disrupting people's lives for no apparent reason. One of the bar's workers had stepped in to help. She spoke rapidly in Japanese and convinced the big man to put the camera down. He spat at Taehyung one last time before stomping away. The pain from his wounds was starting to kick in, and Taehyung could feel blood dripping from his mouth. The worker bent down and offered her hand to help him up, "You okay?" 

"Do I look okay?" he gruffed, "Wait, you're Korean?" He ignored her hand and stood up. 

She reached her other hand out to bring back the outstretched, rejected one and smiled, "No, but I'm very good at Korean. You should leave now, before my manager comes out to charge you for the broken glass."

Taehyung scoffed before pulling out a wad of cash from his back pocket and placing it on the table. He took his camera, pulled his hoodie over his head, and headed out the door. Outside, fresh snow was starting to fall. Taehyung stood immobilized in the middle of the street, feeling lost. He probably looked dangerous to the pedestrians; tousled hair, bloody cuts on his face, reeking of alcohol. Suddenly, he felt a small tap on his shoulder. He turned around and was faced with the worker from earlier. She held out her hand once again, but this time, there was a small band-aid on it. 

"I know it's pretty useless, but you wouldn't want the cut on your cheek to scar," she said in fluent Korean. Taehyung stared at her. He quickly took the band-aid, not wanting to make her feel stupid. He turned around and began walking. He thought about asking her for directions to his hotel. She was, afterall, the only person who could speak his language, who wasn't disgusted by his appearance, who offered help. But something held him back. When he had rounded a corner, Taehyung paused and looked back. The girl was still standing there, her palm out, her eyes up, pulled into a wide smile. Taehyung was incredulous that something as simple as snow could make someone so happy. He was incredulous that she thought a tiny band-aid could help heal any of his wounds. He snapped a picture to capture the moment, then continued walking. 

11:00 P.M.

Good evening! It's almost Christmas, so I'm sure everyone's been very busy lately getting ready for the celebrations. Today's topic is about spending time alone. When you feel overwhelmed, consider taking a vacation alone. Just you. Go explore a brand new place, try all the good food there, make some memories in the process. Of course, let your family know beforehand so they won't worry. Taehyung chuckled. Short, spontaneous trips are always a good way to clear your mind of responsibilities. You don't have to go too far. Even a trip to Busan's beach can be enjoyable if you open up and live in the moment. Last week, I took a trip to Osaka. The takoyaki is seriously so delicious. Winter in Japan is very beautiful. I didn't bring anything but my camera. Not even a map or my phone, which was stupid of me, so don't do that. But on a trip like this, you shouldn't worry too much. There are nice people everywhere who are willing to help out. Happy holidays and see you guys next week. Until now, it has been V.

Woah, first chapter, how is it so far? The mood is a bit melancholic right now, but I'm planning to lighten it in future chapters. The main point of this chap is to get across Taehyung's dark struggles, and have the leads meet of course. The reason behind his depressed, kinda emo state will be revealed later. Really love and appreciate comments, especially advice/opinion on my writing style, the dialogue, the realism of the plot, etc. Grateful from the bottom of my heart for reading!