The clock struck 9 AM. Six men were waiting for their maknae-jungkook in the practice room.  It wasn't unusual for him to run late sometimes—he had a tendency to stay up late, working on new ideas or practising.

"Where's Jungkook?" Namjoon muttered, glancing at his phone again.

"I don't know, he should've been here by now," Jimin said, rubbing his eyes. "He's always late lately."

"It's not like him," Jin added with a sigh. "He's been acting off for a while now."

They were all a bit frustrated, but it wasn't unusual. Jungkook had been distant lately, and even though they all noticed, no one quite knew what was going on with him.

After a few more minutes, Jungkook finally arrived, his bag slung over his shoulder. He entered the room with a slight bow and a soft, "Sorry, hyung."

"You're always late," Namjoon snapped, glaring at him. "We've been here for an hour, waiting on you. Why do you keep doing this? This is the fourth time this week."

"I'm really sorry, hyung," Jungkook said, his voice gentle, trying to remain calm. "I lost track of time. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Make sure it doesn't happen again?" Jin's voice was sharp, biting. "You've said that so many times, but you're still doing this. It's like you don't care about anyone else's time."

Jungkook flinched at the harshness of Jin's words, but he didn't respond. He couldn't find the right words to explain. What was he supposed to say? He couldn't tell them what was really going on inside, not yet.

"You've been acting so distant lately," Jimin chimed in, his face clouded with frustration. "We try to include you, but you're always shutting us out. Why is that?"

"I'm not shutting anyone out," Jungkook replied quietly, still maintaining his composure. "I'm just tired. I've been working on a lot of things lately."

"Tired?" Taehyung scoffed, raising an eyebrow. "We're all tired. Do you think you're the only one busy? Don't act like we don't have things to do too, Jungkook."

Jungkook flinched. His heart ached, but he didn't know how to respond. What could he say? His efforts, his struggles—none of it seemed to matter to them. The truth was, he didn't know how to keep up with the expectations they had set for him, with everything that had been happening inside of him.

"You're late. You've been pulling away. You're not putting in your share," Namjoon added, his voice cold. "We've been patient, but you've crossed the line. You're not even trying anymore."

"Try?" Jin snapped, stepping toward him. "It's always the same thing, Jungkook. You say you'll try, but nothing changes. Every time we rely on you, you disappoint us. Why is it so hard for you to show up on time?"

"I didn't mean for it to happen," Jungkook's voice trembled.

"You never mean for it to happen, do you?" j Hope's voice joined in, a sharp edge to his words. "It's always something with you. We keep excusing it, but this is too much now, Jungkook. Every time you mess up, we're the ones who have to cover for you. What happened to you?"

"I'm not trying to mess things up..." Jungkook's heart ached, but the words were barely escaping. "I'm just—"

"You're just what?" Taehyung interrupted, his voice growing louder, more frustrated. "It's always excuses with you. Do you think we don't see how you've been acting lately? How you've been pulling away from all of us?"

"I'm not pulling away, hyung..." Jungkook tried.

 Taehyung spat. "You're not a kid. Stop acting like one. Stop making us babysit you. We're tired of it."

Jungkook felt like the ground was giving way beneath him. His breath was shallow, and he clenched his fists, trying to stay composed. "I'm not asking you to babysit me," he said, his voice shaking.

"You are," Jimin's voice came next, sharp as a knife. "You act like we should just accept everything, like you can get away with anything because you're the maknae. Well, guess what, Jungkook? You're not. We're all adults here, and we don't have time to coddle you anymore."

The sting of their words hit him harder than anything he had felt before. They were tearing him apart, each accusation sinking deeper into his chest. His voice broke. "I'm doing my best..."

"Your best?!" Suga finally spoke up, his voice harsh. "What is your best, Jungkook? Because it sure doesn't look like it. You've been nothing but a liability to this group, and I'm tired of pretending it's not happening. We've been carrying you for far too long, and you don't even care enough to try and be better. This—this is the last straw."

Tears threatened to spill from his eyes, but Jungkook couldn't let them fall. "I do care... I do. I'm just—" he gasped for air, his chest tight. "I don't know what's happening to me. I've been trying..."

"Trying?" Jin scoffed, his words dripping with disdain. "You're not trying, Jungkook. You're making excuses. You always have been. And frankly, I'm tired of it. We don't need a maknae who's constantly causing problems. You should just leave."

The final blow came as Namjoon's voice, typically calm and measured, now held a dangerous edge. "Jungkook, we're done. You're not our maknae anymore. We don't have to put up with this. If you can't figure things out, maybe you should just go. Get lost."

The words hit him like a slap across the face. His heart stopped, the weight of it crushing his chest. They weren't just angry; they were telling him to leave. To get lost.

Jungkook stood frozen, the room spinning around him. His breath quickened, and he felt something inside him snap. He had tried. He had tried so hard to be what they wanted, to be a good member, to meet their expectations. But it was never enough. It was never enough for them.

He took a step back, his eyes wide, his voice trembling as he spoke for the first time, loud enough for them to hear. "You don't get it, do you? You don't see what I'm going through, what I've been enduring. You only see what I've done wrong, what I haven't done. But you never see the weight of it. You don't see the pressure I'm under, the exhaustion I've been hiding from all of you."

The hyungs were silent, their expressions unreadable, but their eyes still full of anger. Jungkook couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't keep pretending that everything was fine. He couldn't keep wearing a mask for them.

"You want me to leave?" Jungkook said, his voice growing colder, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "Fine. I'll leave. But don't come crawling back when you realize I was the only one who ever cared enough to stay quiet. You're right. I'm not your maknae anymore. I'm done."

And with that, Jungkook turned and walked out of the room, his heart shattered, but a part of him felt something else—freedom.