It had been a few weeks since they returned and one could say that things had improved but no one could forget what had happened but even Jungkook realised that nothing could be forgotten. 

The dorm was quieter than usual. The kind of quiet that wasn't peaceful, but heavy. Thick with things unsaid.

Jungkook was smiling more these days.

Not the hesitant, cautious smiles from before. No, these were gentle, real smiles—but they never quite reached his eyes. It was subtle, almost unnoticeable.

Almost.

The hyungs wanted to believe things were getting better. That maybe—just maybe—time was healing things.

Jungkook sat cross-legged on the floor, flipping through an old photo album they hadn't touched in years. The others were scattered around the dorm, doing everything and nothing at once. Jin absentmindedly scrolled through his phone, Yoongi sat on the couch with his arms crossed, and Hoseok stretched out beside him, pretending to watch a show. Jimin and Taehyung were on the floor near Jungkook, watching him more than the album. Namjoon sat at the dining table, flipping through a book he wasn't reading.

The weight in the room had been there for days, thick and unshakable.

Jungkook had changed.

It wasn't just in the way he spoke softer, or how he smiled more often but never quite fully. It was in the little things.

He had started giving things away.

At first, no one thought much of it—Jungkook had always been generous. But then, it became... different. He gave Jin his favourite hoodie, the one he never let anyone borrow. He handed Yoongi a pair of headphones, saying they suited him better. He pressed a necklace into Jimin's palm and didn't explain why.

And then, there was the way he stopped talking about the future.

No more conversations about their next album, no more teasing about growing old together, no more "next time" or "when we do this again." He just... stopped.

And the photos.

Jungkook had always loved taking pictures, but lately, it was obsessive. Capturing the dorm, their meals, and even the most mundane moments. As if he was trying to hold on to something that was slipping through his fingers.

It hadn't gone unnoticed.

Jimin nudged him now, voice light but uncertain. "Yah, why are you looking through those all of a sudden?"

Jungkook shrugged, flipping the page to an old concert photo. "Just felt like it."

Hoseok smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "You're acting weird."

Jungkook laughed. "Am I?"

"Yes." This time, it was Yoongi who spoke, voice flat. "You are."

Jin's fingers curled into his palms. "Just remember. You're still our maknae. No matter what."

No one said it. No one asked.

But they felt it.

Later that night, Yoongi caught Jungkook standing on the balcony, staring at the city below. "Can't sleep?" he asked, joining him.

Jungkook exhaled slowly. "Something like that."

A pause. Then—

"You know we'll always be here, right?" Yoongi's voice was steady, but there was something beneath it.

Jungkook smiled, soft and knowing. "I know."

"So. You're really doing this."

It wasn't a question. It wasn't even a plea. Just quiet acceptance.

Jungkook flinched but didn't deny it."Thank you for saving me, for staying by my side always, for being my family."

"Is there anything we can say to change your mind?"

Jungkook hesitated. That tiny pause stretched.

Then he shook his head. "No."

Silence. "You don't have to do this, Kook." His voice was quiet but urgent, like he was fighting to keep it together. "You can take a break. A long one. We'll wait."

Jungkook's chest ached. He hated this. Hated hurting them. But he couldn't lie.

"It's not about you." His voice was soft, almost apologetic. "It's me."

"That's bullshit." Yoongi's tone was sharp. "If it was just about you, you wouldn't be looking at us like that."

Like this was killing him.

Jungkook swallowed hard. "Hyung—"

"Don't do this, Kook."

Jungkook's vision blurred. "I have to. "

"No, you don't," yoongi said, his voice thick with emotion. "You don't have to do this. We can fix whatever—"

"I'm not broken!" 

Jungkook exhaled shakily, gripping the edge of his hoodie like it was the only thing holding him together. "I'm just... not the same anymore. And pretending like I am—it's not fair to you. Or to me."

Yoongi sat back, rubbing a hand over his face. He looked exhausted. Defeated. "So that's it, then."

Jungkook hesitated. Then, finally—he nodded.

"what about the others what are you going to tell them? they haven't understood yet I guess."

Jungkook's throat was tight. "I don't know how to—"

The others didn't know when, or how, or what exactly Jungkook was planning.

But they knew—soon, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow—but soon, they would lose everything. 

Jungkook squeezed his eyes shut. His hands trembled as he gripped Yoongi's back, holding on like he didn't want to let go. Yoongi's head rested lightly against Jungkook's

Neither of them spoke. Because there was nothing left to say.

And when Jungkook pulled away—when they looked at each other, one last time—they knew.

Even if he didn't say it.

Even if he never would.

This was goodbye.