Chapter Text
"Jungkook-ah, you’re still in your pajamas?” Jin’s voice was clipped as he moved around the kitchen. “We leave in thirty minutes and you look like you just rolled out of bed. Some of us actually prepared last night.”
Jungkook’s stomach twisted with hunger, but the constant corrections made him lose his appetite. “I’ll be ready,” he muttered, taking a small sip of the shake.
Yoongi passed by, grabbing a drink packet from the fridge. “You were off on the formations again yesterday." He tsked while rubbing his temples "If you’re not going to focus, at least don’t drag the rest of us down with your half-effort.”
The words stung. Jungkook’s jaw tightened but he stayed quiet, overthinking already starting: They’re tired of me. I’m the weak link again.
Hoseok, usually bright, sighed heavily while packing his bag. “Maknae, you’ve been spacing out for days. We can’t keep carrying you through every rehearsal. Grow up.”
Grow up. He knew he was childish, but hearing his beloved Hyung saying those words out loud made him dizzy.
Namjoon added from the living room, voice tired, “Just… try harder today, okay? We don’t have time for mistakes. Especially this short before our comeback....you don't want to disappoint Army do you?"
All Jungkook could do was give a shallow nod.
"We'll wait in the car... be ready in 5."
They hurried out, no one even sparing him a glance.
Jungkook pushed himself up faster than intended, knocking the chair over. The first dizzy spell came, he stumbled towards the bathroom and closed the door. Leaning against it. He looked up at the mirror, noticing his almost purpleish eyebags. He looked pale. Quickly he changed into a loose black sweater as well as black sweatpants.
By the time Jungkook jumped into one of the vans, his hands were shaking slightly from low blood sugar. He hadn’t eaten anything solid.
The tension thickened inside the vehicle.
Jimin glanced at him. “You didn’t eat breakfast, did you? No wonder your energy is shit lately.”
“I forgot,” Jungkook said quietly.
Taehyung scoffed softly. “Forgetting again? We’re about to do full rehearsals for the tour opener. This isn’t trainee days anymore, Kook. Its time to get a grip, alright? We are all struggling..."
The comments kept coming, each one chipping away. Jungkook stared out the window, nausea already building from hunger and stress. Taehyung was right. His head felt fuzzy. He stayed silent, but inside the spiral grew. I’m a burden. They’re all regretting how far I’ve come with them.
His hands kept shaking.
They both gave him one last look before continuing to look out the window.
-----
The stage was vast and empty, lights harsh. Jungkook pushed through the first vocal run, but his voice wavered on a high note.
Namjoon stopped the music, rolling his eyes. “Again. That was weak. We need power, not whatever that was.”
All Jungkook could do was nod "I will try harder next, I'm sorry Hyung-nim." Out of breath.
During dance practice, Hoseok corrected him sharply multiple times. “Your footwork is lazy today. We’ve done this choreography hundreds of times — why are you making it harder for everyone?”
Jungkook’s temper frayed. “I’m trying, hyung. It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose-"
"Watch your tone maknae" Jin scolded, walking up to him, from behind Taehyung.
Yoongi muttered from the side, “Trying isn’t enough right now. We have sold-out stadiums waiting.”
---
During a short break, the six older members gathered behind equipment crates, far from where they thought Jungkook was.
“....still missing every other mark,” Yoongi said, frustrated. “He’s sloppy as hell. It’s dragging the whole formation down.”
Jimin nodded. “We might need to cut him. Carrying dead weight like that affects all of us.”
Namjoon sighed. “It’s frustrating when someone can’t keep up. We end up compensating and it shows in the performance.”
"Maybe he should take a break from all of this" Taehyung answered.
Jungkook, who had stepped behind the crates for water and quiet, only caught fragments: “sloppy… dragging… dead weight… can’t keep up… compensating.”
His heart dropped. Feeling dizzy again. Tears burned. They’re talking about me. The hunger made everything louder, more painful.
He slipped away, fists clenched, overthinking exploding: After everything, I’ve become the weak link they have to carry. They’re all exhausted because of me.
He didnt know they were talking about the backup dancer.
----
The second full run-through started. Jungkook’s movements were heavier. Sluggish. Melting together in lazy movements. His head started throbbing. His body didn't belong to him.
During a sharp pivot, he was half a beat late.
"Cut the music! What the fuck was that?!"
Hoseok reached out to correct his shoulder position, stress boiling over. “Jungkook, come on! You’re late again!”
The push was firmer than intended — meant to guide, but fueled by frustration.
Jungkook stumbled hard, dripping over an unfixed cable.
Falling onto his side his temple clipped the sharp corner of a low monitor stand. A shallow but bleeding cut opened up. Pain exploded. Nausea surged violently.
The whole arena became dead silent in an instant.
Jungkooks heavy breathing was the only noise that could be heard.
He stayed conscious, but the world spun.
He felt everyone's eyes burning into him. Making his cheeks flush, from embarrassment and anger.
"..."
"...Jungkook-ah-"
His head pounded like a drum. Nausea made bile rise in his throat. The cut stung, blood trickling down his cheek.
“Fuck— what the hell, Hoseok-hyung?!” Jungkook snapped, voice sharper than he’d ever used with them. He pressed a hand to the cut, glaring through dizziness. “You pushed me! I’m already trying and you shove me like that?”
Hoseok froze, guilt flashing across his face. “Kook-ah, I didn’t mean—”
“I’m dizzy and my head hurts because of you!” Jungkook continued, snappy and breathless. “Just leave me alone if I’m such a dead weight to all of you.”
The hyungs stared, shocked by the outburst. They had never seen their maknae this raw.
Jin tried to approach with a cloth. “Let me see the cut—”
“Don’t,” Jungkook hissed while grabbing the cloth out of Jins hands, stepping back unsteadily. “I said I’m fine. Let’s just finish this damn rehearsal so I can stop dragging everyone down.”
His words were laced with the pain from the misheard conversation. He was snappy, defensive, the head injury amplifying everything.
His head hurt so much, something was off.
They continued despite the tension, the air thick with unresolved hurt. Jungkook powered through two more runs, but his body was failing. Dizziness came in heavy waves. Nausea made him swallow constantly. The cut throbbed. The lights too bright.
During the third full run, his steps faltered noticeably. The hyungs noticed but said nothing, still smarting from his earlier snaps.
When his solo part arrived, Jungkook stepped forward. His voice cracked horribly on the high note — raw, broken. The microphone slipped from his sweaty, weakening fingers.
The clatter echoed loudly through the empty arena.
His eyes rolled back. Knees buckled. He collapsed forward, hitting the stage with a dull thud, completely unconscious.
Namjoon saw it in slow motion — Jungkook’s knees buckling, eyes rolling white, then the sickening thud as he crumpled. The mic drop echoed like a gunshot through the empty arena. “Stop everything!” he shouted, sprinting forward. Guilt clawed at him. "Yah, Jungkook-ah!!"
Jin yelled.
Jimin reached him first, cradling Jungkook’s head. “Kookie? Wake up!” Tears stung his eyes. The shallow cut from earlier had reopened slightly, mixing with sweat. Jungkook’s face was frighteningly pale.
Yoongi stood frozen for a beat. “Call the medic. Now.” His usual sharpness dissolved into quiet panic. He remembered every sharp word he’d thrown at the maknae today.
Taehyung dropped beside Jimin, lifting Jungkook’s upper body gently. He checked his breathing, voice breaking. "Okay, okay he is breathing!" Relive flooded through the group. “He hasn’t eaten anything. We kept nagging him and he forgot… this is on us.”
They looked at eachother, carrying equal worry and concern for their youngest on their faces.
"..fuck..." Someone whispered.
Hoseok felt like he couldn’t breathe. He knelt by Jungkook’s legs, hands shaking as he checked for other injuries. The earlier push replayed mercilessly: the way Jungkook had stumbled, the crack of his head on the monitor, and now this. His mind started spiraling. Thoughts over thoughts overwhelmingly crashed down: I started this chain. My frustration, my push… I could have hurt him worse.
Tears slipped down his cheeks. He whispered broken apologies under his breath, stroking Jungkook’s ankle gently. “I’m sorry, Jungkook-ah. Hyung was too harsh. Please be okay.”
Hoseok’s heart shattered.
Tears slipped down his face and dripped onto Jungkooks leg. He felt like the worst hyung in the world.
Jin coordinated calmly on the outside while internally spiraling. “He’s concussed at minimum. Low blood sugar for sure."
Yoongi stood frozen, heavy regret settling in. Jin coordinated help while internally regretting every critical word since morning.
-----
The doctors confirmed a mild-to-moderate concussion. Jungkook woke in the sterile room hours later, disoriented and shaken. The world tilted when he tried to sit up. His head pounded. Memories felt fuzzy — the argument, the fall, the overheard words.
“W-where… rehearsal?” he mumbled, voice slurred. Confusion made him anxious. “....I ruin....everything?”
Namjoon was at his bedside immediately. “Tour’s delayed, Kook. You’re more important.”
Jungkook’s eyes filled with tears. “...fuck...I'm so sorry...I tried so hard...I really did!..i'm sorry I'm such a burden, I will try harder!" He bowed, words slurred together and thick. He cried quietly, not dramatic sobs, but overwhelmed, exhausted tears. Bowing made him dizzy again. The others noticed and were by his side immediately, steadying him. The concussion made everything feel heavier, emotions raw.
The Hyungs shared confusing glances. Jin was the first to speak up "Jungkook-ah, what do you mean?" While gently stroking his right shoulder.
Jungkook looked up at them with teary eyes, lashes completely glossed over with tears. If it weren't for the situation they're in, the Hyungs might have coed at the sight. "I heard you guys..talking about me...being a burden, sloppy.." He looked down, reddening slightly in embarrassment. The realization hit them all at once.
Jimin climbed carefully onto the bed, holding him. “No, baby. We were talking about the backup dancer. Never you. We’re so sorry you thought that.”
The hyungs took turns explaining, voices soft, repeating the truth until it started to sink in through the concussion fog.
------
The tour delay was announced officially. For three weeks, the dorm became a sanctuary of careful fussing.
Jin took over the kitchen, preparing easy, nutrient-dense meals. He sat with Jungkook for every spoonful at first, patient when the younger one got frustrated with his own confusion and headaches. “Eat slowly, Jungkook-ah. We have all the time now.”
Yoongi stayed in the room during naps, playing soft piano through headphones for Jungkook. He felt the weight of his earlier harsh words. One night, when Jungkook woke confused from a pain-induced nightmare, Yoongi stayed up talking quietly about old memories — funny stories from their trainee days — until the maknae relaxed.
Hoseok’s guilt lingered longest. He was the most attentive, helping Jungkook walk when dizziness hit, massaging his shoulders, and apologizing repeatedly in quiet moments. “I should never have pushed you. Even if I was stressed. You’re my dongsaeng… I’m supposed to lift you up.” The slow rebuilding of trust showed in small ways — Jungkook eventually leaning on him during short walks around the dorm.
As the leader, Namjoon handled logistics and made sure Jungkook didn’t feel pressure about the delayed tour. He read books aloud when headaches allowed, voice steady and calming.
Jimin and Taehyung provided constant physical comfort — cuddles on the couch, gentle hair strokes, silly jokes to ease the confusion. They watched Jungkook’s overthinking carefully, interrupting negative spirals with affirmations.
Jungkook remained strong on the surface, but the concussion left him vulnerable in waves. He overthought in the quiet hours: What if they resent delaying the tour because of me? But each time, one of the hyungs was there — a hand in his, a quiet “We love you more than any stage.”
Over the weeks, the dizziness faded. The cut healed. Meals became routine again. Arguments turned into honest talks about pressure and communication.
By the time rehearsals slowly resumed weeks later, Jungkook felt steadier — not just physically, but knowing the hyungs’ care ran deeper than frustration. Feelings sometimes boiled over, but they always, always came back to protect their youngest.