The Alpha Who Wasn't....
Chp—1
There were many things Kim Taehyung hated.
Early mornings.
People who talked too loudly before he had finished his coffee.
Meetings that could have been emails.
Executives who used twenty words when five would have been enough.
His father's habit of making decisions and informing him afterward.
But there was one thing that had somehow managed to earn a permanent place at the very top of that list.
Taehyung had never understood how one person could be so irritating without making any visible effort to be.
Jungkook didn't have to insult him.
He didn't have to provoke him.
He didn't even have to speak.
Sometimes, simply knowing that Jeon Jungkook was in the same building was enough to put Taehyung in a terrible mood.
Which was precisely why Taehyung had started his morning already irritated.
He sat at the head of the conference table, one hand resting beside an open folder while the other slowly turned the pages of a financial report.
The conference room occupied the entire eastern side of the thirty-second floor of Kim Holdings.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked Seoul, the city stretching beneath them in shades of grey and silver beneath the cloudy morning sky.
The room itself was designed to intimidate.
Dark wood.
Black leather chairs.
A long polished table that could comfortably seat twenty people.
A screen covering most of the wall behind the chairman's seat.
Everything about the room had been chosen to remind people that decisions made here had consequences far beyond its walls.
Taehyung liked it.
It was quiet.
Controlled.
Predictable.
Or at least it had been until eight minutes ago.
He glanced at the clock.
The meeting had been scheduled for 8:30.
His fingers stopped turning the page.
He looked toward the closed glass doors.
Nothing.
One of the executives across the table shifted uncomfortably.
Another glanced at his watch and immediately looked down when he noticed Taehyung watching.
Taehyung said nothing.
He didn't need to.
Everyone in the room already knew who they were waiting for.
Chp—2
Taehyung lowered his eyes to the report again.
He tried to concentrate.
He made it through half a paragraph.
Then the glass doors opened.
The sound was soft.
Barely noticeable.
Yet almost everyone in the room reacted.
Conversations died instantly.
Several executives straightened.
Someone quietly closed a laptop.
He recognized the footsteps.
He hated that he recognized them.
Slow.
Unhurried.
As though the person walking into a room filled with senior executives didn't consider himself late at all.
Taehyung turned another page.
One.
Two.
Three.
His voice was calm.
The footsteps stopped.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then came the reply.
Jeon Jungkook
I wasn't aware you were keeping track.
Taehyung's thumb pressed against the edge of the paper.
There it was.
That voice.
That infuriatingly relaxed tone.
He finally looked up.
Jungkook stood beside the doorway.
Black suit.
White shirt.
No tie.
His jacket was perfectly fitted, but the collar of his shirt was slightly loose, giving him an appearance that was somehow both careless and deliberate.
His dark hair wasn't styled as neatly as everyone else's in the room.
A few strands fell across his forehead.
Taehyung's eyes lingered there for half a second.
Then he immediately looked away.
Annoying.
Even after all these years, Jungkook still looked like he had walked into the room specifically to make everyone else uncomfortable.
Jungkook's gaze traveled across the room before settling on him.
Then Jungkook pulled out the chair opposite Taehyung.
The scrape of the chair against the floor sounded unnecessarily loud.
Taehyung closed his file.
Kim Taehyung
You were eight minutes late.
Kim Taehyung
And an entire board of directors had to wait for you.
Jungkook placed his phone on the table.
Jeon Jungkook
They survived.
One executive lowered his head quickly.
Taehyung noticed.
Jungkook noticed too.
The corner of his mouth lifted.
Taehyung's jaw tightened.
Kim Taehyung
You really enjoy making an entrance, don't you?
Jungkook leaned back comfortably.
Jeon Jungkook
I just enjoy watching you get irritated.
A faint silence settled over the room.
Taehyung studied him.
There was something almost childish about the satisfaction on Jungkook's face.
Something that hadn't changed since they were teenagers.
That was perhaps what Taehyung hated most.
Jungkook knew exactly which buttons to press.
And worse—
he always knew when he'd succeeded.
Author
So some just asked about cheating and skinship.
Author
No I don't support cheating.
Author
And no skinship with others. The ships will strictly remain loyal to their partners.
Chp—3
Taehyung leaned back in his chair.
Kim Taehyung
Then you've had a productive morning.
Jeon Jungkook
*Jungkook's smile widened slightly.*
Very.
The chairman cleared his throat.
Both men looked toward him.
Chairman
Chairman:
Can we begin?
Taehyung opened his file again.
Jungkook finally sat properly.
For the next several minutes, everything remained civil..
The presentation began with the proposed acquisition of a smaller technology company.
The numbers appeared on the screen.
Projected revenue.
Operational costs.
Expansion estimates.
Market penetration.
Taehyung listened quietly.
He had already studied the proposal twice before coming to the meeting.
He had marked every one of them.
The presentation ended.
The chairman looked around the table.
Chairman
Chairman:
Thoughts?
Kim Taehyung
*Taehyung spoke first.*
The projected timeline is unrealistic.
Jeon Jungkook
*Jungkook immediately looked at him.*
Based on?
Kim Taehyung
The expansion schedule.
*Taehyung turned one page.*
Kim Taehyung
Their current distribution network isn't capable of handling the projected volume. Expanding into three new regions simultaneously would put unnecessary pressure on logistics.
Jeon Jungkook
*Jungkook's fingers tapped once against the table.*
I disagree.
Kim Taehyung
*Taehyung looked up.*
Of course you do.
Jeon Jungkook
*Jungkook ignored the remark.*
The company already has contracts with regional distributors.
Jeon Jungkook
They're negotiating.
Kim Taehyung
Negotiations aren't contracts.
Jeon Jungkook
They'll be finalized.
Kim Taehyung
Assumptions aren't numbers.
Jeon Jungkook
*Jungkook leaned forward.*
They're reasonable assumptions.
Kim Taehyung
*Taehyung's eyes narrowed.*
Reasonable doesn't make them reliable.
Jeon Jungkook
And conservative doesn't make you right.
Kim Taehyung
*Taehyung slowly put down his pen.*
Did you come here with an argument?
Jeon Jungkook
*Jungkook met his eyes.*
I came here with a plan.
Kim Taehyung
Then perhaps bring one next time.
Jeon Jungkook
*Jungkook's expression hardened.*
I did.
Kim Taehyung
Then why haven't I seen it?
Jeon Jungkook
Because you haven't stopped talking long enough to read it.
A few people suddenly became very interested in their documents.
Kim Taehyung
*Taehyung smiled.*
It wasn't warmth.
It was warning.
Jungkook opened his own folder.
He began explaining his strategy.
And Taehyung hated how good it was.
That was the problem with Jungkook.
He wasn't incompetent.
He wasn't careless.
He wasn't the spoiled heir Taehyung sometimes wanted him to be.
He was intelligent.
Sharp.
Observant.
And frustratingly capable of defending his decisions.
Which meant Taehyung couldn't dismiss him.
He had to beat him.
For the next forty minutes, the meeting slowly transformed into a battlefield.
Jeon Jungkook
If we follow your strategy,
*Jungkook said, tapping the report*
Jeon Jungkook
We'll lose six months.
Kim Taehyung
*Taehyung didn't even look up.*
If we follow yours, we'll lose money.
Jeon Jungkook
We'll recover it.
Kim Taehyung
Very Optimistic.
Jeon Jungkook
I am Realistic.
Jeon Jungkook
Conservative.
Jeon Jungkook
*Jungkook raised an eyebrow.*
Was that supposed to be an argument?
Kim Taehyung
No.
*Taehyung closed the file.*
Kim Taehyung
That was an observation.
One of the younger executives accidentally let out a tiny breath of laughter.
Everyone turned toward him.
He immediately lowered his head.
Taehyung's gaze returned to Jungkook.
Jungkook was staring at him.
And despite himself, Taehyung saw the faint amusement in his eyes.
He hated that too.
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