IRREPLACEABLE || JIKOOK ✅

18.

JUNGKOOK POV

The worst timing ever...

"Sir? Mr. Barton is on line
one." Jungkook's assistant buzzed in with.

"Says it's urgent."

"Thanks." he murmured
before grabbing his phone
and hitting the button.

Barton Industries had been his main focus until Jimin had
come into the picture.

What had he potentially
Let slip?

"Soren, how are you?"

"Not good." Soren Barton
said on the other end.

"We're hearing stories about
your plans for our company
and it's not what was
discussed in our meetings."

"The workers have heard and just walked off the job! We're in utter chaos here, with the labor unions screaming from one end and the media on the other."

"It's already hit the local news and there's a chance it could go wider considering the buy-out."

Fuck. "What stories?"

"That you're planning to break
us apart and sell off the
Company piecemeal."

"The workers are terrified."

"If they don't get back to work, and soon we're going to lose several important contracts which is a problem you will inherit."

"I don't know where this news
is coming from." Jungkook said, wincing.

"We aren't breaking up the company... we made promises."

"Then you need to speak to
your grandfather."

"The sources are saying it
came straight from his lips."

Jungkook sighed inwardly.

The Barton deal was his not
his grandfather's.

He spent the next few minutes ironing out some details before realizing he'd have to travel to clear everything up prior to completing the sale.

As soon as he had Soren calmed, he headed up to speak to his grandfather to find out where the misinformation had come from.

He found Jih sitting behind his huge desk, reading reports.

Upside-down reports.

Jungkook frowned, a niggle of worry filling him.

"I just got a call from Soren
The workers staged a walk
out over news we're selling
the company off in pieces."

"That is what you plan, isn't
it?" Jih said as he tossed the
file to his desk.

"I emailed you before my trip, saying I was reconsidering
that plan after talking to Joon."

"And even if that was the plan, leaking that news to the
press wasn't a good idea."

"We've already signed the papers... if their stock tanks,
we could lose our asses."

"Now I have to fly out there
and clean up this mess to
make sure we don't."

Jih scowled.

"And this is my fault, how?"

Jungkook paused, taking a
deep breath. "The press says their source was you."

His grandfather got an odd
look on his face as if he was
searching his memory And
then he suddenly became angry.

"I didn't say anything to
anyone."

"How dare you toss
accusations my way! I built
this company... why would I..."

His grandfather frowned, hesitating mid-sentence.

Silence filled in between them.

Jungkook's frown grew.

"Grandfather?"

Jih lifted his stare, looking confused. "Yes?"

It was then that he knew something was wrong.

"You were saying you didn't
tell anyone about our plans
for Barton Industries."

Jih scratched his head.

"There was a man in the
elevator a few days ago...
asking questions." He lifted his stare, panic in his eyes.

"Maybe I did."

Jungkook saw the uncertainty
in his grandfather's lost expression and couldn't feel angry any longer.

"We need to get you in to see
a doctor, I'll call Joon and
have him take you as soon
as possible.."

"I've got to get a flight out today."

His grandfather remained silent before picking up a file from
his desk and opening it.

Jungkook backed away,
reaching for his phone.

As soon as he was outside,
he turned to Jih's assistant.

"Have you noticed anything
out of the ordinary with my grandfather?"

The assistant, Joshua, looked
up at Jungkook sheepishly.

"Like what?"

"Memory issues?"

The older beta looked down.

"Joshua?"

Jungkook asked, his tone firm when the beta didn't reply.

"For a few months now."

"It started slowly but the last couple of weeks it's gotten worse."

"You should've told me." He snapped angrily.

"He made me promise not
to." Joshua said, a man who'd worked for his grandfather for
a good thirty years.

"I owed him a little time
before he was kicked out of
the company he founded."

"He loves this place."

Jungkook sighed.

"He does And I wouldn't summarily kick him out either."

"But we should've known..."

"He needs medical care."

He lifted his phone, readying
to call his brother.

"He's seen a doctor."

Jungkook whipped his head up.

"He has?"

"It's dementia."

He stood there, hearing that word and felt the air sucked
out of his lungs. Dementia.

Jungkook didn't know much about the disease but what
little he did had him terrified.

Everything his grandfather
was would disappear.

The money, the power, the prestige...

it wouldn't save him in the end.

When he felt like the world had stopped spinning, he called Joon.

He hated leaving in that moment but he had to go stop the bleeding before it got any worse.