One Step Closer - PART 1

One Step Closer - 145💕

Taehyung rolled his eyes, grabbing his shoulders and turning him around. "Look at this place. This has so much potential in the hands of someone like you."

"What?" He glared at him incredulously, his brows creasing. "What am I going to do with this cafe?"

"Run it, duh!" Taehyung clapped his back. "You cannot work for someone as a part-timer due to your position with the Park family, but you can run your own business. This also gives you more freedom and will guarantee you financial independence in the long run."

Jungkook glared at him. "Hyung, I'm a student, not a businessman like any of the hyungs. I know nothing about it. This is too much."

"Not in my eyes," Taehyung said. "You don't have to be here 24/7. There will be people working for you. You'll have an entire team, who you'll have to supervise and already has an investor..." He waved at himself "...who doesn't care about losses."

"What?" Jungkook narrowed his eyes on him.

The actor put both his hands on his shoulder, shaking him once."My dear little brother, this cafe is located literally in the commercial center and has been here for almost seventy years. It's kinda historical place. The former owner was a stinky brat who inherited this from his parents and ruined it. He got into a lot of debt by betting on horses and never paid his staff on time."

"Oh."

Taehyung smiled. "I tried to buy this place from him but he was not that easy to convince, you know. But finally the sale went through. And the people who work here depend on this job and most of them are sole breadwinners to their family." He gripped Jungkook's shoulder and squeezed. "I couldn't think of anyone better than you to run this business." He pulled back to clap louder. "You can make as many mistakes as you want and your big brother wouldn't care. And there's also a catch." He put his index finger in front of him. "You get a brand ambassador along with this gift."

Jungkook chuckled. "You're too much."

The staff door behind the counter opened and around a dozen people stepped outside. They walked toward them and Jungkook's eyes widened. At least seven of them were in their late fifties and there was one pregnant omega. He was a male and looked like he couldn't be a year or two older than Jungkook. The others were part-timers.

"I paid them the pending salaries and now they're yours. Mr. Lee here is the cafe manager with over two decades of experience. He'll guide you. And then we have an accountant." Taehyung pointed. "A chef and a pastry chef who were never utilized properly for their talents, but kept this place going. We also have dishwashers, bussers, barista, cashier. You have everyone here."

"Wow." Jungkook didn't know how to respond right then.

"It's gonna take some while to get the business up and running but it's all yours now. And these people need a job."

Jungkook huffed. "You should have been a salesman instead of an actor. I see what you're doing here."

Taehyung winked. "I cannot call myself your brother if I don't know how to trick you into accepting this."

Jungkook pouted. "This is too much. My knowledge is very limited and this is a huge responsibility. I don't know if I can do this."

"You will get enough time, Jungkook. This place needs to be renovated and it'll take at least two months to reopen this again. In the meantime, you can study more and get ready. Besides, you won't be running this alone. You'll have a lot of help. Mr. Lee is an experienced man. He will teach you the ropes of this business."

Jungkook's gaze darted to the staff, who all looked at him expectantly. Mr. Lee nodded encouragingly. "Okay."

"I've been here a few times when the old owners ran this place. The ambiance used to be quite good and a lot of people come here," Taehyung continued. "They ran this place with love, but now it's all gone."

"Oh."

Taehyung wasn't done there. "I'll also hire you a marketing and business development team, who will help you promote this place. Also, you can offer a lot more and broaden your spectrum if you're up for it."

"You sound more like a marketing person right now." Jungkook huffed. "You won't change your mind so just show me how we go about this."

"Awesome!" Taehyung lifted both his thumbs with a huge grin while the staff cheered. "People, this is your new boss, Jeon Jungkook aka my darling brother. Please take care of him."

"Congratulations!"

Jungkook could only smile shyly as the sounds of cheers echoing around him. He bowed, accepting it all hesitantly. This was a huge step and something he hasn't ever dreamed of. One thing after the other kept happening and he suddenly felt overwhelmed.

But Taehyung's trust in him and his support held him hostage. He didn't want to refuse this. It might hurt Taehyung if he did. He was trying to help him build his life and secure it in the long run. So if there was ever a situation where Jungkook had no one to rely on, he will still be able to fend for himself.

A lump formed in his throat as he lunged at Taehyung, wrapping his arms around his neck. His brother returned the hug, patting his back as he tightened the embrace.

"Don't underestimate yourself, Jungkook," he whispered. "Your brother won't let you fail."

Jungkook nodded into his shoulder, scoffing through his tears. Yes, I won't fail as long as I have you.