Lock & Key (Chaelisa)

Jungkook avoided Lisa after that night, and Lisa tried not to feel too offended by it.

There was nothing wrong that she did, but she recognised that jealousy spawned easily and without any rational reason. She could not blame Jungkook for chafing under the impression that Roseanne was paying her, Lisa, attention over him.

She knew that feeling of envy all too well.

So Lisa graciously avoided bringing up the elephant in the room whenever she stopped by the mill and cordially paid for her sacks of grain and flour whenever a silent Jungkook would haul them out and dump them into her cart without so much as a glance in her direction.

But this new hostility extended to all the boys in the village. Suddenly, Lisa noticed how everyone started regarding her in a different light and it was like she had newly arrived to Hoguryeo again, with whispers following in her wake.

She even caught Chanyeol frowning at her, though his expression was more of scrutiny than contempt, as though he was trying to remember who she was. Lisa didn't doubt that he hadn't the slightest idea that he had spoken to her multiple times—his dull, piggy eyes seemed only to snap alert whenever Roseanne was in the vicinity.

Jimin was an altogether different breed, a cunning fox that Lisa dreaded would finally corner her.

And corner her he did.

She had just finished unloading the last sacks into Snowdrop's storeroom and was about to head back home after a long back-breaking day when she found Jimin propped up on the side of her cart, calmly slicing an apple into quarters.

"Lisa! Just the girl I wanted to see," he called cheerfully, his breath condensing as he spoke.

"Hello," Lisa said warily. Jimin smiled and popped an apple slice into his mouth, offering her some. She declined with a shake of her head.

"Um, the shop is open if you want to buy something—"

"Oh but I'm here to talk to you," Jimin said, "I'm very anxious to speak with you, actually, seeing that you seem to be a very good friend of Roseanne's."

She had been expecting this day to come, yet, she frustratingly never planned on what to actually answer him when he interrogated her, so she hoped for the best.

"What about it?" Lisa said nonchalantly.

"This won't take long," he promised, crunching the apple. Lisa wrinkled her nose but tried to keep her focus on him as he spoke.

"I want to make a deal with you. I saw you and Roseanne seem to know each other very well at the festival. You've gotten closer to her in a few months than villagers like me in all of our time living here."

And now Lisa stiffened as a chill stole over her being, which had nothing to do with the cold air that surrounded them.

"I was wondering, what would it take for you to say, take the key from her cat and give it to me? Of course, we'll have to keep it all hush-hush and everything, I don't want to get in between you and her. But taking the key is all I'm asking, and I'll make sure to repay you handsomely. Moreover, you need never pay a single won when you're in need of my father's services."

"Hypothetically speaking, what makes you think I could do it?" Lisa said.

Jimin pinned her with a glacial smile. "I'm told you're very friendly with the cat as well. It trusts you. You're the perfect candidate, Lisa."

Lisa swallowed hard. "And if I refuse?"

Jimin's brow lifted. "Oh, driving a hard bargain are we? That's alright, I—"