Enthralled || Liskook

Chapter 22

The man behind the counter faltered for a moment. 

"This is like dropping an atomic bomb first thing in the morning,” he muttered, clearly flustered. "Who can handle that?” 

After a ten-second beat of stunned silence, the man recovered his voice. "...sister-in-law hasn't had breakfast yet? I'll go check and see 

what young ladies might like to eat.”

After a ten-second beat of stunned silence, the man recovered his voice. "Sister-in-law hasn't had breakfast yet? I'll go check and see what young ladies might like to eat." 

He scurried off in the elevator. When he returned, he turned to Jungkook. "Would you like something to eat?" 

Jungkook shook his head. "No thanks, I just finished at the supermarket." 

The young people at the table, their ears perked at the word "sister-in-law," exchanged glances. Their gazes shifted between Lisa and Jungkook with growing curiosity. 

However, noticing Jungkook's stoic expression, they realized he wasn't going to introduce her formally, at least not over breakfast. They reluctantly held their questions back and continued what they were doing. 

Jungkook, a single hand effortlessly handling the high stool, placed it behind her. Lisa, her voice lost in the sudden flurry, simply rose and sat. 

His heart, however, churned like a storm at sea, a tempest of ten-meter waves. 

Jungkook turned to her, his gaze locking onto her eyes. “Are you upset?” 

A faint blush crept up her cheeks, forcing her to hide behind a curtain of raised hands. She shook her head, unable to meet his gaze. 

“Happy you shook your head,” he chuckled, leaning casually against the counter beside her. 

He lowered his voice, a husky whisper brushing against her ear, “Or unhappy?" 

Lisa's voice barely rose above a whisper, "Is this billiard room yours?” Her uncertainty hung in the air. 

Jungkook gave a curt nod, a hint of pride flickering in his eyes. "Used to be a youth hostel owner's hangout," he explained, gesturing towards the space around him. "Sold it off, though. Poor management, you see. I ended up buying it back. Usually, the manager takes care of things, when I'm not around." 

He paused, then sighed. "Billiards isn't exactly booming here. Haven't seen any profit yet, actually, just losses.” 

A faint smile touched his lips. "But hey, years of frugality come in handy. Made it this far, right?" 

His words carried a double meaning, the burden of the business masked by a facade of optimism. 

Yet, a flicker of hope remained, fueled by the children who came to learn, their laughter balancing the weight of the bills. 

The first two months were a brutal initiation. Six months' rent demanded at once, followed by a relentless blizzard that plunged them into darkness and shut down business for days. 

Jungkook, strapped for cash, exhausted his family's savings and even dipped into Jimin's. It was during this desperate time, the worst half of the month, that he met Lisa. 

Had it not been for that financial struggle, Jungkook, a man of his word, wouldn't have found himself in Maboo, entertaining Lisa and her brother instead of fulfilling a promise to gamble with friends. 

His friends ultimately backed out of the dinner invitation, but Jungkook, true to his word, played the games in Maboo. 

Looking back, fate seemed to have played a hand. It led him to Maboo, where their paths crossed once more. Lisa, her voice laced with curiosity, asked, "You own a billiard room, yet you went to Maboo to gamble?"