Greystone (BTS Fanfic AU)

A Proposition

[Kair's POV]

The beaming, deadly glare from the sun purged my eyes.

"Ugh."

Waking up was probably the worst part of any day for me and it didn't help that I slept on rock hard, slightly moist soil. I tried flipping over when I realized my body was heavier than usual. When I came to it, I noticed legs intertwined with mine and a heavy arm stretched across my chest.

"Get off!" I shouted as I pushed the lifeless man away from me.

"No. Ten more minutes please, Jin," he moaned, as he curled up into a small ball.

I rolled my eyes. Before leaving, I looked back the lifeless lump, debating whether or not I should wait for him before heading to Chaegu. However, a mixture of irritation and tiredness convinced me that I was definitely not in the mood to deal with unnecessary people today. Plus, how hard could it be for him to just follow the only path here?

I slung my excessively heavy bag over my shoulder and headed back down the dreary road. Once in Chaegu, I noticed that the town was a lot more livelier than usual and merchant booths were scattered throughout the center of the town, which was highly unusual considering merchants never went to small towns like Chaegu. I shrugged it off, assuming that the citizens were just trying to squeeze some of their tax money back from the nobles.

"Hey, girl. Wanna buy some jams?" A low voice reached out to me.

I turned and met eyes with a tall, lean man with caramel brown hair and dimples so deep you'd need a life vest or else you'd drown in them. But something about him was oddly captivating. He didn't look like your average, sleazy merchant that would easily hop on every opportunity to rip you off. He had a strong, confident aura and an even greater presence that naturally drew eyes towards him. Humility shined through his eyes, but he also seemed like the type to take charge if you needed him to.

His merchant booth was filled with messily stacked small jars of jams.

"Don't worry. They're not expensive, girl," his low soothing voice commanded the air.

Glancing up into his eyes, I noticed a spark of amusement. It was as if he knew something I didn't. And of course, that sparked my interest more than anything.

"Hmm. I don't eat a lot of bread, so no thanks."

"Oh, you can put jam on other things," he replied suggestively. "I can show you if you want."

I mentally said goodbye to my eyebrows because, after that, I knew they definitely weren't on my face anymore.

"Hi, young Miss. Can I offer you some things at my booth over there?" A soft, slightly nasally voice chimed in before I found my consciousness again. "Like an escape from this pervert."

"What are you talking about? I'm so pure," the first merchant interjected.

An equally as tall, handsome man had taken position at my side, except his features were a lot more delicate. They were soft yet striking enough to make women envy him and men beg for him. His extremely dark hair reflected the sun and lightly draped over his soft eyes. He gave off an incredibly nurturing and loving aura with a hint of playfulness.

Ignoring the first merchant, the second merchant began to pull me over to his neat booth across the fountain circle while simultaneously sending some death glares at the other merchant.

Competition, I guess.

Rows of clean kitchenware lined his wooden booth. He draped a cloth over the top of his booth to block out some of the burning sun for me. I pretended to be interested in his goods until something at the edge of the booth drew my attention. I grabbed and weighed the silver ladle in my hand and delicately traced over the carved symbol of a four-leaf clover on the handle.

"How much is this?" I asked, nonchalantly.

"30 cases," he gleefully replied. 

Pretending to inspect the ladle, I examined him in the corner of my eye. "Really? That's pretty cheap for something made of pure silver."

A brief flash of uncertainty crossed his eyes before feigned surprise masked it. "Wow! Really? I didn't know that! Makes me wonder how many people have ripped me off before?"

He let out a soft chuckle laced in nervousness.

"That's definitely not something a merchant would say."

"Excuse me?" He looked up, trying to read my stoic face.

"Are you a looter?" I questioned, grimly. I knew he wasn't one. If there's only one thing I've learned in my tiring years as an assassin, it was how to read people. He didn't look capable of going through destroyed homes and dead bodies in search for a quick buck. The compassion in his eyes wouldn't let him. But I used that as an opportunity to quickly analyze the stranger in front of me.

I noticed him slightly clench his jaw and shift into a more defensive stance. "No."

"How else did you get a Su family heirloom? Every member of that family died in the mass murder four years ago." I knew. I saw them. I killed them.

He shrugged it off, but his eyes remained glued to mine. "Guess I was lucky. Sue me."

"I'm sorry, but what did you say your name was?" I challenged.

"J." He replied, a little too quickly.

I ran my hand through my shoulder length black hair. "Wow, what are the odds? I met another 'J' yesterday, too. Let me guess, your merchant friend over there also has letters for his name as well." I pointed my thumb back at the first merchant without removing my eyes from his.

He gripped the edge of the booth tighter, while his eyes darted around the small fountain circle. A sudden clap broke the heavy stillness between us.

"Wow, aren't you the perceptive little one?" Slightly caught off guard, I took a step back and turned around to meet the first merchant's amused gaze. "I have a proposition for you."

"Proposition?"

"A job. In the castle."