Disclaimer: I don’t own DotS.

 

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Chapter 2: Ripples

 

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Two figures sat in a dimly lit room; the air surrounding them was dark and tense and heavily loaded with apprehension. There were no words exchanged – they were enveloped in complete and utter silence save for the flickering of the candle, casting its glow on the two individuals’ faces. It was another few minutes or so, before one of them finally made a movement, reaching out to take the small cup in front of him, and brought it to his lips. The other party watched, subdued, as his companion took a sip of his wine and placed it back onto the small table.

 

“So…” He spoke, his voice was raw and throaty and laden with age. “Have you made your decision?”

 

The other man shifted uneasily and clenched his hands into fists. “Can you give me more time to think?” His gaze switched back and forth between the man and his own lap, not daring to meet the other person in the eye. “You cannot possibly expect me to give you an answer immediately, Jwachanseong[1]…what you just proposed would be considered as the highest of treasons.”

 

“Ah…Kim-panseo[2]…this is where you are wrong.”

 

The Minister of Taxation, Kim Han Soo, broke out in a cold sweat at the sound of his superior’s voice. His tone spoke of an unmistakable promise – a threat – that should he come to disobey this man in front of him, he or perhaps his own family, would have to pay a great price.

 

“Your position as one of the six ministers does not give you an option to choose.”

 

The man gulped before he hissed lowly. “But you are basically asking me to betray my king!”

 

“And that king is nothing but a foolish man!” The Left Minister’s voice boomed throughout the room, his eyes gleaming with disgust and hostility so intense that Minister Kim could feel the hatred radiating off of the older man’s figure, almost suffocating him. “Too soft-hearted and compassionate for his own good. Do you think a weak king like him can possibly bring prosperity to our nation?”

 

Kim Han Soo refrained himself from mentioning about how poverty and sickness had been greatly reduced ever since the reign of King Munjong. He did not understand why the Left Minister hated their king so much. While Yoon Munjong was a king with a bleeding heart, his kindness and generosity made him appealing to his subject’s eyes – they viewed him as a benevolent ruler.

 

“King Munjong is a wise man,” he began again, steeling his courage to dissuade the older man from rebelling against their king, “his compassion does not make him weak. And who is to inherit the throne should he be killed? The crown prince? He is still too inexperienced to rule.”

 

Han Da Bi let out a scornful laugh. “Do you not understand, Kim-panseo? That is exactly why we need to get rid of the king. Seja-joha will have nobody left to protect him. Young and vulnerable – he will be easy to mold and manipulate to our use.”

 

“I doubt the rest of the state council and six ministries would agree, let alone stand still to your plans.” The minister insisted again. “Especially Kang Seung Ri. That man is as stubborn as a bull. There is nobody more righteous and loyal to the king than he is.”

 

The Left Minister scoffed. “We only need half of the six ministries to agree in order to mobilize our plan, and even without the power of those old fools, as long as we secure our positions in the royal family, our victory will be guaranteed.” He poured himself another cup and smirked. “My son will become the prince consort, and your daughter, Eun Ji, shall make it to the final selection for crown princess.”

 

Minister Kim wanted to spit at the old warmonger’s face. “You do know that Kang-panseo’s daughter is the one who is most likely to get chosen as the crown princess. And my Eun Ji will have to settle to becoming only a concubine. Do you think I will let my daughter be resigned to such a fate?”

 

“How much more naïve can you be, Kim-panseo,” Han Da Bi leaned back and gave the minister a sneer, “if there’s an obstacle standing in your way…you get rid of it.”

 

Kim Han Soo felt sick to his bones after hearing the Left Minister’s suggestion. “You want me to kill an innocent seventeen-year-old girl?”

 

The Left Minister shrugged offhandedly. “It’s either her, or your daughter.” He gave his crony another smirk. “I think the answer is clear, no?”

 

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Choi Min Ji was juggling a tray on one hand and a bundle of cloth on the other. She almost wobbled on her way to her mistress’ room, trying to walk slower this time as to not lose her balance, and after a few turns around the corner she finally arrived at her destination safely and let out a relieved sigh.

 

“Agassi, I’m here for your tea and…there is another gift from Lord Han.”

 

However, instead of her mistress’ voice, the young servant’s words were greeted with nothing but silence.

 

Min Ji knitted her brows and a sense of dread started to form in the pit of her stomach. “Mo Yeon-agassi? Are you sleeping?”

 

Of course Min Ji knew her question was rhetorical and it was close to improbable that the young lady of the Kang family would be sleeping at around this time, but it certainly did not stop her from wishing it to be true. “Agassi?”

 

There was still no response, and now the servant began to imagine the worst possibility. Seolma…

 

“Agassi, I’m coming in.”

 

Min Ji placed the tray consisting of tea and sugar taffy alongside with the package from her mistress’ pursuer on the floor, and slowly slid the double screen of the room open, praying hardly that she would find a figure tucked safely underneath a blanket.

 

But alas, her wish did not come true as she roamed her gaze around the room and found no single soul inside.

 

“Aish, Agassi,” Min Ji cried out in distress. “Not again!”

 

Meanwhile, in another place, said young lady was humming to herself, skipping her way to a certain shop in town and smiling brightly at the nice weather. It was getting chillier as autumn was nearing its end and her disguise would have provided little protection against the harsh wind, but the sun was high up in the sky that day and its warm light fell upon her cheeks gently. She almost felt bad for sneaking out of the house again, especially towards her attendants, but these days she felt even more inclined to go on an adventure and explore the town to her heart’s content. After all, in a few weeks, she would no longer have the opportunity to do so. This would be one of her last moments of freedom before she would be constrained with the chain that was marriage.

 

Frowning at her gloomy thoughts, Mo Yeon shook her head and sighed. She had promised herself that she would spend the rest of the day with a light heart, and refused to continue mulling over a future that was still uncertain.

 

Her lips broke into an excited smile when she spotted a familiar building from afar, both of its door wide open and she could almost smell the usual scent of cinnamon and ginger coming from the shop. She strutted over to her target place and tightened the grip around her sseugae chima[3], her smile stretched even wider as she finally reached the entrance. She glimpsed at the variety of dried herbs and portion of plants displayed in sacks on the table and announced her presence.

 

“Good afternoon.”

 

Mo Yeon heard a crashing sound and laughed at the all-too-familiar voices of a couple bickering in the background. A head peeked from behind the bamboo curtains, and the person’s eyes widened in surprise as she realized who was currently standing in the middle of her shop.

 

“Omo, Mo Yeon-agassi!”

 

Another voice, this time a man’s, bellowed from behind. She heard another set of hurried footsteps and its owner at last appeared beside his wife. “Mwo? The young lady is here?”

 

“It is you!” Ha Ja Ae ignored her husband and rushed towards the laughing young woman, enveloping her into a crushing hug. After a long while, the older of the two pulled back and slapped the aristocrat lightly in the arms as she fussed over Mo Yeon’s appearance. “Aigoo, it’s been a while since I last saw you and look how much you have grown. You have become prettier again!”

 

Mo Yeon couldn’t contain her joy at finally being able to see her old friends again.

 

Ha Ja Ae and Song Sang Hyun were the owners of the medicinal shop that Mo Yeon’s family always frequented. She first met them when her father had took her out on an outing back when she was still young, and since then they had become dear friends to her and she would make sure to stop by their shop whenever she went to the town during one of her small escapades. Mo Yeon still remembered how Ja Ae had brewed her a citrus ginger tea while listening to her venting out about how her mother had forced her into practicing embroidery. In a way, to her who grew up being an only child, Ja Ae was like a reliable older sister as well as a confidant to whom she could talk anything to.

 

And then there was Ja Ae’s husband.

 

Song Sang Hyun was her teacher – her life mentor.

 

He was the one who noticed Mo Yeon’s interest and talent in the art of medicine and began taking her under his tutelage. She would spend almost a whole day in their small but quaint library, perusing each pages about anatomy of the human body and medicinal properties of certain herbs and the side effects they would bring if they were incorporated in different ratios. Of course she kept all of this a secret from her family, except for her father – Mo Yeon had a feeling her father knew about her studying from his old friend and seemed to have no problem with it; however, her mother, she would probably blow a fuse if she found out what her daughter had been doing.

 

The world had so much more to offer than just sewing, or dancing, or playing music, and Mo Yeon was able to escape the mundane and idle routine of her life by reading books.

 

Sometimes she wondered how things would be much easier had she been born as a son to her parents instead of a daughter.

 

Not that she was not grateful; being born into nobility gave her certain opportunity that most females would not be able to, including dressing up in beautiful clothes and being able to live comfortably under a roof, but sometimes, she envied the freedom that men had. Being able to learn as much as they want to, taking the literary exams, riding a horse – those were the things Mo Yeon wished she had the chance to experience.

 

“What brings you here today?”

 

Ja Ae’s gentle voice stopped Mo Yeon’s train of thoughts and the young lady blinked in confusion. The old woman crooked an amused smile at the expression on her customer’s face. “What a face you made just now, Agassi. Will you care to share some of your thoughts with this old woman?”

 

Mo Yeon huffed a laugh. “You are not as old as my mother and to me, that means you are young.”

 

Sang Hyun snorted at Mo Yeon’s words and pointed a thumb at his wife. “This woman, young? Ey, child, perhaps you should take a closer look. Can you not see those wrinkles starting to – ouch, Ja Ae-ya, what are you doing – ah, apa, I was joking—“

 

Ja Ae hit her husband one last time before clicking her tongue in annoyance. “Aigoo, this man. What was I thinking when I decided to marry you? I should have listened to my father’s warning and married that merchant from the North instead…”

 

Sang Hyun rubbed his arms and scowled. “Mwo? Who is this man? How come I have never heard of him before—“

 

Mo Yeon cleared again and the couple stopped in the middle of their quibble. She grinned at the look on their faces, like they were caught doing something bad. “I see the two of you are still as affectionate towards each other as ever.”

 

Ja Ae looked at Mo Yeon apologetically. “I am sorry. What was I saying again?”

 

Mo Yeon shook her head. “That’s quite alright. I miss watching the two of you quarreling like a pair of young lovers.” At this, Ja Ae rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath something about childish husbands, and Mo Yeon continued, smiling wistfully. “But to answer your earlier question…I am here to purchase some herbs as well as…making my last visit.”

 

Sang Hyun paused in the middle of grinding some dried mushrooms, and shifted his gaze towards his pupil. “Last visit?”

 

“What do you mean?” Ja Ae frowned, taking Mo Yeon’s hands into hers and gripping them tightly.

 

Mo Yeon tried her best to keep that smile on her face. “Not forever. I mean my last visit before I am married.”

 

Ja Ae gasped and Sang Hyun choked, the latter gaping in disbelief and when Mo Yeon made no further effort to correct her previous statement, his jaw dropped to the ground. “You are getting married? You? The rambunctious lady who has no interest in men whatsoever and who would rather get married to books?”

 

Ja Ae gave her a husband a piercing glare and hit his head.

 

“Ouch, mwo, mwo, mwo? I’m right, though, aren’t I?”

 

Ja Ae let out an exasperated sigh at her husband and turned to look at Mo Yeon, her eyes filled with concern. “Are you comfortable with this arrangement, Agassi? Perhaps you should talk to your father about it if you are not ready yet. I’m sure he will understand.”

 

Mo Yeon bit her lips. “I can’t. I am getting married in order to avoid another marriage.”

 

Sang Hyun blinked. “You are getting married in order to avoid…another marriage. To whom?”

 

Mo Yeon hesitated a little bit before she answered quietly. “The crown prince.”

 

Sang Hyun choked again. “S-seja-jeoha? Jinjja?”

 

Ja Ae met the young woman’s gaze in a silent understanding. “Do you know who your future husband is?”

 

Mo Yeo nodded. “Ye. I know his name, but…I have never met him before.”

 

“Well, that lad better be good-looking,” Sang Hyun jokingly grumbled, “otherwise I will come visit your old father and force him to end the engagement. His beautiful daughter should get married to someone who is at least equally beautiful, if not more.”

 

Mo Yeon chuckled, her chest feeling less heavy and not as burdened after hearing her teacher’s attempt at trying to cheer her up. “Aniya, he cannot be more beautiful than I am. Then I wouldn’t have to be worried about other women trying to steal him from me.”

 

Ja Ae gave Mo Yeon’s hand a squeeze and smiled softly at the young woman. “Will the both of us be invited to your wedding?”

 

Mo Yeon snorted and looked at her friends dryly. “I think my father will make sure of that. And well, I suppose my situation is not too bad…I am of a marriageable age, and it’s about time I give back to my parents…” Mo Yeon pursed her lips in contemplation. “Besides, I will get a chance to take a glimpse at my future husband’s face two weeks from now. The palace is going to hold a banquet in order to celebrate gongju-mama’s birthday, so I am assuming he and his family will be there too.”

 

“I am sure he will be a wonderful person,” Ja Ae added with conviction in her voice, “trust your father, Agassi. He is a wise man. He will not choose just anybody for his beloved daughter.”

 

Mo Yeon smiled back. “Ye, I trust in abeoji’s decision. I know he only wants the best for me.”

 

“Well, now then,” Ja Ae clasped her hands together, grinning at Mo Yeon, “How can I help you today, Agassi?”

 

Mo Yeon tapped her finger on her chin as she skimmed over the racks filled with preserved plants and glanced over her shoulder to the herbs located outside of the shop. “Can I get some atractylodes, coptis chinensis, ephedra, white peony – ah, just the roots, mustard seeds, and rhubarb. Please.”

 

Ja Ae nodded to herself and counted all the herbs with her fingers. “Alright. I will be right back.”

 

Mo Yeon watched the older woman disappeared into another room and hummed in response, tangling her hands behind her back. She walked towards where Sang Hyun was currently working and crouched in front of him, watching her teacher as he continued to pound various dried plants and some petals together. “What are you making, seonsaeng-nim?”

 

Sang Hyun huffed. “Don’t think you are going to get an answer just like that, child. I taught you better than that. You tell me, instead.”

 

Mo Yeon narrowed her eyes and scanned over all the ingredients scattered around the mortar. “Hmm, let’s see…astralagus, bepleurum, and rehmannia. All three of which target the liver so…to remove toxin from the blood? And astralagus particularly tonifies the spleen. As well as increasing urination.”

 

Sang Hyun grinned widely at her student’s answer. “Excellent. I see you have been catching up with your studies.” Wiping his hands using a damp cloth, the man stood up and went behind the counter to grab a thick book. He shoved the bundle into Mo Yeon’s hands and she tilted her head in puzzlement. “What is this?”

 

“An early wedding gift. It’s that book you have been wanting to copy from me for a long time. I will give it to you.”

 

Mo Yeon’s eyes widened as she traced over the old cover and looked at her teacher breathlessly. “Is it really alright?”

 

Sang Hyun pat Mo Yeon on the head. “I told you, it’s a gift. Although it’s such a shame that you will not be able to visit us as frequently, but,” he sent her a sincere smile, “I am happy for you. I hope your husband will treat you well. If he doesn’t…” He shrugged before punching his fist into his other palm. “Just tell me and this old man will come running to you. I will beat him up myself.”

 

Mo Yeon’s eyes softened, touched that her usually indifferent and always-jesting teacher suddenly became serious for her sake, and she sent him a grateful smile. “Kamsahamnida, seonsaeng-nim.”

 

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A young man dressed in a maroon military attire finished another at the hardwood dowel, slicing the target into two clean pieces, and pulled back his sword before sliding it back to its sheath. Nodding in satisfaction at the results, the man stretched his hands above his head and squinted at the sun as he looked up at the bright sky. He was supposed to visit the problematic village in Nobu that he talked about with his friend yesterday, but his father had surprised him with the news that he was getting betrothed to some lady from the Kang family. His mother could barely contain her excitement at the prospect of her son finally courting a woman properly – not that she should use the word ‘court’, when Si Jin had not even met his supposedly future wife yet – and almost groaned out loud when his mother gushed about how polite, charming, and beautiful his betrothed was.

 

Si Jin had seen the Minister of Justice countless of times before, but he did not actually get to see him personally until that one time in the palace.

 

He was on his way to the grand hall when he saw a fellow official – Si Jin remembered him from the inauguration ceremony and if his memory served him correctly, he was the one who placed third in the literary exams after Lee Chi Hoon – being beaten up. It was probably due to the fact that the man came from a lower class, and Si had never felt so bitter at the idea of class systems more than that time. But before he could march over to the group of officials, who were pointing their swords at the poor man, they were intercepted by a grip on the blade and Si Jin watched with awe as the crowd of young officials turned paler than a sheet of paper when they recognized the man standing before them.

 

Kang Seung Ri stood imposingly with that aloof expression on his face, but there was a gleam of warning in his eyes that it was only a matter of seconds before those foolish officials scampered away, scared out of their wits. The court official who was terrorized by those men from before thanked the minister for his help, but the man only gave him a curt nod and he too began to walk away.

 

However Si Jin noticed the way the Minister of Justice clenched his hands behind his back, and saw drops of blood dripping onto the ground. His eyes met Si Jin’s, but the minister said nothing, and continued on his way.

 

It was then that he thought, Kang Seung Ri was truly a man worthy of his title – a force to be reckoned with – and he found himself respecting someone other than his own father. He finally understood why the man was so feared and respected by a lot of officials in the court.

 

So when Si Jin heard that his betrothed was Kang Seung Ri’s own daughter, he was looking forward a little bit to meeting her. What would she be like? Would she be as upright and righteous as her father? As tough and hardheaded? But his mother told him about how ‘charming’ and ‘polite’ she was and Si Jin could only cringe as he imagined the young lady of the Kang family as being the classic example of a timid and bashful woman.

 

That disappointed him a little.

 

And then another image of a different woman – one who was scaling over a wall suspiciously like some sort of thief and one who managed to rebut all his advances towards her – came to his mind.

 

It had been almost a week since then but Si Jin could hardly forget about the pretty servant that he met back in town.

 

Well, it is for the best that we may never meet again. Si Jin mused. Even if I am interested in her, it’s not like it will ever work. My future wife has already been decided, and I will do my best to get along with her.

 

Letting out an irked sigh, Si Jin was about to go back into the house and changed into a different attire before he heard his name being called.

 

He turned around and saw one of his retainers running towards him, his breathing came in short pants as he bowed slightly and presented a large scroll.

 

“Young master, your father told me to have you look at the content of the scroll.”

 

Si Jin raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

 

“Apparently it is a painting of your betrothed.” The boy scratched the back of his neck and squirmed restlessly when he saw the frown on his master’s face deepened. “Do you wish to take a look at it now?”

 

Si Jin took the painting from the boy’s hands and sent him an apologetic smile. “No, I will take a look at it later once I return from my trip. Thank you, though, Byeong Soo.”

 

The boy nodded before walking away and Si Jin let out another sigh as he strode towards his room. Really. The matter of his engagement should be the last thing on his mind right now. He had more important things to dwell upon, like how to quell the fire of revolt that he knew was starting to burn in the hearts of the villagers of Nobu, and constructing a plan to capture the man who initiated their sufferings. A major event happening in the future would the princess’ birthday banquet, and that was two weeks from now, but he and Dae Young speculated that if that person were to strike an attack, he would do it at the largest-scale event – the crown prince’s nineteenth birthday.

 

He had about four months until then to prepare a preemptive measure, and he could only hope it would be enough thwart that person’s plans off.

 

After changing into one of his disguises, Si Jin looked at his appearance in the mirror and grinned appraisingly. He secured the tie of his gat and took his sword with him, walking his way out of the main house into the courtyard. He gave a slight wave to a group of guards who nodded their heads at him as he stepped out of the gate, and began his journey.

 

Since most yangban lived near the heart of the capital, Si Jin would have to pass by some towns first before he could reach the village of Nobu, which was located slightly outskirts of them, but it really didn’t take him that long to reach into the busiest and most crowded part of the town – the sun was directly over his head, suggesting that it was noon – and he had plenty of time to spare so he figured he could also buy some medicines and supplies along the way.

 

The market was dense and bustling with life as people from different provinces came to trade for business. He saw merchants, young scholars laughing, artisans trying to sell their paintings, a group of young children playing tuho[4], and the most in demand of all, food vendors selling a variety of snacks: manju, sweet corns, bindaetteok[5], skewered fish – people crowded around each stall as they were taking a break from their work and each trying to fill their empty stomach.

 

Si Jin even treated himself to some fishcake and carried with him packs of sweet rice cakes that he was planning to give to the children in the village later.

 

He was about to pass by an old man selling some musical instruments when a voice caused him to stop in his tracks.

 

“Ey, I am telling you, ten yang[6]. Ten yang and that’s it.”

 

That voice…

 

Si Jin swiveled his head and his breath was caught in his throat when he saw the old man arguing with an all-too-familiar woman, who was impatiently tapping her foot onto the ground and looking like she was troubled by something.

 

The old man waved his hands in the air exasperatedly. “Agassi, that’s just too much. The original price of this instrument is twenty yang and the least I can give you is eighteen. I have a business to run too, you know.”

 

The woman then frowned and put her hands on her hips as she leaned closer to inspect the instrument. Squinting her eyes, she pointed her finger at the bulging part near the bottom of the instrument and turned to the old man. “But ahjussi, this instrument here isn’t even a haegeum. Are you trying to trick me?”

 

The old man suddenly brightened up and clasped the woman’s hands in excitement. “That is right, you have a keen eye, Agassi. This instrument here is actually an erhu[7], a merchant brought this from the land up north[8]. So how is it? Don’t you think twenty yang is a reasonable price for such a rare instrument?”

 

The woman folded her hands in front of her chest and raked her gaze over the unique instrument again, analyzing every detail carved onto the wood and felt a part of her crumbled a little bit in disappointment. She had never seen an erhu – was that what the ahjussi said it was called? – before, but unfortunately she had gone over the board with her spending, even going so far as to buying some herbs that she still had some back at home, and was left with only ten yang to spare.

 

When would she have the chance to find such an instrument again?

 

If she were to come here again tomorrow, there were no guarantee that some other person passing by would not be tempted to buy said instrument. And she really, really wanted to try playing it.

 

But I don’t have enough, she grumbled inside, chiding her own foolishness. Why did I have to spend an unnecessary amount of money on those herbs? Ugh, you babo, Kang Mo Yeon.

 

“I will give you twenty yang, Agassi.”

 

Mo Yeon’s shoulders tensed a little at the interruption before her eyes widened in surprise. What did that person say? He would give her twenty yang? She turned her head towards the source of voice, half in disbelief and half in curiosity, wanting to know who was the person that had just casually offered to give her the money she needed. “Really—?”

 

But then her gaze landed on the person’s face and Mo Yeon’s voice died in , forming an ‘o’ shape, unmoving, as she continued staring at the person in front of her.

 

Han Gi Beom-ssi, or whoever his real name was, stood casually in front of her, his arms folded in front of his chest, and the corner of his mouth tilted up into a grin.

 

She finally closed after a few seconds of gaping at him – she chastised herself again internally because a lady did not gape – and croaked out over a dry throat. “Y-You!”

 

Si Jin raised a brow at the incredulous cry coming out of the young woman.

 

“We meet again, Choi Min Ji-agassi. Geundeyo.” He took a step closer to her, reining back another surge of amusement when he saw her taking a step backwards much like what she did last time. His eyes gleamed with hidden laughter and Mo Yeon, who saw this, glowered at him. “Don’t you think we have yet to cross that boundary of being more than mere acquaintances for you to drop your speech at me? And even then, I don’t think you are in a position to address me with such disrespect.”

 

Mo Yeon felt blood rushing to her cheeks at her slip. It had not been her intention to voice her thoughts out loud, however she was caught completely off guard when she finally realized that the stranger liar that she met last week in town was actually the same kind stranger that just offered to give her money to buy the instrument she wanted.

 

What is he doing here, anyways?

 

“I apologize, Naeuri,” Mo said stiffly, trying to avoid the man’s gaze on her face and refusing to acknowledge that grin on his face, “I didn’t mean to disrespect you. I was just taken a back. I mean,” she coughed a few times, “such a coincidence, right?”

 

Si Jin observed the young woman shifting awkwardly in front of him and noted the blush on her cheeks. She blushes so easily, he smirked inwardly.

 

“Apology accepted,” Si Jin retorted in a light tone, grinning even wider when she finally looked up to meet his gaze. “And my offer still stands, you know.”

 

Mo Yeon blinked before her eyes narrowed in suspicion. She had not completely forgotten that this was the man who had lied to her about his real name, the same man who had invaded her personal space and kept on staring at her with a…with a weird (for the lack of a better word) look, the same look that he was currently giving her and always made her feel unwittingly more nervous with each passing second. “…You are willing to give me twenty yang?”

 

Why?

 

Si Jin nodded, keeping his face nonchalant at the bewilderment in her voice.

 

“Really?”

 

Si Jin flashed her a smirk. “But of course, I would not give it to you so easily.”

 

Mo Yeon refrained herself from pointing a finger at him indignantly. I knew it! I knew he wouldn’t be so kind as to give away money to some poor stranger!

 

“If you could play this instrument and gather at least twenty people by the end of your performance, I will give you twenty yang.”

 

Mo Yeon gave a longing look at the erhu. “And if I failed to do so?”

 

Si Jin shrugged. “I would be the one to buy the instrument.”

 

This caused Mo Yeon to shift her attention towards him and she peered at him in bafflement. “What for? Are you capable of playing this instrument?”

 

“No.”

 

Mo Yeon scowled. Why you—

 

Si Jin gave her another amused smile. “So, do you accept my conditions?”

 

The woman pursed her lips tightly and walked towards the old man, asking him whether or not she could directly touch the string instrument. He nodded, telling her to be careful with it, to which Mo Yeon said yes and took the erhu into her hands, trying to feel the tautness of the strings and the length of the bow across her arm. It was not all that different from a haegeum, but she had a feeling it would be harder to produce a stable sound since there was no fingerboard to rest her fingertips on and the two strings were so close together.

 

She looked at Si Jin. “I have never played an erhu before.”

 

Si Jin tilted his head at her. “Does that mean you are giving up?”

 

Mo Yeon scowled again. “Ani.” Then she realized that she had accidentally dropped her speech (again) and cleared . “Animida.”

 

Si Jin nodded to himself. “Twenty yang for twenty people. One yang for each person you manage to attract. Fair enough, right, Choi Min Ji-agassi?”