Sinyeong faltered, caught off guard by the shift, and fell silent.
Hwayeong was the first to recover. She turned away and briskly handed the ornaments she’d picked out to the vendor.
“I’ll take these, please.”
Her face was calm again, but her voice came out too smooth, a little too fast.
As she reached for her pouch, the vendor glanced at the beetle pin still sitting in her hair.
“And the one you’re wearing, miss?”
“No need for that one.”
She plucked it from her hair and set it down on the counter.
Before the vendor could move, Sinyeong picked it up.
“I’ll take it.”
“Shall I wrap that one separately?”
The vendor looked between them, as if silently asking whether they hadn’t come together.
Sinyeong gave a brief nod.
“Yes. That one’s on me.”
At his short reply, the vendor pulled out a piece of muslin and began wrapping each piece with care.
As he worked, Hwayeong lifted her eyes and stole a glance at Sinyeong. There was something guarded in her gaze—tentative, even wary.
