Stay Another Day

Chapter Four: Bargaining

Author's note: Well, this took a while! Thanks, everyone for your patience. Massive thanks to @rulesthegalaxy (author of the fantastic 'Front Page News') for the valuable feedback. This chapter was somewhat inspired by Jeremy Strong's 'The Karate Princess', my all-time favourite book as a little girl. If you'd like to chat, you can find me rambling about my BinJin theories on Twitter @EdnaMode_101.

As always, thank you so much for all your lovely and thoughtful comments! x

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Over rows of freshly caught fish, Se-ri and the man in the apron regarded each other through narrowed eyes.

"I'm only starting to get used to saying this," Se-ri said evenly to the man behind the counter. "But I don't have that much money."

"Lady, how am I supposed to turn a profit?" argued the seafood vendor equally reasonably. He was desperately raking a hand through his hair, which was already standing on end from this endless back and forth.

"Well, I'm not paying that much for such a tiny piece of salmon," huffed Se-ri. "You must be joking."

He stared at her helplessly then turned to Jeong-hyeok with a pleading expression. They had been at it for the last five minutes; to Jeong-hyeok it felt more like thirty. He hated negotiating.

"We'll buy one kilo," said Jeong-hyeok, stepping in before the poor man started tearing his hair out in frustration.

Se-ri looked at him, annoyed.

"Hyaa," she muttered under her breath. She gave him a stern look that said, Can't you see I'm getting us a good price?

Jeong-hyeok suppressed a sigh and turned back to the shop owner. "And could you also please give us a good price?"

The man eyed Se-ri warily, then Jeong-hyeok.

"Fine, fine," he conceded, putting on gloves and grabbing a slab of salmon and weighing it on a creaky blue scale.

"And, sir?" Se-ri ventured.

"Hmm," the man grunted.

"Could you maybe, if you could be so kind, maybe add a little extra?" asked Se-ri in a syrupy voice.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're killing me here," he said, shaking his head, but added a few extra pieces to the scale anyway.

Se-ri clapped her hands together in delight. "Thank you! You're the best seafood vendor here."

"But I'm the only seafood vendor here."

"Still, I'll tell all my friends about you," promised Se-ri, unfazed.

He stared at her.

"Lady," he said, unimpressed, "if they haggle like you, then please don't."

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Laden with shopping bags full of vegetables, fruit and salmon, Jeong-hyeok and Se-ri walked through the market that was soon filling with other shoppers.

A North Korean pop song was blaring from boxy grey speakers that Se-ri hadn't seen since the nineties. A bored vendor was filing her nails as a customer carefully picked through a pile of shiny oversized eggplants. Chickens clucked angrily in haphazardly stacked coops. Steam billowed from huge vats of stew as attendants scooped them into plastic containers. All around them was the sound of people greeting each other, vendors trying to get customers' attention and good-natured haggling.

It was a world away from the sleek and sterile supermarkets in Seoul and Se-ri soaked it in with wide-eyed curiosity.

"I think that's everything," Jeong-hyeok said, carefully studying the list in Se-ri's neat, feminine handwriting. "Do you want anything else?"