Hongjoong picked up on the increased noise when Seonghwa received San and Wooyoung downstairs. He looked up from where he had been cleaning some dirt from the streets out of the seams of his gown, despite Jongho's explicit demands that this was the servants' work. Hongjoong enjoyed the occasional mundane task that took his mind off things.

The boisterous laughter of the dimpled lord downstairs was followed by a chuckle from Seonghwa. When he didn't laugh with the poise of a snake, Seonghwa's laughter was more of a guffaw and had the glee of a child to it.

Perhaps if everyone in the London society used their genuine laughs instead of artificial snickers, people would have an easier time trusting each other.

Hongjoong left his dress to soak as he picked himself off the floor to greet the visitors downstairs. Even if they had realised his special circumstances here, he felt it was rude to hide away from them. He also didn't want to give Seonghwa the opening for gossip, even though he would probably just gossip later.

When Hongjoong descended the stairs, he found Seonghwa seated on the cosy couch corner in front of the fireplace with Wooyoung and San. The former wore a pretty dress the colour of peaches today, and pearl necklaces spilt over his chest like a flood of adoration from his husband. San, by his side, was dressed in a classy grey suit as he lingered close to his spouse.

Seonghwa picked up on Hongjoong's footsteps first. At the sight of him, some childish delight from prior left his eyes as they became more guarded. With a polite nod, he beckoned at the two.

"Come here, Hongjoong. You've met briefly, I recall."

Hongjoong stepped in with a nod. The smile Wooyoung gave him was bright, and San tipped his head mannerly as one would for a lady.

On the table, spread out between them, was an abundance of papers and articles. Seonghwa shifted through them to skim the headlines and sorted them into piles of his interest. Hongjoong hoped his detective game would occupy Seonghwa's malevolent mind. As someone who grew up with crime lurking around every corner, Hongjoong saw no charm in having it as a hobby.

"It's a delight to meet you again," Wooyoung said over the back of the couch. He was just as unbothered with his husband's and Seonghwa's whispering about murders, kidnapping, and thieveries. The more barbarous the crime, the more invested the two got.

Hongjoong gladly turned to look at Wooyoung.

"Ah, Lady Wooyoung. I had been meaning to establish a pen pal-ship with you."

Wooyoung snickered behind his gloved hand like a proper lady would.

"Why didn't you? I would be happy to talk to you more. How about we take a stroll through the gardens, just you and I? Will that be fine? Among ladies?" Wooyoung peered at San. The man grinned at Wooyoung and nodded him to go. On time, he was back to feed into the delighted gleam in Seonghwa's eyes.

Wooyoung gathered his skirts from the cushions and stood. While they got dressed in their coats with Jongho's aid, Wooyoung couldn't help the curious gazes he sent Hongjoong's way.

"I must say, when Seonghwa pondered his scheme of a pretend relationship, I hadn't expected someone like you to appear at his side."

Hongjoong grimaced as he stepped outside into the cold air of November. Wooyoung followed and thanked Jongho as he closed the door behind them.

"Am I insufficient?"

Wooyoung was quick to laugh and wave his hands around in defence.

"Oh, not at all! On the contrary, you are more than I expected him to find. I had feared for a shallow lady with hopes to gain a place by his side to appear. You seem honest in what you want or don't want. Do you get along with Seonghwa well?"

Hongjoong couldn't help the laughter that burst over his lips. For a moment, Wooyoung was stunned into silence before he helplessly giggled along.

"Our relationship is tense. I have little patience for his inappropriate behaviour towards me, and he insists on selfishness."

Wooyoung hummed. His arm linked with Hongjoong's as they rounded the house slowly. The earth was wet and squishy under their feet, so Wooyoung walked with care. He had to bunch his dress while Hongjoong's legs clad in grey thighs shivered where the wind brushed the space on his calves his skirts exposed.

The house was framed by rose bushes that climbed up the walls to reach for the skies. Few of them bore the sad reminders of flowers. Their dark, horned tendrils both fascinated and intimidated Hongjoong by their sheer amount.

"That sounds like him. It saddens me to hear you have such a hard time with him. I imagine upholding your secret while he chases his own nonsense can be quite troublesome."

"My secret?" Hongjoong asked, head tilting. Had Seonghwa already exposed Hongjoong's origin to his friends?

Intelligence glimmered in Wooyoung's eyes as he smiled faintly.

"Of your gender. I know as well that you are no woman as you know I am neither."

Before Hongjoong got to open his mouth to defend himself, Wooyoung hushed him unhurriedly. His eyes were focused on the main gardens that appeared behind the house.

"There is no need to fret; I won't tell him. As someone playing the same charade, I had a smooth time recognising you, but who cares? Whether you are a man or a woman, you play the role of someone else entirely, and you do so with fantastic success." Wooyoung's voice was soft, understanding. An ally in a dark space that threatened to swallow Hongjoong whole.

"That is true... Though I feel his particular hatred for women bothers me most. He utilises pressure where I shouldn't be concerned."

Both of them looked out over the spread of vegetable patches, flowers in various states of preparing for winter rest, and the little greenhouse framed by a gnarly apple tree. The glass building was extensive enough to make space for some plants to flourish all year, and Mingi wandered around inside as he tended to the flowers. Hongjoong hoped that one day he would get to drink tea and read at the tiny round table he spotted through the walls.

"Don't mind him too much. I will listen if you ever need to vent, but San and I already talked about your trouble with him. If we can help in any way, please tell me. San will be delighted to take Seonghwa off your hands occasionally. He appears to be one of the few people Seonghwa tolerates without an issue."

Wooyoung studied the spread of grass leading from the garden house to the nearby forest. It was easy to get lost between the trees for a few hours of solitude. Perhaps if he could ever visit this place as a man and when it wasn't winter, Hongjoong would explore the woods.

"It is not my business to evaluate his personality, but I am surprised Seonghwa has even one friend."

Wooyoung chuckled. He let go of Hongjoong to step onto the line of irregularly shaped, flat stones that created a path between the back door and the indoor garden. They branched off to the patches. With his skirts bunched in his hands so he wouldn't step into the mud, Wooyoung danced from one stone to the other.

A drizzle had set in the foggy air of November. Too faint to be felt, Hongjoong watched as it darkened the stones gradually.

"I've known Seonghwa for nearly a year now and I can say that there are nicer sides to him if you dig far enough. His downfall is his intuition to make negative assumptions about those he doesn't understand. He didn't like me either at the beginning, though I never was close enough with him to garner his wrath. I believe if taught, Seonghwa can become a good friend."

Wooyoung glanced over his shoulder at Hongjoong, who followed him dutifully.

"Wouldn't you say the same about yourself? You must distrust those among who you wander but who are foreign in their strangeness."

Hongjoong figured out that yes, distrust was his first instinct, as well. He did no favours for people of the slums, and he despised anyone of the upper class even knowing there were some who cared.

Satisfied with his success at making Hongjoong think, Wooyoung focused on the nearing house. Mingi emerged from it, his gloved hands spotted with earth. When he wiped his arm across his brow to rid himself of his sweat, he left behind a smear of dirt.

"Ladies, what brings you out here in this ghastly weather?" He wrung his gloves off to hold the door open when Wooyoung slipped into the house. It was chilly in there, but dry. Hongjoong happily followed.

"I needed to see my favourite servant before I had to leave again! San and Seonghwa are playing detective again." Wooyoung rolled his eyes, bored with the so very male-oriented matter.

Mingi giggled, charmed by Wooyoung's easy words. Hongjoong decided he liked that bright smile. It was real and undeterred by the usual rules of modesty. Judging by Wooyoung's grin, he thought the same.

"I thought San was a detective, anyway?" Hongjoong accompanied Wooyoung to the table where they sat down to talk. Mingi disappeared between the flowers and bushes again to clip stray ends and search for bug infestations. His silence was cosy, and Hongjoong didn't fear that their conversation could meet the wrong ears.

"Oh, he is. As for Seonghwa, he enjoys being involved, though I find his fascination hardly compelling given that people are dying. Just yesterday, San notified me of yet another body they found in a dark alley."

Hongjoong made a face of pity.

"The murder series in the slums?"

Wooyoung nodded. He played with his gloves that had pearls and embroidery decorating their backs.

"Yes. The murderer targets women, mostly those who are out at night, to sell their bodies for a few pennies. San has a theory the killer has an unhealthy relationship with the other gender and expresses his frustration by slaughtering them viciously. The descriptions of the corpses are most macabre. I dislike hearing of it."

Hongjoong had heard of it before. In the slums, nobody cared much if people disappeared since everybody fended for themselves and people died all day because of famine and sickness. The upper society harbouring interest in the disappearance of a few nameless women surprised him. As to be expected of San. He seemed like the more pleasant version of people that the nobles produced.

"I've heard of it, yes. I've been thinking that those horrible killings would deserve more attention. Unprotected women of the streets might be the easier prey, but what if he directs his eyes at all women that travel in the evening without company?" Hongjoong shuddered, not wanting to imagine it. He felt anything but safe himself, even far out of the city and as a man.

"San fears the same. Already, some women in our closer group of friend expressed their fear of leaving the house at night and the need to be accompanied by males, since a female friend might become yet another victim," Wooyoung frowned. "He works hard to find the culprit so everyone can walk without fear again, but I find myself glancing over my shoulder when we are out late more often than usual."

Hongjoong wondered what Seonghwa's fascination entailed. Was he fascinated with the killer, or with San's progress to catch him? Either way, Hongjoong doubted he would be much help.

"But let's not concern ourselves with that since we just fled. As worried as we might be since the matter is so close, we are in no danger if the killer sticks to his current targets. The amount of people dead are much lower than San's involvement makes it look. So, tell me something about yourself, dear Hongjoong. How have you come to work in the earl's favour?"

Hongjoong gladly dropped the topic. Finally, he got to complain about Yeosang and his tricks to get Hongjoong and Seonghwa into one room together. He mentioned needing the money, but not his origin. Even if he doubted Wooyoung would mind his place of birth, Hongjoong didn't want it to be a necessity to establish.

In turn for Hongjoong's amusing story, Wooyoung told Hongjoong how he had met San during some travels to work in Vienna. Their paths had crossed, and they married as they returned to England. Their story was a sweet one, one of love at first sight and dedication despite Wooyoung needing to dress up for him. He also chuckled that it made for interesting dynamics in their relationship, but he hadn't explained further. Hongjoong hadn't needed to ask to understand.

When it was time for San to leave, he came to fetch Wooyoung in the gardens. Both of them bid their goodbyes to Hongjoong politely and promised to return for a less gloomy visit soon.

Hongjoong slipped in through the back door to avoid Seonghwa as he hid in his room yet once more.