As Seungyoun had predicted, rain came down on Wooyoung the second he had stepped out of the door leading back in time.

He was in a cosy little town that was doused in the darkness of the foggy evening. The rain splattered on grey cobblestones and chased the few night swarmers on their way home. Wooyoung descended the stairs leading up to the secluded entrance he had emerged from and opened his umbrella. Softly, the rain pattered on the cloth and cascaded down Wooyoung's field of sight.

For no particular reason, Yongguk had sent him to this town instead of London. Wooyoung shrugged it off, thinking about fictional door plagues in London that made it difficult to manoeuvre there. Maybe just because this place was more desolate, too.

Wooyoung followed the noise of hooves and the soft neighs of horses to the stables on the outskirts of town. When he entered the wooden building, the warm light it cast out of its windows invited him in.

Inside, several men lounged in the single cosy room. As Wooyoung stepped inside, the men grouped around a table and playing cards looked up at him.

"Good evening, gentlemen. Could I perhaps demand your carriage services?"

One of them put his deck down and stood to welcome Wooyoung in. Wooyoung formally closed his umbrella and left it at the door.

"Of course! Where do you need to go, good sir?"

"London. As soon as possible. I'm willing to pay extra if you bring me there tonight."

The man's greedy eyes found Wooyoung's bag. He rubbed his hands before he beckoned at the people at the table.

"All of them are available for your services, sir. You are in luck. We have our most comfortable long distance coach ready." His slick and sweet voice left a slimy trail behind him on the ground that Wooyoung sidestepped carefully.

"Then please, I will take that."

At the beckon of the ringleader, one of the other men discarded his game and jumped into action. The other two sat back to drink some since the game was over by now.

Wooyoung followed the slick owner of the establishment to a different corner, and they haggled around the price. Wooyoung was generous even after they lowered the unnecessarily high cost to two-thirds of it. He thanked the man with a kind smile while he counted his coins.

Wooyoung got to sit inside with them and drunk a warm beer while they waited for the coach to be ready. The others were curious who he was and from where in the night he had appeared from so suddenly, but they restricted their intrigue to glances.

"How long will it take for me to travel from here to London?" Wooyoung asked when the spokesperson returned. The pleased grin of a man with new riches curled his lips under his amusing n-shaped beard.

"Maybe two or three hours. Longer if you need to get further into the city by carriage. The traffic in that place is horrendous."

Wooyoung chuckled at that. London was already popular and housed the royal family. It was no wonder that many people milled around and congested the streets.

Warmed by the warm room and his drink, Wooyoung patiently waited to get collected. It took the man who had left about half an hour to ready the horses, then he came back inside. Water dripped from his shoulders and his hat.

"We are prepared to go whenever you please, sir," he called over to Wooyoung gruffly. With a smile, Wooyoung said his farewells to the workers in the room and followed the other man outside. The three remaining wished him a safe journey as he picked up his umbrella.

The coach pulled up near the entrance was a deep smooth brown and spacious enough that Wooyoung wouldn't have to worry about his legs cramping. An umbrella was opened over the box to keep the person holding the reins of the two brown horses dry. The carter kindly opened the door for him while Wooyoung climbed in.

"You brought no luggage, sir?"

"I didn't. We can take off right away," Wooyoung said as he settled down. With a nod, the man closed the door behind him and climbed to his position. The coach wobbled under his movements but stilled once he sat down.

Wooyoung took off his coat to use it as a blanket instead. The lack of gaps in the well-built carriage saved him of any cold draughts seeping in, but the insides were still chilly from standing behind the stable for so long.

Wooyoung left the curtains open so he could look out into the thick night and the stars in the sky. Before the carter took off, he lit a lamp near his box to guide the way. Then, with a sharp jerk, the carriage groaningly came to action. Rattling, the wooden wheels travelled over the cobblestones that soon turned into soft, flattened earth as they left the nameless town.

Since he would be here for a few hours, Wooyoung got comfortable on his bench. The hard wood was cushioned by pillows and while it wouldn't be a good sleeping spot, it wasn't too terrible. Not that Wooyoung was tired either. He wanted to find San first and sleep after. It would be late when he arrived, but the day was not over yet.

The rhythmic sound of hooves lulled Wooyoung into peace as he pulled his notebook from his bag. He made a few notes on his arrival and outlined his plan for London, so he only had to fill in the gaps later.

The person he searched here was called Choi Jongho. A distinguished lord of the higher society who had not only a family-owned imperium of coal factories under his name, but also the esteem of a large part of the upper London society. To Wooyoung, he sounded like a chinless wonder who wasted his time on games and amusement since he didn't have to work, but Wooyoung would see about that. He could always be wrong.

Soon, the cabin of the carriage warmed around Wooyoung. Since he was bored, he doodled in the last few pages of his book. He tried to recreate the sketch da Vinci had done for San and him. When he failed miserably, he continued to doodle San. Not that Wooyoung was any good at art, but he felt warm thinking about the man's features and how he would draw them.

The rain thrummed on the roof of the coach. After an hour in, Wooyoung grew sleepy from the gentle noise and the swaying of the coach. He closed the curtains peeking outside through the windows in the doors and rolled up on the bench. It wasn't ideal for sleeping, but his bag made for an excellent pillow. With his cheek squished on it, Wooyoung took a nap and let the coach lull him to sleep.

-

When Wooyoung roused to a knock on the carriage door, the swaying of the vehicle had halted. Blearily, he lifted his head. It still rained, and the dim lamp inside the cabin flickered in its desperate battle against the darkness from outside.

Sluggishly, he pushed off his coat and opened the door a thin crack so no rain would come inside.

"We have arrived at the entrance to London, sir. Do you have an address I shall take you to?"

Wooyoung squinted at the rain and the lights of the city in front of them. In this weather and in the night, he doubted many people would be outside. Since he had paid already, he might as well make the most out of it.

"Take me to the main marketplace, please," Wooyoung said. The man nodded and jumped back onto his box. Wooyoung pulled the door back shut and stretched the sleep out of his limbs when they moved again. Now, he was even more awake and jittery to meet San.

The hooves on the stones created a loud echo of them passing through the streets. Wooyoung opened a curtain to peek outside at the blurry grey place that London was while he packed his things into his bag again. He checked that the gift for San was still there, and it was. When should Wooyoung hand it to him? Right upon their first meeting? After they had talked to Jongho and hopefully had some time to themselves? For sure, they would get to share a romantic evening again this time, too, and Wooyoung could charm San with his present.

He looked forward to seeing San's personality development. The man had gone from a manipulative seducer to an arrogant Roman lord who took what he wanted to a brutal Viking who partook in gruesome sacrificial rituals, to a quick-witted thief and to a melancholy signore with a knack for the arts. If he matched the trends of this era, Wooyoung might fall in love with him impossibly more.

Their slow ride through the city soon ended. Wooyoung perched on his seat with his coat around his shoulders, his bag in his lap and his umbrella in his hand as he was ready to leave the carriage as soon as he got the signal to.

Once more, the coachman opened the door for Wooyoung. With his umbrella ready, Wooyoung stepped out and jumped onto the ground.

The coachman pointed him further down the street.

"No carriages are allowed on the marketplace, but you just have to continue down this road to find it. Have a safe trip, sir." He tapped his hat and Wooyoung copied the gesture.

"Thank you for bringing me here."

They parted, and Wooyoung wandered down along the tall buildings. The alleys to his left and right were narrow and dark, whispering with their dark secrets of the less shining and luxurious parts of this society. Those were Seungyoun's forte. He adored exploring the slums of Victorian and Edwardian London and getting to know the mindsets of those who lived these lives like rats in the eyes of the higher lords and ladies.

Wooyoung arrived at the town square where he had promised to meet San about an hour before midnight. No stands were out here and the dark houses were all shut off. All people hid from the rainy night that thrummed on the houses and splashed on the streets to create little rivulets down the sides of the road.

Wooyoung squinted his eyes as he looked around in the dark. He saw no other person aside from himself foolish enough to be out in this weather. The distant clop of hooves and the rain drowned any human voice out as well.

Wooyoung wandered around the entire place once to check if he had missed anyone in the shadows. This time, however, he was all alone.

No San in sight.

With a hum, Wooyoung glanced at the clock tower and then at his watch. He was at the right place at the right time. Unless San considered something else as the town square? Or he had left in the evening to return in the morning.

For a few more minutes, Wooyoung stood in the icy rain indecisive. Should he warm up in an inn and return in the morning? Or should he wait a while longer in case San had just dipped off for a bathroom break? He wouldn't want the man to return and wait all night for him.

Wooyoung just dipped underneath a canopy to wait until midnight at least, when steps to his right had him look up. From a nearby house, a woman in a green dress and without an umbrella or a coat hurried over to him. Her hands protected her face from the rain.

Wooyoung swooped in to share his umbrella with her when she came to stand in front of him. Her thankful smile had him grin politely as well. After catching her breath, she straightened to address him.

"Excuse me, sir, but what is your name?"

"I'm Wooyoung," Wooyoung said without missing a beat. His name never got him into trouble since there were no traces that led to him in the past.

The smile on the woman's face broadened.

"I have a message for you. A gentleman left it here yesterday."

She produced a letter from the pouch on her apron and handed it to him. It was surprisingly heavy.

Wooyoung broke the wax seal. Inside the envelope were an iron key and a note.

The woman kindly held his umbrella and Wooyoung threw a fleeting smile at her as he leaned into the light circle of a nearby building to read.

Dear Wooyoung,

I had to leave London over the weekend you wanted to arrive at. Please expect me back the following day.

If you want to get comfortable in my home already, be my guest. I will be delighted to find you there.

San.

He had also written an address in his pretty handwriting that was perfected after years and years of use.

Wooyoung clutched the envelope to his chest with a smile. Then he turned to the patient woman again.

"Thank you so much for your help in relaying this message. Could you tell me where to find this address?"

She explained the way to him with delight. He left her a few coins in thanks and took off after walking her back to her home. With a little skip in his step, Wooyoung then wandered the streets of London to find his way to San.