Yesteryear

Act VI: London

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.