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Two mornings later, they departed from the Do mansion just as the sun was rising. Pink splotches of light were starting to ooze into the sky behind the mansion as they pulled out of the driveway, casting a reddish glow upon the entire property.

Glancing next to her, Jandi bit down a smile. It had been a rough morning and an early start - packing and preparing for the tour had been a frenzy of stressful activity, which had clearly taken its toll on her husband. For the first time since she’d met him, Kyungsoo was looking decidedly grumpy, scowling out his window and checking his watch compulsively to make sure they were on schedule. She probably shouldn’t have found his discomfiture so amusing, but seeing calm, collected Kyungsoo fidget and harrumph was oddly hilarious. As she watched, he crossed his ankles and sighed, fidgeting with the piece of paper in his hand with their tour itinerary written out.

“Where’s our first stop again?” she asked, scooting over closer to peer over his shoulder. “We’re going to take the train for most of the way, right? And how far away is it?”

“First stop is Namgu.” He grimaced. “Once we get on the train, it’ll probably be almost a full day of travel before we arrive. We’re staying at the house of another politician, Kwak Jungmin, for two nights.”

“Namgu,” Jandi repeated, sitting back in her seat. Namgu was a large city, the third largest in the empire. Other than that though, she didn’t know much about the people or businesses there. Glancing to the front of the car, she checked that the partition separating them from the chauffeur was pulled down. “What’s Namgu like?”

Kyungsoo stayed silent for a moment, forehead furrowed. “Different.”

That was all he said, and Jandi couldn’t get another word out of him for all she tried. Maybe he’s irritable because he doesn’t like Namgu, she realized, amusement at Kyungsoo’s mood dying, not because he’s stressed out over the tour. Or maybe it’s both.

Whatever it was that so bothered her husband, he didn’t speak again until they arrived at the train station.

***

Stepping back onto the train with its steely panels and overhead luggage compartments brought a strange sense of deja vu for Jandi. The last time she had been on a train had been on her way to the Capital to meet Kyungsoo. This time though, she knew to let the rickshaw boys carry her luggage for her, and she only drew in a sharp breath at their sunken faces and exposed ribs rather than staring outright. She stayed a few steps behind her husband, kept her eyes down and away from the reporters crowding outside the train, and cleared her face of all emotion. Have I gotten used to all this depravity? she wondered. Or perhaps I’ve only gotten good at acting?

Kyungsoo had reserved a fully furnished private compartment for them, with the servants and staff traveling in separate compartments, so as soon as all the luggage was stowed away safely, the others cleared out and left them alone. Pulling down the shades to drown out the reporters outside, Kyungsoo sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “God, this is a mess.”

Jandi blinked. “What?”

He sat down on the sofa, head in his hands. “I just… I didn’t want us to go to Namgu, but my campaign manager warned me too many people would be offended if we didn’t stop by, and -”

“Slow down for a moment,” Jandi said, sitting down next to him. “What’s wrong with Namgu?”

“It’s dangerous! It’s one of the worst places we could possibly go right now, with the whole rebel attack on the Capital only having just blown over!”

“But why is it so dangerous?” Patience starting to wear thin, she scooted closer, bending down to look him in the eye. “Kyungsoo please, just tell me! There’s no one here listening in on us, you can talk to me.”

He groaned, tortured. “The officials there - they’re sick, Jandi, they’re not right in the head! The whole city is so paranoid about rebels and insurgents that… that…”

Jandi swallowed. Could Namgu really be so bad? Worse than the Capital? So awful that even Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo who always knew what to do and how to handle things, steadfast Kyungsoo was distraught at the very thought of it?

“And we’re living with Kwak Jeongmin for two days,” Kyungsoo continued, unable to stop now that he’d started. “He pulls lots of strings in the city. He’s got the executioner on speed dial, and he lives right next door to the wolf pits. And the way he treats his wife and children - I just don’t know how we’re going to make it through those two days. I don’t know if I can without doing something rash.”

Well that’s new. Kyungsoo worrying about himself messing up rather than me? She blinked. This has to be really bad.

“We’ll be okay,” she said firmly, feeling none of the conviction in her voice but knowing her husband needed to hear it. “It’s only two days, and we’ll spend a lot of time out and about anyway. And maybe it’ll be nice to live with the Kwak family, even if Kwak Jeongmin is a terror. His wife and children can’t be too bad, right? I haven’t had much female company in a while, anyway.”

Kyungsoo managed to crack a smile at that, and the relief at seeing some of the uncharacteristic darkness leave his expression was overwhelming. Encouraged, Jandi continued.

“And since we’re traveling, we can go out and try some of the local delicacies, too. I haven’t done much traveling, but if the Neukdaecheon market was anything to judge by, I’m sure there’ll be lots of tasty treats to sample.”

The smile grew larger, accompanied by a quirk of the eyebrow.

“If we have time,” Jandi added, feeling rather silly, “we could even go sightseeing or go for a walk. I know the reporters like to follow us, but if we managed to lose them at the Neukdaecheon market, perhaps we can do it again. You probably can’t get away with rescuing another wolf pup this time, though. Besides, we’ve already got Wolf at home to take care of.”

Now Kyungsoo was chuckling, bumping her shoulder gently. “You’re really something, you silvertongue. You’ve almost got me convinced we’re going on vacation instead of on campaign tour. Are you sure you’re not the politician instead of me?”

Jandi laughed with him, heart feeling lighter. There was something to be said, she noted, about how nice it felt to do the comforting for once rather than be comforted. It felt like this whole time with Kyungsoo, she had always been the one seeking answers, seeking safety, seeking emotional support, and being placed in a position of such overwhelming vulnerability had been draining.

“It’s too bad we couldn’t bring Wolf along,” she said, purposely keeping the topic away from Namgu. “We haven’t had much opportunity to spend time with him.”

They had gone to visit the pup the day after the rebel attack, but packing and planning for the tour had quickly taken precedence in their schedule. Kyungsoo had promised Wolf would be well cared for in the meantime, and the pup certainly did look better fed and glossier than when they’d rescued him, so Jandi had left the clearing with a last cuddle and a promise to bring treats next time.

Her attempt at distraction had apparently failed though, because Kyungsoo grimaced and looked away. “We definitely can’t bring Wolf to a place like Namgu. Or Neukdaecheon, where we’ll be stopping later on in the tour.”

Jandi bit her lip but couldn’t resist asking, “Why not?”

“Let’s just say that in Namgu, no one bothers to hide that the executioner and the owner of the city’s wolf kennels are one and the same.”

“What?” Horrified, she turned to Kyungsoo. “What, do they just throw people to the wolves then? Literally?”

He made a face that was all the answer she needed. Staring down at the fake wood flooring of the compartment, Jandi