When they'd gotten the case, Hyunwoo had thought it to be a piece of cake. It was merely a serial killer, albeit a traveling serial killer, and his team has dealt with those before. His M.O. wasn't hard to pin down, much unlike the perpetrator himself. They'd almost had him back home, but then he'd seemed to hit the road, traveling to the furthest reaches of the country to make his next kill. 

Now, here he is, in the middle of the rural provinces, trying to track the bastard down whilst incognito...  

He looks around at his fellow members, all dressed in varying outfits. Kihyun and Minhyuk are, yet again, dressed up in only the most scintillating women's attire, their hanbok robes fitted tightly to their bodies and the hems of which stopping midway down their thighs. Their faces are done up in extravagant makeup, on which Kihyun is putting the finishing touches in the cracked looking glass in the back of their small cart.  

Kihyun's eyes dart over to the oldest, a wry smirk pulling at his pale pink lips. Stockings come up to his thighs, and somehow the coverage of his skin makes his outfit all the more scandalous. 

"See something you like, hyung~?" he asks teasingly, waggling his hips. Hyunwoo clears his throat, deciding not to answer. Luckily, he's saved from having to, as Jooheon chooses this moment to poke his head through the cloth in the back, smiling to show off his dimples. 

"We still good for the plan tonight?" the younger says, pointedly looking at Hyunwoo and very much not his other two hyungs in the cart. Hyunwoo nods, clearing his throat as he moves to leave the others to it. 

"Come out as soon as you're ready, and we'll start the show," he tells them. Minhyuk hums in affirmation that he'd heard him, and Hyunwoo disappears into the open without waiting another second. He breathes a sigh of relief. That cart is stuffy enough without those two shameless dongsaengs teasing him so unnecessarily. 

"You lasted longer than I could," Hoseok chuckles good-naturedly. Hyunwoo glances over at him and Changkyun by the fire, the maknae all done up in stage garb, as well, though this time as a man... despite the younger's protests. The oldest releases a small laugh and goes to join them, wiping at his face with a hand as he sits down. This has been such a long journey. It's been months since they've left their home in Pyeongan-do. 

They've just reached Gyeonsang-do, and he's nearly at his wit's end. He thought it was bad enough trying to hide is homoual, polyamorous—absolutely slanderous—relationship back home. Now, here, on the road? People are much more aware of what all they do, of all the places they go, because they're newcomers.  

"Don't worry, hyung," Changkyun's gentle baritone voice tells him, causing him to look up from his lap. The maknae's giving him such a sweet smile he can't help but return as the younger goes on. "I know we've nearly run out of places to look, but we'll find him." Hyunwoo hums, looking away and into the fire.  

Scarlett flames at the sides of the earthenware pot they've got hanging from a makeshift hearth, causing the stew inside to sizzle. His stomach grumbles lowly, but he knows he can't eat. They're on rations, after all, and he'd much rather the others get their fills before he even attempts at taking a bite.  

"You should eat something," Jooheon tells him as if hearing his thoughts, suddenly popping up beside him. Hyunwoo merely blinks, averting his gaze once more, this time to the grass. 

"I'm fine," he says, standing with a long breath. He does his best to give Jooheon a nonchalant smile, clapping his shoulder once, before walking away. "Tell the divas to get to the front as soon as they're out of there!" Jooheon gives an 'uuuhn' in response, and Hyunwoo makes his way to the performance area. 

After working the crowd a little, with Hoseok's help, and introducing the performers for the night, he and Jooheon find themselves watching on the sidelines as Kihyun and Minhyuk blatantly flirt with the makane, playing out the love triangle plot perfectly. They linger for as long as they dare, until Hyungwon comes up behind them with fresh lanterns and cloaks. Hyunwoo takes a cloak from the younger, throwing it over his shoulders with deft silence so as not to draw attention to himself. 

"Make sure to keep them all busy while we're gone," he reminds Jooheon. The younger waves off his words, a proud smile quirking up his lips. Hyunwoo chuckles fondly, pushing his hand into the base of the younger's back in gratitude before quickly pulling it away, so as not to draw attention to themselves. 

He then turns on his heels and follows Hyungwon towards the village, not bothering to light the lanterns just yet as the moon offers more than enough light. 

They go to each house, searching its contents and coming up with nothing. They'd been hoping, as they have been in every village until now, to find something left behind by the Hand of Death, as some have come to call him. However, just like all the other villages, they find nothing. 

They know the Hand's M.O. well enough. He seems to only go after government officials, whether it be a simple province governor or some bigger bait like a ministry member. He seems to be ridding the government of any and all officials who've outright opposed homouality... Which, if he succeeds, will be every official in the existing government... and probably even the officials that replace them. 

He can understand not agreeing with their politics, but he knows to leave well enough alone. This Hand, apparently, hasn't learned such a lesson. 

The two return in record time, as it's probably the smallest village they've been to so far, and Kihyun seems more than happy to be able to get offstage. They bid the people goodnight, express their gratitude for any extra donations they may choose to make, and then begin to usher them out. Changkyun, now in women's clothes and half-assed makeup, looks to them as the citizens mill passed, a bright light of hope brightening his expression. 

Hyunwoo almost doesn’t have the heart to tell him that they failed yet again to find some clues. He hadn't expected to, as the Hand had killed his victim here weeks ago. They always are—literally—one step behind this mysterious, murderous man, and it's absolutely maddening. 

A/N: OKAY so.... to give y'all a bit of setting for this (and b/c I did some research for this fic and want to share):

The boys are undercover as part of a Namsadang, which were traveling acting troupes back in the Joseon period. (These troupes were often fronts for ion, as well, which may or may not be incorporated later ;))) ) Sadly, I couldn't find any serial killers to incorporate in the fic, but most of--if not all--the clothing are based off what was worn back then, as well as the province names, government positions, etc. The province they're in now is where modern-day Daegu is, and they're /from/ the province where modern-day Incheon is.

Hopefully this helped paint the picture a little for everyone~! I'll see y'all in the next chapter ^^ <3