"We need to split up; we can't comb the area otherwise," Jihoon mused while intently studying the map of northern Seoul he had pinned to the windowless interior of the van. "But we have our two-way radios to stay in contact. Urgh, I keep telling them to finally switch to earpieces – like every other god-damn modern company – but, of course, nobody is listening to me." The dark-haired Being sounded annoyed, his eyes squinted behind his round glasses.

Several spots were marked on the map but nobody had taken the time to explain to Jisoo what all of this was about. He only knew that something was on the loose and that it was their task to stop it – being absolutely clueless didn't help to appease the feeling of dread.

"And honestly, I have no idea how we're supposed to do this," the Being kept complaining. "Damn it, Seungcheol. You're the only one here who's useful for the assignment. Why couldn't we get one more team? Hansol would've been perfect." A rather loud bang rang through the car when Jihoon's palm met the metal frame.

At the topic, Jisoo shrunk further into his seat. He knew that, technically, it wasn't his fault - but he still felt uncomfortable whenever Jeonghan and Hansol got brought up. Fortunately, nobody was paying attention to him.

He glimpsed at Chan who was seated next to him but the Being was staring at the floor as usual. The monk wasn't all too sure whether he was listening since he hadn't uttered a word throughout the whole ride. Maybe he was mentally preparing himself. Or maybe he was tired. Jisoo certainly was. His restless night had left him quite drained and not even the prospect of his first assignment was enough to make his limbs feel less heavy even though nervousness was running through him like electricity.

"Hansol and Jeonghan are suspended until the end of the week and the others have their own assignments," Seungcheol stated matter of factly without turning around. He was seated in the front, next to their designated driver, a human employee who hadn't bothered to introduce himself.

"How the hell am I supposed to do my job when I can't use all available resources?" Ruffling his brown locks in frustration, Jihoon focused on one of the many tablets surrounding him. A scowl was darkening his youthful face. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a skinwalker who's in hiding?!"

At his words, the monk felt a shiver crawl down his spine. Skinwalker - that was a term he had only heard in the news a couple of times. And while he couldn't recall any of the reports, it didn't sound like something he'd ever want to meet in person.

"For someone in hiding, they're being awfully obvious," Chan stated quietly from beside him.

Despite his tense state, Jisoo had to suppress a grin at Jihoon's annoyed snort. He liked the reserved Being more and more - not that he would ever tell him.

Jihoon was a different matter entirely. The temper of the brunette Being had shaken the bus more than once during their 45-minute ride and Jisoo had sworn himself that he would stay as far away from him as possible. He was aware of the fact that he had a bit of a temper himself and it probably wouldn't end well for him to clash with the Being.

Also, despite his small frame, Jihoon was pretty intimidating.

Seungcheol turned around in the passenger seat and the monk immediately tried to make himself as invisible as possible. They hadn't exchanged any more words after Seungcheol had congratulated him and the rest of the day had consisted of Jisoo being bored and Jisoo following Seungcheol around like a puppy whenever the Being had left his office – to the growing frustration of both of them. It certainly wasn't an ideal situation.

"You're the expert. What do we need to know about skinwalkers?" Seungcheol's tone was calm and professional, not a trace of curiosity lacing his voice.

To the monk's surprise, Jihoon looked quite insulted. After he had sent their leader a scathing glare, he picked up another one of his tablets. "Skinwalkers take on the appearance of Humans because they're easily recognizable once they're in their natural form. Here is a picture." With a distinct lack of enthusiasm, he handed the tablet to Chan who gave it to Jisoo after a short glance.

Displayed was a Being that looked like an odd mixture between a Human and a coyote, walking on two legs. In the picture, the Being was snarling at the camera, showing off sharp canines. It reminded Jisoo of videos he had seen of werewolves during their transformation.

"They're a bit smaller than average Humans but their senses of smell and hearing are highly developed. Ears, muzzle, fur and claws are prominent features in all of them even though the colours in fur may vary and change with age. Usually, younger skinwalkers have darker fur," Jihoon recited mechanically while he leaned back in his seat.

Jisoo handed the tablet to Seungcheol, who set it down without sparing it a single look, before he asked, "Does it matter whether they're young or old?"

"Younger skinwalkers are stronger physically but older skinwalkers are even harder to detect once they take on the form of someone else." Jihoon began searching through a backpack he had pulled out from under his seat. "Based on the number of victims, we're probably dealing with either one young skinwalker or two older ones. Now we just need to locate them - which is going to be pretty damn hard." He shot Seungcheol a dirty look before he found what he had been searching for and his face lit up. "But this little device will help us."

"Uh... Are you sure it was a good idea to split up?" Jisoo questioned carefully. The thought of Chan taking on a skinwalker by himself made him unreasonably nervous. He knew that the Being was probably much stronger than he looked but he just seemed so... defenceless. He reminded the monk a little of his younger sister.

Also, he wasn't exactly thrilled about getting paired up with Jihoon.

"Obviously. We're not going to just walk into them if we stroll down the main street in a group." The Being was once again rummaging through his backpack while the monk watched him. "Seungcheol is the fastest, he can scout out quite a big area by himself, and Chan is good at not attracting attention. Which leaves us." He pulled out two tightly wrapped bundles and threw one at Jisoo. Caught off-guard, the soft fabric hit the monk in the face before it tumbled to the floor. Jihoon's face remained impassive but mirth sparkled in his eyes at Jisoo's surprised squeak. "You stand out too much in that fancy monk outfit so I brought some clothes. I'm going to change too."

Without another word, the Being got up and peered out of the van, down the empty street they had parked in. Once he deemed it safe, he slipped out of the door, leaving the monk behind.

The white T-shirt was a tad too big on Jisoo's bony frame but the jeans and the black sweater fit him surprisingly well. He took a moment to decide whether to bring his prayer beads until he ultimately decided for it. Hopefully, they would help him stay at least somewhat calm.

"Are you coming?!"

He scrambled for the door once the annoyance in Jihoon's voice had registered in his brain but froze at the sight that greeted him. The voice that had called him had definitely sounded like the Being - down to the irritated tone - but the man waiting for him in front of the van definitely wasn't his teammate. The stranger was tall, much taller than the tiny Being, foreign-looking, with short, reddish hair and blue eyes. He was wearing the same black sweater Jisoo was wearing. For a moment, the monk considered the thought that he had finally gone insane.

"Stop staring. I'm a shapeshifter."

Jisoo's mouth dropped open. "A shapeshifter? Woah!"

As far as he knew, he had never met one in person but one of his favourite bedtime stories had featured an adventurous shapeshifter searching for the perfect shape. It was as if his childhood hero had suddenly become reality. He stared at the man in awe.

The glare the stranger sent him was unmistakable. "Yeah, say it louder so the whole street hears it, dimwit."

Flushing bright red, the monk dropped his gaze. So much for childhood dreams.

He tried to turn away but it was obvious that Jihoon had seen his expression when the Being rubbed his temples with a groan. "Never mind. Sorry, okay? I'm kinda stressed because of this whole thing. Let's just get going, yes? Do you have your radio and the locator?"

"Y-yeah."

"Alright."

They walked down the street in silence until Jihoon broke it with an exasperated grunt. "You don't have to look so wary. I'm not going to rip your head off or something."

Jisoo wasn't all too sure about that from what he had seen so far but he chose to nod anyway.

"Shapeshifters are not that different from Humans, actually."

The small smile on Jihoon's face surprised Jisoo and he immediately felt his curiosity awaken. He returned the smile nervously. "Really? How so?"

"Well, we age much more slowly and we can change our body shape but that's it pretty much. Just like Humans, we need sleep, food, air and water to survive and we can get snuffed out just as easily."

Jisoo swallowed thickly at the last part. That was something he really didn't want to think about considering their current assignment. "But- but can't you, like, turn into something that's harder to kill? Another Being?"

Jihoon's high pitched laughter didn't suit the tall, muscular body it was coming from. "Ha. Would be nice if it was that easy, right? But unfortunately, turning into someone doesn't mean I can use their abilities too. Even if I look like a Werewolf, my strength is only average at best, my nose is only good enough to notice when Seungkwan is burning food and I at running long distances. But I can use stuff like claws and wings since they're part of the body. That's the only plus, I guess. My species relies mostly on hiding and scheming, not on fighting someone face to face."

They had crossed one of the busier roads by now but Jisoo had barely registered it, too fascinated by the explanations of his teammate. While Jihoon checked their position on his phone, the monk finally looked around. The street they were on was a regular shopping street, littered with small shops and restaurants. Everything looked normal, including the people strolling about. It seemed to be a mostly human neighbourhood since he couldn't make out many Beings. Nothing indicated that there were skinwalkers on the loose.

His stomach grumbled audibly when he eyed the street food stall a few meters away and Jihoon looked up at the sound. Even in the Being's current form, his eyes formed small crescents when he grinned.

"Hungry?"

Jisoo nibbled on his rice cakes while he followed Jihoon through some of the more secluded streets. It had grown dark while they were walking and even though th