Namjoon let out a loud sigh as he finally made it to the safety of the van. The screaming fan boys and girls outside had turned the short walk from the fan signing venue to his awaiting van into a complete fiasco. His manager cursed them loudly as his driver slowly inched his way forward, his hand pressing down hard on the van’s horn, slowly parting the large crowd of people who pressed themselves against the van, holding up signs declaring their love for him and hitting the tinted windows to get his attention. He slipped his earphones in to block them out, he had a blinding headache and the screaming coming from outside wasn’t helping. He loved meeting his fans, but sometimes, some of them were just too much to handle.

Once they were finally free from the sea of hormones and endless screaming and on the motorway, his manager turned to him, his tablet in hand. He reluctantly pulled out his earphones with a sigh as his manager began listing all of the performances, interviews, practice sessions and the million other things he had scheduled for him. He sank lower in his seat, wishing that he was anywhere else. “Hyung.” He said quietly, breaking off his manager’s long rambling about what he would need to wear to his interview tomorrow afternoon. “Do you think there’s any way that we could clear some time in my schedule?” he asked hesitantly.

His manager’s eyebrows furrowed. “Clear some time? What for? It’s not anyone’s birthday is it?” he asked, his eyes on his tablet as he flicked through the calendar on the screen. “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just…” he let out a tired sigh. “I’ve just finished a major tour. We were on the road for almost six months. I’m exhausted. I could use a couple of weeks to just rest you know?” he said, hating the almost pleading tone in his voice. His manager gave him a smile, but it wasn’t exactly a kind smile. It looked like a smile that a parent would give their child as they explained why they couldn’t get their ice cream before dinner.

“Namjoon.” He said, his tone placating as he gently patted the younger man’s knee. “You know that the success of your last album and tour has put you on the map. You’re the most sought after artist from Korea at the moment. Every label, company, TV show and brand wants you right now. I think it would be best if we postponed your break for just a little while longer.” He said. Namjoon felt his shoulders slump. “I mean, we even have that schedule in Japan next week, it wouldn’t look good if we started cancelling all of your schedules now. You need to seize this opportunity. Strike while the iron is hot and all that, right?” he said, hoping that Namjoon wouldn’t argue.

Namjoon nodded, too tired to fight his case as his gaze focused on the blurry scenery outside the window. His manager sighed quietly and turned back around in his seat as Namjoon put his earphones back in, turning the volume up to the max, letting the deep bass line and sad lyrics take him far away from his van and his demanding schedule.

The next few days passed in a blur. He went where he was told, when he was told. He wore the outfits his stylist picked out for him. He ate the food his manager ordered for him. He recited the answers to his interview questions exactly as he had been instructed to but… his heart wasn’t in it. He remembered that when he had signed up to be an artist, this was part of the deal. So he plastered on a smile and completed his schedules without any complaint, even though all he wanted to do was scream and run far away, to somewhere where no one knew his name.

A few days later, they arrived at the airport, ready to take the short journey to Japan.

He had a plan.

It was crazy and probably wouldn’t work. But that didn’t stop him feeling properly excited for the first time since his tour had ended. The airport security helped hold the fans at bay as he made his way into the airport, bypassing the line and heading straight through to the security check. The girl checking his passport and tickets had giggled at him, he wasn’t sure if she recognised him or if she just thought he was good looking, but he smiled nonetheless, hoping that he didn’t look guilty for the stunt he was planning on pulling.

He nervously checked the time. His flight to Japan was scheduled to leave in an hour and a half, but he had no intention of being on that flight. “Hyung, I’m going to go to the bathroom.” He said to his manager who was currently waiting in line for coffee. He nodded at him, “I’ll get you back here. Keep your mask on!” he shouted after him. He walked off with a parting wave, his mask hiding his nervous grin. He pulled out a ticket from his pocket, he had fifteen minutes to get to the right gate. The second he was out of sight of the coffee shop he broke into a sprint, making it to the correct departure gate with only minutes to spare.

The man behind the counter smiled at him. “Cutting it close Mr Kim.” He said as he checked his ticket. “I know. Traffic.” He said back as he walked down the walkway to the plane. The airhostess checked his ticket and pointed him towards the business class section. He threw his bag into the overhead compartment and plopped down into his seat. His leg bounced up and down with nerves, half expecting one of the airhostesses to come up to him and tell him that his manager was waiting for him in the airport. Ten minutes later, the doors of the plane were closed and the captain began his announcement to the passengers.

He relaxed a little, hardly daring to believe that his plan had worked. The plane slowly started to move as they headed towards the runway. A small part of him was still worried that the plane would be stopped but as they sped down the runway and the plane lifted off of the ground, he felt his stress and nervousness slip away, like he had left them on the ground.

He grinned to himself as he accepted a drink from the pretty airhostess. He felt a little guilty for running away like this, he knew his manager would be freaking out, but at the same time, part of him was happy that he was being selfish. He was exhausted and his composing hadn’t been going well. He needed this break to find his passion and his inspiration again. He looked out of window at the clouds surrounding him. “This was the right choice.” He mumbled to himself before slipping the shade shut and closing his eyes.