When his flight finally arrived, he was giddy with excitement. He still couldn’t believe that he had gotten away with his escape plan. When no security guards grabbed him as he stepped off the plane, he felt free. He stood in the arrivals area, watching people meet up with loved ones or head to buses, trains, and taxis. He suddenly felt a little lost. He hadn’t believed that he would have made it this far, let alone thought about making plans for his arrival.

He made his way to a foreign currency exchange desk before following a big group of people as they headed towards the bus terminal. He looked at all of the destinations, finally deciding just to get a ticket for the next bus that was scheduled to leave. When he got on the bus, he his phone which vibrated and beeped like crazy from the influx of messages from his manager. He felt a little guilty as he read the messages from the older man. He sent him a message, apologizing for running away but also making it clear that he needed some time to rest.

Once the message sent, he turned off his phone and sunk down in his seat, a smile spreading over his face as his victory once again washed over him. His mind soon began to wander. He thought about how long it would take his manager to work out where he was. He had purchased the plane ticket with a friend’s card, which was currently in his wallet in case he needed it. He made a mental note to message Yoongi later and thank him for helping him. He had taken out plenty of cash beforehand, not wanting to use his card too often while he was abroad, just in case his manager was able to track it.

The bus finally stopped in a bustling street, all of the other passengers getting off. He grabbed his backpack and got off the bus, enjoying the feeling of the sun on his face. So far no one had recognized him. It was such a refreshing feeling, just being able to walk around without anyone screaming his name, snapping photographs or asking for autographs. He pulled off his cap and stuffed it into his backpack. It was still quite early and it was a beautiful day. He took a deep breath and took off down the street.

It was strange not hearing Korean everywhere, he was thankful that he understood enough English to get by. Another strange thing was being alone. Since his debut, he had spent almost no time alone. He was always with trainers, his manager, stylists, photographers, and a million other people. It was very rare that he spent any time alone outside of his recording studio. He wandered aimlessly through the streets, taking his time to explore a small market, buying some street food and looking at souvenirs as he went. When he left the market, he entered a quieter street that had lots of small cafes and boutique shops.

A small café halfway down the street caught his eye. Mainly because a large sign stood outside with their menu written in three languages, one of them being Korean. He wandered down to the café, smiling at the menu and the promise of free Wi-Fi. A girl around his age greeted him from behind the counter. The café was half full with a range of people. There were couples, families, people on their own, and even a group of elderly ladies laughing and chatting in the corner.

He went up to the counter, amazed by the selection of cakes and pastries. “Hi, what can I get you?” the girl behind the counter asked with a bright smile. He smiled back at her. “I can’t decide; they all look amazing.” She beamed back at him. “Thank you! They were all freshly made this morning.” He looked up at her in amazement. “You made all of these?” he asked. “Most of them. I had some help from one of our part-timers.” She said happily.

He looked at the cakes for a while longer before finally picking one and ordering a coffee. “I’ll bring everything over in minute.” She said as he handed him his receipt. He took a seat in a comfortable chair in the corner of the café as he pulled his tablet out of his bag. He turned it on, ignoring the emails that popped up from his manager as he started looking up hotels. He thanked the girl when she brought his coffee and cake. He absentmindedly sipped at the coffee before a thought occurred to him. Would his manager be able to trace him if he booked into a hotel?

He would need to provide his passport details when he checked in and he knew that his manager was well connected. It probably wouldn’t take him too long to work out which country he was in, but if he didn’t check into a hotel, it would take him longer to track down his exact location. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He cursed himself for not thinking ahead. He didn’t have any friends here that he could stay with. If he'd gone to Japan and somehow managed to escape, then he could have at least gone to stay with his friends in Osaka.

The only solution he could think of was couch surfing, but after reading some reviews, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to do that, but he couldn’t think of another option. He put his tablet down and ate his cake, pleased to find that it tasted even better than it looked. He ordered another coffee, praising the taste of the cake to the girl behind the counter, making her beam with pride. He returned to his table, fingers drumming against his leg as he tried to think of a solution. He hadn’t noticed that the café was now almost completely empty.

He looked up when he saw a boy who looked a little younger than him sweeping up. He caught the guy’s eye, “Hey, are you closing?” he asked. The boy shook his head, his orange hair swaying with the movement. “No, you're alright. Finish your coffee.” He said with a bright smile before he continued sweeping up. Worry started to pull at him as he tried to think of a plan. He sighed loudly in frustration. “Hey, everything ok?” he jumped at the sudden voice from behind him, turning around to see the girl who worked there standing right behind him.

He let out a small sigh, “Not exactly.” He admitted. She plopped down into the seat opposite him. “Want to talk about it?” she asked. Namjoon looked at her. She was quite pretty, and she looked like she genuinely wanted to hear about what was bothering him. He decided to give her a very brief idea of his situation. “I kinda came here without a plan.” He admitted. She cocked her head, giving him a curious look. “To the café?” she asked making him chuckle. “No, to the country.” He said with a smile. She slapped her forehead. “Sorry. That makes more sense.” She said with an embarrassed chuckle.

“It’s ok.” He said, shooting her a smile. “I’m kinda rebelling I guess. I just had to get away for a bit. Things were getting super stressful back home. But now I’m sitting here without a plan and I’m not even a hundred percent sure where here is. Plus, I’ve only just realised that I can’t check into a hotel and I’m not sure what to do next.” He admitted. “Why can’t you check into a hotel?” she asked curiously. “Because the person I’m rebelling against would be able to track me down too easily and I’ve only just gotten away. I’m not ready to go back yet.” She nodded sympathetically.

Suddenly, the orange haired boy appeared by their side. “Nuna.” He said, the sudden use of Korean catching Namjoon off-guard. “Why don’t you let him stay in your spare room? You were looking to rent it out anyway, right?” he said, smiling proudly. Namjoon could have kissed the orange haired boy for his suggestion, he looked hopefully at the girl as she thought over the idea. “I can pay you cash. I promise you won't even know I’m here.” He said, hoping that she wouldn’t reject him. She thought it over for another minute before nodding, “Ok, why not?” she said with a smile.