Japanese | noun

♦ an escape from your everyday routine

---

 

Taehyung shivers.

The cheers are loud enough to drown out the fireworks going off behind him. Even with the earplugs in Taehyung knows, feels his whole body vibrating with it. The late spring sky above Seoul Olympic Stadium looks pitch black against the colorful bursts shooting into the night. He can't see a single star. But if he looks back down, there is a whole starry night spread before him. Loud and fierce, shouting and cheering for him only.

He puts one last brilliant smile on for his fans and waves in every direction.

"Thank you everybody, get home safely! I love you all. Let's meet again soon, borahae!"

The crowd goes wild.

Taehyung heads back to the lifting platform and steps around some jewelries littering the stage. There are so many of them, rings and bracelets and ear piercings that came undone during the performance. A tiny glittering galaxy on its own. Seems like he needs to go shopping for new jewelry soon.

In the backstage area, manager Seo is already waiting for him.

"Good job, Taehyung-ssi. A great final performance to end the tour." He whips out his ever-present tablet and starts tapping on it. Taehyung lowkey has come to hate that tablet. "Now there are only the backstage interview left, the announcement tomorrow, the promotion for next week, ..."

Taehyung collapses onto the couch and closes his eyes.

"Ugh."

Seo keeps talking for a while longer but Taehyung is not listening. He just finished his twelfth and last concert of the world tour, cut him some slack! 

 

The next time he opens his eyes, Seo is gone. Scratching his head, he drags his heavy limbs out of the room and finds both his manager and bodyguard waiting outside. Seo pats his shoulder. They make their way back to the backstage exit, Seo typing on his tablet and almost walking into a pillar.

Taehyung snickers. Gets a dirty look and shuts up.

They head to the black van with tinted windows and Taehyung is about to get in when Seo holds him back.

"Wait." His managers' voice is dead serious. "That's not our car."

Before Taehyung can process what he just heard, he's already pulled behind a wall of muscle, other bodyguards appearing out of thin air and crowding around him, pushing him away and through the door they just passed. Somewhere next to him, Seo is yelling into his phone and demanding to know where their driver is. Taehyung still doesn't get it.

"What the ," the idol mumbles.

After some more yelling and cursing, Seo turns towards him and peers through a gap between two burly necks. 

"The license plate is wrong, and the chrome bumpers are missing."

Taehyung's mouth goes dry.

. Not again.

Seo notices the shift in his mood and nods. "These are either sasaengs or kidnappers. Or both. To be honest, I can't decide which one I find worse."

They are almost running now, hurrying to a more secluded part of the backstage area. Taehyung thinks Seo might've called the police.

Goshdammit. He slumps down onto a chair, shoulders caving in. If those really were sasaengs again... no, don't think about it!

He's officially ready for this day to be over, thank you very much.

 

"So, have you started yet? You have, haven't you, it's about time after all-"

Taehyung cuts off the call and tosses his phone next to him on the pillow. If he gets asked about his new album one more time today he's going to buy an entire batch of tartelettes, hollow them out, fill them with hot sauce and put them in random places at the HYBE building. Or, maybe he'll just explode.

Actually, exploding sounds much easier and more realistic right now. Less effort, better result. 

...

Exploding it is.

But yeah, that's all it is about with him these days. Not wasting effort or energy because he simply hasn't anything left to give

Just to prove his point, Taehyung gets up and goes over to his desk to perform the same ritual he's done for the past two weeks: pull out the chair, sit down, take his lucky pen and then stare at a blank sheet for an hour.

Every. Single. Day. Writing is ing difficult!

He doesn't know since when it's become an issue.

All he knows is that it so bad.

 

This... this is wrong, Taehyung thinks.

It's the fifth Sunday after his tour ended, he went to bed early and should be more than well-rested, but. He can't get up.

Like, he's physically and emotionally unable to leave the bed.

My dude, Taehyung says to himself, you need to get up and do things.

Which is true. Today's TV show might seem years away but there is so much he needs to prepare. Dialogues he needs to check, organizing stuff he needs to discuss with his manager (ugh), outfits he's gotta plan with his stylist, and whatnot. There are always things to do if you are a person of public interest. Screw Sunday, weekends don't exist for idols. Just like holidays, vacations and sick leaves.

With each passing minute Taehyung gets more restless. He really should get up now, he has to. He's got work to do!

Yet, his body refuses. Keeps laying in bed like some exhausted flatfish, and refuses to move. As if it wants to say, You did a thing yesterday. That's enough things for now.

 

It takes him two hours to leave the bed and he ends up running late for everything. Manager Seo keeps giving him the stink eye for the rest of the day.

 

From then on it doesn't get better, no matter how much he rests.

After half a month or so, he caves and does the next-best thing: he asks his friend for help.

Hoseok is over the moon that Taehyung contacts him and easily promises to hear him out - after Taehyung accompanies him for a video task he doesn't want to do alone.

Taehyung squints at the dumb chicken hat his friend has to wear. Renowned idol and widely celebrated dancer Jung Hoseok looks like an overgrown toddler who wants to attend carnival and had his unmotivated parents make him a costume last-minute.

The things you do for your fans...

Taehyung huffs and does his best not to think of the silly plastic diadem that's stuck in his obscenely fluffed up hair. He's 95% certain it belongs to a princess costume. Also, should he bother to ask why his presence in the show requires for his hair to double as an exploded pillow?

...Nah.

Doesn't mean he has to be happy about it, though.

Next to him, Hoseok whips out his phone and sneaks a few candid shots of a very not amused princess Taehyung just when he yawns real wide. Taehyung closes his mouth and squints at him.

"You did not just do that."

The little smile his friend wears by default grows bigger. "I have no idea what you're talking about~"

"Jung Hoseok, I swear, if I find these photos on your Insta profile tonight I'll unfollow you."

Hoseok laughs. "Aw, don't be a stuck-up, Taehyung-ah. As if you would ever do that to your favorite hyung. Besides, the pictures of our adorable selves are going to be all over the internet in a few days anyway. But don't worry." He pats Taehyung' shoulder. "It'll be fun I'm sure!"

"Says the one who's afraid of amusement attractions and has to ride the most exciting ones of them while solving quiz questions in-" Taehyung glances at his watch- "seven minutes."

The smile drops off Hoseok's face. "Let's... let's worry about that when it's time, and not before, yes?"

And yeah, okay, maybe that reminder was a bit mean of Taehyung. He knows perfectly well how much his hyung despises these adrenaline-kick things. Hoseok's producers sure are cruel. But hey, at least they allowed him to bring a friend, and if it's just to get more views because of another fandom involved. So, kudos for trying to reconcile?

"Alright, alright, Mister Chicken," Taehyung chuckles. "Change of topic. Are you currently working on something?"

It does the trick. Hoseok's chest swells and he gets that Proud Boi^TM look. 

"Hehehe~ I'm preparing a collab stage for an Mnet special performance with many other idols." Here comes the big sunshine smile. "But don't even try to make me spill the beans on who my partners are. All I can say is that it's gonna be aaaaaaawe-some!"

One of the stylist-noonas sticks her head around the corner. 

"Five minutes left before we start rolling. Please get ready, you two."

Again Hoseok's smile freezes, then vanishes.

"...."

Ah, Taehyung thinks as he glances at his best friend. Here they are. Hoseok's big nerves.

Relatable.

 

"I'M GONNA DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!"

"Hoseok-ssi, what's the capital of Norway?"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Taehyung grabs onto his friend before he can fall off the Viking ship. He's not quite gotten into the mood yet himself, still stuck between having the time of his life and getting a major case of nerves.

For poor Hoseok however, the case is clear.

"...What's the capital of Argentina?"

"IWANNAGOHOOOOOOOOME!"

 

It takes one hour of sweet-talking, a trip to the spa and watching half of Ratatouille for Hoseok to normally function again. Then, halfway through the film he remembers why Taehyung accompanied him to the Lotte World horror trip in the first place.

He turns down the volume and faces Taehyung, eyes big and sincere. Taehyung almost chokes where he's just been about to inhale another slice of pizza.

"Alright, let's start sweet and simple. What motivates you to get up everyday?"

The younger chews, then snorts.

"...The undeniable urge to take a piss?"

Hoseok purses his lips. "Huh. So it's bad bad, hm?"

Taehyung shrugs.

Intrigued, his friend starts asking him 101 questions, both the film and the amusement park horror long since forgotten.

After what feels like half a day of talking, Hoseok comes to a conclusion.

"Yeah no, okay. You, my dude, need a break. And I'm not talking just a week or so. You'll need at least a few months for yourself. And a major change of scenery, like, asap. From what my non-psychologist can tell you're this close to complete burnout."

He holds up his thumb and forefinger with enough space for - Taehyung squints, maybe a TicTac? - to fit in. Just, it's very little space.

His uneasiness must show, for Hoseok is quick to assure him that maybe it's not that bad, maybe they're both overreacting.

Yet at the end of the day he asks Taehyung to please at least consider it.

"I don't want to lose you to the fame until there's nothing left of you anymore, Taehyung-ah," his friend mutters with a solemn expression that doesn't quite fit to his usual persona.

Taehyung nods. "I'll think about it. Promise."

He's so damn lucky to have a genuine friend like Hoseok in a business that thrives from being fake.

 

And because a promise is a promise and should not be broken, he does think about it. Thinks about the matter of going on a longer hiatus quite a lot, actually. To a point where, even though it's barely more than a game of make-believe, he's narrowed it down to a certain area where he could imagine living for a while. Away from the never-sleeping streets of Seoul, blinking lights, skyscrapers and screaming fans.

He's always liked nature, especially the sea. And the east coast of Gangwon-do with its small villages is a secluded as it gets. In other words: double kill! Nice scenery far away from home, and close to zero chance for anybody to recognize him there. Gosh, he could actually go out on the streets without dressing up like a burglar, maybe. Leave the face mask, huge shades and hoodie at home.

The more he thinks about it and browses the web, the more he loves the whole idea.

The mere thought of living like an average person is way too enticing. No car chases with obsessive fans, no getting touched by dozens of hands as soon as he sets foot on an airport, can you imagine?

So when he gets the next call from Seo, Taehyung tells him to block the next weekend from anything and do some magic so he can have both days off. Which goes... well, it doesn't go as bad as it could have, he supposes.

"The interview is literally on the Tuesday after, I'll still have an entire day for preparations... If we record the promo-shot one day later, nobody is going to die from it. No... no, I don't care, I just need these two days for myself entirely, is that so difficult to understand?"

Seo fumes and curses but in the end has no choice but to oblige. Especially once Taehyung threatens to just not show up if  the schedule is not cleared.

He ends the call and fist-pumps the air.

That's right. He's got an entire weekend off. And he's going to make perfect use of it and go sightseeing! Or however you call it when you wanna go visit different remote villages to figure out which one's gonna be your temporary home for the next... however many months.

He's going to make his own luck!

 

Maybe a village is too small for him. He's a city boy (read in Ryuunosuke Tanaka's voice, because maybe Taehyung is currently binging the first three seasons of Haikyuu for the 37th time which will never not be great) and needs an easy access to stores and stuff. Sue him.

Okay, so no villages. But, how about, hmmm... fishing towns are cute, right? A small community right at the shore with an old harbor, the sea stretching to the horizon and beyond, seagulls flying high above and singing of freedom? Yeah, that sounds good. Taehyung pens it down and limits his possible destinations even more.

A part of him wants to take the easy way and ask manager Seo to find a place for him, but. No matter how much he has to thank the diligent man, Taehyung doesn't trust him to be an actual help without following ulterior motives - like subtly plotting to get Taehyung back on track with chasing him out of his new residence. Taehyung wouldn't put it past him. Couldn't even be mad at him for it. He knows the kpop industry is a tough place, ruled by survival of the fittest. And him willingly giving up the momentum of his success that he's been chasing for years on end? It could very well mean career suicide.

Oh, Seo is going to be royally pissed once he finds out what's going on and that he wasn't allowed to get involved at all.

But Taehyung is going to worry about that when it's due. Maybe he'll ask Bang PD-nim to not give his new contact info to Seo, just out of spite. On the other hand, he likes breathing. Hm.

He keeps going with his research, one by one excluding more destinations because there are no houses or apartments for sale, let alone holiday rentals. By the night before his free weekend (his first free weekend in years!)  he's got it narrowed down to exactly two places. Taehyung throws a coin where to go first, then heads to bed.

 

Nakseongdae is a place of contradictions.

Except, well, that's not really true. But it would've sounded cool if he could've written something like that in his journal. Wait. He doesn't have a journal. Maybe he should start writing one.

Anyway, back to topic.

Nakseongdae is not your typical name for a coast town. 'Place where a star fell'. What star? Where exactly? Why? How? Both Google and Wikipedia know nothing. What reliable and helpful buddies, these two, seriously.

Despite the complete lack of background info on the name, Taehyung came here with a certain expectation. 'Place where a star fell' sounds lush and somewhat romantic, no? Yet so far he's seen a total of six local residents, all of them fishermen who looked about as approachable and happy as if someone just told them eating kimchi is punishable by death.

He's just considering to call it quits - if there is not a single friendly soul living here, he doesn't think he'll be able to survive - when he meets one local who doesn't fit in the picture so far.

Taehyung's half-hearted search for a drink gets cut short by some loud swearing a few aisles away. The store is rather small (if not to say tiny), so it takes Taehyung not even five steps to see what's going on. Or more like, who.

There, at the aisle with detergents, a young man is spectacularly failing to reach the top shelf. He can't be much older than Taehyung himself, dark hair floofing up as the stranger jumps on the spot, hands gripping thin air.

"ing hell, why the do they keep putting that up there where no normal human being can reach, what an idiotic idea, honestly..."

Taehyung presses his lips together. He knows it's mean but... the whole scene is kinda cute. Now the stranger is even stomping his foot while he keeps cussing like a sailor.

Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't laugh. Deep breaths. You got this. Okay, Kim Taehyung ready on three, two, one, go!

"Hey, sorry, do you need a hand?"

The lad stops, mid-climbing the shelf, turns around-

And screeches loudly in Taehyung's face.

"What the f- who are you, where did you just come from?! And-and also I am not tiny!" 

Taehyung's ears are ringing. That dude's got some high-pitched voice when he shrieks. He lifts a hand, slowly backing away.

"Okay, chill dude. I just wanted to help. My bad."

Time to get to the other town. This one is a waste of time.

He's almost at the other end of the aisle as Mr. Not-tiny pipes up again, this time a lot more timid and with a considerable lack of cursing.

"Uhm, actually... I mean, wait, first off, sorry for yelling in your ear. But uh..." Mr. Not-tiny fidgets, "could you, maybe? I mean, yeah. Please."

Taehyung is going to disregard how none of that was a proper sentence whatsoever. He just got his first proper view of the guy and yeah, he's just plain cute. Taehyung looks at him and thinks of dressed-up workers of amusement parks who sell cotton candy on sticks. You don't say 'no' to cotton candy. And Taehyung technically still doesn't know what that dude needs but there is exactly one product displayed at the top shelf so guessing shouldn't be that hard.

One little stretch and handed-over green bottle later, the guy is smiling broadly and bowing deep in thanks. Taehyung blinks. What was that about deceiving first impressions? The dude is the personification of a sweetheart. He's just got a foul mouth.

And probably an extraordinary vocal range, the 'I'm always in work mode' half of Taehyung's brain supplies. That's all it takes for his thoughts to drift off, wondering how the lad would be doing in the music business with that range and unique voice of his. If he'd be any good as a singer. Okay yeah, consider Taehyung hooked. 

They somehow end up strolling down the aisles together, one thing after another making its way into the small basket of the stranger. Taehyung is pleased to note that the guy is easy to chat up. Soon enough they leave the store and make their way through the streets, Taehyung trailing after the other like a lost puppy and secretly praying he'll find the way back to his car later. 

They turn into a smaller street that runs parallel to the coast where the buildings give view to the open sea. Taehyung pauses, takes in the view. And finally remembers why he's here in the first place.

"Hey, uhm..."

The other gives him an adorable smile. "Just call me Jimin. What is it?"

"Alright, Jimin, thank you. Uh, do you think you could show me where the Honghap Inn is?"

Jimin stares at him blankly.

It's enough time to make Taehyung second-guess everything. Was it honghap or another mussel? What if I just made a fool of myself because I insulted a popular place here or something? , , -

"Aw man, sorry. The old Mrs. Ahn died a while ago and so far nobody has taken over. I don't know if the inn will ever re-open, to be honest."

Taehyung's face falls. That inn would've been pretty much the only place for him to stay here. Seems like Nakseongdae won't make the cut. And that when he just found a nice buddy...

"And you don't have any other accomodations here?"

He at least has to try.

But Jimin is already shaking his head. "Nah, we don't have stuff like that here. The inn was a rarity in itself already." He shrugs. "I mean, nobody ever strays so far off the big streets they find their way here. The only visitors we ever have are some family members, and they can stay overnight with their relatives."

Taehyung bites his lip. "Damn," he mutters.

"Hm? Why?" Jimin gives him a curious look, head tilted to the side. "You need a place to stay?"

The idol nods reluctantly. Jimin looks like he's got something on his mind.

"I guess... I mean, if you want, you could just stay in our spare room."

"Our?"

"My boyfriend's and mine, duh." Jimin grins, eyes twinkling a little daringly. As if he's just waiting for Taehyung to say something homophobic.

Tough luck, Taehyung thinks. I'm bi. And now he knows there is at least one open-minded couple in town.

He purses his lips. "That, actually... can I think about it? I might take you up on that offer if your boyfriend is okay with it."

Jimin beams. "Awesome! C'mon, let's ask him right now, then."

His free hand grabs Taehyung's and pulls him along with fast steps, almost jogging. While Taehyung stumbles after him, he can't help but notice how small Jimin's hand feels. Like from a seventh grader or something. Not a grown man.

"Oh, right," Jimin calls over his shoulder, "just checking so I don't look like a fool when I don't know how to introduce you. What's your name again?"

.

Taehyung almost runs into a wall. , think, c'mon, think faster-

"Uh, huh- I mean, Hyunjin? That's, yeah. Choi Hyunjin. That's me."

Ohmygod, how much more obvious can you be? Abort mission!

But Jimin just squeezes his hand and nods. "Cool. I used to know a Hyunjin but he moved away ages ago. Nice to meet you."

Taehyung hums and hopes he'll remember the name and not blow his cover in like, five minutes. Or however long it takes to reach The Boyfriend.

 

It does not only take five minutes. At all. 

Taehyung starts wondering how they can walk that long without leaving the town - because honestly, Nakseongdae is tiny. On their way, they pass all kinds of houses. Simple thatched-roof homes that look like they've seen better times but might actually be original. Some hanoks sprinkled here and there, the telltale dark tiles peaking over unusually high stone walls. And just to forever confuse (seemingly nonexistent, according to Jimin) visitors about the time period they stepped foot in, the space between those traditional houses is filled with simple two-story buildings from the last century. 

It's a weird mix but not unpleasant enough to put off Taehyung and make him turn tail. He's optimistic that after a few days spent here he could actually find it charming. 

Stay positive, you're just on your way to your potential new home. Happy thoughts!

By now Taehyung is positive Jimin is leading him on the least direct way possible. What for, he has no idea. Is this supposed to be an unscripted sightseeing tour with Taehyung having to figure out the landmarks by himself or what?

Finally, Jimin stops in front of a two-story western style building. (Maybe Taehyung is disappointed, just a little. But living in a real hanok would've been too much to ask, he supposes.) 

"Alright, let's see what Yoongs says." Jimin chirps.

He unlocks the door, motions for Taehyung to follow him and goes to the space straight under the stairs.

"YOONGI-AH," he hollers, arms flayling every which way.

Taehyung thinks he hears a grunt from upstairs, then nothing at all for a while. 

Jimin shouts again and repeats his little dance. 

A head pops up in the hole of the ceiling, right above the top step.

"What is it?"

That Yoongi guy's voice sound scratchy, disgruntled and about as unimpressed as he looks. 

Jimin however is completely unfazed by the brusque behavior. Or, well, almost.

"Yah, could you at least pretend you've got some basic manners? We've got a guest."

Yoongi huffs.

"Ugh."

Taehyung takes a long breath. Sweet Buddha. This is going to be one uncomfortable conversation.

 

Spoiler alert: he guessed right. But for different reasons than he thought.

Where he was positive Yoongi would be a social disaster and also quick to shut down the idea of housing a stranger, that certainly wasn't the issue. No, what turned the whole conversation tense was one very specific topic: money.

Jimin doesn't want to get a single Won from him, despite the fact that that's how renting a place usually works. Yoongi stays silent most of the time during that delicate topic but keeps giving his boyfriend searing looks and kicking him under the table. Which is not confusing at all. And also in no way subtle, with how the entire table rattles every time it happens.

They've just reached some kind of stalemate after Taehyung said it doesn't have to be money he'd pay with. Yoongi uses the break to slip Jimin an envelope across the table. The other is too stunned to do anything but comply and rip it open.

"What..."

He skims the text, turns it around, then turns the letter back and re-reads it.

"What the ?"

Taehyung makes a little questioning noise, not sure if it's his place to ask what's going on. They are essentially strangers, and personal mail is, well, personal.

Jimin doesn't seem to mind, though.

"I just, I got a rejection letter for a job I never applied for?! Like, I mean, what the hell? I don't even know them. Is that a modern-time 'keep away' sign or what? Just stay the away from us, is that it?"

During that rant, Taehyung learns two things about Jimin. One, he starts to talk fast and jump up in pitch when he's agitated. And two, Jimin isn't one to hide or suppress his emotions. At all.

" you!" He's yelling at the letter now, half standing on the chair. Yoongi casually grips one of his thighs for support. "Well, you ing know what?! Joke's on you, I don't need that ty job anyway! I make enough money as it is!"

"Lie," Yoongi deadpans. 

It's his first word in half an hour.

The glare Jimin gives him as he lowers the letter screams murder.

 

One house tour and a prolonged negotiation later, they finally come to an agreement. Yes, Taehyung likes the offered room. No, he doesn't have a single problem sharing a space with a gay couple, why should he?  And yes, he'll pay a monthly fee. With money.

It has taken Taehyung making exceedingly ridiculous offers what to pay with if not to use money (from watermelons to washed and folded socks) and Yoongi commenting several times that "Yes we do need the money and you know it" followed by a fidgeting Jimin to make it work.

Seeing how he lost the battle, Jimin immediately announces himself Taehyung's tour guide, kitchen chef and advisor for the time of his stay. Cool.

Taehyung's mind is set. He will move here and share a house with that Jimin guy - and hopefully get along with his grumpy boyfriend too.

Before Jimin can change his mind, Taehyung scribbles his contacts on a notepad, catching himself last minute from writing 'Kim Taehyung', and flees the house. States he wants to go take a hike right this very second. Which, true.

Ever since getting out of his car, he kept glancing up the steep brownish-grey cliffs and pine woods surrounding the town. Is itching to find his way up one of these mountains. The view must be incredible from there.

After asking around a bit (and oh hey, Jimin is not the only ray of hope here, other locals are kind too), he finds the start of a hiking path.

Half an hour later he is rewarded with the most gorgeous look ever. He's got a clear view on the valley Nakseongdae tucked itself in, even spots a little harbor with fishing trawlers. And from up here, the layout of the village begins to make sense at last. He tries to recall the route he took with Jimin, finger drawing lines in the air as he traces the different streets and turns.

Yep. Called it. Jimin took them all around the houses. The couple's home is only two streets away from that store.

But Taehyung is not mad, not a single bit. Not when he gets to look at the turquoise water splashing against dark stone far below and stretching all the way past the horizon, waves glittering in the afternoon sun.

He's going to stay. If not for the people, then for that amazing view.

And then there is that other issue. The whole I want to live incognito and be left in peace for once issue.

Because on his whole walk through town? Not a single hysterical scream. No squealing, no hushed whispering following him like a shadow. 

This is so nice! 

He almost wants to cry.

And neither Jimin nor Yoongi behaved like they were aware a top chart idol has entered their home. If things would stay like that, this would be so wonderful. A dream come true, really.

Don't get him wrong, he loves his fans. But he also loves the calm, and being treated like a human being with basic rights for personal space and privacy and such. 

With a last longing glance at the sea, Taehyung heads back to Seoul and starts packing his things.

 

"YOU DID WHAT?!" 

Hoseok looks five seconds away from strangling Taehyung. He gulps. Cause of death: stupidity and an overly worried best friend.

Gaining momentum, the other idol continues. "You can't just- Taehyung-ah, you can't just go with a complete stranger and follow him to his house, on top of that in a town you've never been before! Like, seriously, are you ing nuts? Do you have a death wish? You realize this is how kidnappings and murders happen, yes?"

Taehyung sighs.

"Hyung, it's literally fine, I'm good at judging people's character, remember? Also the dude was small, I could take him on anytime."

But Hoseok is light years away from calming down. He shakes his head furiously.

"No, no, you can't be sure of that. Don't underestimate small people. Besides, didn't you say it's an old fishing town? The people living there are probably hauling tons of fish everyday and have muscles this big." He gestures, drawing ridiculously tall mountains in the air.

It's enough to make Taehyung smile. 

"Yeah well, too bad. We already set up a contract for my accommodation there. Pd-nim and my manager are informed and have agreed too." 

Hoseok shrieks and throws a banana at him.

 

What Taehyung doesn't tell his friend is how Not Easy it was to get the two to agree. 

First there was the whole 'telling manager Seo' thing, which involved lots of frustrated shouts, flayling hands, and statistics thrown in.

"A break?! NOW?! Why," Seo had yelped, hand clutched over his heart.

And Taehyung, with all the accumulated calm of Zen, Yoga and his daily breathing exercises he could muster, had given him a simple "because of reasons."

Which of course didn't make anything better, especially when Seo started rambling about the new album and how they were already sooo behind schedule, what does he think he's doing, and so on.

Taehyung had just shrugged. "The stars are not aligned yet."

The next day it's been the same deal again with Bang PD-nim, albeit in a much more subdued version. That man doesn't raise his voice, ever. He can be difficult to convince though, sometimes.

Seo was present too and kept chiming in about how Taehyung just started to scratch at the peak that is international recognition.

After a while Bang PD-nim kicked him out so the two of them could talk in peace. Bang Shi Hyuk is nothing if not an empathetic and understanding soul and so it took little time to convince him that a break is the thing Taehyung direly needs, right now.

Only when he asked Taehyung how long he thinks he'll be gone and the idol said he'll start with a year for now, did the CEO's smile get a little wobbly around the edges.

"Years, huh? That's a little... it's a bigger unit than I thought, to be honest."

But Taehyung stood his ground, told him about how Michelangelo took four years to paint the Sistine chapel and ran away twice. Surely taking one year off for mental health reasons and informing HYBE of his whereabouts was a much better option, no? Besides, God knows he deserves it after working himself to the bone and picking the leftover shards of himself up for each new album release. With the money he makes, he could easily take off a couple years yet is only asking for one.

And so Bang PD could just nod and slip Taehyung the necessary papers to sign.

 

A press conference, some interviews and countless sad fan posts later Taehyung finds himself a step closer to temporary freedom.

He told Bang PD-nim, his parents and Hoseok his address and fake name in case of emergencies. 

Not Seo. And if he gets chewed alive for that bratty behavior once he returns to HYBE, so be it.

Lately the dollar signs have been shining too often in Seo's eyes. It reminds Taehyung too much of Scrooge McDuck. Things haven't always been like that but for the past months he's afraid the fame of one Kim Taehyung has gotten to his manager's head. Hoseok had advised him to ask for a new manager a few times, but. Seo knows all his quirks, all the things to pay attention to. Getting a new manager would be like training a puppy and starting at zero, which, just, no. He does not have the patience and mental strength for that right now. Maybe after his break.

 

Moving in with the couple goes wonderfully easy. The room he gets has a decent size and most of the furniture is already there. He only needs to order a proper desk to work on, track back and forth from Seoul to Nakseongdae a few times and then unpack his multiple bags.

Jimin is all too eager to help him with literally anything and being an angel about it.

And the Yoongi guy... well, he's a bit strange. Silently stands in the hallway and watches Taehyung settling in for minutes without moving a finger, yet occasionally giving him advice that's actually helpful with a voice like he'd rather chew rusty nails.

Hard shell, soft core, Taehyung deduces.

He asks Yoongi to please hand him the blue screwdriver.

And Yoongi, he scoffs and says "Nah, get it yourself." While reaching out his hand and handing Taehyung the screwdriver and even paying attention to turn it away from the idol so he doesn't get hurt. It's so odd, Taehyung bursts out into laughter. Square in Yoongi's face.

Yoongi's mouth corners turn down even more, then he trudges out of the room. 

Oops, Taehyung thinks. Maybe that wasn't the smartest move.

A while later, Yoongi passes by and throws a water bottle on Taehyung's bed.

"Humans need to drink to stay hydrated," he grunts and is gone again.

Yeah, this guy is a little weird. But he seems to have the heart in the right spot.

Taehyung grins. 

He can't wait for his new life to start.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

 

Deep under the sea, a fair distance away from Namseongdae's harbor, something stirs.

Cracks open an eye, large tail slowly uncurling from around the boulder and languidly shifting. The smaller creatures nearby hush down as the big shadow glides past and disappears in even deeper, darker waters.