Ocean Eyes • Kim Namjoon

Chapter 1: Much Needed Getaway

You were out with your friends one day in early May for a night of Korean BBQ when Namjoon had asked you how work was going. Namjoon was a new addition to your friend group, but you would never be able to tell. He had an easy-going personality that everyone immediately got along with.

"Ugh," you groaned as you poured yourself a bit more beer. "I am so over everything. My boss told me she wants to give me more projects, which is good I guess. But she doesn't want to give me a raise or give me more hours in order to do all this extra work. I'm so burnt out." Namjoon gave you a sympathetic smile as he started cooking more meat.

"I'm honestly just ready for a vacation. I need to just go somewhere, and not think about work for a couple of days." You said as you grabbed a piece of pork belly from the grill and put it in your mouth.

"Well, why don't we plan a vacation for sometime in the summer? It could be fun!" One of your friends piped up excitedly. "We could do a little road trip!" You nodded while you chewed the piece of meat in your mouth.

"Okay, but where would we go?" One of your other friends chimed in.

"Going to the mountains is always fun." Namjoon mentioned as he shrugged his shoulders. Your eyes caught each other's and you smiled at him. You wouldn't deny that you felt a constant pull to Namjoon - how could you not? He was tall, smart (actually border-line genius), funny, respectful, had kick-ass music suggestions, and was handsome to boot. You knew that your feelings for Namjoon were not completely platonic but as far as you knew, he only saw you as just one of his friends.

Discussions about going to the mountains continued through dinner and by the end of the meal, everyone had agreed that this trip was exactly what everyone needed.

For the next week, the group chat was constantly blowing up once the topic of date came around. Turns out, it's really hard to organize a time when planning a trip with a group of friends in the summer. Someone had suggested the first weekend in July, only for it to be shot down by someone attending a wedding that weekend. In fact, it seemed like every weekend someone suggested was turned down due to a wedding - like, what is with so many people getting married in the summer?

By some holy miracle, someone suggested the second week of August and it seemed like no one had any prior commitments or weddings to attend, so you all booked it in. Because there were no fancy holidays that would've provided an extra day off, everyone booked off both the Friday and Monday to ensure that you'd all have plenty of time to do everything you wanted to.

Namjoon was by far the most organized person, so he took it upon himself to look into and send a few AirB&Bs to the group chat that could possibly work, but there was always something wrong with it - whether it was too far away from potential excursions, super close to neighbours or too expensive.

By some sheer dumb luck, Namjoon sent one to the group chat one afternoon with a message that just said:

"There's been a cancellation and the weekend we are going down is available. I'm booking it now."

Needless to say, everyone was extremely grateful to Namjoon for being on the ball on this one. When you actually saw the posting for this AirB&B, you audibly gasped. It was classified as a house, but it was quite literally a mansion. The house was obviously designed with luxurious mountain living in mind - the outside was a beautiful mix of stone and pine accents. It had a three-car garage and there was a patio built on top of said garage with plenty of patio chairs and massive windows showing into the living space. Not that you minded of course, the description even mentioned that the closest neighbours were half a kilometer away.

You quickly transferred Namjoon your portion of the money as he had to pay for the entire trip in full, and started preparing for the long-overdue vacation.

The Thursday before you were going to be in the mountains was one of the longest work days you've ever worked, even if you were only working a half day. You were already in vacation mode, and couldn't concentrate at all, and Namjoon texting you every 5 minutes wasn't helping either.

Namjoon:
I don't think today can go any slower.

You:
I know. I just want to be on the road. Oh,
by the way. Are there any snacks you want
me to pick up for the trip?

Namjoon:
Hm, I don't know. Maybe some chocolate-
covered raisins?

You:
What kind of psychopath wants to eat
chocolate-covered raisins on a road trip?

Namjoon:
Do you have a problem with chocolate-covered
raisins?

You:
Nothing's wrong with chocolate-covered raisins. The people that ask for them however...

Namjoon:
Hey now, that's discrimination.

You couldn't wipe the smile off of your face once. Damn Namjoon for having this effect on you.

The conversation continued, all the up until noon when it was time for you to leave. You clocked out, gathered your belongings, said goodbye to your coworkers, and practically skipped your way to your car.

Everyone was going to be driving down to the mountains Thursday afternoon after work and you were taking two cars. Unfortunately, your car was not reliable enough to drive 3-4 hours down to the mountains so you had to hitch a ride - luckily Namjoon was more than happy enough to accommodate you in his car.

The plan was Namjoon was going to pick you up from your apartment at about 4, pick up two other friends, and then head out. There was little diner on a turnoff by the highway about halfway to the mountains that was a necessity to stop by on any road trip. You and your friends would eat dinner there - you've been dreaming of their milkshakes all day - fuel the cars and get to the AirB&B by 9:30pm.

You had some time to kill before Namjoon came to pick you up, so you swung by the grocery store to grab some obligatory road trip snacks. Now, the thing about road trips is you absolutely need junk food for the trip, and a new playlist to set the tone for the trip- it is non-negotiable. The snacks are usually chips, candies, (in Namjoon's case, chocolate-covered raisins) maybe some pop, and sunflower seeds. The music needed to be upbeat, and something everyone could sing too. With you in charge of the snacks, and Namjoon in charge of the playlist, you were sure this car ride was going to be a party and a half.

You got back to the apartment at 1:30, and you made sure to pick something up to snack on for lunch - you knew your friends, and you knew that the minute you pull up to your B&B, they'd pull out the liquor and you do not want to drink on an empty stomach.

You dawdled around your apartment for the next two and a half hours, waiting for Namjoon to pick you up. You couldn't understand why your heart was beating so hard at the idea of seeing him, but you tried taking your mind off it by doing a quick clean before you leave. You think you were a bit nervous because:

1. He's absolutely gorgeous, and;
2. This would be the first time you and Namjoon were together, alone.

It wouldn't be for very long - one of your friends only lived about a 10 minute drive away from you, but from your previous experience, you are beyond awkward with any potential romantic partners (even though you knew this was one sided completely).

You got a text from Namjoon at 3:50 saying he was outside your apartment, and you texted back immediately saying you'd be right out.

You were in the process of grabbing your things when you heard a knock on your front door. Upon opening the door, you noticed Namjoon leaning on the doorway looking as gorgeous as always. His dyed light brown hair was styled so it was out of his face, and he was wearing black, thick rimmed glasses, and just like that, your mouth went dry.

"What are you doing up here?" You asked, and you were praying he couldn't hear the slight shake in your voice.

"I figured you had a bit of stuff to bring down, so I thought I would help you." He winked and grabbed your bags. Your heart was pounding while you walked down to the car with him.

You couldn't stop yourself from thinking that this was going to be a very interesting weekend.