Chapter Text
Hoseok had always wanted to travel. He had read books and seen movies about all of these wonderful places, fantastic people, different cultures and one of his goals had always been to be able to see as many of them as possible. Of course, in many of these books and films, the plot wasn’t so much based on the places themselves. Often a steamy romance, or a slow buildup as couples had adventures that brought them closer in these far flung places. That had never sounded too bad to Hoseok either.
However, as his life went on and he filled it with work, and family, and friends, he hadn’t really found the right time or circumstances for his own romance. Not always for lack of trying. Sometimes, somehow, it just fell to the bottom of his priority list. Which is how he found himself in his mid twenties with a reasonably well paying job and the ability to go on the foreign adventures he’d always imagined… but with no one to go with. The draw of travel - very tempting. The idea of going to foreign countries completely alone - not so tempting.
It was one of his colleagues who had actually made him aware of the existence of certain travel packages. The kind that were made for solo travellers exactly like him. An almost tailored trip package that was created for a small number of people, all strangers, who might find some amount of companionship in their circumstances. To Hoseok, it sounded perfect.
He spent a couple of weeks researching, and doing some calculations with full spreadsheets to figure out which packages he could afford and take the time off work for. In the end, his hunger for diverse experiences had him choosing a two week trip to take in some of the sights of Europe. A couple of nights at each stop, time to explore alone or with the help of the guides, it sounded like one of his many dreams come true. He booked the trip at the end of spring, after his annual leave reset at the end of the first business quarter. After making the booking, he had a very long 8 months of counting down the days before his flight took off mid November.
Eventually though, Hoseok finds himself groggily stood in the airport of London Heathrow airport. The clock above his head reads 16:42 and thanks to the fact he barely slept on the plane journey, it still currently feels like nearly 2am to his body clock. He sways slightly and tries to keep his eyes peeled open for the sight of the spotty green ribbon he attached to his otherwise unremarkable suitcase. Once the bright pop of colour catches his eye, he heaves it from the baggage carousel and pulls out his phone for the instructions to get to the first hostel that he had already double, triple and quadruple before even reaching passport control.
A blur passes of getting a taxi, check in and finding a perfectly respectable bedroom at the other end. He desperately wants to fall into the welcoming covers and black out for a good 12 hours. What he decides to do instead is remove the necessary items he wants for the next day and the evening from his hand luggage and then ventures back out into the corridor to try and locate the nearest restaurant.
He knew if he sat down to Naver search on his phone he would have a very difficult time getting back up again so he planned to try his luck on the street. It was better for his jet lag if he stayed up at least a little bit past - he checks his watch - 6pm and the best way to do that was going out to get dinner.
His eyes catch a sign that he recognises and at that moment the familiarity of the giant golden M was a welcome relief. Plus, the automatic ordering machines he sees through the glass front help him with not having to test his english speaking skills right now. He’s practised especially for this trip and is willing to try, just not this evening.
He sits down at a table with his tray of food, ordered and picked up with little difficulty and giving him a major boost in confidence at the same time. He tucks in, not realising how hungry he actually was until he is unwrapping the burger in his hands and only after a few bites does his concentration shift to looking around the restaurant.
A couple of people are also sat alone, one man in a business suit on his way home after work. Another young maybe-student with a book in her free hand. Otherwise there were a handful of people conversing quietly with their dining partners. At another table, a young mother grappled with 2 young children, while another older family of five sat having a more civilised discussion.
All around he hears easy laidback conversation. Very little of which he understands. Only at that point does he begin to feel that he has bitten off, not more than he can chew, but certainly a large mouthful.
How much easier it would be to have even a close friend to book a holiday with. But his closest friends were either already in relationships - with each other - or didn’t have the same interest in travel to dedicate most of their holiday for the year into this one trip. As he finishes his very much appreciated meal, Hoseok thinks that maybe he can take an idea from the young girl he sees sat a few tables away from him. Perhaps while he takes in the experiences of Europe, he can also spend more time reading at dinner and in his evenings. He imagines incredibly romantic images of reading in cafes on the riverside in Paris. His friend Taehyung would be so proud.
In truth, Hoseok didn’t have high hopes in the social aspect of the group they would be travelling with. It was an international travel company, which is why the flights there were not part of the group experience. Officially, they would meet tomorrow morning and the trip would begin.
But that meant people were coming from all over the world. He was certain it would be an excellent opportunity to practise his english, but his grasp of the language probably wouldn’t be a means to deep conversation and really getting to know his travel companions. Nevertheless, Hoseok was very sociable, language barrier or no. Relatively confident, he had told himself ever since he first booked this trip that he would be able to get along with anyone easily, make it all part of his experience.
At this point, all he can do is wait and see what comes with the morning.
Back in his hotel room he browses online for top things to see around London and finally allows himself to fall asleep at the grand time of 20:15.
At 4am the next morning, he wakes up. By 5am he simply can’t lie still in bed any more and he gets up and dressed. Funnily enough, as he puts a small bag together of things he might need, he hears a small crash from the room above him. Apparently another early riser, someone who either just dropped or tripped over something, based on the muffled curse that also floats down.
Conscious then of the other people in the corridor, Hoseok very carefully opens and closes his door, winces at the ding of the elevator doors as they open to let him inside and waves to the night receptionist watching an otherwise very empty foyer as he heads out to see what he can find to explore in the morning streets of London.
The hotel seems to be in a relatively busy area, with what he saw the previous evening and the types of shops he can immediately identify around him. However, at this time of the day, nothing yet seems to be open. Not even a cafe that might get him breakfast for the day. Instead Hoseok decides to just wander along the road he finds himself on, take in the sights, the different city air and the unfamiliar architecture. This was a trip he’d looked forward to for months, if not years and he doesn’t plan to waste a minute of it.
He’s by no means the only person on the street, traffic and people still very much present. However, the slightly lonelier streets feel like he’s getting a more intimate look at the city, a private moment than few people get to see, before the streets fill with crowd and noise as they always will.
Wandering mostly aimlessly, he pulls his coat closer around him. He knew well enough that a holiday in November wasn’t going to be sunny and warm. That is doubly true because at this moment in time, now around 5:30, the sun hasn’t even started to rise. The buildings all around him block the view of the horizon so he can’t even tell if there is a touch of light coming to the sky. Instead, streetlights illuminate his steps as he follows the streets and comes to a wide expanse of river.
As he looks across to the other side, a comparison flickers in his mind to the Han river he is much more familiar with. This looks smaller than he is used to, but is unmistakeably the famous river Thames. Even some distance from the city centre, there are still pathways built along the water. He sees a jogger some distance away heading towards him along the pavement, hi-visibility vest reflecting the streetlights above. Below him he hears a splash and the disgruntled protest of some ducks that he has presumably just disturbed.
The whole scene brings a dreamy quality to mind. The buildings so unfamiliar, the river side walk such a normal everyday activity. He has a sudden realisation again that he is really here. In London, in the United Kingdom. So far from home and ready to start his trip. All the doubts of the previous evening disappear as he starts ambling along the pavement. He is going to enjoy this adventure the best that he can, take all the pictures to show his friends and family back home and come back with a host of stories and memories.
Speaking of, he takes out his phone and carefully takes a picture of his streetlight lit view over the water, then turns and takes a selfie. He will send them to the various people awaiting updates back home, as he had done little more than send quick ‘plane landed’ and check in texts the previous evening to reassure his closest friends and parents.
By the time he sees the purple hues of first light, his stomach is starting to growl and he becomes aware of the increased noise of the city coming to life around and behind him. Hopefully, he walks back towards the streets away from the river, where he had been idling along taking in the view, mentally planning the kinds of things he wants to see in the next couple of weeks. He had only walked in one direction, so it’s easy to turn back towards where he came from without getting lost. Finally, at this time, he catches sight of shop windows with employees getting ready to open up and most importantly, he smells the telltale scent of coffee.
Following his nose more reliably than any signs, he locates a little bakery cafe, one of the few shops that he can see has opened already. He is not even the only patron as he joins the queue of the little shop behind 4 other people. Most of them are in business suits and so he figures this bakery is cornering the market on early commuters about to start their normal day.
Hoseok, on the other hand, is free to enjoy his leisure time and also the heat of the cafe. He hadn’t been very aware of the cold when he was outside but the warmth of this shop when he walked inside has wrapped around him like a tight hug and he’s not in a hurry to go back outside. He checks his watch to confirm he still has plenty of time. It was just past 6.30. So while the other patrons hurried out after their orders were placed in their hands, Hoseok takes a seat at the bar stools against the window, looking out over the rest of the street where his coffee is brought to him.
He takes the time to check his location to make sure he hasn’t somehow wandered hopelessly off track. A small thrill of success hits him as he happily discovers that the hotel is no more than 15 minutes walk away from the cafe he had chosen, so he’s in even less of a rush to get back for the meeting of the guide and tour group.
He quickly looks at a couple of other updates from the news and group chat, since it’s already early afternoon back home. But he doesn’t dwell long before putting the phone down and choosing to look out the window again just in time for the flash of a long, tan coat to catch his eye, the person wearing it turned into the cafe. He pays them no mind and sips his americano, happily watching the world go by.
A few moments later though, someone actually sits down at the window bar just like him. He had almost accepted that he was the only person in London currently not rushing to be at work so someone else with free time takes him by surprise. He looks across to offer a smile and sees a handsome man, around the same age as himself, and most surprisingly he’s also east asian although Hoseok won’t openly stare in order to get a better look.
It turns out he doesn’t need to, because after the man sits down with his mug, he reaches into his coat pocket and retrieves a guide book for London, written in Korean. Hoseok remembers he had looked at the exact same book.
They both sit there in silence for a moment, Hoseok wondering whether to interrupt the man, who is quite absorbed in flicking through the pages of his guide. The other man seems to be completely oblivious to his presence.
Urged on by the sheer ridiculous coincidence of the matter, Hoseok decides to speak out.
“Have you found anywhere good to visit?” Hoseok finally says, speaking in Korean.
The man looks up with a small smile and politely acknowledges Hoseok is speaking about the book. “ As many as I can! All the main ones, Big Ben and Tower of London .” He replies, carefully and in good English before a look of confusion passes over his face. “Wait… what?” He switches back to Korean and Hoseok has to laugh at his stunned expression.
“Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I didn’t expect to find another Korean here.” He says, after he has pulled himself together and the other man had also got over his shock to join in with the laughter.
“No, me neither. Not in a random cafe at crazy o’clock in the morning.”
“Did the jet lag get you too?” Hoseok nods sympathetically and the man chuckles.
“Yeah exactly. I only flew in last night." He looks at his watch. “About 10 hours ago, actually.”
“Me too! Wow, this is too crazy.” Hoseok laughs and takes another sip of his coffee. “I wasn’t kidding though. Have you found somewhere interesting to visit? Outside of ‘the big ones’. I’m always looking for ideas.”
This time the other man grins and shakes his head. “I’m not here for that long, but I was just trying to fit as much in as possible. Obviously I want to see the landmarks like I said. The parliament buildings, the palace and the Big Ben tower. But I’d love to visit the museums too, you know Trafalgar Square? The art galleries are there. There’s also the natural history museum. And there’s a war museum, which, well that would be fascinating. It’s a completely different history to the one we were taught. And the parks, just see a bit of the city itself.”
Hoseok watches the other man talk, a small smile pulling at his lips as the man’s eyes sparkle with his passion. It’s always a beautiful thing to see what people are excited about and for the past few months his friends had been bombarded with Hoseok’s excitement over this trip. It was just nice to see someone else with the same interests.
“It sounds like you’ll be busy! I’d heard about a lot of those. Hadn’t really heard about the museums so much, not as many people mention those.”
“No? Well, I like art and exhibitions, so I looked up what was available where I was travelling to. It’s not everybody’s thing.” Even the slightest hint of disappointment in the other man’s voice made Hoseok feel he never wanted this man to feel bad about his interests again.
“No, I think that’s really cool! You’ve clearly done your homework.”
“Well, it’s a big trip. I don’t want to miss out on anything.” The man looks down a little, almost a shy smile on his face.
Hoseok grinned, thinking about the checklist he had in his bag back in his hotel room. The list of things he wanted to do and see that he had started making from the moment he clicked confirm on booking this trip. “Yeah, I know that feeling.”
“Do you have anything in particular you want to see? I’m just as interested to hear anything you might have found out.”
“Me? Well, other than what you’ve said, I want to see the big wheel on the river. I want to go on that if I can. And see the shopping gardens? Covent Garden, I think?” Hoseok shrugs, as he comes to his biggest problem. “I’m just worried about how to get to all the places I want to see. I’ve heard the train system is quite… intimidating.”
The other man also laughs as he sips on his hot drink. “I thought the same. Which is why I did a test run this morning. There was a station near my hotel so I got on it as soon as it opened this morning and rode it a few stops when there was fewer people on it. It’s actually not as complicated as you might think.”
“Really? That was so smart of you.” Hoseok doesn’t hesitate to appreciate this man’s smart thinking.
“Yeah.” Now, Hoseok wouldn’t like to presume, but he was almost certain the other man is blushing. “If you have a contactless payment card, it works just like any other payment on the barriers. I don’t think phone payment works. And the maps are pretty easy once you know where you’re going.”
He definitely stuttered a little and Hoseok has the grace to ignore it. It’s cute, just… simply adorable. That’s fine, right?
“I wish I had a guide like you, it would make things much easier. Besides, you seem to be pretty good at english too. Travelling with you would be a breeze.” Hoseok was very aware how flirty his words came off, it was just the way he was. He also knew it was likely to pull an even more flustered version of this man out, but if that was an ulterior motive, no one would be able to prove it.
“Good at english? You mean before? No, I’m really basic at best.
“No, I’m basic. You’re answering questions.”
“You’ll be fine! You have… charisma, and the determination.”
“Oh?”
“Well you made it all the way here in the first place, didn’t you?” The man replied and seemed to sidestep the part of his response that Hoseok had really been getting at. So this intelligent, travelled man had chosen to comment on his charisma. Not like that made Hoseok’s heart beat just a little bit faster. “I know just getting here was a huge step for me.” The other man spoke with a shrug and Hoseok felt a sudden deep rush of empathy for the man who seemed once again to understand him without even realising it. It startled a laugh out of him which in turn drew the man to look at him with wide eyes.
“It really is an adventure I’ve been waiting a long time for. Why let a little fear of getting lost get in my way now. Besides, our itineraries might end up looking pretty similar. Maybe we’ll meet up again sometime around the city.”
“Yeah, maybe.” The man nodded enthusiastically. “That would be nice.”
Hoseok smiled back and easy conversation flowed for a little while longer between them. The websites and guidebooks they had found information in, what they planned to do, if there was some way of easily transferring between all the places. After Hoseok finished his iced americano, he looked at his watch and noticed he had just enough time to go get washed up and ready for meeting his travel group.
“It’s really been a pleasure meeting you. I never guessed my first conversation in London would be with a fellow Korean, but here we are.”
“It's like we were fated to meet.” Namjoon jokes and Hoseok wiggles his eyebrows, full of energy after their talk.
“I have to go now to make my schedule but if I don’t see you around the city, enjoy your holiday!”
“You too.” The man replied. “I hope you find the courage to get everywhere you need to go.” He says and Hoseok nearly bursts out into another full laugh.
“Yeah well, fingers crossed! Goodbye.” He says and with a wave to the other man, he leaves the bakery to head back towards the hotel.
When he has somewhere to go, Hoseok’s pace can be quite purposeful and so he makes it back to the hotel with plenty of time to shower, change into a more carefully selected outfit to suit the weather and pack a more substantial day bag, with spare space for any necessary purchases.
Keeping track of the time, he leaves his room with exactly enough time to get out to the hotel foyer. He had managed to book a room at the same hotel they would be staying at during their time in London but the first night’s accommodation had been organised partially by himself before the group tour officially began. Now, he only has to grab his already packed bag and move it to whichever room he will be staying in tonight, booked through the travel group.
The tour group is easily recognisable given the person who he guesses is the guide stands in a bright orange t-shirt with the logo of the company on it. She also holds a small orange flag with the same symbol. Only two other people stand by her as he approaches but he isn’t counting their numbers yet as he’s still a few minutes early.
“Hi! You’re with the Global Wander Group?” The guide asks as he approaches and he gives her a big smile and nods.
“Yes. Day 1 London, let’s go!” He replies and she lets out a delighted laugh at his enthusiasm. Looking down at a notebook as she greets him, she seems to be scanning a list of names.
“Are you… Nam-” Her eyes look down the list as she tries to guess at his identity but he helps her out.
“Jung- Hoseok Jung.” He speaks carefully and she smiles brightly again as she finds him on the list, making a mark. She then carefully repeats his name, looking to him to make sure she got the pronunciation right. He grins with a thumbs up to confirm she did a good job.
“Okay great. We’ll wait here for a few minutes for everyone to get here. At least I know everyone got to London alright. Feel free to talk to your fellow travellers.” She speaks quite fast and Hoseok blinks as he switches his brain into english mode, processing the information. He turns to the other two group members he had already noticed and they happily welcome him into their conversation.
They introduce themselves as Deepa, a girl from India and Kevin, from America. Despite neither Hoseok nor Deepa being very confident in English, they make allowances for each other so they’re comfortable, and generally seem a nice pair of people. Eager to be friendly and find companions, just like himself. They’re also both around his age, a couple of years younger, as the travel company made packages for people within certain age brackets. It was a good idea that meant travellers were more likely to find things in common with their buddies. This group is no exception, as Hoseok very quickly learns that neither Deepa nor Kevin had been to Europe before and this is one of their first big trips away. The girl, Deepa, also quickly admits to being a fan of a Korean pop band he also liked.
He notices as people continue joining where they stand in their corner of the hotel lobby, waiting over the next 5-10 minutes. They’re clearly not going to be a large group but by the time their guide has checked her list and decided everyone was here, they are a group of 11. Hoseok had greeted most of them as they arrived but as people filtered in he loses track, not wanting to appear rude or distracted to his first new acquaintances.
“Hello, everyone!” The guide wiggles her flag as she speaks to get everyone’s attention and the gathered people immediately hush their quiet, friendly chatter. “My name is Rachel and I will be your guide for the London section of your trip with Global Wander Tours.” She speaks well now that she is addressing them all, a measured pace that Hoseok feels much more comfortable following without it becoming patronising.
She gives a small spiel about the order of things to go through. Starting with the room situation, where for the majority of stops on their trip, they would be doubling up on rooms, part of the package to keep the prices low. Hoseok looks around briefly but he’s still standing close with the original pair he had already started getting to know. With a nod and an easy smile, he agrees that he’s happy to share a twin room with Kevin. Meanwhile, Deepa has summoned another girl with whom she already looks as if they’re getting on well and choose to room together.
Then the guide is handing out room keys and telling people she would let them drop their things off after going over the schedule for the day.
As the people gathered there shift around, moving forward one by one to collect room cards, Hoseok looks across the rest of the group and suddenly meets a pair of very familiar eyes. This pair of deep brown eyes are staring back across the group at him with an expression of absolute surprise that Hoseok feels probably closely mirrors his own.
There, on the other side of the tour group he is going to spend the next 2 weeks with, stands the smart, korean guy from the cafe.
Their eyes meet and Hoseok feels his mouth turn up in an immediate smile. Of all the countries in all the world to go on the same tour to visit the same bakery at the same time. Isn’t fate a funny a thing?