keep on walking {tablo/eunhyuk} ; je
keep on walking
epik junior | blohyuk | pg | married tablo | angst, romance
tablo tells himself that it's just better to keep walking
There’s a thick smoke in the air and Tablo looks up, following the gray trail to the skies, where it’s sucked up, into a gaping hole forever. Tablo’s eyes feel wet and he rubs at them, moving his glasses in the process. He sighs, following the pushing crowd somewhere that he isn’t sure of just yet. He just knows that it’s better to keep walking.
He grabs the pole and swings the other direction, following the crowd in the opposite direction, to the building that spurts out the toxic gas. It feels odd standing there, being pushed by people, but he’s brought to the same place every day, to the same, awful building filling the gray skies with the gray smoke that surrounds them. His mouth moves in an inaudible symphony, catching a tune that would describe the feeling he has right now. But when he tries to remember it later on, it’s been caught in the wind.
He just knows it’s better to keep walking.
Hyukjae watches him with scared eyes whenever he comes home. “You smell like smoke,” he says, putting more of the sickly four-dollar ramen in his mouth. It’s Hyukjae’s current diet. Tablo finds the rest and sits across from him at the table, taking a brief moment to admire Hyukjae’s features. Tablo would have never agreed with platinum blonde - but he likes it now that it’s faded away into a darker tone he saw last year. Last year, he barely saw Hyukjae. He didn’t see many people. He bites down on his tongue and pretends it doesn’t hurt.
“I was walking by the big building that spurts it out every three seconds. That’s probably why.” His answer is simple, and he knows that Hyukjae should be asking why he was around such a terrible side of town in the first place, but instead continues to eat the ramen that sticks to the roof of his mouth and leaves a terrible taste there, but he pretends not to notice. He just knows it’s better to keep eating, to keep walking, then to tell Hyukjae that there’s a reason why the ramen was at the back of the cupboard.
Hyukjae eyes him suspiciously before setting down his chopsticks and looking around the house. “Where’s the family?” he asks bitterly, his eyes invisibly frying the table. Tablo knows that ever since the news of him getting married came out, Hyukjae was mad. The Suju member refused to speak him for many weeks, all up until Heechul forced him to. And then when he had a baby, that was the final blow for Hyukjae. He wants to tell him to keep walking, to forget about him, but then why was he the one that’s suggested he come over for the week when his wife and daughter were at Jeju Island?
“Visiting some family,” Tablo lied, and it sticks to him like the disgusting taste of the ramen. Hyukjae sighs but smiles, looking up to face him, his eyes red and bloodshot. Had he been crying before Tablo had arrived? His stomach turns uncomfortably. Hyukjae’s fingers tap on the table; it’s a beat that Tablo remembers all too well. His throat is dry but he says it anyways, the familiar lyrics they wrote together when they fell in love.
Neither of them released it. Hyukjae said that his company would never approve of music like this, and Tablo said that it wasn’t raw enough for Epik High. So it rotted in their minds, shared amongst beers or when conversations grew silent between them. Tablo’s about to finish when Hyukjae puts his finger on his lips, silencing him and watching him with curious eyes. “Don’t let the song finish,” Hyukjae says.
He stands up and gives him a soft peck on the cheek, one that Tablo silently wishes was longer. He watches the blonde exit the door, the whispered lyrics shared in their minds.
He just knows it’s better to keep walking.
epik junior | blohyuk | pg | married tablo | angst, romance
tablo tells himself that it's just better to keep walking
There’s a thick smoke in the air and Tablo looks up, following the gray trail to the skies, where it’s sucked up, into a gaping hole forever. Tablo’s eyes feel wet and he rubs at them, moving his glasses in the process. He sighs, following the pushing crowd somewhere that he isn’t sure of just yet. He just knows that it’s better to keep walking.
He grabs the pole and swings the other direction, following the crowd in the opposite direction, to the building that spurts out the toxic gas. It feels odd standing there, being pushed by people, but he’s brought to the same place every day, to the same, awful building filling the gray skies with the gray smoke that surrounds them. His mouth moves in an inaudible symphony, catching a tune that would describe the feeling he has right now. But when he tries to remember it later on, it’s been caught in the wind.
He just knows it’s better to keep walking.
Hyukjae watches him with scared eyes whenever he comes home. “You smell like smoke,” he says, putting more of the sickly four-dollar ramen in his mouth. It’s Hyukjae’s current diet. Tablo finds the rest and sits across from him at the table, taking a brief moment to admire Hyukjae’s features. Tablo would have never agreed with platinum blonde - but he likes it now that it’s faded away into a darker tone he saw last year. Last year, he barely saw Hyukjae. He didn’t see many people. He bites down on his tongue and pretends it doesn’t hurt.
“I was walking by the big building that spurts it out every three seconds. That’s probably why.” His answer is simple, and he knows that Hyukjae should be asking why he was around such a terrible side of town in the first place, but instead continues to eat the ramen that sticks to the roof of his mouth and leaves a terrible taste there, but he pretends not to notice. He just knows it’s better to keep eating, to keep walking, then to tell Hyukjae that there’s a reason why the ramen was at the back of the cupboard.
Hyukjae eyes him suspiciously before setting down his chopsticks and looking around the house. “Where’s the family?” he asks bitterly, his eyes invisibly frying the table. Tablo knows that ever since the news of him getting married came out, Hyukjae was mad. The Suju member refused to speak him for many weeks, all up until Heechul forced him to. And then when he had a baby, that was the final blow for Hyukjae. He wants to tell him to keep walking, to forget about him, but then why was he the one that’s suggested he come over for the week when his wife and daughter were at Jeju Island?
“Visiting some family,” Tablo lied, and it sticks to him like the disgusting taste of the ramen. Hyukjae sighs but smiles, looking up to face him, his eyes red and bloodshot. Had he been crying before Tablo had arrived? His stomach turns uncomfortably. Hyukjae’s fingers tap on the table; it’s a beat that Tablo remembers all too well. His throat is dry but he says it anyways, the familiar lyrics they wrote together when they fell in love.
Neither of them released it. Hyukjae said that his company would never approve of music like this, and Tablo said that it wasn’t raw enough for Epik High. So it rotted in their minds, shared amongst beers or when conversations grew silent between them. Tablo’s about to finish when Hyukjae puts his finger on his lips, silencing him and watching him with curious eyes. “Don’t let the song finish,” Hyukjae says.
He stands up and gives him a soft peck on the cheek, one that Tablo silently wishes was longer. He watches the blonde exit the door, the whispered lyrics shared in their minds.
He just knows it’s better to keep walking.