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Once, Tablo almost gave up.
He saw no way out of this crazy, fucked up world. He didn't know how to make things right again, how to free the friends that had gotten arrested, how to put music back into every part of everyday life. He didn't know how to go days on end without speaking, without hearing music, without the constant hum of laughter in his head. He didn't know how to live without love, without hearing someone say they cared about him, without being able to tell anyone that he loved them, loved them. The silence was killing him.
He had made up his mind. A world without love wasn't a world that he could live in.
But then.
Then BoA stormed into his apartment, asking him what the hell he was thinking. She told him stories without words and sang him songs without lyrics. She smiled to him and held his hand and took him on a trip to a field of flowers, several hours outside of Seoul. "There's still beauty in this world," she said, steely determination in her voice even as she picked one bright yellow flower and put it in his hair, gently. "We still have reasons to live."
Then Xiah dragged him out of the city, to the nearest beach, and talked to him until dawn. Told him about how the world used to be, reminded him of what they had lost and what they were fighting for. What they had to keep fighting for. Xiah smiled as he threw rocks into the vast, still ocean, and reminded Tablo of all their friends. "You remember them, don't you? I know you haven't forgotten about them. And I know that you know that we have to keep going, for them," he said, and leaned his head on Tablo's shoulder, seeking comfort as well as providing it.
Then Bora wrote him long letters filled with fairytales and happy endings, and sent him envelope upon envelope of sheet music. She sent him drawings filled with light and polaroids of everyday things that she found beautiful; raindrops on a window, fallen leaves on the pavement, a plastic bag caught by wind and soaring high, sunsets over the Seoul skyline. Tablo watched all of them, time and time again, and he nodded to himself because he could believe, believe, believe. "Beauty doesn't have to be hitting you in the face, you know," Bora told him, her voice sounding strange over the phone.
Then they met up and played together again, after months of silence. Bora started them off, going straight from something soft and quiet into a more upbeat melody, and Xiah joined her, his guitar and voice falling fitting in with the song after a few beats. For a little while, Tablo just listened, until BoA nudged his side and started singing on the chorus, her voice blending with Xiah's, Bora's voice backing them up. It was impossible to stay out of it, and Tablo took a step forward, joined the song. He knew he wasn't as good at playing the guitar as Xiah, knew that his voice wasn't perfect for this, but he didn't care. All he cared about was hearing music again, seeing his friends again.
Tablo smiled. There was still room for love in this world.