daseotsal:
“did i never tell you? i lived in australia before. i’ve had many encounters with koalas. kangaroos too!” little does mark know, the stay was more alike to a tourist visit rather than residing in the place as taehyung always claims without fail. but mark doesn’t have to know that, or his confident assertion would serve no purpose.
come to think of it, if mark really was looking for koalas it wouldn’t be a bad idea to surprise his groupmate with a photograph of it. even if it’s simply a photograph. because such celluloid stills are conduits to the best memories and fills for the parts that a person misses. the brain can only recollect so much, after all. and when not visited, those memories will fade, just like your first imaginary friend as a kid or the song you sing to your grandmother when she was still around. even if the deed then was done in thoughts of another, mark could store it as his own. “no, go on. you should take a video too while you’re at it. it can go viral, you know? popular guy mark tuan hanging out with a koala.” he continues in jest, as if mocking his friend’s efforts. “i’m just kidding,” he finally says.
as the laughter fades, it’s then that sentimental thoughts of a hyung comes rushing. “seriously, though. while you’re there, you should make the most out of your time. i’m sure you worked hard. it’s only fair that you treat yourself.” he smiles to himself, thinking fondly on the quieter moments of joy he’d felt beneath the struggle that comes with the curse of living a life such as theirs.
“yeah hyung that’s me telling you I lived in L.A and ran into halle berry every now and then.” he pauses, before glancing back at phone, false accusation in his eyes, “which is looking like it’s easier than finding koalas or kangaroos in Australia.” he wouldn’t know and it’s not like his judgement is well-made. after all they’ve only been to a few cities as of late and if the weren’t out in the day why would they be out in the night...just roaming. the more steps he takes into the empty street he realizes how off his judgement was. maybe he knew all along and just needed an excuse.
“eyyyyy, popular guy mark tuan? more like kpop idol gets lost in australia, got7 continues as a six-member group.” they think about things like that. though it’s not as often. it’s not really an overseas thing it’s just more of a reminder that they’re human and it’s not like he forgets but in the midst of it all the thought gets pushed back. he thinks more of the freedom of a nighttime walk than the dangers. “if anything happens i’m leaving a note that it’s your fault I went looking.” now the grin he passes the camera, even in the dark of the night is a cheeky one. visible on by each time he passes a street lamp.
“a late night walk is a treat. hi my name is mark tuan and I like long walks in foreign countries and talking about kangaroos.” he can joke about it because he’s starting to feel it settle in, the peace of it all. “and come to think of it, running into anything doesn’t sound like a good time.” whether it be a kangaroo, spider, person ---- he’s more grateful for the peacefulness of the walk than anything else. and the reminder is needed because despite trying to put his needs high on his priorities it falls behind several other things. “ey hyung you’re heading off too right? make sure you have fun in my state and make the most of it. I’m gonna be offended if you don’t.”
