"Choi Min Young!" 

The little girl didn't stop running. As her worn white and pink sneakers hit the cold stone, it made a little thump everytime. It was more of a tapping sound, she was practically weightless, a skinny little thing after all. 

The boy called out again, "Choi Min Young!" She didn't turn back, but stopped once she reached a boy standing near the swings. His small hand was clutching the cold metal while the other was buried in the pocket of his faded blue jeans. He looked up at her as she approached him, his brown eyes giving that tiny spark of recognition. You could see him nodding, probably to what the little girl was saying, but the boy was too far to hear what she was saying.

He ran up to her, clutching her shoulder with his much bigger hand, scrunching up the pink cloth of her sweater. Words spilled from his lips, cutting off whatever she was saying. "Min Young ah, come on!" 

She looked up at him, giving him a patient look and said calmly, "Minho Oppa. Can't you see I'm talking to someone?" She waved her small arms around, gesturing towards the boy in front of them, who was now looked at the older male with interest. Minho was distracted the boy, Min Young always said boys were "icky" so who was this? He didn't even bother to scold her about the stupid nickname she had used. The girl snapped her fingers in front of his face, to which Minho winced. What was his sister doing?

She began waving her hands around, occasionally tapping her fingers together and smacking her hands. The boy nodded as she moved her hands and after a moment, he turned to Minho and waved. Then he clutched his thumb with his pointer and moved his fist from his lips outwards. Minho looked at the boy, his head tilted in confusion. Turning to face his sister, he asked slowly, "What's he doing?" The little girl smiled at the boy, who was grinning, and replied without looking at her brother, "You just got named."

Minho looked at his sisrer in stupor, "What are you talking about?" His sister finally met his gaze, "Oppa, meet Kang Jung Woo." She turned back to the boy and placed her pointer and middle finger over the same fingers of the other hand and swung them. Minho imitated the gesture, "What does this mean?" She sighed patiently and tapped her thumb to her fingers and then brought it down so her wrists lay on top of each other, pointing in different directions. She wiggled her fingers as her thuimb touched her nose and then brought her hands out to tap her thumb with her pointer and little fingers sticking out. 

"Yah! What are you doing?" Minho cried out, his cheeks pink in a mixture of frustration and curiousness. His sister smiled sweetly and replied, "Sign language Oppa. Can't you tell?" Minho nodded quickly, as if he'd known all along. The little boy watched the two in interest, despite the fact that he only understood a tiny bit of the spoken conversation. 

"Jung Woo is deaf Oppa, he speaks with his hands." Min Young explained patiently, Minho scoffed and replied with a small smile, "How can he talk with his hands?" 

Jung Woo then jumped in and repeated the hand movements he had first done, which Minho recognized as what his sister said was naming him. He repeated the gesture, the odd fist away from his mouth. Min Young copied it and explained, "You see, you can only get named by a deaf person. They take the something that describes you, or the first letter of your name and mix it with something that describes you." 

Minho nodded, "So this is M?" He brought his fist to away from his lips, showing both his sister and the little boy. She nodded, holding her thumb under her fingers. "M."

Minho asked with sudden interest, "Then what is this?" He brought his fist away from his mouth. Min Young giggled, and after a moment so did the little boy. "It means yell." Minho's cheeks deepened in color, "Yah. I don't always yell." Min Young placed her hands on her hips, a rather funny gesture as her hands were as bony as her hips. "Yes you do." The little boy smiled and signed the girl something, too quick for Minho to even try and repeat. 

He felt his sister tug at his sleeve, "Ne Oppa, can you push us on the swings?" Minho sighed, "Min Young ah, I'm tired. I don't want to!"

Min Young pouted, her lower lips trembling as she clutched her skinny fingers to his arm. Jung Woo tugged at his other arm. Minho sighed in frustration, "Yah, I told you I'm tired, and we need to get home." Min Young pulled away, her lips turned downwards in a disappointed frown. Jung Woo pulled at his arm again, and Minho turned to him and tried to explain, "Listen, Kang Jung Woo, I'm sorry, but-" 

Jung Woo tapped his fingers together at his forehead and then crossed his wrists, pointing in different directions. He then smacked his hand on his skinny chest and rubbed it in a circle. "Hyung, please." Min Young said softly.

Minho sighed in desperation, it was one thing to have his sister emotionally blackmail him, but now he had this little boy doing it to. He nodded, "Fine. Only for a little while." He turned to his sister, "How do you say a little bit?" She grinned up at him, a smile with one front tooth missing, "Like this." She took her pointer and middle fingers on each hand and moved the hand on top back and forth. 

Minho turned to the boy and repeated the gesture, "Get it?" he asked, with the slightest hint of a smile. The boy grinned and nodded, a gesture even Minho didn't need a translation for.

The two small children scrambled to seat themselves on the black seats of the swings. Minho crossed his arms across his chest and asked with a playful smile on his face, "Ne, who should I push first?" Jung Woo seemed to understand his words without Min Young translating for him. He pointed to himself and tapped his right pointer finger to his left thumb. 

Minho raised his eyebrow, figuring from the context what he was saying. He pointed to him and then stuck his right pointer to his left thumb, "You first?" Min Young cried out in protest, "Aniyo! Me first Oppa!" Minho chuckled, stepped towards Jung Woo, "Min Young ah, Jung Woo called it first."

Min Young stuck out her tongue, "Fine then." Minho placed his hands on Jung Woo's shoulder and pushed, sending the boy off the ground. After two more rounds of that, he moved onto his sister pushing her until she was able to push herself.

Jung Woo was grinning, revealing his crooked  eye teeth, which added to the goofiness of his smile. Minho laughed, the simple joy of seeing the boy smile making a warm feeling spread throughout his chest. Switching from Jung Woo to his sister, his sister cried out after a minute, "Oppa! Enough!" Minho complied, switching back to Jung Woo.

As Minho pushed the boy's small back, his fingers making contact with the boy's spine, which stick out through the thin cloth of his thin sweater. Minho frowned, wasn't he cold? He was about to ask but then he heard a high voice call out something he couldn't understand. Min Young looked over as she lazily pushed herself off the ground, "Ne, Oppa, Jung Woo is trying to say something."

Minho nodded, struggling to make out what the boy was saying. Up. More. Jung Woo waved his legs back and forth and a slow grin spread on Minho's face, if more is what he wanted, more was what he was going to get. Minho pushed with greater force, sending the boy far up towards the inky sky, His legs swung out straight and his dark hair flew as the wind blew through it, his rosy cheeks even pinker from the thrill of flying.

Minho's eyes widened and instinctively, he ran out, his arms spread wide as he managed to catch Jung Woo. His back hit the sand on the ground and he grunted at the force at which he hit the ground. He shook his head quickly, trying to regain his breath. Jung Woo sat in a daze, his small body tangled within Minho's legs. Min Young jumped off the swing and rushed towards her brother and her friend, "Oppa, are you okay?" she asked, her brow creased in worry.

Minho nodded after checking his arms and legs, "I'm fine, but I don't know about your friend." Min Young shook Jung Woo's shoulder and the boy slowly turned to face her. Ever so slowly, a smile spread across the boy's chapped pink lips before he burst into a fit of giggles. Minho stared at the boy in awe, the sound was unlike anything he had ever heard.

It was high pitched, and sort of musical in a way. His small shoulders shook as he fell into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, it was almost maniacal. Min Young's lips parted in a gape and she shook Jung Woo's shoulders furiously, "Yah Kang Jung Woo! Are you alright?" Jung Woo grinned at her and signed something quickly, his eyes glittering in the falling darkness. 

"Fun?" Min Young spat out. Minho looked at the boy in confusion and slowly repeated, "Fun? He thought that was fun?" Minho quickly stood up, pulling the boy up with him. He sighed and looked away before turning to glare back at the boy.

He wasn't going to understand a word of it, but Minho decided to speak his mind. "Do you know how worried I was? I practically had a heart attack! You could have seriously hurt yourself! Don't ever do something like that ever again, do you understand me?" Minho placed his hands in his waist, and Jung Woo got the general vibe of the scolding. He held his head down, his hair covering his face.

Min Young frowned up at Minho and tugged at his jacket, "Oppa, you made him sad." Minho cried out in frustration, "Yah, you can never win with these kids." He placed his hand awkwardly on Jung Woo's shoulder and looked away to avoid eye contact. Moving his hand up to tousle his hair Minho mumbled, "Fine. I'm not mad, alright?" 

Min Young laughed and shook the boy's shoulder, giving him a few quick signs. Jung Woo looked up at Minho with hopeful look, a look that reminded Minho of a puppy. He rushed towards him and wrapped his arms around his waist, his thin arms barely circling his waist. Min Young laughed again and joined in, squeezing Minho.

Minho sighed in defeat and rubbed both of their heads, letting out a small chuckle. As the two little children pulled back, Minho smiled at them, "Come on Min Young ah, we need to get home." Min Young nodded and signed to Jung Woo before turning to Minho, "Alright, let's go!" 

Minho patted Jung Woo's head once more, but then hesitated before turning back. He shook off his coat and placed it on Jung Woo's shoulders. "Here." He nodded in approval as the boy slipped his arms, his hands not quite making it to the holes at the ends of the sleeves. Minho laughed and kneeled down, tugging the zipper of the jacket up towards the boy's chin. 

Jung Woo touched his fingers to his lips and moved his hand out, like he was blowing a kiss. He glanced at Min Young who mouthed out "Thank you" and Minho laughed, "Don't worry, it looks better on you."

Tousling the small boy's hair once again, he took Min Young's hand in his and they started walked home.

"So, how's Jung Woo's home situation?" Minho asked casually, although he was aching to know.

Min Young shrugged, "It's like ours, Umma and Appa work all the time."

Minho nodded, understanding the situation. "And no brothers or sisters?" 

Min Young shook her head, "Ani, he has an older brother. I er, forgot his name."

Minho nodded gravely, "Aish, not a very good brother. Letting him go the playground alone like that."

Min Young smiled softly and hugged Minho's waist, "Well, I'm glad my Oppa isn't bad." 

Minho laughed and patted her head, "Exactly. Appreciate what you have..." At his words, Minho's ears perked as his laugh echoed in the empty street. He asked his little sister, "Is he there everyday? Kang Jung Woo I mean."

Min Young nodded as they resumed walked again. "Yeah, pretty much. Why?"

Minho shrugged, "Nothing. Maybe I'll go with you again tomorrow."

Min Young laughed and asked in disbelief, "Really? You'd want to go to the park with me? Why?" 

Minho shrugged, "Yah, I'm your brother. Going to the playground makes you happy. It's my job to make you happy." 

Min Young nodded, "Arasso Oppa."

Minho smiled and thought to himself, making you happy makes you smile. And smiles lead to laughter. And his ears and his heart ached to hear that little boy's voice again, and his laugh, his dulcet laugh. It was a wonder, what hearing someone laugh can do to one. He squeezed his sister's hand and promised silently, I'll always make you smile.