The playground was empty. They used to come here together as a kid. He would bring his little sister to play on the swings that she loved so much. He never understood why, her love for the swings. Sometimes, he would question her sanity. Minhyun has always been one for the thrills. She loves the feeling she gets, that adrenaline rush. She was never one to play with dolls. She was the kind of girl that would hang with the boys and ride their bikes down the street. Maybe it’s because she grew up with males in the house. Maybe it’s because they never had a motherly figure.

"If she said she'll be back, she will," Jaehyo had told him. "You know Minhyun never goes back on her promises."

Truth. His sister never breaks her promises. It was something that was taught by their Dad since young. Their Dad was a man of his words. It is something that the two siblings are proud of, to have a Dad like that. That man was his role model. He was Minhyun’s hero in her eyes. Growing up without a mother was difficult. But seeing how their Dad worked really hard to be both a father and a mother for his kids, they worked hard too to make things easier for him.

Now that he thought about it, Minhyun has never gone back on her words except for that one time. He was 18, and she was only two years younger than him. It was the first time she couldn’t hold on to her promise. He remembers the events on that day so vividly, like it was just yesterday. He was at the company, having his usual routine of training. He was with the other boys, the same boys that he’s still with right now. Block B. They were practicing dancing when his phone went off. He had ignored it, thinking that his sister probably called just to annoy him again. He decided to pick up the call after the fifth time his phone rang. Agitated, he had answered with a harsh ‘what’ only to regret it later on. He remembers the two words that his sister said with voice full of pain.

“He’s gone,” she had said.

He still remembers that very day at the funeral. He just stood there with his sister and the Block B boys by his side. He had lost count the number of times he had swallowed the lump in his throat and fists clenching till they turn white as he greeted every guest. He remembers the soft whimper his sister would let out every now and then. He remembers how she had chewed on her bottom lip to stop it from quivering. He remembers so very clearly how badly he wanted to bury his head in his hands and cry his heart out. But how could he when his sister was trying her best to keep the promise they made to their Dad, to not cry when he’s gone?

It was not until all of the guests have left and only the Block B boys remained behind, that his sister’s emotionless face finally cracked. She had fallen to her knees, cradling their Dad’s photo in her arms. She had let out a heartbreaking cry that had stabbed his chest over and over again. It was the first time he had seen his sister this distraught. At the sight of her mourning, he felt his lips quiver.

“Dad,” she had cried. “You can’t leave yet. You can’t leave Minhyuk oppa and I all by ourselves. We have no one left.”

By then, the dam in his eyes broke. His head dropped into his hands as he sobbed at the cold, harsh truth that is reality. He should be the older brother that is strong enough not to cry. He should be the one to comfort his little sister, to tell her that everything will be okay. But he knew he couldn’t lie to her. He too, was unsure if everything will be alright. He was unsure of what will become of them in the future.

Amidst all of the crying, he had heard movement from beside him and his sister’s sobbing became muffled. He looked up to see that Yukwon had approached his sister. He was the one that pulled her into an embrace, his own eyes b with tears as he comforted her. Maybe that’s how it started.

Her relationship with that boy. His friend. His teammate. Kim Yukwon.