Haeundae, Busan

“There!” he said as he pulled the pail, revealing the upside-down-pail-shape formed by the white sand. “It’s a sand castle!”

“It does not look like a sand castle,” she said as she pouted her lips.

He frowned in disappointment. He looked around and saw a small blue flag hidden beneath the sand. He picked it and placed it on top of the sand castle. “Does that look like a sand castle?”

She clapped and said enthusiastically, “Yes, yes! Wow!”

He looked to the right and saw two people walking towards them. “Umma! Appa!” he said as he stood and ran towards them. He opened his arms and his father carried him.

“Oh, Min Ki-yah!” Minho said as he laughed.

“Min Ki, you should be careful more often. You might fall,” Sulli reprimanded him as she smiled.

“Where’s Ae Cha, Min Ki?” Minho asked in a cute manner. Min Ki turned to the left and pointed her. They walked towards her and Minho placed Min Ki beside Ae Cha. Suddenly, Minho noticed the sand castle. “Oh! What’s that?”

“That’s a sand castle Min Ki made. It’s beautiful, right?” Ae Cha said in a cute manner.

Minho and Sulli looked at each other. They were both thinking of their precious childhood memory that was never forgotten. They both laughed at each other. “Let me take a picture of you three,” Minho said as he grabbed his camera.

Sulli jogged to the two and sat beside Min Ki. “Wait!” a voice shouted behind Minho’s back. Minho looked back and saw it was Taemin and Krystal.

“Oh! Taemin and Krystal, where did you go?” he asked.

“I just bought some food for us all,” Krystal said as she showed the plastic bag full of different snacks.

“Why are you going to take a picture without us?” Taemin joked.

“Appa! Umma!” Ae Cha said impatiently.

“Yes, we’re coming there!” Taemin and Krystal said in chorus. They sat beside Ae Cha and hugged her tightly.

“Ready?” Minho asked as he readied the camera. “Hana, dul…”

“Wait!” Sulli said. “Aren’t you supposed to be here?”

Minho laughed and asked, “Who’s going to take the picture?” Minho looked around and saw a guy wandering around. He called him and asked, “Sir, can you take a picture of us?”

“Ah, sure,” he said. Minho hurried and sat beside Min Ki. Minho and Sulli hugged Min Ki tightly and faced the camera while smiling. They all posed different wacky and cute poses. “Ready? Hana, dul, set.”

A year after our wedding, Taemin and Krystal got married next. It was only months when Ssul and Taemin decided to retire as idols and focus on their personal lives. Sulli and I, along with Taemin and Krystal, had gone through thick and thin together and remained friends until this very moment. Six months after, we all moved to Busan, a place that we were all familiar with. A place that made us feel that we’re home.

A place where we could truly testify the word ‘forever.’

In a video game, if your player fails at one stage, it would ask you if you would still continue on doing your mission. It’s a lot like our lives. Though not all the time you are given the second chance, you are always given a decision—a decision to continue or not.

It reflected what Sulli and I had faced in years. After the years of waiting, sadness and anger, we both learned one thing. Continuing should not be a question, it should be an answer.

Continue? 3, 2, 1. Continue.