"Yoojung-ah, are you sure you want to do this? It’s not too late to turn back now...”

My mum asked, with her eyebrows furrowed and worry written all over her face. I remember the time I told her that I wanted to join the Navy of the Republic of Korea. Being a girl who was relatively unfit, she had brushed it off as a joke, and instead asked what had become of my dream of becoming a pharmacist. As expected, she would not know that I was shocked at her reaction, and not to mention a little offended by her seemingly harmless remark.

Ironically, my older brother, Min Yoongi, served in the Navy. Yes, he was undoubtedly known for being the laziest person one could ever meet and had a pretty nonchalant personality. However, he was definitely sportier than me, representing the school’s basketball team and was weirdly known to be the "Ace”. In other words, he was almost like the perfect package. He did sports, sure, but he was also talented in the Arts. Sometimes, he also represented the school in talent competitions, specializing in rap and composing, and named himself "Suga”. Nobody knows why, but that did not stop him from becoming one of the youngest underground rappers amongst the various high schools.

On the other hand, I was always known as "Yoongi’s little sister”. For the majority, I was probably well known because of him. On the contrary, I was nothing like him. In fact, we were almost polar opposites. While he played basketball, I took up photography courses and earned myself the title of being one of the best photographers in the school. At times, Yoongi would tell me that his friends, especially the girls, would rave endlessly about my blog posts, whether it was on Tumblr or Instagram. I was always told that my feeds were their “life goals” and I was proud of my own little achievement.

Despite our differences, we still had a pretty close knitted relationship. We looked after each other’s well-being and could talk endlessly about our life experiences. It might not look it, but he was one protective hell of a brother. For that, it probably explained why I had little male friends, whether it was in elementary school or high school. Whenever I went out with a guy, it always resulted in an interrogation from Yoongi, endlessly questioning about the boys in my life.

"I swear, Min Yoojung, if I catch you in a relationship, I will make sure that the boy has no ‘Father’s Day’. You got me?” That was Min Yoongi’s catchphrase and I was sure to be reminded of it once a month at most.

Over time, he had grew to become a role model for me. When he graduated, he had attained straight As at the College Entrance Exams (CSATs) and was awarded a full scholarship at Korea University to study whatever course he wanted. Not only that, he was also awarded the prestigious "Flame Award” for his outstanding performance in the academics and sports.

After that, he would come back to the school to conduct motivational talks and workshops before the examinations. Despite his fame, I was never embarrassed by the fact that the eyes of the student body were all on me and instead, I would admit with pride that he is my older brother. There were times his face would go as red as a tomato when I did my version of public announcements, but he could not hide that subtle smile he wore whenever I did so.

Now, I sat in front of the computer screen with the application form on the screen and my cursor at the option that screamed the word, in bold and in capital letters, "CONFIRM”. I hesitated, especially with my mother watching what I would do. I could see that she was extremely doubtful and was hoping that I would click the "CANCEL” option instead.

With that, I looked at her and said with an assuring voice, "Don’t worry umma. I’m not going to be alone! I promise that I’ll keep myself safe and I’ll train from today, to ensure that I keep in shape for the tough trainings ahead!”

She only looked at me with worry even more obvious now and sighed, before walking out of my room in silence to continue preparing dinner for the family. Yoongi was booking out today and would be spending the weekend with us, hence the feast that my mother prepared.

Without much thought, I shrugged and clicked the option and it read,

"Thank you for your application. Please wait for 3-5 days and an email will be sent if your application is successful. We look forward to your participation in aiding the defence of the country and we thank you for your courage and cooperation.”

I was proud of myself for having the courage to actually submit an application to join the Navy. In Korea, the girls had it tougher. We had to first indicate interest, then attend the interviews as well as the Basic Military Training that all the boys and men, aged 18-30, went for. After that, it was compulsory for us to sign for a job in the Navy. For us, it was practically equivalent to signing our futures away, but I was adamant in pursuing what I was truly passionate about.

Having an older brother like Yoongi really changed the way I saw the world. He taught me that with enough tenacity and grit, it was possible to achieve anything. Hence, he had also taught me not to shy away from my dreams and passions, encouraging me to sign up for the Navy when I was of age.

"Just because you are a girl, it doesn’t mean that you cannot do your part for the country.”

I laid back in my chair and closed my eyes, taking in all that had happened today. I opened one and looked at the picture placed at my bedside and it was a picture of my parents, Yoongi and I. Seeing that, I thought with a sense of pride still residing in my heart, "Appa, I’ll make you proud, just like Yoongi oppa.”