Throughout his journey home, Zelo couldn’t help but grin to himself for coming in first. All his and Jongup’s practice hours didn’t go to waste, after all. He beared in mind, however, that it was only the beginning. There were many more competitions to come and he was determined to try and win them all.

He stepped into the house, hoping to see Yongguk around to share the good news. “Yonggukkie hyung!” He called out, but unfortunately got no response in return. Feeling slightly disappointed having his hope crushed, Zelo slumped his shoulders and dragged himself to his room. He knew he should be taking a shower first, but he wanted to cool himself off before he did. Throwing his bag on the floor, he aimed straight for his bed and plopped on it.

“Ahhh,” he let out a sigh of relief. It had been such a long day that he almost forgot it was his birthday. As he recollected the events of the day, the image of the little girl he almost bumped into flashed in his head. ‘The present’. He recalled and immediately pushed himself up to reach for his bag. It was still a wonder to him; why that certain someone wished to remain anonymous when she – or he, which he hoped wasn’t – could’ve approached him personally.

Maybe she’s shy. He thought. Or maybe … she has a crush on me? He was certain he would do the same as he thought again; until he was reminded of the time he liked a certain florist noona, whose beauty was beyond words. Often, he would use the shortcut to practice as an excuse to purposely pass by her store, right next to the ice cream shop, just to catch a glimpse of her. But he never really did anything more than that because he didn’t think someone older would have feelings for him.

After much debate with the voice in his head, he decided to open the wrapped box. He lifted the cover and found that he was given a necklace. The first thing he noticed was the words that were engraved on the wing-shaped pendant. “Keep the faith,” he read in a voice barely above whisper. He stared at it for a while to digest the meaning behind those words when suddenly; there was a knock on the door. Startled, he quickly shoved it under his covers to hide it.

“Hey, how was the day for you birthday boy?” Yongguk entered and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Hyung! I got these awesome shoes from you, the hyungs – well, Youngjae hyung – bought me lunch at my favourite restaurant, AND I won first prize in the dance battle! I could never ask for a better birthday!” He shrilled in excitement and held up the gold trophy by his bed.

Yongguk reached out to his head with a warm smile. “That sounds like a pretty awesome birthday for you. I’m proud of you, Junhong. I’m sure mum and dad are proud of you too in heaven,” his voice trailed off. His smile slowly disappeared.

“Yongguk hyung, I’m not sure if I’ve said this before, but thank you for everything. Thank you for always looking out for me and always being patient with me,” Zelo confessed and scooted over to his brother to give him a warm hug. “I won’t get myself into trouble anymore. I’ll work hard in school. I’ll make you and mum and dad proud. I promise.”

His words caused tears to well up in Yongguk’s eyes. Hearing that from his only blood brother was heart-warming, especially after having to put up with his rebellion as a teenager which, he guessed, was now no more. “It’s alright, Junhong. Whatever happens, you still have me and I have you,” Yongguk whispered. They embraced each other in that brief moment, reminding each other that all they have now was their brotherhood to help them get through with their lives. “Happy birthday, Junhong.”