Falling For The Park Brothers' Sister ⚊ Nishimura Riki

chapter five

Home Economics was always a drag for me, but today Mrs. Cho was droning on about making a white sauce for carbonara, a recipe I'd mastered thanks to Jay, our household chef.

With four rowdy brothers, survival skills in the kitchen were a must, and Jay had insisted this class would be good for me. So there I sat, pretending to take notes while doodling in my notebook, turning ingredients into cartoon characters straight out of some weird fusion of Gumballs and... what was it?

Nickelodeon or Disney? Who knows, who cares? Anything was more exciting than listening to a recipe I could recite in my sleep.

As Mrs. Cho finally mentioned homework, I eagerly jotted it down, shoved my books into my bag, and headed out to meet one of my brothers for lunch.

But my plans were derailed in the hallway.

"Hey," a perky voice chirped. I turned to see a girl with long blonde hair and dimpled cheeks, nearly my height.

"Uh, hey," I replied, already walking towards my locker.

She hurried after me. "Hey, newbie, wait!"

I paused reluctantly, already sensing where this was going.

"I'm Kim Jiwon, but everyone calls me Liz. We're having cheer auditions today. With your figure and height, you should come," she said, thrusting a flyer into my hand.

"Thanks, but I'm still settling in after moving here. Maybe another time," I said, trying to hand the flyer back.

Liz just smiled and pushed it back towards me. "Keep it. We practice at the gym. You might change your mind!"

With a wave, she disappeared into the crowd, leaving me to navigate the cafeteria alone, scanning for Sunghoon. My phone buzzed.

sunghoon: Getting tiramisu. Want something?

jade: Left me alone again? I'll tell on the older twin!

sunghoon: He's with me. Back in 15.

jade: Fine. Hurry up. Matcha slice!

Sighing, I decided to wait outside. The sun was warm, a rare treat. I settled on a bench, legs crossed, soaking it in. Dialing Jimin for company, I explained how the twins had ditched me, leaving me to fend for myself.

"Aw, will they at least get you food?" Jimin asked, dogs apparently forgotten momentarily.

"Yeah, matcha slice. But now I'm stuck out here like a loner," I muttered, flicking hair out of my eyes.

"How much longer until your next class?" Jimin asked.

"About thirty minutes."

"Well, I'd come keep you company, but I'm dog-sitting for Jungkook and Taehyung. Not the best time," Jimin apologized.

"No worries. Looks like you've got your hands full," I said, noticing Ni-ki approaching out of the corner of my eye.

"So, did you say yes to the cheer audition?" Jimin asked.

"Nah, not feeling it. Plus, my new room isn't even done," I sighed.

"Language, Jiyoo," Jimin teased gently.

"Anyway, think about it. You loved cheer at your last school," Jimin said before signing off.

"And here I thought you were single," a familiar voice teased from behind me. I groaned.

"Go away, Ni-ki," I muttered, scooting away as he draped an arm over my shoulder.

"Good thing rules don't apply to me," he grinned.