Falling For The Park Brothers' Sister ⚊ Nishimura Riki

Chapter Twenty Four

Sunghoon paced nervously beside me, clutching the coffee cups and a small bag of donuts in one hand, and a tiny teddy bear in the other. His usual confident demeanor was nowhere to be found as we walked through the school halls. I’d never seen him this flustered before, and honestly, it was kind of adorable.

“You think this is okay, right?” Sunghoon asked for the third time, glancing over at me with wide, anxious eyes.

I nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. “It’s perfect, Hoon. Sunoo’s going to love it. You’re making up with him, not trying to impress the whole school.”

Sunghoon let out a breath he seemed to have been holding in, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “Yeah… yeah, you’re right. I just… I don’t want him to think I’m just trying to buy his forgiveness, you know?”

“He won’t,” I assured him. “Sunoo knows you, and he knows you care. Just be yourself, and it’ll all work out.”

We turned the corner towards the lockers, and that’s when we saw them—Sunoo and Ni-ki standing side by side, laughing about something. Sunoo’s eyes sparkled with his usual brightness, his smile as infectious as ever. Ni-ki was leaning casually against the lockers, looking relaxed and comfortable in Sunoo’s presence.

Sunghoon froze in his tracks, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. “Oh no,” he whispered, gripping the teddy bear a little tighter.

I nudged him forward. “Go on, Hoon. You can do this.”

Sunghoon swallowed hard but nodded, taking hesitant steps towards the pair. As we got closer, Sunoo spotted us and his eyes lit up even more, his smile growing wider.

“Sunghoon! Jiyoo!” he called out, waving us over. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Uh, hey, Sunoo,” Sunghoon stammered, his voice wavering slightly. He cleared his throat and held out the coffee, donuts, and teddy bear towards Sunoo. “I, um, got these for you. I just wanted to, you know, say sorry about the other day. I didn’t mean to be such a jerk.”

Sunoo’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the offerings in Sunghoon’s hands. His usual bright demeanor softened, and he reached out to take the coffee and the teddy bear, his fingers brushing against Sunghoon’s in the process.

“You didn’t have to do all this, Hoon,” Sunoo said softly, but the smile on his face was as warm as ever. “But thank you. It’s really sweet.”

Sunghoon let out a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of his head. “Yeah, well… I felt really bad, so I wanted to make it up to you. I’m sorry, Sunoo. I know I shouldn’t have acted like that.”

Sunoo’s smile never faltered as he reached out and gave Sunghoon’s arm a gentle squeeze. “It’s okay, Hoon. I know you didn’t mean it. I’m just glad you came to talk to me.”

Ni-ki, who had been quietly observing the interaction, gave me a knowing look before turning back to Sunghoon and Sunoo. “See, Sunghoon? Sunoo’s not mad at you. You’re good.”

Sunghoon glanced at Ni-ki and nodded, a shy smile finally breaking through his nervousness. “Yeah, thanks, Ni-ki. I, uh, I also wanted to say sorry to you too. I shouldn’t have acted like that with you either.”

Ni-ki raised an eyebrow, looking pleasantly surprised by the apology. “No worries, man. It’s all good. I get it.”

Sunoo, still holding the teddy bear, looked up at Sunghoon with an affectionate expression. “You’re really sweet, you know that? I think the teddy bear’s my favorite part.” He held the bear close to his chest, his eyes twinkling with delight.