Falling For The Park Brothers' Sister ⚊ Nishimura Riki

Chapter Thirty Eight

Heeseung's point of view

Starting at a new school had never been easy, but joining the basketball team made it bearable.

Sunghoon, one of the established players, quickly became my go-to guy. He was sharp, composed, and someone you could count on both on and off the court.

His fraternal twin brother, Jay, wasn’t on the team but often hung around to support Sunghoon. Jay was easygoing and friendly, making him easy to talk to, even if we didn't have much in common.

The school itself was still unfamiliar territory, but having Sunghoon and Jay around made it easier to navigate. Yet, it wasn’t just basketball that was on my mind—it was also Jiwoo, my little sister.

At only five years old, she was the center of my world.

Her happiness meant everything to me.

A few days ago, on our way back from an away game, Jiwoo had trouble with the restroom door at a rest stop. Out of nowhere, this girl showed up and helped her out. Her name was Jiyoo, and she had this bright smile that immediately put Jiwoo at ease.

It was rare to see my sister warm up to someone so quickly, but with Jiyoo, it was like they were old friends.

Since then, I couldn’t help but hope to run into Jiyoo again. I got my wish when she showed up at one of our basketball practices. She was there to watch Sunghoon, but she kept glancing my way.

After practice, she walked over, her face lighting up as she spoke.

"Heeseung, how’s Jiwoo? Is she here today?" she asked, her excitement almost contagious.

I smiled, glad that Jiwoo had made such an impression. "She’s doing great. She keeps asking when she’ll see you again."

Jiyoo’s grin widened. "I’d love to see her too! Maybe we can all hang out sometime?"

I was about to agree when Sunghoon suddenly appeared at her side, his expression hard. "Jiyoo, Jay, we need to go," he said, his voice leaving no room for discussion.

Jiyoo frowned, clearly confused. "But I was just—"

"Now," Sunghoon insisted, grabbing her arm and pulling her away before she could finish her sentence. Jay followed, casting an apologetic glance over his shoulder but not saying anything.

I watched them leave, completely thrown off by Sunghoon’s behavior. What just happened?

Why did Sunghoon seem so intent on getting Jiyoo and Jay away from me?

Something about it didn’t sit right.

Just as I was trying to make sense of it all, my stepdad pulled into the parking lot to pick me up. Jiwoo was in the backseat, waving at me with that big smile of hers. I waved back, but my mind was elsewhere, trying to figure out what could have made Sunghoon act that way.

Two days later at home, the strange encounter still weighed on my mind. I went through my routine, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t adding up. I found my mom in the living room, going through some photos she’d just picked up from a studio.