Falling For The Park Brothers' Sister ⚊ Nishimura Riki

Chapter Forty One

Chanyeol sat on the edge of the bed, his heart thumping in sync with the rhythmic sound of the rain tapping against the window. The soft light of the nursery lamp bathed the room in a warm glow, casting gentle shadows on the walls decorated with tiny animals and stars.

Akira lay beside him, her round belly rising and falling with her peaceful breaths.

Their baby was due any day now. Chanyeol’s mind swirled with excitement, nervousness, and a flood of memories from the past that he had tried to bury for so long.

Becoming a father had forced him to confront the ghosts of his childhood, especially the day his own father had tried to return.

He hadn't thought of that day in years, but now, as he waited to welcome his first child, the past resurfaced, uninvited but unavoidable.

It had been almost twelve years since then. He was just nineteen, barely an adult, but he had been forced to grow up faster than most. Their mother had been gone for years, leaving him to raise his younger siblings—Jimin, Jay, Sunghoon, and, of course, Jiyoo.

Jiyoo.

Chanyeol rubbed his palms together, trying to warm the chill that had settled in his bones. She had been so small back then, barely five, but he still remembered the look in her eyes—innocent, hopeful, desperate for love that had been denied to her.

The twins, Jay and Sunghoon, had always been protective of her, even more than he or Jimin. It wasn’t until that day that Chanyeol had fully understood why.

He glanced down at Akira, who stirred slightly in her sleep, a soft smile on her lips. She always had a way of grounding him, bringing him back to the present. But not tonight. Tonight, his thoughts were in the past, in that small living room, when their father tried to come back into their lives.

Chanyeol closed his eyes, allowing the memory to take over.

It had been a cold afternoon, and the house was unusually quiet for once. Jay and Sunghoon had taken Jiyoo to the park, something they often did on weekends to give Chanyeol and Jimin a break.

Jimin had been holed up in his room, studying for his high school entrance exams, while Chanyeol sat at the dining table, flipping through a stack of bills, trying to figure out how to stretch their meager finances until the next paycheck.

He heard the knock before he saw the shadow on the doorstep.

It was hesitant at first, barely audible over the sound of his own thoughts. But when it came again, more forceful this time, Chanyeol stood, his heart inexplicably pounding. He hadn't been expecting anyone.

When he opened the door, he froze.

There, standing in the doorway, was their father.

"Chanyeol," his father said, his voice deep, almost hesitant.

He looked older, more worn than Chanyeol remembered, but his eyes still held that same coldness, that same unreachable distance.

Chanyeol’s grip tightened on the doorknob. "What are you doing here?" His voice was sharper than he intended.

His father swallowed, his eyes briefly flickering with something akin to regret. "I came to see you all. It’s been a long time, I know. But I’ve been thinking, and I want to make things right."

Chanyeol felt his body stiffen. Make things right? How could he ever think he could make things right?

"We don’t need you," Chanyeol said, his voice hard and unyielding. "We’ve been fine without you."