Falling For The Park Brothers' Sister ⚊ Nishimura Riki

Chapter Forty Two

I didn’t expect to still be standing in the park with Jungwon. But here we were, almost an hour later, with Rio still happily settled in his arms.

Every time I tried to take him back and leave, Rio fussed. It started with a few whimpers, then escalated to full-blown cries the second I made any move to head home.

It wasn’t like Rio to be so attached to someone else—he usually preferred being with me or our sisters. But today, it seemed like the only person who could keep him content was Jungwon.

And it was driving me nuts.

I tried again, gently taking Rio’s tiny hand, pulling him toward me. “Come on, buddy. It’s getting late.”

But Rio wasn’t having it. His face scrunched up, and I could feel the impending wail building in his chest.

Before he could let it out, Jungwon bounced him slightly, whispering something soft, and just like that, Rio calmed down again, snuggling against Jungwon like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I groaned internally. How had this happened? How had I gone from avoiding Jungwon for months to standing here with him, babysitting Rio together like nothing had changed?

“Maybe we should just walk a bit more,” Jungwon suggested, his voice gentle, like he knew I was on edge. “You know… to let Rio settle.”

I was tempted to argue, to tell him that I didn’t need his help. But the truth was, Rio was happy, and I was tired. Fighting both him and Jungwon seemed pointless, especially since nothing I did seemed to work.

So, with a resigned sigh, I nodded. “Fine. But just for a bit longer.”

Jungwon smiled, not pushing it any further, and we started walking again. Maeumi trotted beside us, wagging his tail, completely oblivious to the tension that still hung between me and Jungwon.

As we walked, I couldn’t help but glance at Maeumi. He was bigger now, but still the same playful dog I remembered from when we picked him out at the pet shop. It felt like a lifetime ago, back when Jungwon and I were inseparable, spending every weekend together, getting into whatever mischief we could find.

The memory hit me suddenly, like a wave crashing over me.

I could see us clearly, walking into that pet shop for the first time. We hadn’t even planned on getting a dog. It was just something we did on a whim, bored on a Saturday afternoon. But the moment Jungwon saw Maeumi, he knew.

“That’s the one,” he’d said, pointing at the scrappy little puppy sitting in the corner, wagging his tail furiously.

At the time, I thought he was crazy. Maeumi wasn’t the cutest puppy in the shop—he wasn’t even the friendliest. But Jungwon was stubborn, and he had a way of seeing things that others didn’t.

He insisted that Maeumi was special, and eventually, he convinced me too. We spent weeks training him together, and I’d even started to think of him as our dog, even though he technically belonged to Jungwon.

I glanced at Maeumi again, watching the way he stayed close to Jungwon’s side, well-trained and loyal. A pang of something hit my chest—pride, maybe? It was hard to say.

Despite everything that had happened between us, Jungwon had looked after him, just like he’d promised. He’d done a good job.

“You’ve taken good care of him,” I found myself saying, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

Jungwon looked at me, surprised, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips. “Thanks. He’s… well, he’s been through a lot. But I’ve tried my best.”