Falling For The Park Brothers' Sister ⚊ Nishimura Riki

Chapter Forty Nine

The stream was cool and inviting as it trickled softly over the rocks, reflecting the sun's golden light. We'd wandered off to explore, Sunoo being his usual self, dramatically complaining about how rough the trail was while Jungwon teased him for his outfit choice—white sneakers for a camping trip. Jiyoo had rolled her eyes at both of them, walking a few steps ahead like she wanted to escape the chaos.

I followed quietly behind her, watching the way her hair bounced slightly with each step. It was almost hypnotizing, but I quickly shook myself out of it.

When we reached the stream, it was Sunoo's idea to turn the moment into a water balloon fight. "I brought supplies!" he announced proudly, pulling a small bag of water balloons out of his backpack. How he managed to fit those in there along with his skincare products, I'll never know.

We split into teams: Jiyoo and Sunoo versus Jungwon and me. The game started innocently enough. Sunoo lobbed a balloon at Jungwon and missed, the water exploding harmlessly against a rock. Jungwon retaliated with a perfect throw that hit Sunoo square on his shoulder.

Jiyoo, though—she was quick. I barely managed to dodge her attack before retaliating, splashing her with a perfectly aimed balloon. She let out a gasp, her eyes narrowing at me. "Oh, you're gonna regret that, Nishimura."

I laughed, the sound echoing off the trees, and soon it was chaos. Water balloons flew in every direction, laughter filled the air, and for a moment, it felt like we were kids again, without any of the burdens we carried in our lives.

It wasn't until I tried to sneak up on Jiyoo, intending to ambush her with a balloon, that things went sideways. I cornered her near the edge of the stream, a smirk on my face. "Nowhere to run."

"Ni-ki, don't you dare!" she warned, her voice wavering between a threat and laughter.

"Dare? Me? Always."

But as I stepped forward, my foot slipped on a wet rock. My confidence disappeared as I fell straight into the stream with an ungraceful splash. The icy water soaked me from head to toe, and when I looked up, Jiyoo was doubled over, laughing so hard she could barely breathe.

"Serves you right," she managed between giggles.

I grinned, wiping water from my face. "Just wait. Payback's coming."

By the time the water balloon fight ended, we were all soaked and breathless. We returned to the campsite, laughing as we wrung out our clothes and hung them near the fire to dry. The sun dipped below the horizon, casting an orange glow across the mountains, and we decided to settle down for the evening.

The stars appeared one by one, twinkling like tiny diamonds in the sky. After dinner, we spread out blankets on the ground and lay down to stargaze.

I was next to Jiyoo, pretending to be focused on the constellations when, in reality, I was stealing glances at her. She was beautiful under the starlight, her laughter soft as Sunoo pointed out random patterns in the sky and gave them ridiculous names.

"Look, it's a snail," Sunoo said, gesturing dramatically.

"That's not a constellation," Jungwon deadpanned.

"It is now."

Jiyoo laughed, and I couldn't help but smile. Moments like these felt rare—pure and untainted by the outside world.

Jungwon eventually fell silent, probably lost in his own thoughts, while Sunoo busied himself trying to take selfies under the stars. That left me and Jiyoo in a quiet bubble of our own.

"It's peaceful here," she said softly, her voice almost lost in the gentle rustle of leaves.

"Yeah," I replied, trying to steady my heartbeat. "I like it. Being away from everything."