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She gave a small, sheepish smile. “Well… he didn’t say it to my face. I overheard it.” Her fingers traced the rim of her glass. “But it made me question everything. My career, whether I’m really meant to be an actress… And, you know, starting over in your thirties isn’t as romantic as in your twenties. It’s terrifying.”

She exhaled softly, then glanced at me. “And you don’t have to say all those nice things just to cheer me up.”

“I don’t say those things just to cheer you up—it’s the truth,” I said firmly. “I played a role next to you for months. I know you’re a damn good actress. There were times I felt jealous of how effortless and natural you were, like the role was written just for you.” I explained, feeling a twinge of frustration that she didn’t seem to believe me.

Couldn’t she look in the mirror and see just how talented—and how beautiful—she is?

The waiter arrived with our food, and I muttered a quick “Merci.” This conversation had almost made me forget how starving I was.

Seo-yeon poked at her beef tartare absentmindedly, then shot me a knowing look, her lips curling into a smirk. “But wait… ‘warm eyes’?” she echoed, dragging out the words playfully. “You’ve got to explain that one.”

I hesitated, caught off guard. This time, I was the one looking sheepish. “Well…” I started slowly, focusing on cutting into my andouillette—a type of sausage made from pig’s intestine—buying myself a few seconds.

“I don’t know how to explain it, but while you might seem a little reserved—like a princess—you have warm, kind eyes. The kind that makes people feel at ease around you.”

“What’s with you and this princess thing?” she asked, huffing in playful annoyance.

“Of everything I said, that’s the part you’re stuck on?” I shook my head, half-amused, half-exasperated.

She laughed, taking another sip of wine, and just like that, the conversation drifted into lighter topics as we carried on with our evening.

7

??

Seo-yeon

Despite the unexpected turn of events in Paris and somehow ending up touring Versailles with my quiet, mysterious co-star, spending a day with Baekhyun was… surprisingly chill.

I thought it might be awkward, considering how reserved he was on set, but being around him felt easy—like I could finally breathe again.

That tight knot in my stomach, the one that had been there for days (or maybe even longer), was starting to loosen.

Conversation flowed naturally, like we were old friends catching up after years apart. I even felt comfortable sharing more personal details with him, which wasn’t something I did often.

After a daring culinary experience at a classic French brasserie (I suggested we each pay our share—after all, this wasn’t a date), we continued our stroll along the Seine, eventually deciding to take a boat tour. I’d done this exact thing 10 years ago, but Paris at night never lost its magic.

“Mademoiselle, may I?” Baekhyun offered me his arm with a small smirk as we boarded the boat.

The night had taken on an easy, lighthearted rhythm, filled with playful banter.

“The correct term isMadame, actually. I’m in my mid-thirties—the perfect time for a mid-life crisis,” I quipped, mirroring his smirk but still slipping my hand through his arm.

“As long as you’re still single, you’re aMademoiselle.”

“Ouch. That one went straight to the heart.”

On board the boat, we headed straight to the bar, where Baekhyun ordered two glasses of champagne in almost-perfect French.

“Je vais prendre deux champagnes, s’il vous plaît.”

“Oh! You can speak French!” I said, surprised by this hidden talent.

“Well, ‘speaking French’ is a bit of an overstatement. Like, awayoverstatement,” he admitted with a small laugh. “I just picked up a few words when I auditioned for a role that required French. But in the end, I didn’t get it—I was too stressed during the audition.”

“Oh,” I murmured. A short silence followed before I asked, as casually as I could, “Baekhyun-sshi… do youlikebeing an actor?” I couldn’t help but wonder if others in the industry struggled with the same doubts I did.

Baekhyun hesitated for a moment before replying. “I never really thought much about it, actually.” He let out a small sigh. “After high school, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. And… my family situation made university pretty much impossible. So, while I was working part-time at an internet café, someone scouted me for a coffee ad photoshoot. That’s how I ended up in this industry.”