Page 32 of From Paris to Seoul (K-Drama Love Story #2)

“Oh… that jerk,” I muttered, letting out a long sigh before flopping onto my sister’s bed.

“He cheated on me, and we broke up. That’s why I ran away to Paris. And now, I just found out I’ve been fired,” I blurted out. Short and quick, like ripping off a bandage.

Surprisingly, it felt good to finally say it out loud.

“You… what? He did what to you?!” Yae-rin leaned in closer, her head hovering over mine, eyes burning with intensity.

I let out another long breath and simply nodded.

“Oh, that gae-saekki ,” she cursed, punching the bed in frustration. “I never liked him anyway. With his stupid glasses and that annoying way he always adjusts them—like he’s the smartest person in the room.”

She huffed. “And the worst part? He’s acting like nothing happened! He called Mom the other day, all ‘Oh, how has Seo-yeon been? I haven’t heard from her in a while, I’m so worried’ —ugh. Unbelievable.”

Yae-rin hovered above me again, her eyes looking big and funny from this angle. “How do you feel now? Are you okay?”

Then, noticing the opportunity, she added, “And about your job… I know you really don’t want to, but I’d gladly welcome you into the company. I know you’d be great there.”

I laughed. “That’s really nice of you—to say that a 34-year-old ex-model and actress with zero corporate experience would do great at the job…”

I let out a sigh, deciding to be honest with her. “But no, I don’t feel fine. Well… not because of the breakup. That was actually the easy part. But… I don’t know what to do with my life.”

I hesitated before adding, “And, sis… what do you do when you meet a… stray cat that makes you really happy, but you know you can’t keep it?”

Yae-rin squinted at me, completely baffled by my sudden mention of a stray cat.

“Could it be… you met a very handsome French guy during your trip?”

I groaned, throwing my arms over my eyes. There was a reason my parents had entrusted the company to my sister—she was sharp, quick to catch on. And since I’d already opened up this much, I might as well tell her everything.

“Close enough,” I muttered. “A very handsome Korean guy in Paris.”

I heard her gasp. “ Omo . Who is this guy? Do we know him? Is he famous?”

“Yeah, maybe you’ve seen him a few times on TV or in magazines,” I admitted. “But that’s not the important part. The important part is… I know he’s not the kind of guy our family would welcome with open arms.”

Yae-rin’s brows furrowed, and I could practically see the gears turning in her head. “You mean… he doesn’t have a good background?”

I let out a dry laugh. “If by ‘good background,’ you mean rich parents and a degree from a top university, then yeah… he doesn’t.”

Yae-rin sighed exasperatedly before throwing a punch at my arm. “ Aigo . You might as well have hooked up with a handsome French man—that would’ve caused fewer problems. At least they wouldn’t be familiar with our system and expectations.”

I peeked at her from under my arms. “You think there’s no way that I could… that we could…?” I trailed off, unable to even finish the thought.

We could have… what?

Those six days in Paris really were just a movie, like he said. A dream. A fantasy. Not real life.

And even if— and that’s a big if —we somehow managed to be together against all odds, would it even work? Would we end up driving each other crazy?

Relationships aren’t just about burning passion and fluttering hearts, are they?

Yae-rin exhaled heavily, rubbing her temples. “You know why our family is like this, right? Remember Uncle…”

“…Suk-jin?” we finished together.

Uncle Suk-jin—my dad’s youngest brother—had become something of an urban legend in our family, the you-know-who, a name unspoken at family dinners or any formal gatherings.

At first, he was the golden child. He joined the family company and quickly secured a high-ranking role. But then, he met a woman—one who, let’s just say, didn’t come from the same world as our family. He fell hard.

A few years into their marriage, she conned him. Drained their joint account, somehow managed to sell off properties they had bought together and disappeared without a trace.

What followed was a long, exhausting legal battle that left scars on the entire family. As for Uncle Suk-jin, he chose to leave everything behind and start over in Thailand. No one has heard from him since. Thankfully, they never had children together.

Yae-rin leaned back against the headboard, arms crossed.

“So, yeah. That’s why Mom and Dad are the way they are.

It’s not just about money or prestige—it’s about control.

They think they’re protecting us from making the same ‘mistakes.’” She sighed, shaking her head. “And I think they’re just scared.”

I exhaled slowly, staring at the ceiling. “Scared of what?”

“Losing us. Losing face. Losing their version of what life is supposed to look like.” She shrugged. “To them, love isn’t a gamble worth taking unless the odds are completely in their favor.”

I chewed on her words, my mind drifting back to Baekhyun—the way he laughed, the way he listened, the way he teased me.

The way he made me feel like more than just someone’s daughter, someone’s fiancée, someone’s carefully planned-out future.

With him, I didn’t have to be perfect all the time—I could just be myself.

“They’d never accept him,” I murmured.

Yae-rin was quiet for a moment before nudging my leg with her foot. “But do you?”

I turned my head to look at her.

She met my gaze evenly. “Forget Mom and Dad for a second. Forget their expectations. If none of that mattered, would you want to be with him?”

Would I?

The answer came to me so clearly, so overwhelmingly, that it almost scared me.

“Yes,” I whispered.

Yae-rin smirked. “Then I guess the real question is… what are you going to do about it?”

I didn’t have an answer.

Instead, I lingered in Yae-rin’s room a little longer, wrapped in the kind of comfortable silence only siblings could share. But my thoughts kept looping back to our conversation, her question repeating in my mind over and over.

Eventually, she shooed me away, mumbling something about needing rest.

Back in my room, I flopped onto my bed—one of the few perks of being newly unemployed: nowhere to be in the middle of the day. I stared at the ceiling, my thoughts restless.

Mostly, they were about him.

Baekhyun.

Even with my eyes closed, I could still picture him, still hear his voice—like we were still walking beside the Seine.

I exhaled slowly and rested my hands behind my head. Is this just how things were going to be? Living my life with someone handpicked by my parents, all while secretly longing for the one who got away?

A soft knock at my door snapped me out of my thoughts.

And just like that, I knew.

My time had come.

It had to be my mother.

***

My mother isn’t the type to yell. She never has been. But I’ve feared her in a way that has nothing to do with volume. It’s the way she carries herself—cold, poised, and always in control.

“Seo-yeon,” she greeted me, her voice quiet but firm as she stepped into my room. She took her time, walking over to my desk and running a finger along its surface, as if inspecting for dust. A small, calculated gesture—but one that made it clear who held the power in this conversation.

“Did you have a good time in Paris?”

How was I supposed to answer that?

Running out of ideas, I simply nodded and braced myself for whatever was coming next. I realized I’d been holding my breath since she walked in.

She turned to face me, her expression stoic, unimpressed. “I assume you knew we didn’t appreciate your little trip. The one you took so suddenly, without warning—leaving behind your social obligations, your job, and your boyfriend.”

She stepped further into my room, arms crossed. “Tell me, what made you do that? Was there something… someone… in Paris you just had to see? Or were you simply bored with your life here? Why did you feel the need to run away like that?”

I gulped. This was escalating faster than I expected.

“Well…” I started, forcing a casual tone. “You were right. I was a little bored, so that’s why I flew to Paris.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line. “Don’t you know we were all worried about you? I called you every day while you were there, but you never answered. Is sending a simple text too much to ask?”

She took a slow breath, as if reining in her frustration, then continued. “I reached out to everyone—Min-seok, Ji-a, your agency, even some of your friends I met at events—asking where you were. Do you realize how that made me look? A mother who doesn’t even know where her own daughter is?”

Ah. Of course. It wasn’t about me. It was about her reputation.

I exhaled quietly, keeping my expression as neutral as possible. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” I said carefully. “I just needed some time to think.”

“To think?” She arched an eyebrow, unimpressed. “And what exactly was so important that it required you to disappear to another country without a word?”

I hesitated.

If I told her the truth—that I left because I found out Min-seok cheated on me—she’d probably dismiss it, say it was impossible because he was such a nice and respectable man.

If I told her I left because I wanted to quit acting and modeling, she’d chalk it up to some kind of mid-30s crisis and push me straight into the family business.

Either way, I’d lose.

I swallowed hard, choosing my words carefully. “I just… needed to get away for a bit. Away from work, from expectations, from everything.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Everything? Including Min-seok?”

There it was. The real test.

“Yeah. Including him.”

“And why is that?” Her sharp gaze bore into me, demanding an answer.

“Because maybe… he’s not good for me.”

“Explain.”

“Because I’m not happy with him!” The words burst out before I could stop them, my voice shaking as I fought to keep my emotions in check.

For a moment, I was tempted to tell her the truth—that Min-seok cheated on me. Surely, she wouldn’t let her daughter stay with a man who slept with an escort. No matter how impeccable his family background was or how successful his career as an international lawyer.

But the words wouldn’t come out.

Somehow, I was embarrassed. Embarrassed by the failure of my relationship.

I heard a persistent, tiny voice in my head: What if the cheating was because of me? Because I was plain? Boring? Not enough?

My mother sighed, her expression softening as she stepped closer. Instinctively, I took a step back.

“No relationship is perfect, Seo-yeon. Even the strongest ones have rough patches,” she said, her voice lowering as if imparting some great wisdom.

“But while you were in Paris, I spoke to him. We talked about everything. He told me how things really went and…” She paused, watching me carefully.

“He even said he’s been thinking about marriage.”

I blinked. “He… what?”

“Yes, he told me he’s been looking at engagement rings. He even showed me one! It’s beautiful, Seo-yeon. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, so you should go talk to him. I’m sure you two can work things out.”

Oh, I’m sure that WON’T be the case.

Judging by how my mom was practically glowing at the thought of a wedding, it was obvious Min-seok had conveniently left out the part about his raunchy night with leopard-print-cape girl.

The audacity of this man!

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay quiet. If I said anything now, it would only turn into another argument—one I had no energy for.

Instead, I sat on my bed, arms crossed, fuming as I waited for her to leave.

“Are you done now, Mom? I’m still exhausted from the trip, so if you could give me some space, that’d be great,” I said, keeping my tone as neutral as possible.

My mom opened her mouth, then closed it again. She looked like she still wanted to interrogate me about work but decided she’d done enough for today.

“Okay, fine. But promise me you’ll speak to him and fix things,” she said as she walked toward the door.

I just stared at her coldly as she left my room.

Once she left, I paced back and forth in my room, unknowingly biting my nails. Should I go to his place, confront him, and tell him to stop all this nonsense because we were over?

Or maybe he didn’t even deserve my presence.

This could be done over the phone, I decided.

I dialed his number, and on the first ring, he picked up, sounding both surprised and excited.

“Seo-yeon! How… how are you? Are you back in Seoul?”

I let him blabber like an idiot for a few moments before settling in.

“Listen,” I said, my voice calm but cold. “Maybe it’s not clear enough for you, but we’re over. I don’t want to be with you anymore. I’ll be telling my family soon, so don’t talk to anyone in my family again or spread any more nonsense.”

I heard a small sound on the other end of the line, as if he was scrambling for the right words.

“Seo-yeon… listen, I can explain—”

“There’s nothing to explain,” I cut him off. “Are you suffering from amnesia or something? I saw it with my own eyes. You cheated on me with that girl. And I will never accept that.”

With that, I hung up, feeling satisfied at having the last word.

The first part was done.

The second part—telling my family—would be much tougher.