Page 6 of From Paris to Seoul (K-Drama Love Story #2)

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Seo-yeon

I hate being late, but some things are just out of our control—like highway closures from road accidents for example.

Ji-a tapped the steering wheel impatiently, clicking her tongue and huffing in frustration.

I love Ji-a. I really do. If I ever turned lesbian, she’d be my top pick for marriage. But put her behind the wheel, and she transforms into a full-on ogre.

“Ji-a…?” I ventured, cautiously. “Want me to drive instead?”

She shot me a look, one eyebrow raised and practically steaming. “And just how do you think we’re going to swap seats here? We’re gridlocked!” With a sigh, she rummaged through her bag, pulled out two big chocolate bars, and handed one to me. She unwrapped the other and took a big, satisfying bite.

“Okay, I feel a bit better,” she admitted, her irritation softening as the sugar kicked in.

“See, you’re so lucky you can eat whatever you want,” I muttered, carefully picking an almond from the candy bar and separating the chocolate from it piece by piece.

As I munched on the almonds, stuck in the endless traffic jam, I spoke absentmindedly. “Can I tell you something?” I began. “I think Min-seok is acting kind of weird.”

Ji-a shot me a look and raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

I hummed, pausing for a moment before continuing. “He’s been a little… ‘absent’ lately, I thought it was just because he’s busy with work. But last night, at another work party, I swear I caught the scent of a woman’s perfume on his shirt.”

I was met with a moment of silence, then Ji-a spoke up. “Min-seok? Really…? I mean, no offense, but it’s hard to imagine he’d do something like that.” She kept her eyes on the road. “He’s kind of… predictable.”

“I thought so too. And I’ve been with him for so long, I thought I know every little thing about him,” I said, agreeing. “But… I don’t know. He just feels a little… off.”

Ji-a shrugged. “I think you should trust your gut. But… I don’t know, try to get some more evidence before you go jumping to conclusions. Should we trail him tonight?”

Suddenly, I imagined Ji-a and me going undercover—sunglasses and headscarves, straight out of a spy movie. I chuckled to myself; it felt absurdly childish, especially for tailing a man in his early forties.

“Nah… It must’ve just been my imagination,” I muttered, pushing the thought out of my mind for the moment. The traffic crawled along, and I sighed as I saw the red lines everywhere on the GPS.

When we finally arrived at the shooting location, I was greeted by the Producer-Director (PD) and the film crew, none of whom seemed too thrilled. I apologized profusely and we got on with the shoot.

It had been a long, exhausting day—even though I was only playing a minor role, nowhere near the lead. I spent more time waiting around and getting my makeup retouched than actually being on camera. By the time we wrapped up, it was already 9 p.m.

I stepped outside to clear my spinning head, braving the brisk, chilly wind for a breath of fresh air. I walked a bit away from the studio, and before long, I heard some familiar voices.

“I’m so glad we’re done with that scene,” one of them said, followed by a deep breath—like they were about to light up a cigarette.

“Yeah, I’m glad too. But that Seo-yeon, though… she needs to pay for our overtime,” the other voice added with a chuckle.

I realized it was the voice of the PD and the casting director. They must’ve been on a cigarette break.

They were inside the smoking booth, so they couldn’t see me. But if I walked back toward the building, my footsteps would definitely give me away.

I felt a little awkward eavesdropping, but at the same time, I couldn’t help wondering what else they were saying about me.

“Yeah, I don’t know what else to do with her… I mean, isn’t she already in her mid-thirties? But she’s always playing minor roles—second lead, at best. I think that’s about as far as her career’s going to go.”

“You think it’s time for her to go under the knife?”

“Nah,” the casting director said. “She’s not bad-looking. She’s got that natural beauty. But… I don’t know. She’s missing something. Like… she’s just plain and boring.”

The PD chuckled. “Well, then it’s gonna be tough. Not even plastic surgery’s gonna fix that.”

I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming.

Great. Just what I needed to end this awful day.

I’d worked with them for years, even if only in minor roles. I thought they at least respected me as a colleague.

But how could they be so… mean? Being called ‘boring’ had to be the ultimate insult.

The prickling sensation in my eyes threatened tears.

I overheard them gossiping about others, commenting on the acting and appearances of the actors in the drama.

After a while, they finally left, and I had to fight to keep my legs from giving out after crouching behind the bush for so long.

As they walked back into the studio, I considered slipping away without saying goodbye. But I stayed—because that’s what was expected of me, right? The perfect daughter, the perfect girlfriend, the perfect minor actress… even if, in the end, I was just plain and boring.

I straightened up, forced a smile, held my tears at bay, and said my goodbyes to the crew before heading to my car—left by Ji-a this morning—and driving straight to Min-seok’s place.

He’s my boyfriend, and if I can’t find comfort in him, then who else would I turn to?

***

The ride to his place went smoothly, with no traffic jams, in contrast to this morning. I arrived at his parking lot and took a moment to collect myself, taking a few deep breaths. What should I even say to Min-seok?

Maybe I don’t need to say anything at all. Maybe all I need is for him to hold me in his arms and tell me everything will be okay.

I wasn’t even sure if he was home yet. I hesitated for a moment, debating whether I should give him a call, but I remembered he’d given me his spare key card for emergencies.

I’d never come to his place unannounced like this, but whatever—this feels like an emergency to me.

I swiped the card to open the apartment door from the parking lot, then used it again on his front door before typing in the security code.

As I opened the door, I expected him to be surprised (but happy) to see me. At worst, I figured I’d find an empty apartment where I could chill, steal a beer, and cry on his couch.

But instead, I found him on that very couch, straddled by a woman wearing a sheer leopard-patterned cape over provocative lingerie.

He looked surprised, alright.

“Seo-yeon? What… what are you doing here?” Min-seok stammered, pushing the woman off his lap and walking toward the foyer half-naked.

There was no other way to interpret what I just saw. My mind went blank, like my soul had just left my body and was watching this event unfold from the outside, laughing hysterically.

“You stupid girl,” I heard my ‘soul’ mocking me, cackling like crazy.

Even though the whole thing lasted no more than two minutes, it felt like it happened in slow motion in my head. And with nothing left to say, I just… left.

I slammed the door behind me and ran to my car. That jerk didn’t even try to chase after me.

Suddenly, everything clicked—the scent of a woman’s perfume on his shirt, the lack of intimacy, and his absence over the past few months…

My vision blurred by tears as I drove home, reflecting on all the years we had spent together, now feeling like nothing but wasted time.

***

“There you are! I’ve been freaking out, looking for you everywhere! Your sister said you left this morning without a word, and I had to track you down using find location on my phone!” Ji-a said, rushing to sit across from me in the hospital cafeteria.

“I nearly had a heart attack when I saw your location pop up at a hospital! Are you okay? You didn’t get into an accident, did you?!”

“Sssh,” was all I managed to say as I slurped the last of my iced coffee latte. “I’m okay… more or less,” I replied, sinking behind my oversized sunglasses.

Not that I really needed them—I’m hardly a famous actress; no one’s lining up for my autograph or anything.

But everything that had happened over the past few days felt so…

traumatic and, frankly, embarrassing. I wore my sunglasses like armor, as if hiding behind the dark lenses could make me invisible, letting me escape the weight of it all. “What happened to you?” Ji-a demanded.

Instead of answering her question, I realized something. “Wait, you can track my location on your phone? What the hell?” I raised my voice, still processing how she’d managed to find me.

“Well, yeah, we agreed to share our locations in case of emergencies, remember? So… this is an emergency,” she declared.

I guess she had a point. I hadn’t shown up at the shoot yesterday and had practically disappeared for the past two days—just holed up in my room, crying and eating ice cream. Super classic drama material, right?

I guess I am boring after all.

“That jerk, Min-seok…” I muttered, starting my explanation. My voice was barely above a whisper, just in case anyone was listening.

“That son of a bitch—an eternally semi-limp guy—cheated on me,” I finally told Ji-a, my anger bubbling up. All the heartache had faded, replaced by pure fury.

And the sadness I felt over the past two days? Yeah, it wasn’t because I lost someone I loved—it was because I wasted so much time on him!

Six years, the prime of my life, gone.

I’ve technically only ever been with one guy my entire life, and honestly, he wasn’t even worth it.

Since the incident, he’s been blowing up my phone with calls and texts—even showing up at my place once. Thankfully, my parents weren’t home; I suspect they would’ve taken his side.

But I think, after a few days of silence from me, he’s finally gotten the message: we’re over.

“He… what?” Ji-a’s eyes widened as she suddenly leapt out of her seat, almost like a character straight out of a cartoon. “That ssibal saekki !” she burst out. “Let’s go to his place and beat him up!”

I chuckled—so typical of Ji-a.

“And what, get arrested for trespassing and assault?” I raised an eyebrow. “Just let it go. He’s not worth it.”

Ji-a plopped back down, still fuming. “Okay, fair point. But I’m so pissed. I mean, who does he think he is?! How did you even find out? And why are you at the hospital?” Her questions kept firing off like a machine gun.

“I went to his place two days ago and found him with a woman… who looked like an escort,” I shrugged. “So I came here to check if I’d caught something from him or—god forbid—if I’m pregnant.”

Ji-a looked shocked. “And? What did the results say?”

“Yeah, I’m clean,” I said with a sigh. “And not pregnant.”

I leaned back, feeling the weight of everything. “I swear, Ji-a, I’m just so done with everything. I need to get away. Somewhere far.”

And suddenly, a wild idea popped into my head. I grabbed my phone, opened the map, and said, “Alright, let’s see where my finger lands. Random choice… here we go.”

I closed my eyes, held my breath, and randomly tapped a spot on the map.

I looked down, smiling. “Oh look, my finger’s got good taste. It says… Europe.”

I felt a spark of excitement. “Of course. Paris. It’s been way too long since I’ve been there!”

“But wait…”

And even before Ji-a finished her sentence, I already booked a return ticket to Paris for next week.

For a moment, as the adrenaline coursed through my system, I felt a rush of satisfaction.

So who’s boring now? I muttered to myself, a grin tugging at my lips.