Page 12 of From Paris to Seoul

During the ride, I could feel Sun-hee’s sharp stare piercing through me, and by the time we arrived, I knew exactly what was coming. I stepped up and paid for the entire ride, just like she expected me to.

We made our way to the room, and by then, it was clear she was giving me the silent treatment.

“You’re mad at me, aren’t you?” I finally said, tired of playing these mind games. I was too old for this.

“Oppa, how could you embarrass me in front of my friends like that? I don’t know how to face them tomorrow, I’m so embarrassed!” she burst out.

“Sorry…?” I gave her a genuinely confused look. “How did I embarrass you?”

“Well, other girls’ boyfriends just automatically pay for dinner, buy them flowers and gifts. And you? You can’t even order a steak without thinking twice!”

I gave her a long, cold stare. In that moment, I knew—we had no future together. She understood my family situation, knew I couldn’t afford to spend money carelessly, and, most importantly, knew how much I despised pretending to be someone I wasn’t just to impress others.

And yet, here we were.

That’s when I finally snapped.

I grabbed my jacket off the coat hanger, my toiletry bag from the bathroom, and some clothes off the rack, shoving them carelessly into my bag.

“You and me? We’re done,” I said, maybe a bit more dramatically than I intended, but… whatever. I was so tired of this nonsense. “Maybe you’re looking for an ATM or just another devoted fan—not a boyfriend.”

“Oppa, are you crazy?” she croaked after a few seconds, finally processing what had just happened.

“I’m leaving,” I declared, shutting the door to her room with a bit more force than I intended.

I managed to walk to the lobby with my small suitcase, emotions still running high.

Okay. And now what?

I pulled out my phone to search for a place to stay for the night—and immediately gulped at the prices. I still had a week left here before heading back to Korea. It would cost a fortune, but at this point, anything was better than staying with my ex.

Why were we even together in the first place? A wave of regret crept in. Sure, she was cute, but beyond that… did we ever really connect? And the whole influencer thing—even thinking about it makes my head feel like it’s about to explode.

After booking a small room through an app, I dragged my sorry ass out of the hotel lobby. The place I found was a tiny room on the seventh floor of a building with no elevator.

As I trudged toward the nearest metro station, I swore to myself: no more relationships.

5

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Seo-yeon

“I’m here in Parissss!”I texted Ji-a, attaching a selfie with a classic peace sign in front of a Paris airport sign.

Oh, wait—it’s probably past midnight in Korea. Ji-a is probably fast asleep.

I forwarded the same photo to my older sister, Yae-rin, who keeps an odd schedule at the company. She’s probably still awake, burning the midnight oil.

She’s the pride and joy of our parents—the smart, successful one. A few years ago, she started working at their company, clearly being groomed to take over one day.

Their only complaint about her is her complete disinterest in dating. And for a while, that was the one thing I had going for me in their eyes.

But not anymore.

So, what’s a recently single, possibly soon-to-be-jobless, boring disappointment supposed to do first in Paris? I sighed, wondering sarcastically.

After retrieving my suitcase from the carousel, I hailed a taxi and headed to my hotel. It was a four-star spot downtown, close to the Louvre—a place that brought back memories. I’d stayed here once with my family during a rare holiday a long time ago.

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