Page 15 of From Paris to Seoul

After an hour-long train ride, I finally arrived in front of the palace. Like everything else in Paris and its surroundings, it looked majestic, with its gold-coated gates and rooftops.

Even though the area was packed with tourists, I easily spotted Seo-yeon near the entrance. She looked a bit cold, rubbing her hands together and blowing warm air into them.

Her reddish cheeks, nose, and ears stood out against her pale skin.

I quickly made my way over and greeted her, “Hey! Sorry, did I make you wait long?”

“Oh no, no, don’t worry, I just got here,” she said with a warm smile. “We might’ve been on the same train, actually!”

“Ah, that’s possible,” I replied curtly, suddenly feeling a bit awkward.

It’s true that we had spent about three intense months together filming a historical drama, but we weren’t close by any means. Back then, we were rarely alone, and we hadn’t kept in touch after the drama ended.

Did I make a mistake asking her to join me? What if we ran out of things to talk about and things got awkward? After all, it doesn’t seem like we have much in common.

She’s clearly from a rich family, oozing a princess-like aura. What if she just wants to eat at a fancy restaurant and talk about pretentious things, like the difference between Manet and Monet’s art styles or… whatever their names are?

“You okay? Should we go in?” Seo-yeon interrupted my thoughts.

Whatever. It’s too late to back out now, I told myself.

I nodded, and we started walking toward the ticket booth.

“Are you here by yourself? Where’s your girlfriend?” Seo-yeon asked, looking a bit confused.

I cringed slightly before replying, telling her I’d broken up with my girlfriend due to… mismatched personalities, without going into detail.

Seo-yeon doesn’t seem like someone who would gossip. And even if she did, I’m not big enough in the industry for my dating history to cause a scandal.

“Oh!” Seo-yeon exclaimed, her expression shifted to concern. “I’m really sorry to hear that. Are you… feeling okay?”

“I mean, of course, you’re not, but… ah, I never know what to say to someone who just broke up,” she continued, rambling a little, looking awkward.

I blinked, then let out a small laugh. I’d never seen this side of her before.

“It’s funny, isn’t it…” she went on as we paid for our tickets and headed into the castle. “I just broke up with my boyfriend, too. You’d think ending a six-year relationship would be hard,but honestly? It’s not. It’s actually… quite liberating.” She flashed me a bright smile.

“Oh, I’m talking too much about myself,” she said, looking a bit embarrassed.

“No, no, go on. Actually, we don’t really know much about each other,” I said. “Back on set, you seemed… reserved. Like you only wanted to hang out with familiar people or, you know, the big names like Ji-yong. You kind of had that princess vibe—just like the one you played in the drama.” I smirked. It felt nice to be direct—no expectations whatsoever. Just casual banter between old acquaintances.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “No way! To me,youwere the one who seemed a bit cold. Honestly, I never knew what to say around you because every time I tried to start a conversation, you’d just give me a one-word reply,” she pouted and playfully landed a light punch on my arm.

“Was I…? Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,” I said with an apologetic smile. “And by the way, I feel fine. I mean, the breakup was just yesterday, so it’s still fresh, but it was a relationship doomed to fail anyway,” I muttered quietly.

She hummed, clearly intrigued. “Did you just realize that recently, or was it, like… you always knew, but you were in denial?”

Then, as if catching herself going too deep too fast, she quickly added with a smirk, “Ah, should we open a psychology practice together?” She chuckled, trying to keep the mood light.

Funny how easy it felt to talk with Seo-yeon—and funny how I was only realizing it now, in Paris, even though we had spent a few months together on a film set back in Korea.

“Or maybe a love doctor consultation,” I added, playing along with her ironic joke before my tone grew more serious.

“I think I always knew, but I kept convincing myself to give the relationship a chance,” I admitted as we walked through the castle’s grand foyer.

She hummed thoughtfully. “Interesting… I think it’s kind of similar to my situation.”

We let the conversation fade as we continued exploring the castle. Our discussion turned lighter, joking about the bathing habits of French royalty. One display explained how, in the Middle Ages, doctors advised peoplenotto bathe because water was considered unsanitary.

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