Page 2 of From Paris to Seoul

They were impeccably dressed, as always. My dad—the host of the annual MarineTech Association charity gala—looked sharp in a deep navy suit, while my mom stood beside him, every bit the perfect gala wife in a flowing beige gown that draped her figure gracefully. They gave me a brief nod to acknowledge my arrival before returning to their conversation with the guests in front of them.

“Mr. Kang, this is our youngest daughter, Seo-yeon,” my mom said, gently pulling me to her side as she introduced me to the white-haired man they’d been chatting with. I bowed and smiled politely, just as I’d imagined the night would go.

The man went on and on about his daughter who’s living in the U.S. and how he’ll be visiting her and his grandson next month. I nodded, pretending to look enthusiastic while my gaze drifted to the waiter in the background, carrying a tray of champagne glasses and what looked like shrimp cocktails.

I automatically did the math in my head: each shrimp has about six or seven calories, so I can indulge in a few. But the calories aren’t the issue—it’s the salt. Too much, and my cheeks might get puffy, and I can’t afford that because I have something planned for tonight.

My mom shot me a warning glance, so I nodded even harder at whatever Mr. Kang was saying. After hundreds of these parties, I’d become an expert at pretending to be engaged while my mind wandered elsewhere. Besides, I had a feeling Mr. Kang loved talking about himself and didn’t particularly care if anyone was actually listening.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a familiar couple surrounded by guests.

The petite woman, despite her high heels, looked tiny next to the tall man beside her, who seemed gigantic in comparison. Many guests seemed intrigued by them, chattering and giggling with excitement before the woman swiftly slipped away to grab a mini hamburger from a passing tray.

Ah, if it wasn’t theitcouple, Ryu Ji-yong and Han Yumi.

Ji-yong and I went to drama school together, and currently he’s undoubtedly one of the country’s most famous actors.

The petite woman by his side is his girlfriend, Han Yumi, an actress in her own right, though she’s had more success on theater stage than on TV screen. The three of us co-starred in thehistorical drama TV seriesPrincess of Cosmosa few years back, so seeing them here was a nice surprise.

I noticed Yumi’s face light up the moment she took a bite of the mini hamburger. God, I envied her. Most people in the industry started strict diets at a young age, but there were exceptions like Yumi, who could eat whatever she wanted and still look petite.

Her figure and her appetite were a complete mystery. Once, to my horror, I saw her wolfing down not one but two bowls of tteokbokki from our lunch bus on set—a calorie load that would last me the whole week! I could only hope she didn’t have a stomach worm.

I caught Ji-yong’s loving gaze as he watched Yumi, amusement dancing in his eyes as she wiped a smudge of ketchup from her cheek with a cheeky shrug.

Watching them made my stomach knot lightly. Was it envy? Or was it just the sweetness of the moment—like that warm feeling you get watching a litter of puppies? I couldn’t quite tell, but they seemed almosttooperfect together.

Well, Ji-yong had always been Mr. Perfect, even back in our university days, which was exactly why I never had a crush on him. He seemed unreal—like a Ken in a Barbie world.

A gentle tap on my shoulder startled me, as if my ‘bird-watching’ activity had been interrupted. I turned to see Min-seok, my boyfriend, looking a bit worn out. The soft lines at the corners of his eyes had deepened slightly, enhancing his charm.

Being seven years older, he carried that aura of a successful, attractive, middle-aged lawyer: polished, classy and rich.

I smiled back as he smiled at me, slipping my hand onto his arm, doing my best impression of the perfect gala girlfriend.

Onstage, my dad stood at the podium, thanking everyone for their generosity and explaining how their donations would support MarineTech’s mission to preserve marine biodiversity.

I snorted in disbelief. The hypocrisy was off the charts—his company is one of South Korea’s largest producers of industrial seaweed, a business that directly contributed to the loss of marine biodiversity.

The night wore on as we mingled with VIPs, chatted with Ji-yong and Yumi, and exchanged sarcastic jokes in hushed tones with my sister, Yae-rin. I did my best not to yawn too openly.

Finally, a little before midnight, once the ‘mandatory attendance’ time had passed, Min-seok and I said our goodbyes, citing early morning plan. My parents and sister stayed at the party, which meant I could finally have some alone time with Min-seok for a while.

“Should we go to your place?” I suggested as we hopped into his car. Min-seok nodded, though not very enthusiastically, and replied, “Sure, why not.” We drove mostly in silence until we finally arrived at his place—a sleek apartment in a downtown high-rise.

As soon as we stepped inside, he loosened his cravat, grabbed a cold beer from the fridge, offered me one, and then sank into the sofa, closing his eyes for a moment and pressing his fingers against his temples.

I had to admit, my plan for the night wasn’t off to a great start.

“Did something happen at work today?” I asked.

He sighed. “Same old, same old. My client wasn’t too happy with how things were progressing,” he replied with a shrug. “How about you?”

I shrugged back, smirking as I moved closer to him. My hand traced his chest in a suggestive manner as I unbuttoned the top of his shirt.

At the beginning of our relationship, he always said it turned him on when a woman made the first move. But this time, Iwasn’t sure if he was genuinely interested or just felt obliged to play along.

Still, he returned the gesture, his hand trailing over the top of my dress as he undid the buttons one by one.

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