Page 35 of From Paris to Seoul

Ji-a nodded, but to my surprise, a faint blush colored her cheeks. Very unlike her.

“Yeah, I was actually reassigned as an assistant for a rising star—Sungmin,” she squealed, practically bouncing in her seat. “Aah,otokke, he’s so handsome! And it’s my first time being an assistant for a male celebrity—I can’t even look him in the eyes.”

I blinked, then burst into laughter. “So things actually worked out even better for you.”

Ji-a looked a little embarrassed. “Sorry, Seo-yeon, I didn’t mean to— I mean, of course, you’re still my best actress and my best friend in the whole world.”

I hummed, pretending to consider her apology—though, honestly, she had nothing to apologize for.

“So… what’s next? And how was Paris, by the way?” Ji-a seemed desperate to change the topic.

Right—Paris. And Baekhyun. My mind went to him immediately.

He hadn’t contacted me yet, which made sense since he was probably still on a plane. And even if he had landed in Seoul already, we had agreed not to reach out to each other.

“Good,” I said, the only word I could come up with.

Ji-a frowned. “Good? That’s it? You ran away to Paris, had this whole dramatic escape, and all you have to say is… good?”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah, well, it was beautiful. The museums, the architecture, all that…” I waved my hand vaguely. “And as for what’s next… honestly? No idea. I don’t have the energy or motivation to start contacting new agencies. I think I’ll just enjoy my time as an unemployed person for now. At least until my mom kills me so I won’t have to worry about my future anymore.” I added dryly.

Ji-a huffed. “Well… your family is rich anyway. Can’t you just take over the family business or work there instead?”

“That’s exactly what I don’t want,” I said, exhaling sharply. “I went to drama school, thinking I could forge my own path… but who knew that path would be full of shit?” I let out a quiet, bitter laugh.

She toyed with her straw before sighing. “This industry is brutal. Haven’t you heard? Another actress took her own life a few days ago.”

“Yeah, I saw it on the news,” I replied. “Poor thing… she was so young.”

Ji-a nodded. “You never really know what someone’s going through. She seemed to have everything. But one blackmail scandal, and just like that—she was gone.”

We both got lost in our thoughts for a few minutes before Ji-a finally checked the time and sighed. She had to get to work.

We hugged, promising to meet again soon. Then she headed to her car, and I went to mine. We drove off in opposite directions.

For a brief moment, I considered just driving. Driving and driving until I reached Busan, to my grandparents’ house.

But I couldn’t keep running away forever, could I?

By the time I reached home, a tight, heavy knot had already formed in my stomach. My mind raced with worst-case scenarios.

What if my mom had already opened my dismissal letter? What if they knew about Baekhyun? And what the hell was I supposed to say about Min-seok?

The only advantage of living in a house this big was that I wouldn’t have to see anyone right away. My room was on the west wing, while my parents’ bedroom was on the second floor of the east side.

I parked the car and slipped inside as quietly as possible—moving almost like a thief in my own home.

Luckily, I didn’t run into anyone from my family, except for the butler. I asked him about my mom’s schedule, and he mentioned she had a board meeting this morning.

Seizing the opportunity, I slipped into the west wing of the house and entered the piano studio next to my room. It was the one place where I felt most at peace. The studio was soundproof, allowing me to play for hours without interruption—just me and the keys, shutting out the world and my problems.

After playing for a while, my throat felt dry, so I stepped out to grab some water. As I passed my sister’s room, I noticed her door was slightly open.

That was odd. She was usually at the office by now.

“Yae-rin?” I called out, pushing her door open.

I froze. Blinked. Then blinked again.

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