Page 36 of From Paris to Seoul

Her laptop sat open on the desk, playing an explicit video—two women tangled up in, well… veryunholyactivities.

And my sister is still in her pajamas, one handdown there, clearly about to have some… private time.

“Oh no. Oh no,” I panicked, stumbling backward, squeezing my eyes shut in a desperate attempt to erase the image from my brain.

I heard a flurry of movement—the sharp snap of her laptop closing, the rustling of sheets—then suddenly, she grabbed my wrist and yanked me back into the room.

Eyes still tightly shut, I had no idea what to expect. But suddenly, it all made sense.

So that’s why she was never interested in dating… or at least, not in dating men.

Not my business anyway, I reminded myself. As long as she’s happy, that’s all that matters.

I heard her exasperated sigh. “I thought you’d still be passed out in your room,” she muttered, sitting back on her bed and yanking me down to sit beside her.

Cautiously, I cracked one eye open—half-expecting to see something I really didn’t want to. “Err… nope. I’m here,” I said dryly, unsure of what else to add.

Yae-rin ran a hand through her short hair. “Well, I felt a bit sick today, so I’m skipping the office,” she announced casually, as if I hadn’t just walked in onthat.

Then, as if deciding to steer the conversation far, far away from what just happened, she added, “Anyway… how was Paris? Just so you know, Mom is absolutely livid. And Min-seok called a few times. Mom was even angrier when she found out you left without telling him.”

“Oh… that jerk,” I muttered, letting out a long sigh before flopping onto my sister’s bed.

“He cheated on me, and we broke up. That’s why I ran away to Paris. And now, I just found out I’ve been fired,” I blurted out. Short and quick, like ripping off a bandage.

Surprisingly, it feltgoodto finally say it out loud.

“You… what?Hedid what to you?!” Yae-rin leaned in closer, her head hovering over mine, eyes burning with intensity.

I let out another long breath and simply nodded.

“Oh, thatgae-saekki,” she cursed, punching the bed in frustration. “I never liked him anyway. With his stupid glasses and that annoying way he always adjusts them—like he’s the smartest person in the room.”

She huffed. “And the worst part? He’s acting like nothing happened! He called Mom the other day, all‘Oh, how has Seo-yeon been? I haven’t heard from her in a while, I’m so worried’—ugh. Unbelievable.”

Yae-rin hovered above me again, her eyes looking big and funny from this angle. “How do you feel now? Are you okay?”

Then, noticing the opportunity, she added, “And about your job… I know you really don’t want to, but I’d gladly welcome you into the company. I know you’d be great there.”

I laughed. “That’s really nice of you—to say that a 34-year-old ex-model and actress with zero corporate experience would do great at the job…”

I let out a sigh, deciding to be honest with her. “But no, I don’t feel fine. Well… not because of the breakup. That was actually the easy part. But… I don’t know what to do with my life.”

I hesitated before adding, “And, sis… what do you do when you meet a… stray cat that makes you really happy, but you know you can’t keep it?”

Yae-rin squinted at me, completely baffled by my sudden mention of a stray cat.

“Could it be… you met a very handsome French guy during your trip?”

I groaned, throwing my arms over my eyes. There was a reason my parents had entrusted the company to my sister—she was sharp, quick to catch on. And since I’d already opened up this much, I might as well tell her everything.

“Close enough,” I muttered. “A very handsome Korean guy in Paris.”

I heard her gasp. “Omo. Who is this guy? Do we know him? Is he famous?”

“Yeah, maybe you’ve seen him a few times on TV or in magazines,” I admitted. “But that’s not the important part. The important part is… I know he’s not the kind of guy our family would welcome with open arms.”

Yae-rin’s brows furrowed, and I could practically see the gears turning in her head. “You mean… he doesn’t have a good background?”

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