Page 55 of From Paris to Seoul

But just as his grip tightened, a sudden noise from the first floor broke through the quiet.

We froze.

Baekhyun stiffened beside me, his arms slowly dropping from my waist.

“They’re supposed to still be at Aunt’s place,” he murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

Another muffled voice drifted from downstairs, followed by the sound of footsteps.

I glanced at him. “Should we…?”

He exhaled sharply and nodded. “Yeah. Let’s check.”

We carefully made our way down the stairs, the low hum of conversation growing clearer. It was definitely two womentalking—one voice familiar, a little teasing, the other laughing softly.

As we reached the bottom step, the sight before us confirmed what we already knew.

His mom and younger sister stood in the middle of the restaurant, their bags half-dropped by the floor.

“Mom? Ye-bin?” Baekhyun’s voice carried more surprise than anything else.

His sister turned first, her lips freezing mid-chatter the moment she noticed Baekhyun wasn’t alone. Her eyes flickered to me, widening slightly, but before she could say anything, their mother’s gaze followed—first to Baekhyun, then to me, standing beside him.

Baekhyun straightened. “I thought you were staying at Auntie’s place until Thursday?”

Ye-bin answered, oblivious to the tension. “Auntie’s bathroom is broken, so we couldn’t shower. We figured we’d just come back early.” She resumed unpacking their bags, then after a brief pause, her gaze returned to me. “Oh. Hello!”

Baekhyun’s mom didn’t say anything at first, just studied me carefully before turning back to her son.

“Baekhyun.”

He tensed. “Yeah?”

Her gaze flicked between us again before she let out a quiet sigh. “Well. Are you going to introduce us?”

I swallowed and quickly stepped forward, bowing. “I’m Seo-yeon. It’s nice to meet you.”

Her eyebrows lifted slightly, as if recognizing the name. “Seo-yeon,” she echoed, then looked at Baekhyun again. “That Seo-yeon?”

Baekhyun cleared his throat, shifting. “Uh… yeah.”

Ye-bin’s eyes practically sparkled with mischief. “Wait. The Seo-yeon? As in the actress? The one from—”

“Yes,” Baekhyun cut in quickly, already exasperated.

“Oh my God.” Ye-bin turned to their mother. “Mom, she’s famous! You watch her dramas all the time.”

Their mom hummed, crossing her arms. “I do. You were in a drama with Baekhyunnie once. I love that drama!”

I wasn’t sure what to say to that, so I just stood there awkwardly, nodding with a small smile on my lips.

Then, as if this entire situation were just another normal evening, Baekhyun’s mom sighed and asked, “Have you eaten?”

Baekhyun muttered, “Uh—yes?”

“Oh, that’s why the kitchen smells like garlic and kimchi,” Ye-bin noted.

His mother shook her head, already making her way toward the kitchen. “I’ll heat up some food. You can join us if you want.”

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