Seohyun walked aimlessly around the neighborhood, she just as lost as her brain. Once her mind had come into full focus, she stopped in her tracks, looking at the area around her.
 

“I’m not in Champs-Elysees anymore,” she whispered to herself.
 

There were no more marble walls, no intricately framed windows, no overly-groomed pooches in bedazzled leashes. The famous Arc de Triomphe was nowhere to be seen, not even the iconic Eiffel Tower. No matter how high Seohyun climbed with her tippy-toes, she couldn’t get a glimpse of anything familiar around her.
 

She calmed herself down. Maybe this could be a nice experience, she told herself. After all, she did tell Suho that she wanted to ‘find some new places’ today.
 

But by new places, she realized, she didn’t mean a place like this.
 

The street Seohyun was strolling down in was quiet to the point of being questionable. Paris was a large city, full of boutiques and an endless amount of loud tourists (who always seem to think that speaking English louder than they already were would somehow make a native Parisian magically understand what they were saying). As annoying as they were, Seohyun missed the sound of the commotion they made; it made her feel like she was in the right place, that she wasn’t lost. 
 

But now she was lost. 
 

She had contemplated calling Suho, but she didn’t want to bother him. He had probably just arrived at work, and she didn’t want to make him worry. Besides, if he even got the least bit worried about her, she would probably never be allowed to roam the streets of Paris (or anywhere for that matter) ever again without him by her side as a personal .
 

Seohyun didn’t want a personal following her around like a little duckling every time she had to step foot outside. No, she would find her way back somehow.
 

The street was dark, no matter which corner she chose to turn to. And the fact that it was noon, when the sun was supposed to be shining overhead on all of the city, made her feel all the more unwelcome. The buildings around her were either a) run-down and somehow still inhabited or b) abandoned to the point where it appeared the walls would cave in on them. This was definitely not the romanticized side of Paris shown in Hollywood movies. This was the side of Paris people didn’t want to look at, the side perfect for filming horror or suspense movies (the ones that made you double-check at night that your bedroom door didn’t just creak open by itself). 
 

“Are you lost, honey?”
 

Seohyun spun around, shocked.
 

Cigarette hanging limply from his mouth, the stranger blew smoke into the air, his lips curved into a simper. “Don’t look so surprised, sugar. I was only asking a simple question.”
 

Stranger danger—that simple childhood phrase rang through her mind. Her first instinct was to run, but her legs simply wouldn’t permit it. She froze, just like those unbelievably dense girls in horror movies who would walk down that one dark alleyway.
 

Oh wait, Seohyun thought. She did walk down that one dark alleyway.
 

The man inched closer, smirk growing wider. Before she knew it, her arms were in his grasp, covered by a foul-smelling palm. Her screams were to no avail, muffled underneath his hand. As innocent as Seohyun was, she was not becoming a victim today. 
 

Although struggling, she managed to take one of the heels off of her feet. With it, she took a jab at him with the pointed end, cutting his face. He jumped, a bit taken aback; his smirk, however, didn’t disappear.
 

Seohyun kneed him in the thigh, even though she was aiming for a place a bit higher than that, but this had to do. It was enough. She took the other heel off and started sprinting down the street, not caring where she was anymore. All she knew was that she had to run. Where, Seohyun didn’t know, but it was her only choice. 
 

As lucky as she was, today was certainly not her day. It was like the world was determined to make her that character in a horror movie that died first, that one dense girl you screamed at for being incredibly clumsy and stupid in the face of danger. 
 

Seohyun tripped. Yes, she tripped. How stereotypical of a situation like this. She would have laughed at how cliche her situation was, only if she wasn’t the victim. Like predator hunting prey, the man was inching closer and closer with each step in his stride, no longer needing to run since his victim had fallen into a convenient predicament. Seohyun’s legs refused to move. She closed her eyes. She prepared for the blood-curling scream she was about to make.
 

“Get away from her!”
 

Seohyun’s eyes shot open.
 

A new character had arrived on set, into the story. Her prince charming had come to save her. With a swift punch to the face, the stranger with the cigarette collapsed to the ground, and the prince ran to her side, lifting her upright.
 

“Run!” was the only thing he told her. Seohyun was more than happy to.
 

So they ran. Ran away from the villain of the movie. Sprinting was a more suitable word. She had been saved. Maybe Seohyun’s luck really didn’t run out after all. 
 

Once they reached a more populated street, full of those boutiques and antique shoppes Seohyun missed for the past hour, they stopped to catch their breath. 
 

“We made it,” her savior breathed. “You okay?”
 

Seohyun was still gasping for air. “Yeah, thanks to you.”
 

She fixed her skirt and made sure all of her belongings were intact. What surprised her is that the entire time, she managed to never let go of the magazine in her left hand ever since she left the apartment. 
 

“I’m glad you’re alright,” he smiled. “I’m Sehun, by the way.”
 

Seohyun froze. “Sehun...Oh?”
 

His eyes widened. “Yeah, how did you—”
 

This wasn’t prince charming who came to save her. She started smacking him repeatedly with the magazine in her hands. “How dare you!”
 

“Hey, wait!” He defended himself from the constant slaps of couture and perfume samples. “What is your problem?”
 

“You are the problem!” Seohyun grabbed a tin of mints from her bag and started pelting him with them one by one, backing away with each step.
 

“Mints? Are you kidding me? Hey, stop! Lady!”
 

Darn. Out of mints. Seohyun reached in her purse for something else, but he got a hold of her wrists.
 

“I don’t know who you are or what your problem is, but can you at least stop chucking stuff at me first?”
 

Seohyun humphed. It was a sign of a willingness to cooperate. Somewhat.
 

“I just saved you from an abduction, and this is how you thank me?”
 

She wasn’t ashamed. “Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”
 

Vexed, Sehun didn’t know whether to laugh or stare in disbelief. “As a matter of fact, I do have a problem with that.”
 

“Too bad,” she humphed again. “Thank you for saving me, but I didn’t need saving, Mr. Sehun Oh. I was doing just fine. Really, I was.”
 

She turned to walk away, but he blocked her path before she could go any further. 
 

“Woah, woah, woah. You? Just fine? You were gonna die back there!”
 

Seohyun tried to walk past him, but his damn arm wouldn’t permit her to.
 

“Look. Can we just talk? I want to know how you know me, and I’m probably sure that you want to know something about me too since you seem to hate me so much for no apparent reason.”
 

She tried once again to walk past him, but his damn arm was still in her damn way.
 

“Fine,” she said with her head held up high to the clouds. “We’ll talk.”
 

Sehun sighed. “Thank you.”
 

“Where shall we talk?” Seohyun’s voice cut through the air like a knife.
 

“Um, that cafe?”
 

Seohyun stomped her way to where he pointed, each heel threatening to split the bricks underneath her feet in half. Sehun followed behind her, receiving a few stares from the people around him. He heard something about ‘angering his girlfriend’, and Sehun groaned. Hiding his face, the two entered the cafe to have a little talk (or more appropriately speaking, a little spat). 
 

In the back of her mind, Seohyun couldn’t help but feel a little guilty (or a lot guilty). He did save her life, but she needed to save her dignity. She needed to save her pride for that stranger named Luhan, the one with the enchanting eyes. She didn’t know exactly why she’d gone through so much to defend him, but Seohyun felt that she needed to.
 

She knew Luhan was the one who wrote that story in the magazine about her, the story that made her big break. Sorry, Sehun, she thought to herself. But I need to find out what’s going on. And being sugary sweet about it won’t get the truth out, will it?
 

The cafe door opened, and the two of them made their way to a lonely, little table in the far corner, distant from the warm smells of cocoa and coffee. As they sat down, Seohyun flipped her magazine to the very last page of her photo spread. Pointing to Sehun’s name at the bottom of the page, Seohyun’s eyes pierced his.
 

“Now. Tell me why this has your name on it.”