Is my network drive safe when using public VPN's?

VPN
1

Hey guys, probably silly question that I’m struggling to find an answer for this through Google searches…

I’m wondering if my home network drive is safe when using a public VPN? (I say public but it is a paid VPN service with a login, I think that’s still considered a public VPN, but I’m not sure I’m using the proper definition?)

I’ve found articles that say they’re inaccessible unless they are shared to some host system. Is this true?
Could someone with malicious intent get access to my network drive if they tried hard enough?

The system that owns the network drive has password protected sharing on, and encryption as well (Windows 11 if it matters). What if it didn’t?

edit: grammar

2

The VPN itself is fine, I’d be more concerned about exposing a service running on consumer Windows to the public internet. Ideally self-host a VPN or use Tailscale/ZeroTier to limit the access.