13 Date Night (1)

Ash opened the door. Standing there was a stunning woman in a seductive red dress. She looked shy and a little embarrassed. She wore light makeup too, which was a rarity. For a moment, Ash was too dazed to speak.

Mirae was intimidated by his gaze. "I look terrible, don't I?" she panicked. Ash chuckled and pulled her by the hand, holding her close.

"You look beautiful," he said, pecking her cheek. Mirae blushed as he led her in. Ash's place was not really an apartment, but a penthouse. Unlike Jiwon, who was obsessed with perfection, Ash's place had an artistic touch to it. Antique pieces were kept in glass boxes all around the house. Abstract paintings hung on the walls. These were paintings of random things; flowers, colors, cities and many more. One corner was dedicated to a collection of photos of different places. Mirae looked at them in wonder.

"Did you visit all these places?" she asked incredulously. She knew he was an avid photographer but never thought that he was so passionate about it.

"Yeah," he replied sheepishly. "It's not something I like to brag about."

Mirae smiled at his expression. He was often embarrassed to talk about himself. Out of all the EXOTIC members, Ash was the most reserved one. His experiences with the Cartel isolated him from the rest of the group. The only solace he found was in his hobbies.

"Tell me more about your hobbies," she probed him. Ash chuckled and showed her around his house. She excitedly examined the antiques, especially at a 500 year old book he bought recently. Mirae loved reading and asked him many questions about the book.

"What is it about?" she poked him.

"It's a sad story," he mused. "It is about a beautiful woman. She was married to an aloof man, who paid no attention to her. One day, he suddenly abandoned her without a word. For years, she waited for him but to no avail. The husband never returned."

"Slowly, she withered away until one day, she died of a broken heart. When her husband returned, he was a changed man. The years of separation between them, made him realize how much he really loved her. But by the time he returned, it was already too late. His wife was dead. Out of guilt and grief, the husband killed himself to join her in the afterlife."

He turned to look at Mirae and was startled. Tears were rolling down her face.

"Mirae?" he asked worriedly. His words brought her out of reverie.

"Huh?" she looked confused.

"You're crying," he pointed out. Mirae quickly wiped her cheeks and to her astonishment, he was right. She was crying.

"Why was I crying?" she mumbled. For some reason, she was so lost in the story of the abandoned woman, that it felt like she was living the woman's life.

Ash put his arm around her shoulders. "So you cry upon hearing sad stories?" he teased. Mirae pouted at him.

"I don't like them," she admitted. Ash gently leaned over and kissed her wet cheek. Mirae felt her cheeks heating up. He kept on kissing her cheek and slowly moved to her neck. Mirae turned towards him and captured his lips in a passionate kiss. Ash moved forward, tasting her strawberry lip-gloss with his tongue. Mirae held onto him tightly, biting his lower lip. The urgency in her was rising and she boldly grind her body against his.

Before they could go any further, Ash broke off the kiss. Mirae gave him a frustrated purr.

"Dear, we are on a date," he reminded her. "We have all night to do this. Right now, I want to spend some time with you and get to know each other more."

"Fine," Mirae conceded. She felt like pinning the guy down on the couch and take him right there but her stomach growled. Ash chuckled.

"Putting your dirty mind aside," he poked her head. "Let's go and eat."

Grumbling like a baby, Mirae followed him to the dining room. It was already setup with her favorite dishes.

"Bulgogi!" Mirae squealed as she sniffed it. The smell of it made her mouth water.

"Eat up," Ash laughed as he put some food on her plate. He sat down beside her.

"Thank you for the food," she smiled happily and took a bite. "It is delicious!"

"My my, Mr. Park. You have a lot of talent," she teased him. "How did you learn to cook so well?"

"I used to cook for my sister," Ash replied. "Even as a trainee, I always made sure that she was well fed. I worked at a restaurant to pay for our food since trainees never got paid."

Ash's voice became quieter as he spoke. He was not privileged as KJ or Mirae but he never let his shortcomings come between his goals.

Mirae did not say anything. Instead, she got off her seat and hugged him. Surprised by her gesture, he hugged her back. She knew that after all that he went through, Ash really needed to hold onto someone.

"You can hold on to me," she whispered. "Don't think of those bad memories anymore. I'm here to be by your side."

Hearing those words, Ash held her tighter, as if he will never let her go. After several minutes, they let go of each other.

"Eat," Ash smiled at her. Mirae nodded and went back to her food.

"Is Mirae your real name?" Ash asked.

"Yes," she admitted. "It is my real name."

"Why are you using your real name and face?" he asked, feeling concerned. "What if the Cartel finds out?"

"I'll have to face them someday anyway," she said. "Might as well be sooner than later."

"Why are you so obsessed with bringing them down?" he questioned. "Did they harm you in any way?"

"They killed my parents," Mirae replied. "Ever since I found out, I've wanted to take them down. Destroy their existence so that they can't harm anyone else."

Mirae's eyes began to water up again. Ash did not say anything, but reached out towards her hand and held it.

"Mirae," he said, kissing her hand. "You will succeed. I know it. And I will help you in any way I can."

He leaned over and gave her a peck on her lips. Mirae smiled.

"Thank you," she said gratefully.

"Now!" Ash clapped his hands. "Enough with the sad talk. What do you wanna do next? This house and everything in it is yours to use. Including this humble servant."

He stood up and bowed to her.

"You sure are talkative today," Mirae observed.

"Only for you." He leaned over to give her a peck but she pulled him in for a deeper kiss, crushing their mouths together. Ash responded with his tongue, playing with her lips as he lifted her up and placed her on the table. His hands were gently rubbing her breasts and she felt the heat rising. This time, Mirae pulled away. Ash was confused before she whispered, "We're still not done with our drinks. Let's enjoy the rest of our date at that swimming pool of yours."

Ash laughed. "You have a swimsuit?" he asked.

"You'll see," she winked. "Do you have bathrobes?"

"Upstairs," he pointed out. "On the right."

Mirae gave him a light kiss before heading off upstairs.

Ash went to the swimming pool at his rooftop and changed into his swimming trousers. He descended into the pool and was enjoying the warm water when Mirae walked in, wearing his bathrobe. It was too large for her and yet he felt enticed upon seeing her in his robe.

She hesitated a little before disrobing herself. She was standing there in her bra and underwear. Ash watched her, slowly getting into the pool. As soon her she was submerged, she took off her bra and let it float away.