“Really? We’re here now so I’m sure that Rung can take us to a restaurant that serves dog meat. Right, Rung?” Ace suggested with a smile.
“Yes, I can. It’s not that hard to find to be honest,” Rung replied with a nod of his head.
“That’s fine. I mean, if you want to you can go ahead and try it but I personally wouldn’t…” I stood my ground.
“If you say so. Let’s head back to the hotel then,” Ace said before he reached for my hand.
Rung led the way out of the market to where he had parked the car. It was getting quite cold now that the sun had set. It was about time that we leave because most stalls in the market had already started packing up.
“Your hand is a little cold. Are you feeling cold?” Ace turned to ask me with concern in his voice.
I did feel a little cold. This was my own fault for not checking the weather forecast and underestimating that this country could be so cold.
“A little…but I’m fine…thanks,” I replied before smiling a little at him.
Ace yanked softly on my hand before gently placing my hand into the pocket of his jacket along with his hand as his hand continued to hold mine. It felt very warm and the blush that inched up from my neck to my cheek also helped to warm me up.
“Let’s hurry back to the car,” Ace told me casually before I could protest or pull my hand away.
…
We made it back to the hotel and parted ways with Rung after thanking him. He would be here to pick us up in the morning. Tomorrow, we had plans to visit a few dog meat farms. Things were starting to get very real on this project and I found myself feeling excited although slightly scared. I was certain that seeing the poor animals in poor conditions in real life would have a bigger impact on me than seeing the same content in photos of videos.
“I’m hungry. Let’s have dinner…” Ace said lazily as we stood next to each other in the hotel’s lobby.
“Sounds like a plan,” I replied in agreement.
“Local food somewhere outside or hotel food? There’s a roof top restaurant that’s got a nice view,” Ace presented the options.
“Local food,” I replied without hesitation.
“Ok, My Lady,” Ace readily agreed.
Despite my original worries of being alone with Ace on this trip, I found Ace surprisingly easy to be around. The Ace that was walking casually at my side on the side of the road as he held my hand in his felt like an entirely different person from the devil CEO that everyone was used to at the office. Perhaps the fact that he wasn’t in his business suit helped with softening his image somewhat. However, the real change was his character and the air about him.
Ever since this trip started or even perhaps before that, whenever we were alone Ace would show me a different side to him. He was kinder, more cheerful, and more relaxed. Of course, he still retained his slightly twisted sense of humor and his love of teasing me in both versions of himself. Everything about him was new, refreshing and it excited me to no end.
Walking around the night street with Ace in the slightly cold weather made me feel like we were really a couple on a night stroll together through the busy street of the city. Many couples walked around holding hands with each other just like us. I couldn’t help but wonder if that was how the other people saw us when they saw us together like this.
“Rina!” Ace yelled my name suddenly.
I let out a small cry when I felt my body being yanked forcefully to the side before my body landed against something hard yet very warm. Ace’s chest was against the side of my face when I opened my eyes after recovering from the shock. I quickly realized that he had his arms around me and was hugging me tightly after pulling me into his warm embrace.
“Watch where you’re going. A motorcycle almost hit you. Did you see that?” Ace complained loudly with intense worry in his eyes.
His brow furrowed into a frown as he stared down at me with worry. I did realize the motorcycle whizzing by after he had pulled me into his embrace. He was right, I was probably spacing out just thinking about him.
“I’m sorry. Thank you for saving me…” I said in a small voice.
“Be more careful next time. What are you going to do if I’m not here with you?” Ace continued to reprimand me.
“Well, you’re here so…” I replied before smiling sheepishly at him.
Ace just shook his head at me as if in disbelief. I wasn’t sure if he was scared of me getting hit by a motorcycle or if he just wanted to hold me close, but I spent the rest of the walk being wrapped in Ace’s strong arms as he hugged me close to him from behind. The position made walking feel quite strange but the warm of his body against my back more than compensated for the additional difficulty.
We chose a local restaurant that wasn’t too far from the hotel and enjoyed a relaxing meal of the local cuisine. Ace seemed wrap up in his own thoughts as we ate the food together in silence. I tried to read up on the notes that I had taken during our trip to the market, but it was a real challenge to keep my eyes from straying towards Ace’s face.
“Umm…what are you thinking of?” I asked softly.
Ace’s hazel eyes shifted to look at me before he smiled. I admired the beauty of his teasing smile while I waited for him to answer my question.
“I was thinking about the various point of view that the sellers and buyers told us today,” Ace replied simply.
“Same here. Actually, I’ve got many points down here in my notes,” I said as I gestured to my open notebook.
--To be continued...
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