Chapter 116 - The Brave Girlfriend

Mirae stretched her arms, smelling in the fresh air as soon as she got out of the car. It was a while since she had taken a break and the drive to the amusement park took two hours.

"Woah there really are no visitors inside!" she said in awe. Ash wrapped an arm around her waist. She scanned the park. The rides were fully functional but there were no people. "You rented this out?"

"The owner is a friend of mine," he shrugged. "It's not uncommon. Many celebrities book public places for a day in order to date in secret. To protect their privacy. Only a few trusted staff members are here today to help with the rides.."

"Must be tough living under constant scrutiny," Mirae commented as they entered the park. 

"We have to adjust to it," Ash sighed. "So! Which ride do you wanna try first?"

Mirae thought for a moment. She glanced through, biting her lips.

"That one!" she pointed towards the roller coaster. It was almost 50 feet high and the tracks surrounded the whole park. 

"You're not scared?" Ash asked. He gaped at her daringness.

"Nope!" she declared. "I've always loved roller coaster. I just never rode one."

Ash snickered. Mirae threw him an annoyed look.

"I can ride it!" she insisted. "I just don't see what's the big deal with it! Why are people so afraid of it?"

"I dunno," Ash said, suppressing his smile. "Let's go."

He took her by the hand, noticing that her palms were slightly sweaty. 

"Are you sure you wanna try it out?" he teased her. 

"I'll be fine!" Mirae said. In all honesty, she was trying to calm herself down. She chose the roller coaster to feel brave but now, she felt a little nervousness rising within her.

Ash noticed her nervousness and was finding it hard to stop himself from bursting out in laughter. He decided to tease her a little.

"Yes, my girlfriend is very brave," he said, patting her head. "She won't be scared of this!"

"Y-yes!" Mirae stammered. "This doesn't scare me at all!"

But as they approached the roller coaster, her nervousness hit dangerous levels. Staring at the track's height up close, she gulped. 

"Are you sure you wanna ride this?" Ash asked her again. She shot him an annoyed look.

"I will!" she said haughtily even though inside she was screaming to back out. She walked ahead and got into a seat. Ash sighed. One staff member was standing inside the control panel of the ride. He headed over to the employee.

"Is it possible to slow down the speed of the ride?" Ash asked. "My girlfriend is very nervous but won't admit it."

"N-n-no sir!" the staff member stuttered. "There is only one speed for this. It cannot be slowed." He recognized the member of EXOTIC and had to restrain himself from snapping photos. It was a huge news. But his boss had threatened all the staff members that if a single picture or news about this leaked, then they would be fired. The employees even signed a contract that they would not publicize this. They will get sued for millions.

Ash shook his head and went over to Mirae. He took the seat beside her. She was so nervous that she forgot to wear her seatbelt. He sighed.

"If you're scared then we can still let go of this ride," he suggested.

"No!" she insisted, despite her brain telling her otherwise. "I want to try this!"

She did not want to sound like a coward in front of him. Ash rolled his eyes and leaned in closer to her. For a wild moment, she thought he would kiss her. She closed her eyes, her lips pouting a little.

Ash chuckled and instead reached for her seatbelt. Surprised, Mirae felt a little embarrassed.and turned her face away, her cheeks flushed. Ash tried very hard not to laugh at her antics. He did not want to cross her anymore. Instead, he wore his own seatbelt.

The ride started. Mirae nervously sat backbiting down her lips. Her hands were sweating and her heartbeat accelerated. It felt like her heart would burst out of her chest any minute. A warm hand slipped into hers and held it firm.

"Close your eyes and hold on to me," Ash said assuringly. Mirae clutched his hand, her nails digging into his palm as the coaster headed ascended a steep. Closing her eyes, Mirae embraced herself for the fall.

Suddenly, the coaster gained momentum as it dropped low, descending the tracks. Mirae let out a loud scream. The coaster was not slowing down, crisscrossing around the amusement park with great speed. 

Ash, on the other hand, was calm and held on to her hand. The usually fierce tigress was a scaredy cat when it came to the roller coaster. She was so nervous that she did not notice that her nails were digging into his hand. 

The coaster sped towards a ring, circling it. Mirae felt her world turn upside down as the coaster twisted and turned. Blood rushed to her head, making her dizzy. She was beginning to feel sick but the cursed ride showed no mercy. Finally, after a few torturous minutes, it began to slow down before finally coming to a halt.

Mirae's head was spinning. Ash got out first and unbuckled Mirae's seatbelt. Noticing that she was dizzy, he carried her in his arms.

"What are you-" she began but he interrupted her.

"Do you feel nauseous?" he asked. She nodded as the bile almost reached her throat. He carried her towards the nearest bin and put her down. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she rolled over and threw up inside the bin. Ash patted her back, as she tried to steady herself.

Finally, after a few minutes, Mirae stood up straight. 

"You should sit down here," Ash said, gently guiding her to a bench. He held out a bottle of water for her. Mirae thanked him and down it all in one go. Her dizzy spell was wearing off.

"There's a washroom ahead," Ash said. "You should go and freshen up a little. I'll wait here."

"Alright," she replied weakly. She slowly walked towards the washroom he pointed at. Closing the door behind her, Mirae splashed some water on her face and rinsed her mouth. She cursed herself for choosing that darn roller coaster. Her appearance, which she worked so hard on in the morning, was disheveled. 

"Oh no!" she moaned. She quickly took out a comb from her bag and brushed her hair. Her face was a little pale. She fixed her makeup and put on some lip gloss before heading out. 

Ash was waiting for her. He had poured some juice in a cup for her. 

"Drink this," he handed her the cup. "You shouldn't eat right away since you just vomited. This should calm down your stomach."

Mirae quietly, took the cup and mumbled a "thanks". Ash could tell she was a little upset as she stared at her feet. 

"I'm sorry, I ruined our date," she mumbled. 

Ash poked her cheek. "You really think a little inconvenience like that ruined our date?" he said. "It's normal to be scared of a roller coaster! Millions of people are scared to ride it. It's alright!"

She gave him a small smile. 

"But don't go around showing your bravery anymore!" he chuckled. "Let's choose rides which you will actually enjoy."

He glanced around. "That one should do!" he said. Mirae looked at the direction he was pointing. It was the bumping car ride.

Relieved that it would not be as bad as the roller coaster, Mirae nodded. "Let's go!" she exclaimed, feeling energetic all of a sudden. She tugged his arm and they set off for the next ride. 

It turned out to be more fun as they constantly crashed their cars around. Mirae was spinning her little car around and laughed when it bumped against Ash's one. She felt her color regaining and soon, they were enjoying their date.

"Where to next?" Mirae asked. "How about the mirror house?" 

"Alright," Ash agreed. "But let's have lunch first. You're hungry."

Mirae had not realized it in her excitement but as soon as he mentioned it, her stomach let out a loud rumble. She blushed while Ash suppressed a laugh.

"Let's go, you glutton," he pulled her cheek. He led her to a picnic spot. They settled under the shade of a large tree. Ash laid down a blanket while Mirae unpacked the food. 

"You sure brought a lot of food," Mirae said, opening the lunch boxes. Ash had packed five lunch boxes for them.

"You'll finish most of it anyway," Ash shrugged. 

Mirae thought for a moment before answering, "True."

Ash took out the eggrolls and placed them on a plate. Sniffing the delicious aroma, Mirae felt her mouthwater. 

She picked up her chopsticks and scooped up an egg roll. Popping it into her mouth, she carefully chewed it, savoring the taste.

Ash watched her eat, smiling. He picked up a sushi with his chopsticks and put it on her plate. 

"Why are you eating so little?" Mirae frowned. His plat only had a boiled chicken and salad.

"Diet," he replied. "Since I'm shooting for a new drama."

"Ugh I hate that word," Mirae said, making a disgusted face. "People should be able to eat what they want instead of starving themselves." 

She picked up a bibimbap and held it up. "Drama or not, you're not gonna starve when you're with me!" she insisted. 

Ash let out a hearty laugh which made Mirae pout. "It's really hard to say no to you," he said. 

"Yup!" Mirae said happily as she placed the sushi into his mouth. She scooped up more food and kept on feeding him. Ash did not protest. Instead, he too fed her with his chopsticks. She giggled when she popped a particularly spicy piece of meat into his mouth. He choked on it as his eyes watered up.

"Looks like spicy food is not your forte!" Mirae laughed as Ash downed a bottle of water. 

"That was on purpose, wasn't it?" he asked sternly. Mirae nodded, still laughing. 

Suddenly, she felt herself being tackled on the ground. Taken by surprise, Mirae looked into Ash's grey eyes which were playful.

"Let's see who laughs now," he whispered as he caught her lips into a torrid kiss.