"Tastes good, right?" 

His tongue darted out to the excess oil on his lips. With a nod, he dipped the barbecued pork rib on the dried chili flakes again and ate to his heart's content. Lisa couldn't help but smile at the sight of Director Choi seated at a plastic table— the bustling crowd and vendors surrounding them.

They had been walking for almost an hour around the busy night market filled with shops and food stalls. Lisa had made sure they both got their fill— buying and sharing food: sour and spicy pork ham, seasoned skewered sausage, sticky rice, grilled egg, pad thai, and pork ribs. She made sure to pay for everything even when Director Choi refused at first. It was her treat and he obliged after tasting the juicy sai oua. While they were eating the pork ribs, Lisa bought the popular banana loti she knew no one could resist.  

"You've eaten more than me." He remarked as Lisa came back from a nearby stall. His face suddenly looked appreciative once he saw the chocolate-filled banana dessert.

"I do eat a lot." She chuckled. "It's just hard for me to gain weight."

He picked another rib from the paper plate and held it in front of her. Lisa looked at the piece of food he was offering and then to his straight face.

"Eat more." 

She smiled— feeling a little embarrassed as she took the piece of rib from his fingers and ate it. 

"You should eat more protein foods. And add more whole-grain and dairy products in your food and drink intake." He took a bite of the dessert before pushing the plate in front of her. "With proper exercise, you can build muscle and at the same time, it helps with stimulating your appetite."

Lisa just listened as he then talked about some exercise routines that would help her improve strength and gain weight. 

"Gwanjangnim... are you some kind of a fitness expert?" She asked amusedly after he had finished explaining the best time to exercise when one's trying to gain weight. 

He shook his head with a soft chuckle. "No. I know a... trainer who taught me a lot of things about weight management."

"Really? And you're interested in this because...?"

Her curiosity made his smile widen as he finished his bottle of water. 

"I used to be fat when I was younger." He said in a very straightforward manner that made Lisa's brows quirk. "I started gaining weight when I was in elementary school and became bigger each year until I was in middle school."

He opened his arms a certain width.

"I was this big."

"No way..." opened and he grinned at her dumbfounded reaction. "I find that hard to believe."

"It's true. So when I entered high school, I was very self-conscious and other kids were either bullying me or running away from me." His eyes seemed a little wistful at that moment— as if reminiscing memories he'd rather forget. Lisa had never seen such expression on his face before and she had a sudden urge to pat his shoulder and tell him it was all in the past... and he would give those who bullied him an existential crisis if they saw him then and there. 

"What made you decide to change?"

The wistful look in his eyes never disappeared and she briefly wondered if it was improper to ask that question. 

Clearing his throat, he leaned back a little and played with the empty water bottle.

"I got into a training program which lasted for a few years. Everyone there was strict and... intense. So I had no choice but to improve myself." 

Lisa noticed the slight hesitation in his voice when he talked about that training program. She had no idea what kind of physical training he did but it seemed like he wasn't particularly fond of talking about it. 

"I've been doing Muay Thai since I was 13. I know how it feels to be pushed to the limits." She shrugged as a self-deprecating smile appeared on her lips. "Maybe that's why I'm skinny. I can burn a thousand calories an hour."

With a curious gaze, he prodded her to eat the dessert and asked, "How's your training like?" 

And that was how their long conversation about training began. Lisa had no idea it would flow naturally and continuously... even when they left the food stall and was walking around the streets of Chiang Mai— looking for a place to go to next. He asked her a lot of questions and she was surprised he knew a lot of technical terms... making her wonder just what kind of training he had to know so much. She then remembered how his knuckles were red and scraped as if he had punched something or someone before.

Maybe he's into boxing. 

While walking, they passed by a strip of open sidewalk bars with a number of women waiting for customers. 

"Hey, handsome." One of them called out and Director Choi didn't even glance at the woman and continued walking without falter. 

Lisa couldn't help but smile as she heard the same woman call him a snob in Thai. 

"You must be used to getting attention from the ladies." She said as they rounded a corner and onto the main road. A taxi tried to pull up even though they didn't hail one. It was Saturday evening and more people were crowding the streets before most of the establishments closed for the day.

"Not really."

She glanced at him and saw a small pout forming on his lower lip. "It's uncomfortable, right? When men do it, I always feel like punching their teeth out."

He chuckled and the soft sound made her stomach flutter.

"But we can't really do that."

"So how do you deal with it?" She asked as the pedestrian light turned green and with one word, they crossed the street.

"Ignore." 

It must've been around 15 minutes when they arrived at the Riverside. Restaurants and bars lined up along the stretch of the bank. The sounds of live music and people chattering made the otherwise slow and peaceful river come alive at night. Lisa knew that her boss would prefer someplace quiet without a lot of people so it took them quite a while until they reached a relatively small open bar with still a few empty tables. 

"Since you were already drinking earlier at the hotel... Might as well continue in a more interesting place." 

They both sat down opposite each other. Director Choi was quietly surveying the place and he looked out of place with his expensive white shirt and checkered black and blue blazer. He hadn't removed that thing even if it was quite warm. It was him who ordered then and Lisa just chose a simple Margarita. She wasn't a drinker and knowing her history with alcohol involving the man in front of her, she wouldn't even dare get tipsy. 

For some reason, the atmosphere between them kind of shifted. Their conversation went smoothly earlier but now that they were drinking in a quieter place, she felt the awkward tension rise once again. She remembered that night he had asked her to drink at the hotel bar in Bangkok and she willingly went with him. She also remembered how he had whispered four words