Rohit grinned mischievously, leaving both girls momentarily stunned. "How about at my place? When the sun goes down… we party hard."
Seeing their serious expressions, he quickly corrected himself. "I mean… I was thinking we could have some beers and snacks, maybe do group discussions or some vocabulary games in the languages we're interested in. It'll be fun."
Seo-Yeon's face brightened as she got the picture. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I'd like chicken strips for snacks."
Namrata chimed in, "But what about linguistics?"
Seo-Yeon waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about that. We can have two sessions—one linguistic, one oral—and see how it goes."
Rohit chuckled, hiding his amusement at the word "oral," and added politely, "Okay then, sorted. After dusk, every even day of the week."
Namrata hesitated. "Are you sure your parents won't mind our presence?"
Seo-Yeon added, "Yeah… I would've offered my place, but my father is a bit restrictive and doesn't like me mingling with locals."
Rohit paused, thinking about the chaos his twin cousins could cause if Seo-Yeon came to his house. "I think I can manage… but do we have better options?"
Namrata nodded. "I think my place would be better. I live alone in a rented flat… it's a bit cozy, but at least we'll have some peace."
Rohit smiled inwardly. Perfect. No supervision and two hot chicks.
Soon, they exchanged numbers and addresses. Rohit completed the billing, picked up his new Android phone, and grabbed another registered SIM before heading out. Seo-Yeon trailed beside him while Namrata stayed at the counter to finish her duty.
Outside, they spotted a small café. Rohit offered to buy one for Seo-Yeon and got one for himself as well. They leaned against the railing, nibbling their ice creams and chatting comfortably.
"You seem… different," Rohit remarked, taking a bite of his ice cream stick. "In school, you were so shy, and now… acting like a queen?"
Seo-Yeon's face fell. "You know… it's hard to express yourself when people refuse to understand. Just because I don't speak their language, they make fun of me, treat me like I don't belong."
Rohit felt a pang of pity. He knew how ruthless people could be toward those who couldn't defend themselves. This explained why she had been bullied all along.
He nudged her gently. "Don't worry. I've got your back now. If anyone dares to harass you, just text me their details."
She pinched his bicep playfully. "So cool of you… acting like my oppa."
Rohit blinked, caught off guard. He knew "oppa" meant brother in Korean, but when a girl said it to a stranger, it was different. He quickly recovered, teasing, "Why shouldn't I be? If I have a junior who's this damn pretty?"
Seo-Yeon smirked. "And I thought another pretty girl was stealing the show?"
Rohit's grin turned smug as he realized she meant Shweta, the root of the afternoon scandal. "Can't handle a little competition?" he teased.
Seo-Yeon pouted, looking away, then quickly turned back as if she hadn't heard him. She licked her ice cream while changing the subject. "You said someone in your group was a fan?"
Rohit nodded. "Yeah, from what I heard, he wanted to ask you out. Also… good-looking. If you'd seen my group, he's the muscular one."
Seo-Yeon made a face. "Nope. Not my type."
Rohit laughed. "Why? Skin color?"
She became serious. "No. I asked because I wanted to remember him so I could ignore him. It's not about skin—it's about guts. He saw me humiliated, bullied in front of everyone, yet stayed grounded. Who wants a creep like that?"
Rohit nodded in understanding. Taking another bite, he said casually, "Well… in that sense, maybe I'm a creep too, since I didn't help you twice."
Seo-Yeon punched his shoulder playfully. "You have the audacity to admit that to my face?"
Rohit chuckled, nibbling again. "So… you admit it?"
Seo-Yeon calmed down, returning to her shy demeanor. "No… at that time, you didn't know me. You weren't interested either, so it's completely normal." She played with her ponytail. "But I like that you beat that bully for whatever reason, and took a stance for the girl in trouble. You're… different."
Rohit raised an eyebrow. "Have you thought about why I saved that nurse but not you, even though I didn't know either of you before?"
Seo-Yeon's curiosity piqued. "Why?"
Rohit laughed, finishing the last bite of his ice cream. "I read a manga once. it was about a boy, who was travelling a train and happen to be present near a girl who got molested nearby… and he had no idea about it.
That stupid girl… she had no problem getting groped and squirming, but the moment she collapsed and got help, she randomly accused that very boy who tried to help her.
Imagine what could've happened to him? His life… all because she didn't speak up at the right time. If she had.. the real culprit would've been found, and the boy wouldn't have suffered."
Seo-Yeon tilted her head. "But what could she do alone? Maybe she waited for the storm to pass, and when she got help, she chose to act."
Rohit's voice darkened with intensity. "Then she deserved it. If you can't stand up for yourself, you're fragile. A fragile mind can't tell friend from foe. That's my personal opinion—don't get backstabbed."
He added, softer now, "I purposely didn't save you at first… because you weren't impressive. You let yourself be bullied, didn't take a stance. I generally dislike people like that."
Seo-Yeon's mood soured, conflicted. She hesitated. "And now?"
Rohit softened. "I realized I was a bit hasty in my reasoning. But… you took guts to defend Namrata, and that earned my respect."
Seo-Yeon smiled faintly but didn't meet his eyes, focusing instead on her ice cream.
However, a voice soon caught their attention, speaking in a native tone, "Look at that girl, Nepalese… and a hot one."
Both of them glanced around and spotted a group of boys a short distance away, openly commenting on Seo-Yeon.
Another one added, "Nah, I bet Chinese… she's too good."
The third, holding a mobile phone, scoffed, "Dumb idiot, she's Korean. Look how white she is."
They were excited, careless about the fact that she could hear and understand every word.
Rohit recognized them as the same boys who had been busy making reels earlier. He leaned toward Seo-Yeon and said in English, "Let's go somewhere."
The first boy's suspicion grew. "Hey, that guy's with that girl? Does she like Indian men?"
The second snickered, "And he took her hand… damn, that girl is easy."
The third brushed it off and stepped forward toward Seo-Yeon. "Real men don't shy away. Confidence is key to pink hole."
Rohit tried to pull her away, but she resisted and freed her hands. She had understood what "pink hole" meant, and leaving without a reply would make no difference. More than that, she wanted to prove herself to Rohit.
The third boy approached with swagger, attempting English. "Hell—"
Slap!
He didn't even finish his greeting before her palm struck his face. In a thick accent but perfect Hindi, she said, "Atithi devo bhava?" (which means guest is god in hindi) then switched to English, "I can understand Hindi. Is that how you behave with foreigners?"
His friends, instead of backing him, burst into laughter. Another pulled out his phone, grinning. "Let's roll its content."
The third boy's face twisted in anger as he noticed nearby people starting to watch. "You… you bitch!"
Seo-Yeon struck him again, "Dirty Indians!" she snapped by pointing fingers. She had meant to say "Indian," but in her rage, it came out condemning all Indians.
The bystanders froze.
Rohit reacted instantly, grabbing her arm and pulling hard. "You stupid brat, run."
The boy's eyes lit up as he pointed toward a camera. "You heard him, right? She meant Indians. This racist Korean bitch, calling us black, while I only wanted to say hi. This is the real face of Korea!"
Twisting the scene to save face, he began loudly blaming her, his words catching the attention of a few passers-by who started listening intently.
Then the second boy shouted, "Hey, they're running! Let's chase them and report to the police!"
The small crowd agreed, giving chase.
Rohit cursed under his breath as soon as he saw them coming. It was the obvious outcome in any country if you insult the natives, which was exactly why he had pulled her away earlier. But at this rate, they wouldn't last long.
He rushed toward a descending escalator, thankfully less crowded, and locked eyes with Seo-Yeon. "Listen, Yeon. We need to do something crazy to get out of this. You ready?"
She wanted to refuse, but seeing the crowd closing in, she nodded.
Rohit wrapped one arm around her waist, the other under her legs, lifting her like a princess with surprising ease. He placed his feet on the escalator railing, one leg positioned forward like a guard. "Hold tight," he told her.
Knowing the danger, Seo-Yeon buried her face into his chest. Rohit steadied himself and let gravity take them. They slid down fast, his legs slamming into the end guard with a jolt. For anyone else, it might have been dangerous — but for a man with an escape artist's instincts from his past life, it was child's play.
He set Seo-Yeon on the ground and bolted. She could hardly believe it had happened; a moment ago she had felt the rush of wind before closing her eyes, and now they were safely on the lower floor.
She glanced back at the stunned crowd, most of whom were more interested in recording on their phones than chasing them.
Rohit started toward the opposite side to take the stairs, but this time, Seo-Yeon grabbed his arm and pulled him toward a corner near the toilets.
She motioned for silence, slipped into the women's washroom to check, then returned quickly, tugging his hand. "Let's go, we can hide there, no one's around."
He didn't hesitate, following her inside. They slipped into the last stall and locked it.
Both let out a sigh of relief, taking a moment to breathe. They exchanged a glance, then burst into laughter. Seo-Yeon's eyes shone with exhilaration. "That was so crazy!"
Rohit patted her shoulder, calming her. "Hey, keep it cool, we still need to get out of here."
But before they could think further, the sound of women chatting and the click of sandals echoed through the washroom. Out of nowhere, two unfamiliar female voices joined the space.