Seo-yeon coughed harshly, half-swallowing, half-spitting into the commode.
Her breath was ragged, throat burning, but she didn't complain. Instead, she quietly pulled some tissue and turned her back to him, rubbing herself clean with trembling hands.
Rohit's chest tightened with guilt.
He hadn't meant to lose control like that; he held it back too long and then released straight into her throat. Even though, she had chosen not to stop him, yes, but still… watching her now, he felt the weight of it.
"I'm sorry, Yeon," he murmured, with low voice.
She paused for a fraction, shoulders stiffening, but said nothing. Only the soft sound of tissue crumpling and her faint sniffles filled the air.
Rohit stepped closer, unsettled by the invisible distance she was putting between them. Her silence and averted eyes gnawed at him.
A feeling of dread flickered in his chest as if he had broken somethng fragile between them, ' is she really going to ghost me now?'
"Seo-yeon… are you alright?" he asked gently, trying to reach for her.
She shifted quickly, keeping her face hidden and fumbling for her bra on the hanger. The avoidance cut deeper than words.
"Hey.. look at me," Rohit said, unable to stop himself. He placed his hand on her shoulder and forcibly turned her around.
His breath caught at the scene.
Her cheeks were flushed, streaked with tears. She tried to look away, but the dam had aleady broken; she pressed her hands to her face, muffling a sob. Her whole frame shivered as she cried quietly. she was wounded by heart and pride.
Rohit gripped her hands firmly, forcing her to face him."Look at me. Why are you avoiding me?"
She bit down on her lips, trying to hold back, but the tears wouldn't stop. Between broken sobs, she stammered, "Now… you'll th-think of me as a slut."
Rohit understood at once. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tight against his chest."Hey, calm down. No one is judging you."
But instead of answering, she buried her face deeper against his chest, her voice trembling as it slipped out in broken whispers.
"I crossed the line myself, Rohit… what does that make me?" Her breath hitched, shivers running through her. "My character is tarnished and…"
Before she could finish, Rohit cupped her cheeks and pressed his lips against hers, kissing her with all the passion he held inside. When he pulled back, his eyes stayed locked on hers.
"I kissed you because I respect you," he said firmly. "Not just for helping me in my hour of need, but because you sacrificed what you held dear without hesitation. I know what character means to a woman — and I swear, I have never seen anyone with a stronger character than you.
You stood tall against those who belittled you.
You went beyond your limits just to help a friend, risking your own dignity to see it through.
That's not weakness — that's determination, that's strength.
So don't complicate it. You are my best friend, the one who gave me relief when I needed it most.
And I promise, I will return that favor when the time comes. It's that simple."
She calmed down but sniffled a little. "You're lying. You won't come, and you'll forget me."
Rohit pulled her again in loving embrace and patted her head that stirred a string of emotions in Seo-yeon. "Silly girl, even if no one else comes to help you in the future, I will be the one who certainly will."
Her heart softened as she melted into his embrace. It felt terribly embarrassing to be this close to a stranger she had just met—so taboo, and yet, strangely comforting. Somehow, her heart convinced her to trust his words, and she was impressed by his way of easing her fears.
Seo-yeon took quite some time to compose herself before the reality hit her again.. she was in nothing but her underwear, pressed against his bare chest while standing in a stall.
Flustered, she pushed him away and covered herself, pouting as if to reclaim her composure. "Pervert! You stole my first kiss… and now you're pushing your luck."
Understanding her mood, Rohit clutched his chest in mock pain. "Ah! My heart… torn to shreds by such accusations. At least grant me a pardon, my lady."
She giggled at his antics but tried to sound stern. "An apology alone won't suffice. You owe me. For now, grab your clothes and turn around while I change. We need to leave."
Rohit nodded with exaggerated seriousness and bow. "As you wish, my lady."
Seoyeon pursed her lips to stifle a laugh. "Enough drama. Quick! My driver's waiting—he's also my bodyguard and my father's close aide."
Rohit raised a brow as he picked up his shirt and the rest of his clothes, putting them on one by one. The air felt hotter, his skin was sticky with sweat.
"Once you're done, go out first," Seoyeon instructed. "I'll follow later so he doesn't see us together by chance."
Rohit chuckled as he zipped up his pants. "Aye aye, captain."
After a short while, once he was done, she called out to him, and he turned around.
But then, a pair of panties fell onto his face.
"I also need…" Seo-yeon started, but before she could finish, Rohit shamelessly took a deep sniff.
"Oh, what a present," he said, grinning as he looked at Seo-yeon. She pulled her hoodie tighter, trying to hide her laughter, then composed herself with a smug expression.
"I was going to ask you a favor to wash it, but since you like it so much, you can consider it yours."
Rohit inhaled again, shamelessly. "Oh, so good. Best present of my life. I'll make sure to use it wisely… every day."
Seo-yeon's face instantly turned crimson as she realized what he meant. With playful outrage, she began raining light punches on him, her lips curling into a pout.
"You nasty pervert! Get out of my sight. I'll call you later."
Rohit chuckled softly as he was about to leave.
He peered through the crack of the door, only to hear Seo-yeon's whisper. "Is the path clear?"
Without looking back, Rohit replied, "Seems to be."
"Good," she added. "Keep watch and slip out when the time is right. I'll join you soon."
Since no one came in or out, he finally steeled himself and hurried toward the exit. To his surprise, the hallway was empty—except for a "Cleaning in Progress" board left standing by the door.
He exhaled in relief as he stepped into the corridor.
It seemed a worker had marked the area under service and gone off for a break, which turned out to be a fortunate cover for both him and Seo-yeon. No one else showed up, and their little business went unnoticed.
The crowd was much thinner than before, most of the noise now concentrated in the central hall where a band was performing.
People were busy taking selfies and recording videos on their phones. Even in the corridor where he stood, the only other presence was a girl in a one-piece blue dress leaning near the railing, holding her phone out to capture the view below.
He pulled out his old phone, but it was dead. With a sigh, he slipped the SIM card into his new phone and checked the time. It was 7:15 p.m.
Holy shit, we were in the bathroom for almost 45 minutes, he realized. They were lucky not to have been caught—and he was even more surprised by his own control, lasting for such an unnatural amount of time. The note about the oil suddenly made sense, but his thoughts were cut short as notifications began to pop up.
The moment the network connected, a flood of messages poured in—mostly missed calls from his mother.
The next ones were from Akhil. A quick scroll wiped the smirk off his face.
"Bro, they're calling me to meet again.""They're asking about the promised money.""Bro, they leaked my video with blurred images and are threatening to send it to my parents. Please help, where are you?""Holy shit, bro! You actually beat the crap out of them! The video has gone viral. Call me quick, we need to talk."
Rohit chuckled at the last message. Finally… my work is paying off. Akhil would learn not to panic over trivial things. The video was a problem, yes, but one that could be handled in due time.
He quickly typed back:
"I'm a little busy right now. No matter what, don't meet them and ghost them as much as possible. As for the video, don't worry—I have a plan. For now, stay home. We'll discuss later."
Another notification buzzed in—a new number. It was Namrata.
"Your laptop has been left at the store. I spoke with the manager. Please make sure to collect it before the store closes."
Only then did realization hit him. He had bought a laptop earlier, but in the chaos, he'd completely forgotten to pick it up.
"Ah, stupid me," he muttered under his breath.
Just then, faint lyrics drifted to his ears: "Vaste... ja bhi tu.."
A sudden realization struck him. Those were the same lyrics he'd overheard in the washroom from the second newcomer. That meant she had been here—standing around for no less than thirty minutes. He looked along the corridor, but no one was in sight.
His eyes narrowed as he scanned the hallway, and then he finally caught the source.
It was the same girl he had seen earlier—the one recording from the railing. She was descending the escalator, smirking back at him as their eyes met. But just as quickly, her view was blocked when a passerby crossed between them.
Something felt off...
Rohit tried to push past but ended up colliding with the passerby.
He muttered a quick apology, intending to move on, but the man shoved him back and spat in Korean, "cheon-min Indo nom ( low-class Indian)."
The words struck a nerve. Rohit, still Japanese by soul yet reborn as an Indian billionaire, felt his pride flare.
A crossroads opened before him: should he chase after the mystery girl to uncover how much she knew, or put this Korean loudmouth in his place?