Chapter 222: Meeting the Girls
The sun had disappeared below the horizon, leaving the streets beneath the glow of scattered lampposts. A few people still wandered through the neighborhood, their voices fading into the quiet evening.
Rohit’s Hayabusa rolled into the rundown residential area. A couple of young women glanced at him and quickly looked away, while the local aunties remained thoroughly unimpressed.
Old two- and three-storey buildings crowded the narrow streets. At the far end stood a larger four-storey apartment building, noticeably newer than the rest.
Namrata’s rented house at women only residence.
Rohit slowed down and checked his watch.
7:20 p.m.
’Shit. I’m late.’
A small park sat beside the building, its evening crowd already thinning. Parents were calling their children home, and the older residents were drifting back toward their apartments.
One man remained seated beneath a streetlamp.
Rohit recognized him immediately.
Seo-yeon’s bodyguard sat alone on a bench, absorbed in his phone with AirPods in his ears. Near the park entrance, Seo-yeon’s car waited—the narrow alley offered little room for a four-wheeler any closer to the apartment.
Rohit’s eyes lingered on the car for a moment.
He had planned to arrive before Seo-yeon. Instead, her bodyguard was already here.
The martial arts class had run longer than expected, and he had still needed to make it to the private language session he had proposed himself. Missing it now would hardly make a good impression.
Rohit pulled over and killed the engine.
The bodyguard didn’t even look up.
Perfect.
Rohit removed his helmet, checked his reflection in the bike’s mirror, and quickly straightened his hair and jacket.
No point worrying about the delay now.
He locked the Hayabusa and headed toward the apartment entrance.
’I’m here now. That’s what matters.’
He had barely crossed the gate when the security guard stopped him.
"Visitor?"
Rohit nodded.
The guard checked the register. This was a ladies’ apartment, and male visitors were apparently expected to be invited and registered beforehand. After confirming Rohit’s name against the entry, the guard handed his phone back.
"Visitors have to leave by eight."
Rohit glanced at the clock.
Then at the guard.
"Eight? I only just arrived."
"Rules."
Rohit sighed and pulled out a five-hundred-rupee note.
"Thanks for explaining. But since I came late, could you extend it a little?"
The note disappeared from his fingers almost instantly.
The guard’s expression didn’t change.
"Eight-thirty."
Rohit stared at him.
The guard stared back.
Rohit produced another five-hundred-rupee note.
"How about we become friends and you give me another half-hour?"
The second note vanished just as quickly.
"Fine." The guard finally snorted. "Since it’s your first time, I’ll allow it as an exception. Nine at most."
He narrowed his eyes.
"But don’t push it. My shift ends at nine-thirty. The next guard can report you, and then you’ll have trouble."
Rohit gave him an innocent smile.
"Wouldn’t dream of causing trouble, brother."
"Good."
Rohit headed toward the lift before the guard could change his mind.
Fourth floor.
Namrata’s apartment was tucked into the far corner of the corridor. Only three doors faced the narrow passage, two shut and one slightly ajar.
Rohit knocked on the door, and it opened almost immediately.
Namrata stood there in shorts and a loose top, her long legs and graceful figure catching his eye before her warm smile drew his attention back to her.
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"Rohit, come inside."
"Gladly."
He stepped in and looked around.
The apartment was small but surprisingly well arranged. One bedroom, a compact kitchen, an attached bathroom, and just enough furniture to make the place comfortable without crowding it. A wardrobe stood against one wall, while a study table, a couple of chairs, and a folding clothes rack occupied the remaining space. Even a small dressing table had been squeezed neatly into one corner.
Tiny star stickers covered the ceiling, giving the room a strangely cozy charm.
A gentle fragrance lingered in the air as the breeze drifted through the open window.
And, thankfully, the ceiling fan made absolutely no noise.
Seo-yeon sat on the bed near the window, wearing a long, oversize T-shirt and jeans. The dress felt little unusual as if she trying to disguise as boy. Her arms were folded, her lips pushed into an unmistakable pout as she stared outside into citylights.
Artwork
She didn’t even look at him.
Rohit immediately understood.
She was pissed about his late arrival.
Rohit placed his helmet on the study table.
"I know it’s small," Namrata said behind him, her voice suddenly nervous. "I hope it’s... doable."
Rohit turned.
He was genuinely impressed.
"It’s actually pretty good. You’ve managed the space really well."
Namrata’s shoulders relaxed.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I’ve lived in places where you could touch three walls without moving your feet."
Namrata let out a small laugh. The thought of Rohit living in such a cramped place seemed almost ridiculous to her.
But Rohit hadn’t been exaggerating. He’d lived in far worse places once—though not in this life, and certainly not something he needed to explain to them.
Before Namrata could respond, a sharp voice came from the bedroom.
"He better not say anything ridiculous. A latecomer’s opinion doesn’t count," Seo-yeon called out from behind them in korean.
Rohit slowly turned.
Seo-yeon sat on the bed, still with her arms folded, her expression made it clear she had been waiting specifically to complain.
Rohit rolled his eyes.
"Oh, come on. I was stuck in traffic."
Seo-yeon immediately switched to English.
"Traffic?"
"Yes. Terrible traffic."
"You ride a Hayabusa." she pointed at the window from where thry have a clear vantage point of his arrival.
Rohit added in defiance, "Which, unfortunately, cannot fly."
Namrata covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
Seo-yeon’s eyes narrowed. "You left your martial arts class late."
Rohit’s eyebrow rose. "How do you know that?"
"Because Namrata told me."
He looked at Namrata.
She immediately looked guilty.
"Sorry."
Rohit pointed accusingly at Seo-yeon.
"And what happened to welcoming your teacher?"
"You’re not anyone’s teacher tonight. You’re the student who’s late."
Namrata giggled.
Rohit stared at both women.
"I see. I’ve walked into a hostile environment."
"Exactly," Seo-yeon said brightly.
Namrata shook her head. "Don’t scare him. The fact that he came at all is already a privilege."
Seo-yeon nodded solemnly.
"Exactly. Rich kid has finally remembered we exist."
"Wow." Rohit dropped into the nearest chair. "I’ve been here for thirty seconds, and I’m already being bullied."
"Thirty seconds?" Seo-yeon glanced at her phone. "You’ve been ignoring us for days. And what about this morning? Why did you start that fight with Rocky? I tried holding you back, but you wouldn’t listen. Then you suddenly disappeared from the cafeteria without even giving us a proper explanation."
Her expression hardened.
"Do we actually mean anything to you? Or is this friendship just a way to kill time?"
Rohit paused.
Ah. There it was.
He had received Seo-yeon’s calls and messages about the sudden leaving. He had simply ignored them because he’d been occupied with something far more personal with Akanksha at the time.
Apparently, that had stung.
Namrata’s expression turned slightly sheepish.
"We did try calling you a few times. Most of the time, you either ignored us or..." She hesitated. "Well, sometimes you just cancelled rather rudely."
Rohit winced.
"Sorry. I was busy. I didn’t mean to ghost either of you on purpose. There were a few things that had me tied up."
Seo-yeon leaned forward, her eyes narrowing mischievously.
"So you admit you were ghosting us, regardless of whether you meant to?"
Rohit opened his mouth.
Seo-yeon didn’t give him a chance.
"If we really mattered to you, couldn’t you have at least told us what was going on?"
Rohit paused.
That was harder to argue with.
He could counter. Easily.
He could point out that both of them were perfectly capable of messaging him again if their calls didn’t get through.
He could remind Seo-yeon that friendship didn’t mean he had to be available every hour of the day. She was the one who had insisted they keep their private sessions casual in the first place.
He could even blame his schedule or argue that sharing every detail of his daily life wasn’t exactly a requirement of friendship.
All perfectly reasonable arguments.
But one look at Namrata’s slightly disappointed expression killed every one of them before he could use it.
Rohit sighed.
"Fine. I lose."
Seo-yeon’s lips curled upward.
"Good."
Rohit looked between them.
"I’m sorry."
That silenced them for a moment.
He rubbed the back of his neck. ’Perhaps I’ll play the sympathy card,’ he judged.
"Honestly, I’m just... not very good at maintaining friendships with girls. I don’t think about it the way you two do. I tend to treat people normally, and then I forget that someone might actually expect me to check in."
Namrata’s expression softened immediately.
"Oh, Rohit..."
Seo-yeon stared at him for two seconds before suddenly bursting out laughing.
Rohit blinked.
"What?"
"Your face!"
"My face?"
"You look like we’re holding a funeral for your social life."
Namrata laughed too, her earlier disappointment completely gone.
Rohit stared at them in disbelief.
"Wait. You two were messing with me?"
Seo-yeon grinned.
"Obviously."
Namrata nodded quickly. "We were just pulling your leg."
Seo-yeon leaned back against the wall.
"We’re perfectly fine with how you treat us. You don’t have to suddenly become some over-attentive gentleman just because we’re girls."
"That’s reassuring."
"Although," Seo-yeon added, pointing at him, "being late is still your fault."
Rohit groaned.
"And we’re back to that."
Namrata smiled softly and patted the bed beside her.
"Come on. Sit properly. You must be tired."
Seo-yeon immediately pointed toward the cans of beer sitting beside her.
"And next time, bring snacks as an apology."
Rohit glanced at the cans.
"Wasn’t my apology enough?"
"No. Don’t be stingy. I’m even paying for the beer myself."
Rohit raised an eyebrow. "You sure you’re old enough to be drinking that?"
Seo-yeon gave him a light slap on the thigh, her face flushing at the comment.
"Of course I am, idiot."
Namrata giggled softly from the side.
Rohit shook his head, finally giving up.
"Fine. I’ll bring snacks next time. But what about now?"
"No need," Namrata said. "I have some spare chips in my wardrobe."
He settled onto the bed between them, where their study materials were already spread out.
Several Korean nursing-exam preparation books lay open beside notebooks filled with vocabulary, medical terminology, and neat handwritten explanations. A few text books of seoyeon day to day classes were stacked nearby as well.
Rohit picked up one of the notebooks.
"So, where did you guys stop?"
"Here," Namrata replied, shifting closer and pointing to a page. "We were going through the medical terminology."
Seo-yeon leaned forward to answer the doubts Namrata had marked, her posture dipping slightly as she explained.
Namrata, meanwhile, settled more comfortably on the bed, letting her long legs stretch out casually in the air.
Rohit’s gaze drifted for a moment — one eye catching the soft curve of Seo-yeon’s cleavage as she bent over the notes, the other lingering on the smooth, rounded shape of Namrata’s hips and exposed thighs.
He forced his attention back to the open notebook, pretending to focus on the terms in front of him.
A quiet smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
Yeah... definitely worth coming here as their linguistic teacher.