Chapter 208: Getting Targeted
Rohit sat quietly in the car, watching the morning traffic blur past the window.
Beside him, Tanya occupied the middle seat. Surprisingly, she wasn’t causing trouble. Instead, she was scrolling through the flood of photos her brother had uploaded from the Jaipur trip.
Aisha, sitting on the other side, had one earbud in while casually browsing through social media. Every now and then, though, she’d glance sideways at Rohit and Tanya seated uncomfortably close to each other.
Suddenly, Tanya clicked her tongue.
"Ugh... this fucking bitch."
The latest photo showed Sheela laughing atop a camel during the evening desert safari, surrounded by the rest of the group.
"I swear, I hope my brother dumps her one day. No way I’m ever supporting their relationship."
Aisha barely looked up.
"Fat chance."
She opened Sheela’s Facebook profile and turned the phone toward Tanya.
"She just announced she’s been selected as a finalist for Femina Miss India Delhi."
Tanya blinked.
"...What?"
"The Times Group is organizing it this year. The event’s getting a lot of attention from modelling agencies. If she performs well, she’ll probably end up walking the red carpet."
Tanya snatched the phone.
"Wait... she actually got selected? Then why didn’t this show up on my feed?"
Aisha gave her a knowing look.
"Because you’ve been stalking her through your brother’s profile instead of following her yourself."
She smirked.
"I’m willing to bet you blocked her already."
Tanya folded her arms with a loud huff.
"So what? A bitch is still a bitch, no matter how many crowns she wins."
Rohit’s ears immediately perked up.
So she finally made her move...
Just two days ago, he had cornered Sheela over this exact issue. Now she’d publicly revealed her achievement herself.
Smart.
The announcement would naturally strengthen Tanuj’s trust in her. Even if Rohit tried creating misunderstandings later, this would make her look far more genuine.
But another realization amused him even more.
’Wasn’t she neutral with her before? Or maybe the fallout from the trip was the anchor of her Wasn’t she neutral with her before? Or maybe the fallout from the trip was the anchor of her displeasure...’
Rohit reasoned as he pieced together recent events.
Just then, Tanya noticed him staring.
"What are you looking at?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"Were you seriously eavesdropping on our conversation? Pervert."
Aisha burst into laughter.
"See? I told you. Our cousin’s a certified pervert."
She pointed dramatically.
"Stay away from him."
Rohit simply rolled his eyes and turned back toward the window.
’Some people never change.’
***
After being dropped off at school, Rohit glanced around the entrance.
Students streamed through the main gate in small groups, chatting excitedly after the long weekend. Laughter echoed across the courtyard as familiar faces reunited. A few girls had even gathered into a small crowd around someone, their animated chatter drawing curious glances.
Rohit’s eyes narrowed.
Standing at the center of the group was Seo-yeon.
Beside her stood Shweta and the rest of her usual circle, chatting with the Korean transfer student as if they had known each other for years.
"We’re leaving."
Aisha called out more as a formality than anything else before leading Tanya toward their classroom.
Rohit simply nodded.
Ever since learning about his intentions toward her sister, Aisha had become noticeably more cautious around him. Although she’d agreed not to interfere—for now—she made sure Tanya was never left alone with him longer than necessary.
The irony wasn’t lost on him.
She was willing to work with someone like him to achieve her own goals, yet she still refused to give him even the slightest opportunity to influence Tanya.
Protective sister, huh...
Shaking the thought away, Rohit turned toward his own classroom.
"ROHIT!"
The shout echoed across the courtyard.
He stopped and looked back.
Seo-yeon had instinctively called out to him.
The moment dozens of students turned to look, however, she froze, her cheeks flushing slightly as she lowered her gaze in embarrassment.
The girls surrounding her looked equally confused.
Shweta, on the other hand, recovered almost instantly. She smiled politely and gave Rohit a small wave, silently inviting him over.
’Looks like she got a little too excited and only realized afterward that everyone was watching.’
Suppressing a chuckle, Rohit changed direction and walked toward the group.
"Morning."
Seo-yeon looked up.
For a brief second, she simply stared at him.
She hadn’t expected him to actually come over.
Calling out his name had been an instinctive reaction. The moment everyone turned toward her, embarrassment had immediately taken over.
Now he was standing right in front of her as though nothing awkward had happened.
"...H-Hi."
She answered a little too quickly before instinctively lowering her gaze again.
Even Shweta looked slightly surprised.
She blinked twice before offering him a polite smile. "Hi."
A brief silence followed before she spoke again. "...You’re not upset with me?"
Rohit looked puzzled for a second before realizing what she meant. "Oh... that."
He smiled lightly. "It was just a misunderstanding. I simply wanted to avoid unnecessary drama."
His eyes shifted toward Seo-yeon, who was still trying to avoid everyone’s gaze. "So honestly... I’m glad you two became friends."
One of the girls in glasses folded her arms with a teasing grin. "And what if we hadn’t?"
Rohit pretended to think seriously. "Hmm... I suppose I’d have had to greet both of you separately."
The girls giggled.
He shrugged. "Though I have to admit... seeing two beautiful girls standing together isn’t exactly something I’d complain about."
"Ohhh..." several girls immediately teased.
Seo-yeon lightly smacked his arm. "You shouldn’t say things like that."
"But I’m only stating facts."That only made everyone laugh harder, and the last traces of awkwardness disappeared.
The conversation gradually drifted toward the incident outside the school gate a few days ago.
"You’ve got guts," one girl nodded appreciatively. "I honestly thought Ujjwal was going to kill you. Glad they all were suspended."
Another frowned. "You should be careful, though. People like them don’t let things go easily."
Rohit merely smiled. "I’ll survive."
Without anyone suggesting it, the group naturally began walking toward the academic building together.
Shweta quietly observed the interaction between Rohit and Seo-yeon. The two seemed surprisingly comfortable around each other. She decided not to ask about it—at least, not yet.
Instead, another question escaped her.
"Rohit..."
"Hmm?"
"I’ve been wondering something." She hesitated. "I’ve known you for years, and you never struck me as someone who could fight. So... why didn’t you ever fight back before?"
Rohit smiled faintly.
"I figured that question would come eventually."
He looked ahead as students streamed across the courtyard.
"My patience simply ran out that day. And before that..." He gave a small shrug. "Let’s just say everyone has something they choose to hide. Some hide their weaknesses. Others hide their strengths. For me... it was simply the better choice."
The girls exchanged glances.
The girl in glasses finally broke the silence, folding her hands dramatically. "Wow. Mysterious..."
Another laughed. "And philosophical! Should we start calling him Master Rohit now?"Everyone burst into laughter, and even Rohit couldn’t help but smile.
Everyone burst into laughter, and even Rohit couldn’t help but smile.
Only Shweta remained quiet. For some reason, his words resonated with her more than the others realized. She, too, had spent years hiding something about herself.
Before the conversation could continue—
Thud.
A football slammed squarely into Rohit’s back. The impact wasn’t painful, just irritating. The ball bounced off him and hit the tree behind them. He picked it up before turning around.
A group of boys in football jerseys stood about twenty meters away. One of them raised a hand. "Sorry, bhai! Ball!"
The apology sounded forced. A couple of boys beside him were already suppressing their laughter. Rohit tossed the ball back without another thought, and the group continued walking.
The group continued walking.
Barely half a minute later, another student brushed hard against Rohit’s shoulder while passing.
"Oh." The boy turned around with an exaggerated smile. "Sorry, Senior." He walked away before Rohit could even respond.
It was the same smirk. The same laughter.
The girl wearing glasses clicked her tongue. "They’re doing it on purpose."
Shweta’s expression hardened. "I think we should just ignore them and head inside."
Seo-yeon had gone unusually quiet. She looked toward the football ground before lowering her eyes. Then, in fluent Korean, she spoke softly. "...I’m sorry, Rohit."
Everyone stopped. Rohit blinked and instinctively replied in Korean, "For what?"
She looked genuinely guilty. "This... is because of me."
Confused, Rohit followed her gaze toward the football field. Only then did he notice one particular boy standing among the players. Unlike the others, he wasn’t smiling. He was staring directly at Seo-yeon. His jersey had a single name printed across the back: ROCKY.
Everything clicked.
Before Rohit could say another word, a loud voice echoed across the ground. "Oi! You."
The boy pointed straight at Rohit. "Come here."
Seo-yeon’s fingers instinctively grabbed Rohit’s sleeve. "Please don’t," she pleaded, looking genuinely anxious. "They’re my classmates."
Rohit studied the group once more. Eight football players were all gathered around Rocky.
One of them laughed loudly. "What happened? Hero’s gone quiet?"
Another called out, "What, should we get you a pair of bangles?"
The group erupted into mocking laughter.
Rohit slowly exhaled. Then, he gently removed Seo-yeon’s hand from his sleeve.
"You guys head inside." He rolled his neck once, and stepped toward the football ground.
"I was starting to think this morning might actually be boring." A faint smile appeared on his face. "Looks like entertainment found me instead."