When Mu Wei returned to the waiting room and was contemplating about this, Lu Yi approached him again with an optimistic tone.
"Hey Mu Wei! You're back, how did it go?" The teenager smiled brightly and sat next to him, "I managed to make a new friend while you were gone!"
The white-haired man glanced at him and thought to himself, 'Am I your mom or something? Why does this feel like a child bragging to his mom that he made a friend during school.'
"It went alright. What's the name of your new friend?" Well, it doesn't hurt to ask right? Besides, he might as well gather up some allies to get some security.
Lu Yi smiled brightly at Mu Wei's inquiry, and he pointed at a woman not so far away, "Her name is Min-Ji! She recently just joined the guild like us! Oh, and she wanted to apologize to you about something too."
Mu Wei glanced at the direction and saw a brown-haired woman. She was dressed in slacks and a white-collared shirt. It seemed like she was most likely a chaebol judging from her jewelries too. But what is a person of this caliber doing here? Although Beiyin guild is a good guild, I'm sure being with F-ranks must be humiliating even for her.
The brown-haired women turned around at the sound of Lu Yi mentioning her name. She had this aura around her that make most people trust her, her dark brown eyes were bright under the lights.
"Min-Ji! You should come over here, what're ya doing over there? Let me introduce you to my other friend!"
The woman laughed softly and approached them, "Haha alright, I'll come over there."
As the distance between them closed even more and she finally stood in front of the two. She glanced at the person next to Lu Yi and made eye contact with Mu Wei.
When she saw him, she gave a small nod and smiled, "Greetings, my name is Min-Ji. You probably don't recognize me, but I wanted to apologize for the inconvenience earlier. I was originally the one who was supposed to go but I was overwhelmed with fear. I sincerely apologize for troubling you."
Mu Wei observed her for a few moments and thought to himself, 'She even speaks formally, and her clothes seem to be expensive judging from the fabric. What's a person like her doing her?'
He didn't really harbor any bad feelings about this incident. It was only natural for a person to be afraid; it was a human reaction. If Mu Wei wasn't so confident about his time regression abilities, he would've also done anything to survive.
"It's fine, there's no need to worry about it. Nice to meet you, Min-Ji. You can call me Mu Wei." Mu Wei decided it wasn't his place to question Min-Ji's reason for being her. 'It's not like she's done anything bad to me, what's so wrong about a chaebol joining?'
The two exchanged a few more words of greeting and the conversation ended. Lu Yi, who waited for them to finish their introductions finally spoke up, "Well, it looks like everyone's finally familiar with each other! How about we find a place to sit? This is probably going to take a while."
He glanced at the other F-ranks and thought so too. This process will probably take a while. Mu Wei nodded his head at this, "Yes, I agree. We should go to a corner with less people."
It's not like he had any problem with the other F-ranks, he just wanted a place with less noise to settle his thoughts right now.
Min-Ji who heard this also hummed in agreement. '
'Great, now I can settle down.' Mu Wei was really happy about their new friend. Lu Yi who heard this didn't have any objections and three made their way to a dim corner of the room. They sat down and there were less noises heard compared to earlier when they were at the center of the crowds.
Mu Wei sat at the seat nearest to the wall and settled down. After a few minutes, Lu Yi got up and went to get the two of them some food. After the teenager left, it seemed like the atmosphere turned more awkward. There wasn't any problem between the two, it's just that they were both people who don't speak a lot unless it's necessary.
As Mu Wei was about to drift into a deep sleep, Min-Ji who was sat next to him suddenly spoke, "Uhm. Are you perhaps not from here Sir Mu Wei?"
'What did she just say?? Does she already know that I'm not from this world??' Mu Wei was shocked at this question and was a bit panicked. Although it's true that he hated how he was transmigrated here, he wasn't sure if this would cause time to regress and ruin his progress.
While Mu Wei was panicking internally, Min-Ji was completely oblivious to this misunderstanding between them. She fiddled her fingers nervously as she sat, she was nervous that the man wouldn't even bother to respond to her, and it would make the atmosphere even awkward.
However, when she glanced at his direction, she was a bit surprised at the man's expression. He looked like he just saw a ghost, "S-sorry! That must've been a weird question. It's just that your name doesn't seem Korean. Are you perhaps from another country?"
Mu Wei's inner turmoil settled slightly after hearing her clarification. He exhaled, trying to hide his relief. 'Right, that makes sense. My name isn't exactly common here.' He composed himself and managed a small smile.
"Oh, no need to apologize," he replied. "You're right. I'm not originally from here."
Min-Ji nodded thoughtfully, visibly relaxing. "I see... I was just curious since I haven't met many foreigners in the guild so far." She adjusted a delicate bracelet on her wrist, her dark eyes glancing at him curiously. "Where are you from, if you don't mind me asking?"
Mu Wei considered his response, deciding to keep his answer vague. "I'm from a small town far away. It's... very different from here, that's for sure." He gave her a slight, reassuring smile.
Min-Ji accepted his answer without prying further. "That makes sense. I've heard that many join guilds in other countries to gain experience," she said, seeming to contemplate something before turning her gaze back to him. "Are you...enjoying it here, then?"
He chuckled softly. "Let's just say it's a work in progress," he answered.
She smiled at that, a knowing look in her eyes as if she understood the struggle. "I get that. Moving to a new place and meeting all these new people can be overwhelming. Even as a local, I feel the same way sometimes." She lowered her voice slightly, glancing at some of the other guild members around them. "There are a lot of expectations around here… for better or worse."
Mu Wei's curiosity grew as he observed her reserved expression. It was rare to see a chaebol showing a glimpse of vulnerability. He wondered briefly what her backstory could be—what drove her to join the guild despite her privileged background. He noticed her gaze linger on a few members chatting animatedly across the room, but she quickly looked away.
"If you don't mind me asking," he started slowly, "why did you decide to join the Beiyin guild?"
Min-Ji hesitated for a moment, her fingers lightly tracing the edge of her bracelet again. "It's a bit of a long story. But…let's just say I wanted a challenge. There's only so much you can learn within safe walls." She paused, then added, "My family wanted me to have a 'more conventional' career. But I wanted something different."
Mu Wei nodded, seeing a familiar spark of rebellion and independence in her eyes. It reminded him of himself. He'd never been one to follow conventions either, though his situation was far from Min-Ji's. "I get that," he replied with a slight smile, "Sometimes, you just have to make your own path."
Her expression softened. "Exactly. I think that's why I don't mind being here, even if others might think it's unusual for someone… like me." She smiled, but there was a hint of sadness beneath it.
As the two shared this moment of understanding, Lu Yi returned, balancing three trays of food in his hands with the enthusiasm of someone who'd just conquered a great feat. "Alright! I brought the best they had!" he announced proudly, setting the trays down on the table between them. "I even got some extra dumplings for us!"
Mu Wei looked down at the simple yet comforting food and felt a pang of hunger he hadn't noticed before. "Thanks, Lu Yi."
"No problem, Mu Wei!" Lu Yi grinned before turning to Min-Ji. "I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I brought a little of everything!"
Min-Ji's eyes lit up at his kindness. "Thank you, Lu Yi. That's very thoughtful of you."
They started eating in companionable silence, each savoring the warmth of the meal and the quiet that filled the corner of the room. It was only after they'd each eaten a few bites that Lu Yi broke the silence. "So, Mu Wei," he said between bites, "you never really told me what made you join the guild. Just for experience, or...is there more to it?"
Mu Wei felt both pairs of eyes on him and shifted slightly. He hadn't thought much about sharing his real reasons. It wasn't something he wanted to burden others with, but there was also a small part of him that wanted to be understood.
"I joined because...there's something I need to protect," he said finally, choosing his words carefully. "I want to get stronger for that reason alone."
'I feel bad lying to them about this, but this shouldn't be too far from my original goals.'
Lu Yi nodded thoughtfully, the brightness in his eyes fading as he took in Mu Wei's answer. "That's… actually pretty inspiring, Mu Wei."
Min-Ji's gaze was warm. "It's not an easy reason, but it's an honest one. I think that's admirable."
As their conversations continued, the initial awkwardness dissolved, replaced by a growing sense of camaraderie. Mu Wei found himself relaxing around these two, surprised by how natural it felt. Lu Yi's easygoing nature brought a comforting warmth to the group, and Min-Ji's quiet resilience was a reminder that even the most unlikely allies could bring strength to their journey. It felt strangely nostalgic. A long time ago, he also had two very close friends, but something occurred between them.
Just as they were finishing their meal, an announcement echoed through the waiting room, startling them all. A sharp, professional voice rang through the speakers.
[Attention F-ranks, we will be continuing testing after a small 30-minute break.]
[Attention F-ranks, we will be continuing testing after a small 30-minute break.]
[Attention F-ranks, we will be continuing testing after a small 30-minute break.]