You're So Amusing

The words of refute got stuck in Mu Wei's throat as he struggled to disagree with the man's words. As an actor you'd think it would be easy for him to pretend to be unbothered by this clear provocation. However, the white-haired man didn't say anything and pursed his lips into a straight line instead. He stood still for a moment and glanced at the man beside him.

This strange silence between them made the dark-haired man's smile rise more and the atmosphere developed into a tense and eerie vibe. When the two made eye contact once again, Mu Wei could faintly remember what Chan-Yeol said to him one time about his eyes. 

'It really does feel like staring into a hypnosis clock... Maybe I didn't notice it as strongly before, but it actually feels like I'm being hypnotized as I keep staring at his eyes.'

Luckily, by the grace of mother luck, there was a familiar figure that passed by at the perfect moment. It was Lu Yi, thankfully. Mu Wei has never been more relieved to see him until now.

He walked happily to the cafeteria and displayed a shocked expression when he saw Mu Wei. He enthusiastically waved his hand at him and asked, "Mu Wei! I was looking for you, where did you go?"

Mu Wei silently let out a sigh of relief at this and quickly grabbed this opportunity to escape. He stepped closer to Lu Yi's direction and grabbed his arm to leave. "I was taking a stroll. Why don't we go explore the guild more and find Min-Ji?" 

"Huh?" Lu Yi asked dumbfoundedly as he was whisked away without getting the chance to let out a word. He was dragged across the hall before he knew it and asked curiously, "Well I don't have any problem with that but who was that man beside you?"

However, the white-haired man didn't seem to hear him and continued to walk farther away from the man behind them. When the two finally reached a respectable distance, Mu Wei released his grip from Lu Yi's arm and answered, "Don't worry about him, he was just an acquaintance."

Lu Yi, who was rubbing his arm, nodded his head and no longer asked any further. After a few seconds of silence, Mu Wei decided to elevate this awkward mood and asked, "By the way, where did you go earlier?"

The teenager blinked a few times at this question and replied strangely, "Mu Wei, didn't I tell you where I was going earlier? I was going to check out the quest board."

"Ah." Mu Wei became embarrassed on how stupid his question was and quickly changed the topic, "Oh right, I remember now. Ahem, then have you seen Min-Ji?"

Lu Yi shook his head sadly and replied dejectedly, "I haven't seen her at all. What if she got in trouble with some people? Or, what if she no longer wants to be friends with us?" The teenager was clearly bothered by this sudden disappearance of their new friend and stared at the floor with gloom written in his face.

Mu Wei, who saw Lu Yi's dejected mood, kept silent. He suddenly felt a little guilty for wanting to hide his meeting with Min-Ji but decided to not linger about it too much.

He replied softly and put his arm on Lu Yi's shoulder, "Don't think too much about it. She's a strong person who can defend herself against people. And... I don't think she wouldn't want to be friends with us. She is a good person. Why don't we do some tasks that's been assigned to us?"

"Yeah... You're right." Lu Yi showed a small smile at his words and didn't seem to be as blue as before, "Well, one of the tasks that's been assigned to us today is to head to one of their training rooms and practice."

Mu Wei nodded at this and said, "Shall we go then?"

...

Meanwhile, on Dong-Hyun's (Lu Beiyi) side.

As Lu Beiyi kept staring at the white-haired man walking in front of him, he suddenly found it a little amusing. Just a few days ago, this man suddenly confessed to him boldly in front of his employees and even complimented his eyes. Now, the man is trying to walk away from him and didn't even spare him a glance.

Lu Beiyi paused as the white-haired man became still and he stood side by side with the white-haired man. As he watched Mu Wei struggle to form a response. His sharp eyes, framed by his dark hair, took in every detail of the white-haired man's expression. There was something peculiar about Mu Wei—a hesitance that didn't quite align with his supposed confidence. Lu Beiyi couldn't put his finger on it, but it made him all the more intrigued. He always felt that the man next to him gave off a sense of familiarity. In fact, he could remember his words of their earlier meet at the garden. He didn't know why but he suddenly said words he couldn't even understand.

'Looks like the cat got his tongue, huh?' Dong-Hyun thought, his lips curving into a faint smirk. The white-haired man's silence told him all he needed to know. Despite not knowing everything, he knew that the white-haired man was someone very interesting. 

Although Lu Beiyi was more interested in the man's confession to him at the moment.

Was it genuine? Lu Beiyi wondered, his smirk fading into a more contemplative expression. Or was it a way to deflect suspicion?

'Still, now that he said it, there's no way to take it back.'

Before he could dwell further on the thought, a young man walking happily suddenly came into his view and a burst of energy disrupted the atmosphere. A teenager—Lu Yi—interrupted their strange atmosphere, his cheerful demeanor an almost comical contrast to the tension-filled scene.

"Mu Wei! I was looking for you, where did you go?" the boy asked, his voice bright and unguarded.

Dong-Hyun's gaze flicked back to Mu Wei, who visibly relaxed at the interruption. The younger man's relief was palpable as he quickly moved to Lu Yi's side, practically using the boy as a shield. The corner of Dong-Hyun's mouth twitched in mild irritation. He was a little annoyed at someone disturbing but decided to not think about it at the moment.

As Mu Wei grabbed Lu Yi's arm and steered him away from him, Lu Beiyi watched them go, his expression unreadable. He caught the faint exchange of words between them but didn't bother to strain his ears. Instead, he focused on the subtle tension in Mu Wei's shoulders and the hurried pace of his steps. He was amused at this and even let out a silent chuckle.

Running away, are we? Lu Beiyi thought, his smirk returning. But you can't keep running away forever, Mu Wei.