“Are you up already?”
The young man, with a woeful expression, smiled lightly and
greeted Lee Jin-woo with a morning greeting.
“...You, Ian, good morning.”
Ian was one of the younger members of Cliff’s group, and
although they had not had many conversations, he was one of the people he
personally liked.
“I rushed to prepare ahead of time because we’re going to the
city today.”
Ian said so, gesturing from head to toe at his well-dressed
appearance.
Lee Jin-woo nodded as he saw the appearance of a typical
university student, rather than the cunning and treacherous attire he had seen
before.
“I almost didn’t recognize you. Do you transform like this
every time you go to the city?”
“Of course! We have to enjoy ourselves in the city without
showing any signs of being a Roamer.”
“Then what about Cliff?”
“No, those guys are lazy, so they just go around like that.
They only choose boring places to go to...”
Ian grumbled about Cliff’s usual behavior for a while and
suddenly grabbed Lee Jin-woo’s shoulder and asked.
“Since it wouldn’t be fun to hang out with those guys, how
about hanging out with me?”
“Yes?”
It was a somewhat sudden suggestion, but it was probably to
take care of himself, who didn’t know anyone.
“...Thank you for the offer, but I’m okay. I planned on
wandering around alone, anyway.”
“Are you sure? It’s your first time in the city, isn’t it?”
Ian was worried, but Lee Jin-woo was used to moving around
alone.
Moreover, he had something to handle secretly today, so it
was not a good idea to move together.
However, knowing that Ian had recommended it with good
intentions, he politely declined as much as possible.
“I was planning to look around the factory and learn about
the interview process during this opportunity. It seems difficult to travel
together in that case. Thank you for your consideration, though.”
“Oh, a factory tour. I completely forgot and thought you
would just stay as a Roamer.”
Ian remembered seeing Lee Jin-woo fighting against a swarm of
bees. His calm and composed manner of taking them down, even as the monstrous
bees charged at him, was no less impressive than that of any professional
Roamer.
That was why he hadn’t even considered that the other would
do a factory tour, which was something that all 1.5-generation reincarnators
would go through at least once.
Nodding his head as if he roughly understood, Ian spoke with
a firm voice, as if he couldn’t concede on this one point.
“But make sure you get a haircut. You’ll have enough time for
that.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not trying to show off that you’ve just been
reincarnated, are you? If you go around looking messy like that, people will
underestimate you.”
As Lee Jin-woo nodded his head in agreement with the rather
realistic advice, a ‘ring’ sound came from Ian’s pocket.
“Just a moment.”
Ian took out his smartphone and checked his messages.
Suddenly, he grabbed Lee Jin-woo’s shoulder and said in a serious tone, “Girls
are coming too! Don’t you want to go together, even after you finish your
business?”
Unable to hold back a chuckle at Ian’s appearance, which was
like that of a college student excited about a group date, Lee Jin-woo replied
that it was okay.
Then, he began to ask about what had piqued his interest more
than Ian mentioning about meeting some girls.
“By the way, how long has it been since you came to this
world, Ian?”
“Me? Um, about a year or so.”
If a year had passed since, the discrepancy between what one
knew and common sense would not be that great. Thinking that there would be no
need to explain everything in detail, he got to the point.
“Could that smartphone be activated without citizenship? I
heard that non-citizens can’t even open a bank account due to lack of
credit...”
“Oh, this? It’s a prepaid phone. Well, on Earth, you still
need an ID to get a prepaid phone... but here, you can do it with a point
card.”
“I see.”
“The rest is the same as on Earth. Just buy an unlocked phone
and a SIM card.”
Ian seemed to enjoy this topic, and started to share various
recommendations with Jin-woo, from good carriers and plans to cost-effective
and trendy smartphone models, making Jin-woo feel overwhelmed.
However, he didn’t hate having this ordinary conversation,
which somehow felt like it had been a long time since he even had one.
“But to be honest, at first, I felt like it was a waste of
money to get a phone plan because I didn’t have many people to contact. It
might be better to just get an unlocked phone and use Wi-Fi only. You can just
use email or messenger to communicate.”
“Does this train have Wi-Fi too?”
The Gaia Express had an old-fashioned and elegant appearance,
with brilliant energy stones attached to it. It felt like a train that would
only appear in some fantasy movie, and Wi-Fi did not seem to fit at all.
But Ian responded with a “What are you talking about?”
expression.
“Where doesn’t Wi-Fi work these days? Well, maybe it might
feel a bit strange in this world since you’re probably used to Earth... But
actually, it’s not much different from Earth if you think about it.”
“...Mr. Cliff said something similar.”
“Well, what he said and what I’m saying have slightly
different nuances... It would be quicker to just show you.”
Ian took out his smartphone again and showed a portal site
with a design that he had seen before.
“You can find almost anything through a search. There were
also many blog posts and community posts that summarize the situation in this
place. Of course, you have to filter it appropriately, but isn’t that the same
on Earth?”
“Indeed, it’s better to have a smartphone.”
“For people who have just been reincarnated, the price may be
burdensome, but in the long run, it’s much more beneficial to have easy access
to information. Oh, but since Mr. Newbie picked up an energy stone yesterday,
you can sell that!”
Watching Ian, who was in his first year of rebirth, speak
with a consistently bright expression, Lee Jin-woo felt like he was looking at
a sample of someone who was adapting well to this world.
Being able to generously show kindness to others might be due
to one’s innate character, but it also meant that there was some mental
flexibility.
“By the way, are you planning on going to the city alone?
Then I’ll lend you one of my t-shirts. Even just that much can make a
difference in how people treat you, since they won’t see you as a complete newbie.
Oh, but don’t forget to cut your hair first.”
“Yes, I won’t decline your offer.”
Lee Jin-woo accepted Ian’s kindness with a low laugh for the
first time in a while.
***
“This is the next stop, Rostock, Rostock Station.”
Lee Jin-woo calmly prepared to disembark as he listened to
the announcement.
Unlike him, who only had one sling bag to take with him,
Cliff and the other Roamers were still moving around clumsily until the end.
“Hey, has anyone seen Gilbert?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s in a different car?”
“Well, he’ll figure it out himself when we get off, won’t
he?”
“Anyway, he’s a guy who does whatever he wants...”
Upon hearing Cliff’s muttering, Lee Jin-woo felt a
complicated emotion, but the rest of the group didn’t seem to care much.
Kiiiiing!
However, as they bustled about on the platform among the
people who had gotten off the train, they couldn’t find Gilbert, and suspicious
voices began to emerge.
“I can’t see Gilbert. Did he just run off?”
“Did this guy just bail on us?”
“Check to see if anything else is missing!”
Unlike how he had been on the train, calmly sipping his
drink, Lee Jin-woo watched the group rummaging through their luggage and
swearing, and asked with a curious expression.
“Do you think he ran away? We haven’t even split the income
yet.”
“Sometimes it happens. Guys who don’t want to split the
income just steal it all.”
“...”
From Lee Jin-woo’s perspective, it was a bitter pill to
swallow that they were jumping to conclusions about Gilbert’s absence on their
own.
Once they confirm that there’s nothing missing, the
misunderstanding will be cleared up quickly anyway...
“It’s gone!”
“...”
“My cash is empty too!”
“That damn Gilbert!”
“No wonder he got drunk at yesterday’s gathering. He must
have planned to bail from the start at this station.”
“Given that the new guy who was acting clueless disappeared
too, it seems like they left together.”
Through Cliff’s group’s conversation, Lee Jin-woo realized
that Gilbert had planned to leave the team from the beginning. It seemed that
he was planning to make off with the stolen goods after dealing with him.
Upon confirming once again that Gilbert was an irredeemable
piece of trash, Jin-woo couldn’t help but feel relieved. However, his thoughts
remained complicated.
What should I do? Should I return it?
He contemplated about the items he had picked up last night.
Normally, it would be proper to return them to their owner, but then he would
have to explain how he got his hands on them. Simply saying he found them would
not make sense in this situation.
Just then, Cliff let out a sigh as if there was nothing he
could do and calmed down his team members.
“Now, now, let’s calm down. The most valuable items are still
with me. I always carry them with me. Even disposing of just these will bring
in a fair amount of profit. Let’s forget about what happened and move on.
Besides, I don’t think he stole anything that was too important.”
“That may be true, but it’s so frustrating! How could someone
steal things like this?”
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it have been better to just
distribute them?”
“Well, I think they might have wanted to steal more until the
very end... But how can we know what a thief is thinking?”
“...”
Jin-woo decided to keep his mouth shut. Not knowing how to
interpret his stubborn expression, Cliff patted him on the shoulder and spoke.
“Anyway, what are your plans now? Are you going to the
factory as planned?”
“Yes, that’s what the guide at the information center
suggested.”
“I see. I’ll be stopping by a middleman first before taking a
leisurely rest in the city. If you have any plans, feel free to join me.”
“Oh, well...”
“Mr. Cliff! I promised to hang out with the new guy if I had
the time, so you can go with the other guys.”
Interrupting suddenly, Ian made Cliff shrug his shoulders and
leave on his own.
“We’re planning to take the train again tomorrow at noon. If
you want to join us for Roamer activities, come find us. Otherwise, you should
take your share from the selling price at the honeysuckle honey. Anyway, look
around the factory and come back. It will probably be the first and last time.”
With Cliff’s confident words, the group dispersed to attend
to their own business.
Jin-woo also made his way to the information center at the
Roshtock station.
“Excuse me.”
“Welcome... What brings you here?”
The information center employee looked at Jin-woo with a
doubtful expression.
“I want to tour the factory.”
“Oh, you’re a newly reincarnated one, right? Wait over there
until we have enough people.”
What was that reaction just now?
Although he looked remarkably healthy for a newly
reincarnated person, Jin-woo couldn’t understand it.
As he waited uncomfortably in the awkward silence for a
while, someone finally opened the door and came in. It was a blonde woman who
exuded an arrogant impression.
“Are these all the people for today... Well, I’ll just have to
take them with me.”
“...”
She murmured quietly, but her voice was loud enough to be
heard in the quiet waiting room.
However, as if nothing had happened, the woman introduced
herself in a loud voice.
“Hello, I’m Celine, and I’ll be your guide for the factory
tour today. Can you all hear me?”
As she spoke in a childish tone, the newly reincarnated
people who had been staring blankly in the waiting room finally reacted.
The situation confused Jin-woo, but he decided to go along
with the mood for now.
“All right, then follow me. Come on, move quickly!”
