[EntiTube Live]
"One sponsor." A heavy silence ensued within the screen after the announcement. "I am deeply sorry, but you did not pass."
The petite woman's face darkened. Her slightly parting lips couldn't find the right words. Her eyes glazed over, tears forming until they became too heavy to hold back anymore. Her tears spilled over, but the entire scene was abruptly cut off.
...
Still gripping the now-cold can of soup in his hand, Rayen felt the heaviness travel from the audition room to the room they were in. Adrian was beside him, intently watching the uncensored live of the so-called survival show Idol:Revive.
After the two roommates had settled in the dorm, every now and then, Adrian would ask him something and Rayen would immediately answer. He was somewhat cooperative, so Adrian had become bold and always stuck to him.
When Rayen would go to the bedroom, the enigmatic person would follow. When he was going to the bathroom, Adrian would wait outside the door.
He was like a chick that imprinted Rayen as his mother.
In Rayen's mind though: 'I just didn't want you to think I'm such a snob! But please, stop sticking with me! I'm not your mommy!'
In the end, they both settled at the living room, watching the live audition.
Rayen was curious when he saw the black television in the living area. He wondered if news of his death would be broadcast.
However, what greeted him when he turned the TV on was the live broadcast of the audition happening downstairs. Even more, it was uncensored.
Rayen learned the purpose of the interviews earlier. Wondering how his own interview was shown live, he recalled his words. His cheeks burned at the thought, and he felt like wanting to return to his resting place.
After a while of watching different participants failed, Rayen no longer felt like watching the live broadcast. The atmosphere of the audition was just truly brutal. Why was it even being broadcast like this? It felt... wretched.
He was just about to change the channel when the next participant was finally introduced.
Rayen immediately stopped his fingers from pressing the button and silently lowered the remote control. Adrian, whose attention was already waning, was also caught off-guard by the familiar face on the screen.
'Liam? What is he doing here?'
"Isn't that one of your band mates?"
As Adrian asked that question, Rayen couldn't help but recall the two friends he once had before his death. The person on the screen right now was one of them.
He thought that he was the only one who died, but Liam was also here. Then what about Jared?
Without any recollection of the time of his death, he was unsure of the sequence of the event. But now that he had seen Liam, it's not impossible for Jared to be in this place either.
Did the three of them die together?
'No, please...'
"What about the other one?" Adrian asked Rayen, curious if all of band members died together.
Adrian remembered they had a concert tour or something, but he wasn't a fan and didn't follow them back when he was alive. So he wasn't really certain if the tour had already started.
Usually, he would just stumble upon news of their winnings from his friends on social media or his sister's constant bragging. He would also frequently hear their songs being streamed nonstop after release.
They were actually considered as one of the nation's successful band.
Well, most of the members were already dead and the last one was still unconfirmed if alive, so maybe they couldn't really be considered successful. Maybe unlucky, yes.
"I don't know," Rayen answered calmly.
As Liam's face was shown on the screen, Rayen felt he was different from what he remembered.
Rayen remembered how this person used to call him. This person used to loudly shout his name, volume standing out among the voices of the students going back home from school. He also used to be displeased by this person who always bugged him after classes.
He remembered that whenever he looked back after being called, an annoying wide smile would welcome him, accompanied by a wave and laughter. He would run after Rayen, carrying his prized guitar on his back.
"Let's go practice!"
Rayen had always grunted at his proposition. He wanted to hurry home and play games.
But as usual, Liam would only slung his arm on his shoulders, dragging him away from the school gate, back to the room where the makeshift band always practiced.
In that room, another person was waiting for them while always wearing a frowning expression.
Every day, that was the scenario in Rayen's life until the time the band debuted...
Now, Liam hadn't even smiled once.
He was also unlike the previous participant. The petite girl before had been so nervous, and although she tried her hardest, she was just tone-deaf and unable to dance well. It looked like a farce, but for Rayen, wasn't funny.
Liam's introduction interview started playing on the screen. He sat on a stool, staring out of nowhere. He looked lost as he repeatedly tried to open his mouth only to close it again, as though struggling to find the right words.
He lowered his head, making it impossible for Rayen to read his expression. Rayen couldn't help but worry about his friend.
Finally, Liam spoke with his head bowed. "Actually, I don't want to tell anything about myself."
'What the hell is wrong with him?'
Liam sighed, then looked toward the camera, chuckling wryly. "I wasn't a good person, and I don't deserve to be revived. Sometimes I wonder if I did the right things... I knew I didn't. But please, let me be onstage again."
The video transitioned to the current Liam. He stood straight, a hand-held microphone in his hand. He looked directly at the camera as his mouth opened and the lyrics began spilling from it.
"How dare I lay my hands on it?"
Liam's voice was deep, resonating in the ears of the audience in the sponsors' room. Rayen was taken aback when he heard Liam started rapping. Over the years that they had been band mates, Rayen had never once heard Liam utter any word of rap.
"In the depths, I travelled down.
Walking, turning, maybe I was lost.
Just as my brow was about to frown,
I saw it.
I saw what I was looking for the most."
Liam's face was tranquil, as if devoid of any emotion. He was unlike what Rayen remembered. The Liam he knew was someone who smiled a lot. Now, the person on the screen felt like a stranger.
"Glittering in gold, long story untold.
Ah! So bright, so bright and bold.
I was the archeologist that unearthed you.
The gray world was colored with your hue.
How dare I lay my hands on it?
No, I dare not. Not a little bit.
Please reach out to me first."
Rayen watched in silence until Liam finished his rap. The live broadcast then switched to the spectators watching from another room. Some were listening intently, eyes fixed on the projector screen in front of them, while others chatted with the people beside them.
Liam also prepared a different song for his dance which Rayen watched in a daze.
When the time for the voting came, the camera zoomed in on the black objects on the people's hands, fingers either on the 'x' or 'o' marks.
In the next moment, the numbers were announced. The camera shifted to a black clothed staff member on the podium. The person raised the microphone in her hand.
"Two sponsors, I'm sorry," she said.
Rayen's heart thumped loudly and quickly fell. He wanted to see his friend's reaction, but he also didn't want to.
Before the camera switched to Liam's reaction though, the staff member spoke again and corrected herself. "I'm sorry, it was a mistake. You got three sponsors. You passed, Participant Liam."
Phew... Rayen released his breath that he had been holding for a while now. He stood up and went to the corner where the trash bin was. He gently tossed the empty can in his hand and calmed his mind.
Was there something going on with Liam before they died?