At the cafeteria.
Rayen, while chewing into the array of dishes on the table, intently scrolled down with his phone. He was so engrossed that he didn't even notice Adrian's eyes locked on him with furrowed brows, clearly not pleased by Rayen's actions.
'There's nothing?'
After watching Liam's audition in their dormitory, the enigmatic Adrian dragged him to the cafeteria. Rayen had no chance to check the news on the TV, so he just opted for the internet and social media.
He had visited the band's fan pages and websites, but he found nothing. Nothing at all.
'How could this be? Two out of three members was confirmed to have died!'
At first, Rayen thought he and Liam died during their concert. That would've certainly brought about a commotion, but there was no mention of it anywhere.
As he kept browsing, he found out that the tour had been cancelled midway, but the reason wasn't disclosed. Fans were confused, some were enraged by the sudden news. The company had to appease them by giving refunds to those who've already bought tickets along with adding some additional incentives.
Eventually, Rayen found himself on the public social media account of Jared on Mugbook.
[JARED
An hour ago
>> Breakfast, lunch, dinner heh
(Foods photo)
17k Reacts | 458 Comments | 335 Shares]
He could confirm that this member was the only remaining one of the band who was healthy and alive after seeing the last post he had made just an hour ago. Rayen's fingers hovered on the message button, but he couldn't bring himself to press it.
He was unsure if contacting him in this state would bring about any negative repercussions.
"Not eating?" Adrian suddenly spoke, noticing Rayen's hesitation.
Rayen raised his head and slowly set his phone down. He picked up his utensils and started eating.
Later, he would try to seek out Liam to ask about what had happened.
"Don't you know that using your phone during meal times is unlucky?" Adrian asked.
Rayen eyed him and only spoke after swallowing his food. "I don't believe in superstitions."
"I do," Adrian said.
'I didn't ask.'
When he was alive, Rayen had been too busy to pay attention to such things. During their peak days, their schedules would be fully packed that the only time he could have for himself was during meal time. So, he developed a habit of using his phone while eating. He'd even sometimes play games on it.
That's just how his life revolved. If he only focused on work, he would have gone crazy because of their hellish schedule.
Being in the limelight and recognized by many was certainly enjoyable, but the schedule was another thing.
Trying so hard to refrain himself from picking up his phone again, Rayen focused on chewing his food. Just as he was about to push aside the matters in his head, a crowd of people arrived. They numbered more than a dozen.
Rayen recalled that when they left the lounge on the second floor, there were only about a dozen people. It seemed that many more had arrived after they left.
When Rayen and Adrian had went out to go to the cafeteria, they had already encountered some participants who had passed the audition and was being led by the staff members to explore the building. Compared to them, this group of people was different. They were surrounded by a dark and heavy atmosphere.
Rayen recognized one of them as the woman who hadn't secured three sponsors and failed.
Were these people the same?
Rayen averted his gaze, trying not to stare at them too much. The few people in the cafeteria who had also passed the audition and finished familiarizing themselves with their new home also did the same.
The newly arrived group walked until they arrived at the corner of the cafeteria. The table they settled in already had plenty of foods, and some were still being served from the kitchen. They silently took a seat but did not touch any food.
Some of them sat still as statues and just stared at the food, while others glanced at the clock nearby their table. They counted the remaining time they had.
The staff member began to speak. Although the place was huge, the silence inside allowed the scattered people in the cafeteria to hear his words. The staff member's face looked complex and solemn as he spoke to them.
"Please enjoy your food..."
His words met no ears.
Only after few moments later did one person silently took his utensils, grabbing a small portion of foods from the serving plates, he placed it on his own. His expression was blank as he took a bite from the food in his plate.
The others around him followed suit until everyone did so. Some weren't as composed as him, trying to hold back their emotions with scrunched faces, while some could not really do it and cried silently.
Rayen didn't feel like eating anymore as he witnessed the scene. He thought he could have been one of them.
He sighed in his mind. He didn't really know if he should be grateful that he could keep on living because of this survival show, or be frustrated by its format.
Although he got the gist of Plotter's explanation earlier, it still felt unfair to get thrown in an unfamilar idol show after death. They were shown hope to live again, but ultimately failed to grab it.
As the people continued to eat in solemn silence, the clock in the cafeteria suddenly emmited a loud ticking sound. The speakers produced a sound of chiming bells as if announcing something.
All heads turned toward the speakers to hear what it was about. But instead of an announcement, a melody entered their ears.
"A farewell is the hardest thing to do.
So here's a soup for you,
I hope it could remind you of all the things I've done.
Never ever will I be gone.
Please enjoy the food, savor the last meal,
Hoping it could fill,
The gap I left behind.
Please enjoy the meal.
Enjoy the meal~
Until the wounds of my loss could heal."
The atmosphere inside the cafeteria dropped even more. The song, which gradually faded into silence left everyone hanging on their places.
All eyes in the cafeteria turned to a single spot. But no one noticed when, silently... the table at the farthest corner had already turned empty.