The atmosphere turned strange. It didn't make sense at all.
'Am I dreaming, or am I just schizophrenic?'
The book page in the air just disappeared... It disappeared! Wait. It's not even supposed to be floating in the air in the first place!
"Ah... W-What's happening?"
Rayen's lips were trembling, so was his voice. He just witnessed something incredibly scary and bizarre.
It's not that he hadn't witnessed any magic trick before, but that didn't look like a magic trick at all! There was no other person aside from Rayen in this room. Not even the strange person he was having a conversation with right now was in this room.
"Oopss. I'm sorry." The strange person covered his mouth with pretentious concern. "Did I scare you?"
Or was the book page eaten by an invisible ghost and turned invisible too? However, that's just equally terrifying.
'Am I truly dead? Is this the afterlife?'
"That's right. You're already dead."
Hearing the strange person's words, Rayen quickly took another step back and almost tripped from the stool that he had knocked over earlier.
"You just read my thoughts!"
"Nope. It's just clearly written in your face. I don't have that kind of power."
Rayen found himself unable to retort the words that the strange person said. He bet his face was pale with fear. Meanwhile, the expression of the strange person was certainly saying that they were enjoying the situation.
There was a wide grin on the strange person's otherworldly face that it further gave Rayen a scare.
"Stop playing around, Plotter. Would you like your idol to disappear?"
A woman's voice sounded from the monitor's speaker. Rayen expected another strange person to appear on the screen, but no new figure did.
The strange person immediately changed their bearing upon hearing the voice. He wiped away the grin on his face and directly faced Rayen with a professional expression.
"The Director's here. Let's proceed with the next segment—the interview!"
"What interview? What the hell is even happening? Why will I disappear?"
Rayen looked at Plotter dubiously as he said those words. To him, Plotter's words didn't make sense.
'Nothing makes sense anymore! Ahh!'
Pressured by both Rayen and the woman, Plotter had no choice but to answer directly.
"You are currently participating on a celebrity survival show. And right now, we are on the interview segment."
'Me? A participant? This is a survival show?'
The reason even brought more questions to Rayen's mind. If he was already dead, why was he participating in a celebrity survival show? No, the right question was supposed to be 'how?' Were dead people even able to move and film a show?
"If I'm dead, how did I die? Why can't I recall it?"
On the screen, the way that Plotter looked at him instantly changed.
The person only smiled gently and denied his words.
"What dead? I already told you, you're hereby considered not dead! Who dares want you dead if I don't want to?"
'Aren't you contradicting yourself? You told me I was dead, now I'm not! And what if the director wants me gone? You're clearly afraid of her!'
Plotter continued by changing the subject. "You're only allocated five minutes of time. So hurry up and let's proceed."
Clapping twice, the knocked over stool beneath Rayen stood up on its own. It quietly placed itself under Rayen's rear. It's just like how the book page from before was neatly folded in thin air as if there was an invisible ghost manipulating everything inside this room. This invisible ghost even pulled him lightly to sit back on the stool.
"So, tell me..." Plotter continued, not minding any more of Rayen's questions.
'Tell me what?'
Rayen tilted his head in puzzlement.
"Tell me about yourself."
Rayen's lips twitched. They said that this interview was for a celebrity survival show. But why did it seem like a question for a job interview instead?
Was the title for their show "Yey! I Interviewed My Dead Idol! Watch Me How" to make it interesting?
If not, then why was the question so bland?!
Rayen answered the question despite it being so tasteless. He just wanted this segment to be over and finally have all of his doubts clarified.
"I am Rayen. I was a member of a band called Adrift..." He stole a look at Plotter's face before continuing his words. "... back when I was alive."
By adding the last words, Rayen tried to probe Plotter and the people behind him. He wondered if they will remind him not to say those words to assure something.
However, Plotter just nodded and proceeded with the next question as if not minding it.
'Will they edit it out... or does that mean that the people who will watch this show isn't someone ordinary? People of the afterlife, perhaps?'
Plotter smilingly said, "How did you become a member of this band?"
Rayen answered every question that Plotter asked him in a daze. The interview was dull and uninteresting that it seemed like this show will be a flop.
By the time the interview had finished, he was just about to ask more questions when the woman that remained hidden somewhere spoke again.
"Once you're out of the interview room, head upstairs to the waiting room. Next participant, enter now."
"W-Wait! I still have some questions!"
He looked at the monitor in front of him, but the screen was now dark with Plotter nowhere to be found.
"You will have your answers later," the woman said.
Rayen remained determined and stubbornly remained in his seat.
"I want it now!"
"You're not the only participant in this show. Don't make me repeat and tire myself." She paused briefly and continued with a flat tone. "Go out or I'll make you disappear."
The invisible force returned, hastily pulling Rayen out of his seat and out of the room. He could even feel the anxiety of the the invisible force's controller with the strength of its tugging, and had no choice but to comply.
When he was out of the interview room, he immediately saw the person who saw him dance at the lounge earlier. He felt his face burning at the thought again and averted his gaze until the person entered the interview room.
Rayen headed out of the corridor and retraced his steps to the lounge. Immediately, he heard the sound of buzzing conversation.
"There's a person there!"
Upon hearing the words, everyone in the lounge turned their heads to Rayen.
'So many dead people...'