Death Cast

01.2 | Grecia Bella Theatre

The corridor is narrow and a little dark.

The only light in the dark passageway comes from the yellow lamps set on the walls on either side of the compartment doors. With each tremor, it flickered more vividly and menacingly, as if the bulbs may go out at any time and plunge the carriage into darkness.

Jaerim walked cautiously down the path, his eyes darting left and right, studying the interior of the place under the dim light.

The tram's corridors are located in the centre, with each side having at least five little cramped cabins. The doors were low and short, with only a little delicate glass square window in the upper middle, indicating whether or not the room was occupied. Three to four rooms in the corridor were emitting yellow light as he passed by.

His ears perked up as he drew closer to the point where the railway carriages came together. A metal door at the end of the corridor was slightly ajar, generating a brighter light against the murky darkness. As soon as he opened the door, the cacophony of voices and chattering of people became more audible.

In contrast to the previous carriage, this one does not contain any rooms or divisions that separate the area. Instead, it is furnished with square brown tables surrounded by dull brown leather seats, each of which faces an adjacent window. People were crammed into couches that could only fit three to four people at a time.

Jaerim was puzzled by the curiously classical attire of the individuals around him. Men are dressed in collarless, long-sleeved, half-buttoned clothing with an embroidered rectangular section on the chest area. It's practically translucent, with a net-like thinness that reveals the worn white undershirt underneath.

It's called a Barong Tagalog, but the manner these men wore it, as well as the slightly opaque and ordinary needlework, indicated that they were from the lower class.

With huge smiles on their faces, these people are gathered together in their chairs and chatting happily with each other. Despite the deep voices emanating from their throats, Jaerim could hear a few of them singing in chorus, displaying a very decent melody.

There are a few women in the area, but they're few and far between. They can be easily distinguished by their colorfully woven baro't saya, a traditional clothing consisting of a blouse, long skirt, a pañuelo worn over the shoulders, and short rectangular cloth called tapis worn over the skirt.

As they sat in silence with their families, the women had little of the vivacity and fun-loving nature of the men. However, one could tell from the lustre in their eyes that they were enthralled in the hubbub around them.

They would smile sweetly whenever they hear something funny, covering their lips with a flip fan, lowering their heads to hide their expressions. But this could not escape from the eyes of the boisterous men that would eventually started sharing jokes to earn favor and modesty from the women.

The mood is upbeat and jovial. Everyone is beaming with delight, with no signs of annoyance or remorse. Jaerim seems to like the festivity as he wandered down the corridor. Upon reaching the end, a second door could be seen, but this one appeared more refined and sturdy than the previous doors.

It wasn't difficult for him to open the door because it wasn't locked in the first place. A rather elegant, oozing with luxury, carriage carpeted in dark pattern textile entered his view. The area has the same layout as the carriage he was staying in, but the corridor is wider and the headlamps next to the doors radiate like stars. He must either close his eyes or look in a different direction in order to avoid being blinded by the bright light.

The structure and design differences revealed that this is a first-class cabin. Jaerim's curiosity piqued as he surveyed the area, peering through the windows and doors to get a glimpse of the rooms inside. As Jaerim was about to touch the knob of an empty cabin on the vessel's deck, an attendant came by and grabbed his arms.

Astonishment washed over Jaerim as he struggled to free himself from the grasp of the attendant's hold. The attendant, on the other hand, was formidable. He looked at Jaerim with a disgusted and cold expression and dragged him towards the economy class cabin. The jovial revelers were startled to see the first-class door open, and they immediately fell silent. They stood there and watched as the attendant came close to hauling the young man to the next cabin.

When they came to the carriage where Jaerim woke up, he thought the attendant would stop and set him free. He was wrong. The attendant continued to drag him towards the next door, which was clearly showing signs of wear and tear. The door opened by itself, most likely due to the wind blasting it open, and Jaerim was thrown inside as if he were a piece of garbage. Jaerim fell to his face, barely avoiding the gauze on his cheeks.

He was startled by the sound of shoes rattling as they approached him. He attempted to raise his head and look up, but a foot pressed against the side of his head. A sharp, stabbing sensation on his cheek rendered him helpless. He remained motionless and pretended to be dead.

"How many times have I warned you peasants not to wander!" A gruff voice spoke sternly. The force pressing on Jaerim's face grew stronger. "If ever I find one more of you loitering around, you will be kicked out from train instantly."

After the warning, the attendant walked away, kicking the corner of the door with a huff, not daring to touch it. Jaerim sat up as soon as he could no longer hear the clicking of shoes. His face was void of embarrassment, except for a scrunching grimace caused by the pain in his cheeks.

"What's that??" He muttered incredulously.

He rubbed the top of the gauze, which was unusually warm compared to the rest of his body. He didn't have time to change it so it must have been looking pretty bloody.

"Can't he just ask me to go out, rather than drag me here?"

He relaxed a little and took a glance around the location where he had been dumped. It wasn't a passenger carriage at all, but rather a freight deck. It was empty of decorations, openly showing the wooden floorboards and walls.

Metal jail-like bars were placed on the upper half of the structure in place of glass windows, which act as a means of ventilation. Because of this open air circulation, the chamber is not only filled with fresh air but also with extremely cold wind that can easily cause someone to shiver. Even though Jaerim had only been standing there for a few of seconds, he could already feel the chill.

After taking a look around, he turned his attention to the gathering of people clustered together on the corner. These people are donning colorful clothes, gaudy make-up, and carrying various props. Some of them even have wires linked to their bodies, giving them a strange and comical appearance. It's obvious that these people are part of a troupe just by looking at them.

Jaerim tilted his head in perplexity and proceeded to examine his clothing. The reflection in the mirror that he had seen earlier still displayed his ordinary face, with no extra embellishments or features. Though his garments appear to have been altered to blend in with the crowd, he looked to be considerably more normal than these individuals.

What made the attendant think that he belonged to this group?

His questions were answered when someone dressed as a jester and sporting a snowy white face with red circle cheeks and affixed plump lipsticks reached out to him without hesitation. The person stared at him with a grimace and seems to be familiar with him.

"Why did you walk around again? Didn't I warn you to keep yourself under control?" The jester jeered at him.

Jaerim's forehead furrowed in puzzlement. "In control?"

Complaints began to flow out of the jester's lips when he picked up the scent of something. He grasped Jaerim's collar and drew him closer, his nose lingering on his neck. A sweet scent wafted in his nostrils, making his already distorted face become more twisted. He loosened his grip on Jaerim and pointed him in the face.

"Why did you smell sweet? Did you flirted with the guests again?"

Jaerim gasped in disbelief when he heard the words. What sweet smell? He took a whiff of himself, but there was no scent. Then he realized that could have something to do with the character setting he was given. He is aware that he is playing the character of a Death Cast in a simulation, but he did not anticipate to play such a scandalous role!

The jester scoffed. "Don't pretend by looking surprise. See how lecherous you look like now."

Jaerim didn't think his clothing were a problem at all! But to the eyes of this ghastly faced jester, Jaerim looked like a sultry leech. He ended up taking out some garments from the props on the corner and shoved it towards Jaerim.

"You go change into these clothes. The theater is already at the next stop. Be prepared and don't cause any trouble. It took me a day of grovelling just to get a ride on this train!"

When Jaerim heard the phrase, he realized why the attendant was staring at them with disgust. Imagine a white-faced jester dressed in the most colorful clothing he's ever seen grovelling and begging in front of a train attendant for a ride on the train. Only the stern ones with good control could deal with these people and their ridiculously fashionable clothing. That image alone should be enough to make you throw up your lunch.

When Jaerim walked to the corner to change his clothes, the jester noticed him. When he noticed the youth changing, he turned away and began arguing with other people again. Despite his profession as a jester, he appears to enjoy reprimanding others. Jaerim took advantage of this opportunity to flee.

He slipped out quickly by opening the dilapidated door. He backed out with soft steps, slowly closing the door. He made an abrupt turn and accelerated after ensuring that no one saw him walking out. It's just that he bumped into someone before he could take a step further.

Two people fell on their bums, clutching their aching forehead. They cried and complained in unison, curled on the ground, feeling the intensity of the pain. They only sat up to look at each other with frowned brows after the sensation had subsided. But it didn't last.

Across from Jaerim is a young-looking man, whom he would guess is only fifteen or sixteen years old. The young man has attractive facial features that lean toward the masculinity. However, because of the young age, the sharpness is not yet visible, revealing the roundness of youth. A vivid maple mark can be seen on the person's brows, which appear to glow in the dim light.

For the first time, Jaerim felt good upon seeing an Autumn.

"You," the young man broke the ice. He looked suspiciously at Jaerim. "Are you a passenger in this train?"

Jaerim gave him a funny look. If not, how am I in here?

The young man realized his error and cleared his throat. He asked a question again, but this time he phrased it correctly.

"Are you perhaps an Autumn too?"

Anyone who didn't know about this term will only react differently. Yet, Jaerim nodded his head while pointing on his gauze-covered cheeks.

"It's all hidden here. The mark."

The young man seem to have lowered his vigilance after knowing that they are the same. He stood up and helped Jaerim gather his feet. He disclosed his name quite trustingly after brushing his pants from the dirt.

"My name is Noel," he said, reaching out a hand.

"Jaerim," he accepted the handshake and the introduction was done.

The carriage shook lightly, and the boards clattered as a result of the impact. Noel looked restlessly at the door leading to the economy class cabin. Jaerim was bewildered by his strange behavior and had no choice but to investigate.

"There's a scary attendant roaming around the first class carriage," Noel shuddered. "I was told by a grim reaper to look around for clues, so I did, but I didn't expect to meet someone terrible."

Noel pointed at the dilapidated door on the opposite side of the tram.

"I was thrown inside, and then a scary clown scolded me for being malicious and having leecherous thoughts. It felt uncomfortable inside, so I escaped. I was planning to return to the cabin I came from, but the attendant almost caught me wandering again, so I had to flee."

Jaerim remembered the shoes pressing against his face and looked at Noel with mutual sympathy. That train attendant is extremely cruel. He could imagined this young man shivering in terror.

Then, something registered in his mind suddenly.

"Wait, you say you wanted to return in your room but the attendant caught you... Isn't the first class rooms where the attendant roams?"

Noel nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Then you are residing on the first class carriage?"

"That's right," Noel saw Jaerim's face distord weirdly. "You are not?"

Jaerim remained silent. He wasn't sure if grim reapers had salaries or an economic social circle, so he couldn't just assume that the two grim reapers who came together with him were poor and could only afford a ticket for a low-class cabin. He shifted his perspective and saw the bright side. At the very least, there is no attendant guarding the corridor.

"Maybe they are just assuming a humble character," Jaerim announced. "After all, there are many characters in a simulation."

Noel could not understand his words, so he asked, "What simulati-"

The train abruptly honked a different loud sound. It indicated that the train has arrived at the station. Whistles and loud voices over the speakers announced the name of the station and instructed passengers to stay behind the line.

The long ride to the endless black mist had ended and the death casts finally reached their destination.