Death Cast

1.31 | Grecia Bella Theatre

“Where is she?”

When the curtain came down, the stage had already been cleared. Taking a single, coordinated stride forward, the performers had a smile on their faces. Jaerim, who had claimed the number one spot, was placed in the center of the court. He could now see the whole audience that still have their faces covered with worn brown sacks. But it didn’t matter to him.

Seeing it once is enough to incur fear. Seeing it twice made him immune to it. 

His light steps echoed through the silent auditorium despite being barefooted. His lanky physique gave him an androgynous appearance that made the attire, as well as the wig that concealed his short hair, complemented his physique beautifully. Nobody would know that he is a guy as long as he won’t speak and don’t show the thing under his pants. 

With his glow up, the person who had previously appeared unremarkable now appeared quite spectacular. His smile, even if it's a fake one, has the power to enthrall even the most cynical of observers. The grim reaper, who is almost as stunning as he is, added the beauty factor that made the pair mesmerizing. They look like the ideal couple that everyone sees on television. 

Because of his ethereal beauty, Barron had previously anticipated that his appearance would result in calamity. Humans can become enamored or addicted to his appearance if he doesn't cast an illusion around them. He just didn't anticipate Jaerim to undergo such a dramatic transformation. Jaerim appears to be the most well-suited actor for costume portrayal.

Taking Jaerim's hand in his, Barron is leading them to the center of the stage. He had definitely heard the words uttered by the individual next to him. He didn't give Jaerim a look because it would be obvious in front of the sack-head audience, but speaking is plenty for a response.

"Who are you trying to find?" I asked. He inquired,

Jaerim made no attempt to conceal it, just saying, "Bella." 

The name Bella comes to mind.

“Oh?” Barron mused.

It was time for the music to begin, and the three pairs of people began to ascend the bench barefoot. Barron could tell that Jaerim is using the advantage of elevation to scan the audience. The music approached the first section and the pairs made an about-face. All of the lights had been concentrated on them to the point where no shadows could be seen beneath their feet. Barron gave a gentle smile as he drew Jaerim into a dance.

"How do you know she's in the audience? You know she could be anywhere, don't you?" Barron inquired.

He didn’t receive an immediate answer. The next phase in the dance is to coordinate your hands and feet by swaying and walking on one foot while doing small hops. Jaerim, who is portraying the feminine role, must turn around so that they are both looking in the same direction. The hands and feet must be in sync with each other in order for there to be a beautiful harmony.

A portion of the stage was visible from Jaerim's location. He looked all around him, up and down, left and right, but he couldn't find Bella. He frowned slightly as he bowed his head, causing the wig to slide forward and cover a section of his face. The stage is just too dark for him to see.

"Don't scowl."

The white-haired grim reaper whispered timely when the transition to the next routine happened. He walked forward, placing both of his hands on Jaerim’s hips while tilting his head to the corner as if peeking towards his partner. Jaerim’s response in this action is to tilt his head to the side so he could see the face of the person behind him. 

“How did you know I was frowning?” Jaerim asked, his face doing the said frown. 

Barron chuckled, “It’s an obvious reaction. The stadium is dark. You could only have that one emotion.”

There’s nothing wrong with his assumption. Anyone would react the same once they realized the situation. The peeking-of-partners continued for a few more times, and then the music changed its pace. It is the signal for the male dancer to hold their partner tight and support them as they jump around the benches. 

The hands of the grim reaper were firm. His hold towards Jaerim is stable. Jaerim did not worry about falling since their foundation is quite sturdy. Also, Barron is using the momentum of Jaerim’s very jump, making the human lighter than expected. 

The first jump is to have Jaerim step down to the floor then jump up back to the bench but he should land on the other side of Barron, which means turning counterclockwise. It will then be repeated once again until Jaerim is back to his original position. The three pairs have to do the same thing in unison. 

“Get ready,” Barron said. 

Jaerim started jumping. The height of the bench is not that high. One short hop is enough to transfer from one place to another. Jaerim showed his unique ability and finished the routine off without a sweat. The first level ended once the female partner finished five laps. 

The two of them then faced the audience and made a short bow before hopping down the bench to let the second round begin. Another group of people entered the stage. They were used as accompanying members that would arrange the benches and hold them while the dancers were performing. Jaerim took this short time to ask Noel whom he will cross in the shift. 

“Did you see Bella?” Jaerim asked. 

Noel made a question-mark gesture. He then understood the question and shook his head. “Are we looking for her?”

Jaerim nodded. “We need to find her.”  

“Roger.”

They separated as the second part of the dance commenced. This time, two benches were placed on the ground while one bench was placed above the middle of both. Jaerim and Barron took the main position so they are the only ones that would perform this part. Barron held Jaerim's hand as he helped him step up until they were standing on the topmost part of the benches. 

It’s quite a high standing in this place. 

“I can look around clearly now.”

The lights were mostly focused on the ground so Jaerim could not see the crowd clearly due to the high contrasting colors straining his eyes. The same initial dance pattern occurred and Jaerim executed it quite well. Barron could see Jaerim busy looking at the darkness of the crowd. 

“How about you stop looking,” Barron suggested. 

“Don’t stop me.”

“I’m not stopping you, ah. I want you to think.”

Jaerim looked at Barron with a raised brow. Barron continued, “If you are the daughter of the owner of the theatre, which are could you be staying?”

Jaerim thought of the VIP seats. Aren’t the special guests placed in that position? The next part of the dance where Jaerim have to jump came again. This time, he won’t not only be jumping on the bench they are standing, but he also has to traverse from the second level bench to the first level bench and touch the ground. He will repeat the same thing but in reverse, as he will land on the other side of the bench. 

His mind is sorting out the information around him. Jaerim jumped around with Barron holding both of his hands as they went from one side of the bench to another. The light that has been focused on them made their movements clear to the audience but nobody is clapping. 

They are not impressed. 

The jester is also not impressed. 

His raging image is quite evident despite the dim light around his position. His hands were clenched in a fist as he tried to think of a twist that could shift the flow of the dance. The same as the first dance, the jester made a strong reaction of wanting to win the competition. However, in order to do that, he must make the audience satisfied with the performance. 

Jaerim watched the jester from the corner of his eyes as he started jumping around. Barron is firmly holding his arms while pulling him up in certain directions. Jaerim thought of the words Barron told him while flawlessly executing this part of the routine. 

“I need to think,” Jaerim muttered. “Where could she be staying?”

There are a lot of possible places to see Bella, however, it is difficult to guess due to the number of the audience sitting in the house. In addition, they have their faces covered with sacks that made things more complicated. Jaerim doesn’t want to dare to lift those sacks from the heads, thinking that something bad might happen. 

That’s why he was guessing where she could be. Bella is more than a guest, she is the daughter of the owner. The letters revealed that she loved seeing performances so surely, she won’t miss grand performances like this. If she is Bella, he will choose a place where he could see the entirety of the stage without being hindered by people in front of him…

The last part of the dance was done. Jaerim stood on the same level of benches as Barron and made a cheerful bow. He knows this is not the end yet and still kept his vigilance. As he raised his head back, he found a part on the upper part of the stadium - the orchestra section - that was slightly elevated and enclosed in a small room covered in clear glass. Jaerim thought that the place is familiar until he realized what it was.

It’s the control room! It’s the place they searched earlier in the day yesterday. It was empty with people but has all the necessary equipment for operation. Of all the places in the stadium, it is on the small control room where everything, from sound to visuals, held the greatest view. Bella must have been using this room to watch performances. 

Jaerim slowly panted as his eyes shone under the bright light. He must tell the other’s about Bella’s location now that he had found her. However, while he was planning on passing the message, sudden darkness covered his eyes. It made the youngster exclaim and wanted to move around but he realized that his body has been controlled. 

“What is happening?” He whispered under his breath. 

A soft touch caressed his eyes as if a blindfold was placed before his eyes. Jaerim could still feel the grim reapers firm hold in his hands so he is sure that it must be someone, probably the jester, who is putting the blindfold. As to how he placed the blindfold with their position, he doesn’t have to know. There is so much in this world that is difficult to comprehend. 

He just has to survive. 

“Don’t worry, I’m still here,” Barron whispered. “Nothing bad will happen with me around.”

Jaerim is still a bit disoriented since he was not concentrating when he was performing the last part of the routine. He could not walk around the benches without the fear of falling. The height of the three benches was not that high to cause death if he will fall but Jaerim has a feeling that there is more than the ground that will catch him. 

As if he would be jumping on a cliff if he pursues jumping down. 

He could feel Barron tugging him. The grim reaper’s hand crept out from his hand to his waist and Jaerim was hoisted down from the top of the benches. With his senses covered, everything around Jaerim becomes loud. The floor under his feet is cold while the air is a bit humid. The heart that had been beating lively seems to be more pronounced under this atmosphere. 

Barron could also hear. He can hear Jaerim’s heart wishing to live. 

He chuckled and said, “Are you finally fearing your death now?”

But the youth did not answer. The adrenaline flowed into his system and things had become very clear to him. When did Jaerim did not fear his death? It had always been, even before meeting the grim reaper, that his fear of death almost close to madness. But, it is this desire to live that made him a good subject for this experiment. 

“It’s fine,” Jaerim said after a moment of silence. “I will live.”

He will continue to survive. He will end this world and would live the long life he always wished to have.