“….”
The host’s smile spread so wide that it reached the end of his cheeks.
It was creepy.
….So creepy that for a moment, my mind blanked.
But that only persisted for a couple of seconds until the host’s voice echoed again.
“…..!”
This time, his face was a lot closer to mine.
I could almost feel its breath run down my face.
[So? What do you say? How would you rate your performance? You have yet to answer my question. I’ll make my decision in accordance with your answer.]
I wanted to open my mouth, but I stopped myself.
I couldn’t carelessly answer the question.
No, it was more like I had to think fast and find a way to convince the host not to kill me.
I could see it in his eyes.
It was the same look he gave to the people he killed just moments prior.
I was now on his radar.
One wrong move and my head was going to explode.
The only difference was that he was granting me a chance to say some final words. Was it because of my first performance that he granted this opportunity?
I wasn’t sure, but I had to think quickly.
Think, think!
[If you don’t answer me in the next few seconds, I’ll take that as a sign you’re unsatisfied with your performance. In that case, there’s no reason for you to be here any longer.]
The host moved away, raising his hand at the same time.
I knew the movement.
It was the same movement he did before suddenly exploding the head of one of the people present.
’Oh, no…’
My heart pressed at my throat as my thoughts started to spiral.
I had to think quickly.
[It was nice—]
“My performance was adequate.”
Eventually, the words slipped from my mouth.
The surroundings turned silent as all eyes fell on me.
The host cocked his head
[Adequate? You think your performance was adequate…?]
His voice sent chills down my spine as his eyes focused intently on me.
I clenched my teeth while slowly nodding my head.
“Yes.”
[Is that so…?]
The host’s smile turned even creepier, pulling all the way towards the edges of his brows.
My stomach churned at the sight.
This was creepy.
Beyond creepy.
However, that didn’t matter right now. I was a few seconds away from dying.
I needed to remain focused.
I had to forget all about the fear and creepiness of the situation.
[You thought it was adequate, but I think differently.]
In one moment, the host was in front of me, and in the next moment, he was right behind me as his voice gently whispered into my ear, his warm breath tickling my right ear.
“….!”
When did he…!?
[You were clearly playing along with the music, and yet, I also saw you stumble a couple of times. You were the only one to do this, and that was what I felt ruined the entire dance for me. You added a blemish to a piece with hardly any stain. Such an ugly thing… Do you think I wouldn’t notice?]
The host began to grip my shoulder, his voice lowering as he continued to whisper in my ear.
[I asked you about what you thought about your performance to see if you’d be honest with me. You see… I highly value honesty. But alas…]
The host shook his head.
[…You’ve disappointed me.]
The host brought his hand away from my shoulder and pulled away. He stopped right where he had been moments prior, right before the moment he appeared behind me.
Looking at everyone present, he opened his mouth again.
I could tell he was about to announce my death.
But he had miscaculated.
[It’s such—]
“I played adequately.”
I was not done.
[Eh?]
The host turned his attention towards me again. This time, I could see his slowly twisting face as it seemed to be anything but pleased by my repeated cut-offs.
The surroundings started to rattle, and my heart sank.
However, I kept my thoughts firm as I spoke.
“I played adequately when taking into consideration the piece that was being played.”
[What….?]
The entire room froze, especially the golden masked man. The one who originally played the piece. I could see his face twisting under the mask.
“What are you talking ab—”
He then began to speak, but stopped the moment the host’s gaze fell on him.
“It’s like I said. I played accordingly to the level of the piece that was playing. If you deem my performance to be subpar, then it’s mainly due to the piece being subpar.”
The host’s mouth opened, but no words came out.
It seemed like my words had rendered him completely speechless.
This was what I had been aiming for.
“I tried my best to do well within the mediocrity that played in the air.”
I looked at the host while saying this. Or at least tried to, as my gaze unconsciously moved towards the golden masked individual, his face slowly contorting.
“…Haha.”
A subtle laugh escaped my lips as I looked at his face.
It couldn’t be helped.
His face was really funny. But at the same time, I wasn’t just laughing because his face was funny. I just wanted to waste time.
The more confident I looked, the more convincing I became.
And sure enough, the host no longer appeared angry.
[So you’re saying that he was the problem? That he was trash?]
“…That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
I subtly looked around.
“You saw it yourself. He was commanding everyone’s dance. There was no variation. It was like what you said to me.. soulless. Dancing should be a way to express emotions. What you saw was merely one man controlling several puppets. Where were the emotions in that? Where was the freedom of expression?”
Ah, sometimes, I couldn’t help but praise myself for the amount of bullshit that I could spew out of my mouth.
I was great.
Really great.
[Oh, oh!]
The best part of it all was how the host was eating up my bullshit.
As if suddenly enlightened, he looked at me with sparkling eyes.
[Now that you mention it, you make a very good point! That indeed felt a lot like the case, didn’t it?]
No, not at all.
It was, in fact, almost perfect.
I nodded along.
“Yes…”
[I did feel like there was something missing. I thought it was you who ruined it, but it was in fact a fault with the piece itself!]
The host smacked his fist against his open palm.
His joy was clear.
[I finally am starting to understand… Wonderful! How wonderful!]
The host began to thank me.
I felt a heavy weight lift off my shoulder. But only for a brief moment.
The joy was merely short-lived as the host’s smile slowly faded as he looked at me.
[Thank you for your help, but…]
He sighed.
[…That still doesn’t take away from your mistakes.]
Wait, wait, wait…
I felt my heart leap out of my chest as I saw the sudden change in the host’s face. He soon began to raise his hand.
Shit!
[I hope that—]
“Why don’t you allow me to perform instead?”
[…..?]
The host paused once again, his eyes focused on me.
Not only the host, but everyone was staring with the same look. Zoey, especially as she stood not far from me.
[Perform? You…?]
“Yes.”
I subtly lowered my head while placing my hand over my chest.
“Since I said this piece was trash, it’s also because I’m confident in my skills. I’m sure I will be able to play a piece that can satisfy you.”
[…..]
The silence in the room persisted as the host’s gaze fell on me.
I held my breath as I felt his gaze.
Was he going to accept? Was he going to reject it…? Every second dragged on, feeling more agonizing than the last.
But then—
[Alright.]
I raised my head.
The host was looking right at me.
[…Show me your performance. I am curious to see what you deem to be perfect. I hope you can impress me.]
“Of course.”
I pulled my hand away from my chest and calmly made my way towards the piano.
The sound of my steps echoed loudly inside my head as I moved before eventually arriving at the piano and tracing my fingers across the keys.
Dang!
I touched one of the keys, and a note began to play.
Deng!
I touched another key before sitting down, closing my eyes as I did.
Then…
Slowly, I placed my hands over the piano. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself staring at my reflection in the polished surface.
But there was something else.
A figure, creepy, one that only I could see, with stitched-up eyes and mouth, standing right behind me. Gradually, it brought its lengthy fingers down, and I felt something brush against the sides of my neck.
I took a deep breath.
’It’s been a while…’