The guards nodded in response.
"I don’t know he had other relatives," Jared said.
Just then, another car arrived, urging Jared to enter the complex. When the black SUV disappeared from Rayen’s sight, he seemed to visibly relax.
"Isn’t that your bandmate?" Adrian asked.
Rayen only nodded silently and bowed his head.
A few more moments, Rayen felt Adrian nudging him by his side. Frowning, he looked up to find Adrian staring ahead. Following his gaze, Rayen saw Jared jogging toward them.
Rayen stood frozen in his place once again.
"Um, hello?" Jared greeted as he stopped in front of them. "Are you really his relatives?"
’Of course not. I’m the guy you’re talking about...’
Rayen wanted to smile wryly but refrained himself, knowing it would seem strange in front of his old friend. Jared was quite cynical, and the slightest hint of suspicious behavior could set him off.
Still, Rayen avoided confirming it directly, feeling awkward at the idea of pretending to be a relative of himself.
"I’ve been trying to contact him, but he couldn’t be reached," Rayen said.
Not receiving a clear answer, Jared eyed him from head to toe, his gaze lingering on Rayen’s red hair. Rayen felt his anxiety spike under the scrutiny.
’He wouldn’t recognize me right?’
The staff had assured him that no one would, no matter what, but under Jared’s sharp eyes, Rayen couldn’t help feeling nervous.
"How are you related?" Jared pressed.
"I, uh..." Rayen stammered. "Brothers?"
Adrian suppressed his laughter beside him. Why did he sound so uncertain?
Jared’s frown deepened. From what he remembered, Rayen was an only child.
Seeing his reaction, Rayen quickly corrected himself. "I mean cousins! We’re cousins. That’s why I said brothers."
Jared stared at him silently. "How can I be sure? I’ve never met you before."
Rayen sighed inwardly, regaining his composure. This guy was just too sharp.
"You’re his bandmate, right? Jared?" Rayen asked.
Jared only nodded, still skeptical. Everyone knew the answer to that question, so there was no reason to deny it.
"How long has it been since you last talked to him?" Rayen probed.
Frowning, Jared answered. "The day after the last concert."
"That was two weeks ago, right?"
"Why are you asking?"
However, Rayen asked another question instead of answering him. "Aren’t you his friend?"
"Then why didn’t you come earlier?"
This time, it was Jared’s turn to be speechless. However, Rayen’s mind was in turmoil.
Did Rayen feel disappointed?
’Heck, yes. I thought we’re friends. But why doesn’t he know I’ve already died?’
"What about the other one? You can’t contact him either, right?" Rayen asked the stunned Jared once more. "What the hell happened that day?"
Rayen wanted to ask that, but he did his best to stop himself. He stared at Jared, who seemed to have lost his confident demeanor.
Jared said with a sigh. "I also don’t know what happened that day."
’He doesn’t know? Why?’
"He and Dasu argued and disappeared somewhere," Jared continued. "I figured it would be best to let them be for a while. But I tried to contact them the last three days, and I didn’t receive a reply."
Hearing that, Rayen didn’t recognize the other name.
’Dasu? Who the hell was that?’
Then, he realized that it was probably the original name of Liam’s grafted identity.
’So, Liam and I had a disagreement?’
Beside him, Adrian could understand the gist of the situation. He decided to step in, seeing that Rayen had no reaction at all.
"We were trying to check on him, but we didn’t bring any ID so the guards wouldn’t let us enter."
Despite his skepticism, the two guys didn’t seem to be stalkers at all, and they seemed to really worry about his bandmate a lot. He could discern that the red-haired guy’s concern wasn’t fake at all.
"Alright... Come with me," Jared said.
Jared talked with the two guards and guaranteed that they’re acquaintances before being allowed in. As they walked towards the Red Palace building, the three of them didn’t speak.
Jared wasn’t one to talk with strangers, and Rayen didn’t seem to have the energy to speak either. Adrian was just tagging along, sensing the tense atmosphere surrounding the two.
It would be best to remain silent.
After riding the elevator to the third floor, they finally arrived in front of Rayen’s apartment. Jared immediately rang the doorbell but received no answer.
Once again, he dialed Rayen’s number on his phone.
Rayen stepped forward. "That’s no use. He wouldn’t respond no matter what."
Under Jared’s watchful gaze, Rayen slowly keyed in the apartment’s door code. The sound of the lock clicking echoed in the quiet hallway.
When the door cracked open, a foul stench wafted out, which made Rayen stiffen on the spot.
Rayen wanted to laugh bitterly but felt tears threatening instead. After almost two weeks, no one even came to find him?
And he even thought, as a famous personality, he was quite loved by so many people, even idolized. But if no one came looking for him — not even a friend — how much had it really meant?
How lonely must it be to die alone?
He gulped, but still summoned his strength to hold onto the handle of the door. Glancing at Jared behind him, he didn’t know what he should feel about this.
’Why didn’t you come find me sooner?’
"Y-You should probably call the police..." Rayen said, holding back his vomit.
"What do you mean?" Jared asked.
Jared’s scowl turned even deeper. He was standing away from the crack of the door, so he hadn’t smelled it. However, as Jared approached, the foul stench hit him full force.
’What the hell?’ Jared thought.
Staggering because of the stench, he instinctively pushed the door open, nudging Rayen out of the way.
The smell spilled into the hallway.
Rayen could no longer hold himself back and collapsed near the door, retching. Adrian immediately helped him, ignoring the rude behavior of Jared.
"You fine?" he asked Rayen.
’How many times did I puke today? My breakfast had been wasted.’
The pale-faced Rayen chuckled after wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. "How can I be fine?"
He pulled himself to his feet and followed Jared inside, enduring the rotten smell.
A few more steps inside, they saw Jared standing before the living room.
"I told you to call the police!" Rayen yelled, but Jared didn’t respond.
He was just staring off into space.
"What are you..." Rayen trailed off as he approached.
Finally, he saw what Jared was staring at.
’What the hell is this....’