Little Pink Starfish

Yeonan Pier was once one of Incheon’s top tourist spots.

A place where countless ships came and went.

Where visitors flocked to see the fish market and where people gathered for fishing trips.

That’s what my mom told me.

By the time I was born, it had already fallen into ruin.

After claiming Yeonan Pier, the Abyssal Sea King Muddorok turned it into a forward base.

Countless demons fought hunters here.

A land soaked in the blood of humans and demons.

They say the purge priests spent a solid ten years trying to cleanse this place.

And even now, the contamination isn’t fully gone. Access is still restricted.

If not for the authority granted by the Star Hated by All, I wouldn’t be allowed in either.

For the Star Hated by All, miasma was like an energy drink.

Same went for me, as his contractor.

I felt refreshed.

Kind of like I’d become a legit demon worshipper…

Whoooosh—

An eerie wind circled the old pier.

I stood on the breakwater, scanning my surroundings.

“…This place feels haunted.”

“Your instincts are sharp,” said the Star Hated by All, landing on my shoulder.

“To you, a mortal, they’re invisible—but this place has long become a nest for evil spirits. Bound by grudges, they linger in torment, unable to pass on.”

“You’re joking, right? There are real ghosts here? And a lot of them?”

“I do not joke, mortal.”

Ugh…

I crossed my arms, looking off into the distance.

“If you want to see them, use the artifact. Though I wouldn’t recommend it…”

Let’s see…

The Flaming Demon’s Eye had five total uses. I used it once on Hamin, and again during the second audition. So I’ve got three left.

Plenty to spare, but I’ll save one just in case.

“Flaming Demon’s Eye,” I muttered. “Activate.”

Fwoooosh!

My vision turned blood-red for a moment.

When things cleared, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Human-shaped shadows, glowing red from their eyes, were floating above the sea.

Groooaaaan…

Waaaaaah…

Their wails dug into my ears.

I’d never heard such howling before—pure, resentful rage.

“Are those… evil spirits?”

“Yes. The souls of humans who died here. They don’t even remember who they are. They just wander around this place.”

Countless hunters and civilians had lost their lives here.

And they still hadn’t found peace.

“How long are they going to be stuck like that?”

I asked, and the Star Hated by All let out a grim laugh.

“Until this place is completely purified.”

“…Ha.”

I let out a dry laugh.

“You pity them.”

“They died and still can’t rest. How can I not pity them?”

“That’s a feeling I do not understand.”

“Good for you, Mr. Satan.”

“Don’t worry. Their grudge is one thing, but they’re also bound to Muddorok’s soul. If I devour Muddorok’s core—”

“They’ll be freed?”

“Exactly. So, mortal, are you ready to work?”

I clenched my fist.

“Let’s get it over with.”

“Good. The core lies deep beneath the sea. Are you ready to dive?”

“Uh, humans can’t really stay underwater that long…”

“You should’ve expected this. The core of the Abyssal Sea King belongs underwater—not tucked inside your little fanny pack.”

“That’s not the point! A human can’t last five minutes without an oxygen tank—”

“I know humans are fragile. But fear not—you have me.”

Then the Star Hated by All landed on the bridge of my nose.

“Hold on to my wings.”

“Wings? What wings? You’re a fly.”

“Figure of speech, mortal. Anyway, get ready. With the power we’ve gained from this place’s miasma, teleporting straight to the core is nothing.”

“No, seriously—humans can’t—”

“Enough barking!”

Fwoosh!

Suddenly everything went dark.

---

Guuuuuuuuuuung—

My ears rang.

Water filled them.

I tried opening my mouth.

“Blub… Blub…”

Yeah, that’s all I could manage.

But I wasn’t suffocating.

Thanks to the Star Hated by All, I guess.

I opened my eyes.

No problems blinking.

Weird, deep-sea fish swam around me.

This was definitely underwater.

But something was off.

It was red.

Was it the water?

No—beneath me, something was beating.

Thump. Thump.

A massive heart glowed red below me.

I didn’t need anyone to tell me what it was.

Muddorok’s core.

The heart was the size of a building, stuck to the ocean floor.

Veins extended from it, latching onto the seafloor, sucking something up.

It was drawing energy from the water veins, probably.

One of the weird fish got tangled in a tentacle from the core and had the life drained out of it.

It was disgusting.

Who would’ve guessed something like that was hiding down here?

Where was the Star Hated by All?

I flailed around, trying to spot him.

No sign.

Well… how are you supposed to find a fly in the ocean?

Then I heard it.

“Saa…taan…”

A voice inside my head.

It wasn’t the Star Hated by All.

It was darker. Sickly.

“You… How did you get here…?”

That had to be Muddorok.

“What, a dad can’t drop by and check on his kid?”

That voice—yeah, that was the Star Hated by All.

He was next to me.

He’d changed forms. Guess being a fly was hard underwater.

Instead, he’d become… a catfish.

A big one.

With whiskers swaying as it swam beside me.

Why does he always do this…

“Bwahahahaha!!”

Muddorok burst out laughing.

“Dad…? Daddy? Father? You think you can come at me with that crap?! Did you forget what you said when I first opened my eyes?!”

“My son…”

The Star Hated by All replied in a somber tone.

“Geez, are you still upset about me asking you to go buy bread?”

“Blub! Blub blub!”

Telling someone to buy bread the second they’re born is too much!

I found myself sympathizing with Muddorok and cursing out the Star Hated by All.

“You filthy sewer scum! Pond moss from the deepest pits! Booger stuck to a public restroom wall!!”

Muddorok screamed insults at the Star Hated by All.

“You damn Satan!! For five thousand years I ran errands for you at Gremlin Bakery, and now you show up to mock me?!”

“No… That’s not it, son.”

The Star Hated by All smiled.

“I came to eat your core.”

Welp. Muddorok’s gonna be pissed.

Not that I cared.

He was a demon who slaughtered humans.

We couldn’t let him resurrect.

Even if that would’ve been six thousand years from now…

“My core…”

But Muddorok didn’t rage.

He spoke in a quiet voice.

“Satan… Are you finally here to end my cursed life?”

“Yes. I admit, not granting you death was my mistake. I created you as a demon far beyond reason.”

“Hah… To think I’d see Satan admit a mistake. Guess you do live long enough to see everything.”

“I never favored you, but I always watched. When you aligned with the Demon God. When you destroyed countless lives in the human world. And now, clinging to a water vein like a parasite…”

“Heh. It really was a pointless life.”

“As it should be. We are rulers of the abyss. Demons are meant to vanish meaninglessly someday.”

“I see…”

The red light shining from Muddorok’s core slowly began to fade.

“Yes. To die committing evil—that’s what it means to be a true demon.”

His tone sounded almost… mournful.

“By the way, Satan… Who is this human? Did you form a contract?”

“I did.”

The Star Hated by All turned to me.

Still a very ugly-looking catfish.

“This is my contractor.”

“You? Forming a contract? You, who always lay flat on your throne claiming the apocalypse was too much trouble… I thought you’d never lift your butt again.”

“Yeah, I think it’s kind of ridiculous too.”

“So then… What’s your goal? Destroy the universe? No, that’s too small a plan for you. I’m curious. What end are you planning?”

“Eh?”

Uh…

“An apocalypse?”

He’s gonna hate this.

“Our goal is just… to become the greatest idol.”

“Idol? What is that?”

Muddorok looked confused, and the Star Hated by All kindly explained.

What an idol was.

What CYB was.

And why I was competing.

RUMMMMMBLE—

The moment he heard, Muddorok’s core shook violently.

“Don’t make me laugh!!”

See? Knew he’d hate it.

“Have you no pride?! Instead of reopening the gates, you’re coming after my core to become an entertainer?!”

Entertainer? That’s rude.

“Shall we wrap this up?”

“Indeed.”

He may have been a bread-fetching demon, but he was still a demon.

We couldn’t let him live.

At that moment—

Swish!

Tentacles from Muddorok’s core shot toward us.

“Hmph…”

The Star Hated by All dodged effortlessly and swam toward the core.

Wait—what about me?!

The tentacles came for me—

Clang!!

A translucent shield wrapped around me.

“You damn bastard, Satan!!”

Muddorok roared.

“What did you just call me?”

The Star Hated by All’s voice turned cold.

“If Papa’s a dog and I’m a son of a bitch… then what does that make you?”

…He was clearly mad in the most childish way possible.

Swaaaaaa!

The moment his body touched Muddorok’s core, the glowing heart disintegrated into light.

That light was slowly absorbed into the Star Hated by All—into the catfish.

Was it over?

Muddorok died without even a last word.

The red glow vanished. Darkness returned.

“Did you see it?”

The Star Hated by All’s voice echoed from the shadows.

“Yeah. Did you eat the core?”

“Of course, mortal. Don’t forget what you saw today. You’ll be seeing a lot more like it…”

…What?

Fwoosh!!

---

I blinked.

I was lying on top of a rusted-out shipping container at the old pier.

The world was glowing.

The black forms of the evil spirits floated into the sky, turning into light.

They were ascending.

Finally at peace.

I watched them go with a smile.

“Please find peace,” I prayed quietly.

Still…

“Come here, fly.”

At my call, the Star Hated by All fluttered down and landed on my nose.

“What is it?”

“When you said I’d experience this a lot more… what did you mean?”

“What else? You didn’t think the Abyssal Sea King was the only high demon barely clinging to life, did you?”

Hmm…

It would be weird if Muddorok were the only one still hanging on.

So I might have to go through this again?

I let out a dry laugh.

Then, as if blessing me, a cascade of sparkling lights rained down from above.

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A glowing button floated beside it…