Little Pink Starfish

Some memories blur like ink spreading through water.

You never know where the drop will fall. Sometimes you forget what happened just yesterday, and sometimes, you remember something from years ago with vivid clarity.

When you recall a memory long after convincing yourself you should never have forgotten it—

It’s like finding a mold-stained letter tucked away between the pages of a bookshelf. A wave of helplessness crashes over you.

“…Hyun-ah.”

Juhyun-ah, he said in his heart.

Aiden repeated the name to himself, afraid he might forget it again.

“Gila, the ones who stole your place are over there.”

Aiden rested his chin on his hand as he stared at the TV screen.

A press conference was being broadcast live, showcasing the newly debuted male idol project team formed through CYB.

The stage was lit with vibrant colors prepared by CYB’s team.

At the center sat Ryu Eunyul, who had taken first place in the domestic competition, surrounded by his teammates.

As camera shutters clicked rapidly,

“Hello, I’m Ryu Eunyul.”

He spoke into the microphone.

“This is our first official greeting since CYB ended. We’re here today to talk about the direction of our upcoming activities.”

Although it wasn’t a showcase but a press conference, Ryu Eunyul spoke smoothly despite the absence of a separate host.

“Ah… so….”

‘Even pretending to be nervous, he’s good at it.’

Aiden smirked slightly.

He must’ve studied the broadcast footage. Most of Eunyul’s appearances on camera during CYB had portrayed him as mild, sometimes even clueless. That had been his image as a pure trainee.

But now, his occasional stumbles felt calculated, like he’d gotten shrewder.

“…To be honest, I didn’t expect to win first place, so it still feels like I’m dreaming. I’ve spent the break reflecting a lot.”

‘Lies.’

Except for the one time he’d faltered, Ryu Eunyul had always aimed for first place.

Even when many contestants shifted strategies to target second or third place, assuming Han Iro would dominate first, Ryu Eunyul had kept his eyes on the top.

‘That was so…’

…foolish.

‘I thought it was foolish…’

…so I messed with him a little.

‘And yet he survived just fine.’

Aiden truly believed what he did to Ryu Eunyul was just a bit of teasing.

A harmless prank.

All the things he’d done as the head mentor of CYB’s male idol category—he considered them amusement.

‘Maybe I overdid it a little.’

Aiden shrugged.

Ryu Eunyul wore his heart on his sleeve. Aiden could feel his resentment practically radiating from him.

During the final rankings, he’d feigned ignorance quite well, but Aiden suspected Eunyul had already figured out much of what he’d done.

“First, we’ll begin living together in a few days.”

Eunyul smiled as he spoke and nodded at Han Iro.

“Hi, everyone! I’m Han Iro. As just mentioned, we’ll be starting our dorm life soon. I’m already bracing myself since I have to replant all the plants I’ve been growing in my garden…”

He cleared his throat.

“…But I’m happy they’ll be growing in a better place. Our journey of building teamwork will be aired through Neobus.”

‘A reality show, huh.’

It was common for project teams launched via CYB to begin filming a reality show the moment they moved in together.

Aiden himself had gone through something similar when he debuted as part of Codess.

He chuckled at the memory of his old teammates, fresh and youthful.

But his thoughts were also complicated.

“Hi there! I’m Noeul!”

Taking the mic from Iro, Jeong Noeul called out.

“Just as Iro-hyung said, a show is in the works. I’m sure many of you expected it—lots of our seniors have done this too! But ours is going to be a bit… special.”

Noeul glanced at Madojin.

Madojin looked back.

There was a brief, awkward silence.

Noeul gestured vaguely, flustered.

Madojin tilted his head.

Ryu Eunyul quickly leaned over and whispered something into Madojin’s ear.

“Ah…”

Madojin brought the mic to his mouth.

“Ah, ah. Mic test. One, two, three.”

His sudden mic test made the flurry of camera flashes momentarily hesitate.

“…Hello. I’m Madojin. I’m glad to be here.”

In a flat tone, he began.

“As Noeul said, a unique format is being prepared. I regret that I can’t reveal it now. But we’re working hard, so please look forward to it.”

“…Yes! Please look forward to it!”

Perhaps worried that Madojin’s monotone didn’t inspire excitement, Jeong Noeul chimed in with an energetic voice.

‘Might be worth investigating.’

Aiden thought to himself.

A reality show starring the new project team was a good topic to build buzz around.

As someone deeply interested in tracking the trajectory of idols launched through CYB, Aiden saw it as essential.

‘Because…’

The affection fans feel for celebrities closely resembles a believer’s faith in their god.

It’s pure and all-consuming—sometimes even blind.

Before the Gates opened, constellations didn’t interfere with the human world, and as a result, belief had become distorted.

Celebrities constantly appearing in front of their fans created a self-correcting dynamic. Even when affection went astray, it tended to stabilize over time.

Constellations began sponsoring the entertainment industry precisely because they saw this mechanism.

‘A constellation’s divinity rises through belief, doesn’t it?’

If so, belief—

Affection should be considered not just emotion but a tangible force.

‘And that’s a force I need.’

As that thought crossed his mind, Aiden’s eyes sharpened.

“Next, we’d like to talk about our debut song.”

Min Heejae spoke with a soft smile.

“Nothing’s set in stone yet, so we can’t say much. But one thing is clear… we’ll be creating our debut song using our own abilities.”

“Yes, Heejae will compose the song…”

Eunyul added, turning to Heejae.

“And Eunyul will write the lyrics.”

Heejae finished, smiling back at him.

“Could we give a hint about the concept, Heejae?”

Eunyul asked.

“Well…”

Heejae paused.

“…A world without constellations.”

‘Not bad.’

Aiden evaluated the concept with a level tone.

A world unsponsored by constellations belonged to an almost mythical past.

With most of the Gate-era generation now elderly, constellations’ support influenced every facet of modern society.

So a world without them felt as far removed from reality as any science fiction setting.

“Well then…”

Heejae changed the topic.

“That’s all we can share for now.”

Han Iro continued.

“There’s one more thing you’re all probably waiting for!”

As Jeong Noeul spoke up—

“You mean the group name?”

Madojin asked with sincere curiosity.

“Yes, we’d now like to announce our project team’s group name.”

As Ryu Eunyul said this, the members all stood up.

The stage dimmed.

A giant screen lit up behind them with a beige background.

Thwip—

A single laurel leaf fluttered down.

Then more leaves began to arrange themselves into a circle.

Inside the wreath, letters began to appear.

“…Laurea.”

The Italian word for “laurel crown.”

“From now on, we’ll be standing before you as Laurea!”

“Please support us!”

“By the way, the name was Dojin-hyung’s idea~!”

“We’ll do our best to live up to it!”

Their voices continued, but Aiden had lost interest.

He turned off the TV.

Then reached for the dress shirt hanging over his chair.

As he buttoned it, he stepped out of the study.

When he opened the door, sunlight poured through the veranda window.

“You don’t look so well.”

Standing just past the stream of sunlight was a woman wrapped in a shawl so long it brushed the floor.

Her black shawl obscured her completely, revealing only her silhouette.

But Aiden knew what lay beneath it.

He knew too well. Well enough to guess the expression on her face.

…She was surely looking at him with worried eyes.

“I’ve worried you, haven’t I.”

Aiden smiled softly.

“Is this better?”

“…Yes.”

She answered obediently and stepped forward.

Shfff—

She sat down at the table across from him.

“You didn’t have to prepare a meal.”

Aiden looked over the table.

“After all, it’s not for you. It’s for me.”

A salmon steak and a salad dressed in oriental sauce were set before him.

“Don’t worry.”

She replied.

“If I required sustenance, I believe you would’ve always prepared nourishment for me.”

“…That’s not the same.”

Aiden laughed dryly and sat down. He fussed with the neatly arranged cutlery.

“Things are about to get busy.”

He began cutting the salmon steak.

“The ingredients are nearly all gathered. Now all I need is the strength to wield them.”

“Are you happy?”

“You know how long I’ve been preparing for this.”

“I wanted to ask anyway. When you say you’re happy, it makes me happy too.”

“…I’m happy.”

Aiden smiled.

“I’m glad. You’ve looked so tired lately.”

“That’s a little unfair, don’t you think? I can’t hide anything. But you…”

He rested his chin on his hand.

“…You don’t show me anything.”

“But…”

She whispered faintly.

“…You would be horrified to see me during a meal.”

“No way.”

Aiden met her gaze.

She silently accepted his eyes.

A winter breeze slipped through the cracked window.

The shawl covering her fluttered.

Just for a moment, part of her body was revealed.

The Mother Who Burns for Eternity.

Her flesh charred, rotted, and twisted beyond recognition. A being so grotesque that even gods would flee in horror.

“Believe me.”

Aiden smiled gently as he looked at her face.

“You truly are…”

With not even the slightest trace of falsehood—

“…beautiful.”