Little Pink Starfish

The next morning.

“Did you have a bad dream?”

Vanessa Bernstein asked the Demon God, who was busily packing.

A travel suitcase sat in the middle of the Demon God’s room, clothes scattered messily around it. Leaning against the doorframe, Vanessa watched him. The Demon God sat on the bed, breathing heavily.

“No.”

Lowering his head, the Demon God muttered.

“I don’t have dreams.”

“You know that’s not what I meant, right?”

Vanessa tilted her head. Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, it was clear he hadn’t slept. She glanced at the coffee mug clasped between her hands and thought.

‘Has he ever moved this frantically before?’

Well, perhaps once or twice. When managing Vanessa’s activities, the Demon God had become a proper manager, always coordinating situations. But it had never been out of passion. It was always to prevent complications in advance. Yet, the Demon God now appeared different.

‘He seems flustered…’

Vanessa examined his face.

‘He looks scared.’

Like someone flailing their arms in panic before a dangerous threat.

“Let me smoke in the room.”

The Demon God spoke while sitting blankly on the bed.

“No.”

“Just this once.”

“What’s with you, seriously?”

Vanessa let out a sighing smile.

“Fine, go ahead.”

The moment she allowed it, the Demon God lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke.

‘Damn it. What the hell is this?’

He cursed inwardly, staring at Vanessa through the smoke. If they flew to Korea, there was no doubt he would meet the Star Hated by All. The Demon God felt complicated emotions toward the Star Hated by All. Fear. But why fear? Biting down on the filter, the Demon God thought.

‘I’ve never feared him before.’

That was true even during his lowly demon days.

While all other demons trembled before the Star Hated by All, only the Demon God believed he might be his legitimate father. Naturally so—his very existence was the cornerstone maintaining hell.

‘He could have invaded the human world anytime he wished.’

That’s why the Demon God had always wondered. Why did the Star Hated by All remain idle in hell? Sitting on his throne in the heart of hell, doing nothing but restraining the excesses of demons.

‘In a way…’

The Star Hated by All was a kind of suppressor sealing hell.

The Demon God revered yet also feared him. To grow hell’s power, he had always needed to act out of the Star’s sight. Yet at the same time, he had hoped the Star would someday join his plan.

‘It was foolish thinking.’

The Demon God smiled bitterly.

‘I think I finally understand.’

He picked up an empty drink bottle.

‘He’s fundamentally different from us demons.’

The ashes fell into the bottle. The unburnt embers sizzled as they touched the liquid inside.

Perhaps being in the human world had affected his thinking. The Demon God could now see that the Star Hated by All did not think as a demon but as a constellation. Humans sometimes interpreted Satan, or Lucifer—the Star Hated by All—as being entrusted with hell like a cherished son of the Savior Who Is One and All.

‘Because only he could rule that place…’

Thus, perhaps the Savior handed hell to the Star Hated by All, who governs it under the mask of evil…

‘Of course, that’s nonsense.’

The Demon God shook his head. The rebellion against the Savior was undeniable. The Star Hated by All truly tried to destroy the Savior, and many angels had joined him.

‘Yet in the end…’

He did become the suppressor, ruling hell. That fact stood beyond good or evil.

‘He incarnated for me?’

The Demon God’s pupils quivered.

‘Impossible. For what reason?’

Geahrzimen had said it was to save him.

Save? What kind of salvation? It couldn’t be.

Why are they leaving me be? Both Father and the Savior.

The Demon God crouched down, sighing. As the leader who led demons to slaughter countless creatures, he believed he deserved to disappear. Kill and be killed. Simple enough. Yet why was this life being pointlessly prolonged? Was this true punishment? Absurd.

“You’re dropping ashes.”

Vanessa spoke with narrowed eyes.

“…Sorry about that.”

The Demon God lifted his head.

“Do you have a fear of flying?”

As he wiped the ashes with a wet tissue, Vanessa asked.

“Or do you break out in hives when visiting Korea? Seeing you like this puts me on edge. It’s my first time leaving America.”

“Shut up. What’s wrong with how I am?”

“Well…”

Vanessa tilted her head.

“Since I spent my youth in a bunker, maybe I shouldn’t judge, but if I had to compare… you look like a teenage girl crying over a broken nail. The punk-rock-loving kind.”

Or rather, she muttered.

Her gaze suddenly cooled.

Vanessa sighed, approaching him.

“You look like a demon afraid of purification.”

The Demon God’s expression faltered for a moment.

“Tell me. Will you meet God in Korea? Is that why you’re afraid?”

Her breath, carrying a sweet scent, brushed against his ear.

“No, it’s not that. The Savior Who Is One and All is on our side. He’s the one who placed you by my side. So you don’t need to be afraid. All the constellations we’ve faced in CYB see you as just a mere human. Weak and insignificant.”

The Demon God bit his lip.

She often pretended to be a fool, yet sometimes saw everything clearly—just like now.

“Won’t you tell me? What you’re afraid of.”

“…The King of Hell.”

The words came out as if squeezed from his throat.

“The King of Hell?”

Vanessa pouted.

“Yes. I fear the King of Hell.”

He cared not for others. Even the Savior Who Is One and All did not inspire fear. Neither death nor punishment nor annihilation could truly terrify him. The Demon God had always accepted his own fragility. He had always known he could die at any moment—whether as a low-class demon or now as a human shell.

That’s why he had approached the Star Hated by All—calling him Father.

Even knowing that displeasing him could lead to death.

“But you’re a Demon God.”

Vanessa stared blankly.

“A god fearing a king? That doesn’t make sense.”

“There’s no such thing as a Demon God. Hell is the only place in the world where gods do not dwell. I merely claimed to be a god.”

“And the King of Hell? Isn’t he just someone claiming to be a king?”

“He could have become a god. Not by self-declaration like me, but truly. He simply chose not to. If he became a god, he’d have to cherish hell. As a king, he could oppress freely as a tyrant.”

So he became king, not god.

The Demon God muttered.

Vanessa observed him for a moment.

“Still, a king is weaker than a god.”

She tossed the words lightly.

“Doesn’t that mean you can win?”

“No, you idiot! I was a powerless creature simply claiming to be a god. The King of Hell had the power to become a god but chose to remain king!”

“But in the end, you became a god and he didn’t.”

“…Unbelievable.”

The Demon God shoved the cigarette butt into the bottle.

Blushing, he rose from the bed.

“Enough. Go away. I need to finish packing.”

“Well, if I’m a bother, I’ll disappear.”

Vanessa smiled as she backed away, hugging her mug and walking toward the door.

“Trust me.”

She turned her head slightly.

“I don’t know what the King of Hell looks like—or rather, what kind of constellation, demon, or whatever he is—but a king cannot surpass a god. And that’s not simply because of strength. Trust me.”

“Shut up. I don’t care.”

“I know.”

Humming, Vanessa walked away.

The Demon God stood still for a while, then cursed and grabbed the clothes.

‘…You know nothing.’

Biting his lip, he thought.

‘I’m scared.’

Terribly scared.

Not of death, not of annihilation, not of punishment…

‘…but of salvation.’

The Demon God thought, his eyes turning red.