Little Pink Starfish

YN Entertainment headquarters.

“You accepted the invitation?”

“I did.”

The Star Hated by All replied to the question of the Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell.

The meticulously tidy office was bathed in the late afternoon sunlight. The Star Hated by All stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing into the distance. The view beyond was tediously dull. Clouds dotted the sky, slowly drifting by, and the scenery below was made up of the suffocating smell of concrete.

“I received the email this morning. Vanessa Bernstein will arrive next week. After all, we organized this concert to bring her here as a guest. It seems things will get busy for a while.”

The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell let out a sigh as he spoke.

“Brother, truly… was it our Father who reduced the Demon God to a human?”

At his question, the Star Hated by All shifted his gaze.

“Wouldn’t you say that, too, is just like the Savior Who Is One and All?”

“I don’t know.”

The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell shrugged.

“To be honest, ever since reuniting with you, my faith in Father has been shaken. I had believed without doubt that He was an omnipotent Creator and perfectly just. Even His punishment for your rebellion seemed reasonable.”

But now… I don’t know anymore.

The Archangel muttered.

“How ridiculous.”

The Star Hated by All snorted and turned to his brother.

“What is it that has shaken your faith so much?”

“It’s because of you, brother.”

The Archangel’s expression twisted.

“If not for you, I would likely still be in Heaven. You descended to the human world, which caused Enoch to run rampant, and I descended to clean up his mess.”

“I know that well enough. But isn’t it nice to get some fresh air in the human world rather than being stuck in Heaven?”

The Star Hated by All smiled playfully.

The Archangel sighed. Ever since confirming his brother’s true intentions, the Star Hated by All had increasingly started to speak in the manner of their earliest days. It was annoying. While seeing his mischievous younger brother’s old self wasn’t unpleasant, such childish banter made him feel like he too was being dragged into immaturity.

Even though this was no longer the time when the world had just been created.

Even though they were no longer in their infant forms created by the Savior.

“You angels seem to be slightly mistaken.”

The Star Hated by All smiled faintly.

“Heaven is a pure white land. An endless blank space where angels believe purity and goodness reside. But I don’t see it that way.”

Heaven, with no turmoil and no conflicts, was merely a primitive state of the world. The Star Hated by All was convinced of this. The Savior Who Is One and All was the most primitive lifeform, and the space He first created, along with His earliest creations, was nothing more than a backward realm.

“Humans often view their birthplace as a paradise.”

The Star Hated by All understood humans’ desire to return to their roots. Like longing for paradise, the urge to return home made one look backward, irrespective of good and evil, maturity or immaturity.

“So, brother, calling your emotions in the human world confusion seems rather lazy.”

“Hmph…”

The Archangel furrowed his brow.

It wasn’t that he failed to understand. Nor did he feel like denying it. His brother’s words, though long his enemy, rang true. While he ruled Heaven, his brother fell to the depths of the world. What had he seen there? The Archangel pondered.

“Disgusting things, no doubt.”

That must have been it. Constant battles, beings created solely for evil—monsters and demons that would have endlessly repulsed him. That’s why the Star Hated by All became king, not god. To him, monsters and demons were not worth saving.

“I found the appearance of the Demon God… very puzzling.”

The Archangel spoke quietly.

“When the first Gates opened, I thought perhaps it was your doing. After all, you were the most fitting being to claim godhood over Hell. That you didn’t do so must have been simply because you didn’t want to.”

As the Savior’s right hand, his brother could have easily consumed the world by becoming Hell’s god. And this whole thing would have ended differently. The Savior, who valued efficiency, likely would not have opposed giving part of the world to his brother.

“Of course, that’s true.”

The Star Hated by All shrugged.

If he had wished to invade the human world directly, it would have been easy. Though his war with the Savior had failed, claiming a bit of land would have been simple. After all, humans were merely one species, and their world was nothing compared to the countless dimensions.

“So, brother, you wondered why the Demon God wasn’t me?”

“…A little.”

The Archangel sighed.

“To be honest, when I first heard that Gates to Hell had opened in the human world, I thought you had finally gone mad. But Father denied it. The Savior insisted it couldn’t have been you and that’s why He sent you to Hell.”

“I figured as much.”

The Savior wouldn’t have suspected me in the first place. The Star Hated by All believed that completely. The Savior now held only two emotions: curiosity and fear. The Star Hated by All was the only creature to witness both firsthand. The Savior was curious about him—and afraid.

“I am the constellation who knows the Savior best, and thus, the Savior knows me best.”

The Star Hated by All would never become god. He would be a king, but never desire to harm any other creation than the Savior Himself. The Savior must have trusted that.

“But even so… I never expected the Demon God to be nothing but a low-ranking demon.”

The Archangel groaned.

That was the most puzzling part. Why did demons rally behind such a low-ranking creature?

The Demon God was merely a demon who called himself a god. Like a mere man crowning himself king, though made of the same flesh and blood as others.

Yes—it was very human-like, the Archangel thought. Humans always appoint kings and then use myths to justify their rule.

Some kings claim to be sons of gods, others to have been born from eggs. Such claims were laughable from a constellation’s view. All creatures were technically children of gods. Yet humans created hierarchies and used the gods’ names freely.

“That’s why it was able to happen.”

The Star Hated by All smiled faintly.

“Heaven and Hell are the same. Both are stagnant realms. Those who rule them have little ambition for progress. The Savior respects free will. I do not respect the free will of demons, but I punish all equally.”

The Demon God moved Hell precisely because he was human-like. The Star Hated by All was certain of this. He once heard of a rural girl who became a saint and led armies. The Demon God and her were quite similar, aside from moral distinctions.

“To be clear…”

The Star Hated by All smiled.

“There may well be a second or third Demon God in the future.”

“Indeed.”

The Archangel nodded. The Demon God’s existence had been revolutionary. The weight of that first revolution would lessen, but thus happen more often.

“That’s exactly why—”

I intend to save the Demon God.

The Star Hated by All whispered.

“I will pass my throne to him.”

“…What?”

The Archangel looked puzzled.

The Star Hated by All chuckled and continued.

“I mean to make him king, not god.”

There should be no god in Hell.

But a king? That would suffice.

“A virtuous king, perhaps. Even in Hell.”

The Star Hated by All’s quiet muttering echoed lightly.