Little Pink Starfish

As the conference room door opened, Mika and The Star Hated by All appeared.

<You’ve all been waiting, haven’t you?>

With a gentle smile, Mika walked past us. The Star Hated by All quietly sat down next to me. Our eyes met. After briefly chewing his lips as if pondering something, he gave a complicated smile and turned his gaze away.

<Now then, I will brief you on the performance that will take place in two weeks.>

Mika began the presentation.

The performance with Vanessa Bernstein would begin two weeks from now. Considering the rehearsals and overall preparations, there wasn’t much time. But that was only natural, since this project wasn’t about the performance itself, but rather about creating an opportunity for The Star Hated by All to come into contact with the Demon God.

“Well…”

Carefully raising her hand, Jeong Noeul spoke.

“Vanessa Bernstein is the star of the show, right?”

<That’s correct.>

Mika answered readily.

<The performance will be centered around Vanessa Bernstein. While Laurea and the CYB domestic competition winners have been promised a song each, it’s only for a single performance before stepping down.>

“Well… that’s still an honor.”

Min Heejae spoke with a faint, playful smile.

“I’m a fan, after all. Of Vanessa Bernstein.”

“You’re capable of being someone’s fan?”

Resting his chin on his hand, Han Iro asked.

“Given your personality… wouldn’t you just see any skilled person as a rival?”

“What do you take me for?”

“To put it nicely, a confident genius. To put it harshly, a musical narcissist.”

“Accurate.”

Min Heejae chuckled and shrugged.

“She’s fascinating, Vanessa Bernstein…”

According to Min Heejae, Vanessa Bernstein’s musical world was made up of something very simple: talent. Talent is often treated as fundamental in music or any other field, but in reality, it’s merely a convenient term that bundles together various layered factors. That’s how Min Heejae explained it.

“There are many types of vocal ranges, aspects of appearance, the performances expressed through them, and even elements of songwriting and composing. When you put it all together, the word ‘talent’ gets used far too simplistically.”

Summarizing Min Heejae’s point, talent is as accurate yet as convenient as calling this complex world filled with countless existences and stories simply “the world.” That’s why critics avoid using the word talent so easily.

“It’s their job to analyze things more deeply.”

But with Vanessa Bernstein, Min Heejae trailed off.

“I can only explain it as… she makes music purely through talent.”<I think I understand.>

Surprisingly, The Star Hated by All agreed with Min Heejae.

<I’ve listened to her songs several times. Watched her performances as well. She seems to go on stage without any calculation or strategy. Like a child playing in a playground.>

“I don’t know if it’s appropriate to compare someone in her thirties to a child, but…”

Nodding, Han Iro said.

“It’s true. Vanessa Bernstein seems like a very pure person.”

“What elements make someone pure?”

Madojin, who had been silent, asked Han Iro.

“A little absent-minded… asks lots of questions… like you, Dojin hyung.”

Jeong Noeul answered Madojin’s question.

“I’m not human; I’m an angel.”

“Ah, right. That does sound quite pure in itself.”

Jeong Noeul smiled, resting his chin on his hand.

<In any case…>

I quietly listened to Mika’s explanation.

<In a few days, we’ll invite the performers to a nearby hotel for a gathering. After brief introductions during the meeting, we’ll move to a party hall where press are allowed for some media coverage.>

That’ll be the turning point, I thought as I glanced at The Star Hated by All.

Most likely, that day he would approach the Demon God. Vanessa Bernstein would surely arrive at the hotel accompanied by the Demon God, but she wouldn’t be able to stay by its side the entire time. That gap would be The Star Hated by All’s chance to reveal himself.

<Is there something on my face?>

Suddenly, I heard The Star Hated by All’s voice inside my head.

‘No. If there were, I would’ve told you.’

I smiled faintly with a sigh.

‘Don’t tease. You know exactly what I’m thinking.’

<Of course, I do, creature. Your prediction is correct. I will reveal myself to the Demon God that day.>

However…

He added.

<But what connection does your thinking have to studying my expression? Do you always have to stare at someone while thinking about them to feel satisfied?>

‘That’s not it.’

I admitted honestly.

<You’re worried about me.>

I felt I shouldn’t affirm his words.

But it’s hard to hide one’s true feelings. Truthfully, I was slightly worried about how the Demon God would react upon seeing The Star Hated by All. Of course, the Demon God’s body was no different from that of an ordinary human, and even if it regained its demonic power, it couldn’t harm him.

‘But if…’

Yet harming someone doesn’t always require brute strength. I knew that well.

‘What if the Demon God reacts differently than you expect, resents you, begs you to kill it, or still clings to its ambition to invade this world? What then?’

The Star Hated by All’s intent to save the Demon God resembled a divine act of trying to redeem a sinner who had committed unforgivable crimes. But he was far from a god like Xiang. He wasn’t saving the Demon God as a god would.

In truth, The Star Hated by All regarded the Demon God as his daughter — that thought crossed my mind.

<…Strange.>

With arms crossed, The Star Hated by All muttered.

His voice inside my head carried rare confusion.

<I’ve always peeked into your thoughts. Don’t misunderstand — your frail little thoughts have always been a source of stress for me. When one becomes too vast, one inevitably sees even what they’d rather not. Like observing microbes crawling on a bedsheet — it’s truly unpleasant.>

At any rate, I thought there was nothing I didn’t know about you…

He murmured, tilting his head.<But I cannot comprehend the thought you just had.>

It wasn’t merely emotional incomprehension. He seemed utterly unable to grasp the meaning of my thought. That realization made me smile bitterly. In a way, it made sense. With how you are now, you wouldn’t understand.

‘Just answer my question. What if the Demon God resents you, begs you to end its life, or still refuses to abandon its ambition to invade the world?’<I will kill it.>

The Star Hated by All answered without hesitation.

<That is what salvation truly is, isn’t it? To reach out only to those who deserve salvation. Thus, salvation is power. I am the King of Hell and a tyrant beyond compare. Ending the life of a low-ranking demon is nothing to me. Even if ‘The Savior Who Is One and All’ prolonged its life, I have every reason to end it depending on the situation. Its life belongs to me.>

Though his words sounded ruthless, I sensed the care behind them. If The Star Hated by All was the only being who sought to save the Demon God, then surely he was also the only one capable of judging it. Claiming to be a savior also meant being prepared to be a judge.

Perhaps that’s why ‘The Savior Who Is One and All’ allowed the Demon God to survive.

<That’s not it.>

Peeking into my thoughts, The Star Hated by All replied.

<The driving force behind ‘The Savior Who Is One and All’ is curiosity. Curiosity leads to stories. When one asks a question, it’s not the answer they seek, but the story contained within that answer. Creation is not an answer but a question. This world itself is a question posed by ‘The Savior Who Is One and All,’ and the constellations called gods and the countless creatures must answer that question through their existence.>

Therefore,

‘The Savior Who Is One and All’ has asked.

The Star Hated by All murmured.

<What shall be done with the Demon God?>

My father posed that question to me.

That seemed to be The Star Hated by All’s firm belief.

‘I see.’

I thought he was probably right.

If ‘The Savior Who Is One and All’ withheld judgment on the Demon God, it was likely out of curiosity.

He must be watching from the highest place in the world.

Watching how The Star Hated by All will act when facing the Demon God.<So you need not worry.>

Smiling at me, The Star Hated by All spoke.<I do not face the Demon God as an ally. I face it as the representative of the world.>

Seeking to save the Demon God also meant being prepared to judge it directly.

And that judgment belonged not only to The Star Hated by All but also to those who lost their lives, homelands, loved ones, or even parts of their bodies to the Demon God.

<Exactly.>

The Star Hated by All nodded.

<How admirable. You used to be nothing but an annoying boy who found my noble fly form irritating, and now you’re capable of such complex thoughts.>

With a smirk tugging at his lips, he added sarcastically,<You will accompany me.>

He declared what I had vaguely anticipated.<I cannot face the Demon God alone.>

‘Do we really have to do this?’

Would my accompanying him really change anything?

<That doesn’t matter.>

The Star Hated by All declared firmly.

<You are my contractor…>

Therefore, you must accompany me.

His whisper spread within my mind.