Little Pink Starfish

A hotel suite in Yeouido.

The Demon God sat at the table, reviewing the upcoming schedule with a laptop open. The steady click of the mouse tickled his ears, and as he glanced toward the bathroom where water continued to splash, he clicked his tongue.

‘She’s taking forever.’

Checking his watch, he saw that Vanessa Bernstein had already been in the bathroom for over thirty minutes. He knew she had a childlike fondness for baths, much like a kid playing with water, but given that ‘The Star Hated by All’ was nearby, her leisurely attitude irritated the Demon God.

‘Tomorrow’s the meeting with CYB Korea…’

The Demon God reviewed the schedule displayed on the screen.

‘Soon the participants will gather for an introduction ceremony…’

At that moment, ‘The Star Hated by All’ would likely appear before him. The Demon God had no doubt. This entire project had been prepared for that encounter; the performance itself didn’t really matter.

‘But why is CYB assisting Father’s plan?’

Leaning back into his seat, the Demon God sighed. ‘The Star Hated by All’, as his name indicated, was the adversary of all constellations. No other constellation, except for ‘The Savior Who Is One and All’, could oppose him. Since ‘The Savior Who Is One and All’ was an existence beyond the scale of even other constellations, it was fitting to exclude him from the count. Thus, as the name implied, all constellations besides him were enemies of ‘The Star Hated by All.’

‘I can’t understand this.’

The Demon God rested his chin on his hand and sighed.

CYB was both an audition program led by constellations and a corporation that entirely managed contracts between constellations and celebrities.

Of course, its upper management consisted of constellations. Thus, if this project was related to ‘The Star Hated by All,’ it meant multiple constellations—or a single representative constellation—was supporting him.

‘Most likely the latter.’

It was inconceivable that multiple constellations would support ‘The Star Hated by All.’ He was not someone who could attract such support. More likely, a single, powerful constellation was aiding him. But who could that be?

A few names did come to mind. Since ‘The Star Hated by All’ entered CYB’s system through a contract with a human, that suggested he had opened a path for reconciliation with the constellations. In that case, the most likely ally would be…

‘…Michael?’

‘The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell.’

‘The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell’ was the one who had practically stopped ‘The Star Hated by All’s rebellion. His power was only slightly below that of ‘The Star Hated by All.’ If the latter represented Hell, the former represented Heaven.

‘If it’s him…’

It wouldn’t be strange for him to lend his support.

Nodding to himself, the Demon God judged.

The Demon God understood the meaning of family. Though ‘The Star Hated by All’ would surely deny it, he too was deeply bound by that notion. ‘The Savior Who Is One and All’ was ultimately the father of ‘The Star Hated by All’, and ‘The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell’ was his irreplaceable brother.

‘…What a ridiculous sight.’

The Demon God sneered bitterly.

Both sons of ‘The Savior Who Is One and All’ were paying attention to his existence. What a laughable situation. Even having fallen into a human form, he could not live as a mere human. Not that he ever wished for that. But to think he’d end up standing center stage in such a pathetic state was something he hadn’t foreseen.

Clunk.

At that moment, the bathroom door opened, and Vanessa Bernstein appeared, wrapped in a robe.

“Want to take a bath too?”

Speaking casually, Vanessa wiped her wet hair with an innocent expression.

“I have work to finish.”

The Demon God replied curtly. In any case, there was no avoiding what was coming. Now that things had reached this point, it was better to be mentally prepared. He began typing a reply confirming the schedule CYB had sent.

“This country feels so compact.”

Standing by the window, Vanessa muttered.

“Is it because the territory’s small? It’s like looking at a miniature garden. Everything is so crammed together that there’s no sense of spaciousness.”

“That’s true of Silicon Valley as well.”

The Demon God replied dryly.

“Any place with a high human population is like this. Sure, the country’s small, but that doesn’t mean America is some vast, open paradise. In some ways, it’s even more cramped than here. But with a larger landmass, there’s a higher proportion of open space…”

That must be why our home had such clean air, he mumbled.

“True.”

Vanessa smiled readily, then sat across from him.

Removing the towel from her head revealed her blond hair. Wet strands clung messily to her shoulders, which she shook off in slight discomfort. Narrowing her eyes, she gazed at the Demon God.

“Is there something you need?”

The Demon God briefly glanced at her as he continued typing.

“Not particularly.”

Vanessa crossed her arms.

“I’ve been meaning to say you’ve seemed out of sorts lately. I’ve just been waiting for the right moment to bring it up.”

“Too bad. That moment will never come.”

“How can you be so sure?”

You’re neither clairvoyant nor superhuman, nor do you know me that well.

Vanessa whispered.

“Because it doesn’t matter.”

The Demon God threw out his words.

“What does it matter if I’m not feeling well? It has nothing to do with your performance. Besides, I’ve never been in a good mood. Have I ever smiled around you? I don’t recall ever doing so. Given that, why would you bother worrying about my mood?”

“No, no.”

Vanessa waved her hand.

“Don’t oversimplify our relationship like that.”

Then, narrowing her eyes sharply, she whispered,

“We aren’t a constellation and human pair. You may have been called the Demon God, but you were just a low-ranking demon. Not even enough to be considered a constellation. So you couldn’t support me, and I reached this place on my own.”

But it wasn’t particularly hard or regretful.

In fact, it was fun. While everyone flaunted a god’s name under their profile, knowing that mine had nothing there was strangely thrilling.

“But…”

Vanessa tilted her head.

“We’re not simply human-to-human either. Though your body has degenerated to resemble a human’s, you lack humanity. You don’t affirm human life either.”

“…So what?”

The Demon God’s typing stopped.

His gaze turned to Vanessa.

“It’s simple.”

Vanessa shrugged.

“There aren’t many words that fit your existence. You’re neither a constellation nor demon nor human. You’re not a harmless herbivore, nor a fierce carnivore, insect, or plant. That’s why you’re called ‘Demon God.’ The name wasn’t born of its intimidating meaning—it’s just a constructed language, invented because there was no word in this world that could properly define you.”

And that, she said with a smile,

“Is why you like yourself.”

Vanessa felt that the Demon God resembled herself. Having grown up trapped under Mateo Bernstein for so long, she found something understandable about a being that crawled up from the lowest depths of the world.

“You hate humans, and so do I.”

Vanessa didn’t like humanity. When she emerged from the deep underground and looked at the world, what she saw resembled ants devouring the belly of a dead beetle.

“You despise constellations, and I’m not fond of gods either.”

If gods created this world of corruption, then their design was flawed. Whatever meaning ‘The Savior Who Is One and All’ sought through this disjointed world, Vanessa was certain it couldn’t justify the world’s ugliness.

“That’s why I understand you well.”

A sharp smile curled on Vanessa’s lips.

“Since coming here, you’ve been constantly on edge. As if afraid you’ll encounter someone you shouldn’t. It’s rare for anything to terrify you — you swat cockroaches without a second thought. Could a constellation have scared you? I doubt it.”

If someone wished to kill you out of vengeance,

you’d probably nod and accept it. You know you deserve that hatred.

Vanessa whispered softly.

“What you fear isn’t death, but life. The continuation of your current existence is what terrifies you the most.”

And so,

Tilting her head toward the Demon God, Vanessa whispered,

“Someone’s here in this land, aren’t they?”

Her whisper tickled the Demon God’s ear.

“Someone who makes you want to live.”

Who could it be?

“Not a subordinate… maybe…”

A family member?

Vanessa easily arrived at the answer.