"I cannot believe I am meeting the real Asmodeus!" The handsome Japanese man in front of Averie clapped his hands in a very feminine way. "I haven't been able to sleep since we started this project. I keep practicing lines like an aspiring actor every night."
Averie and Hyerin were in the lobby of a recording studio. And the man in front of them was a famous voice actor, hired to voice Asmodeus Binsfeld.
"Others think I have it easy as there aren't that many lines for Asmodeus, but what few lines there are need to be impactful, right?"
The man was speaking in Japanese, and Hyerin was translating for her dear friend.
It was surprising to Averie how easily she translated. She was talented, even if at times he found her childish.
It was the first day of their visit, and it was reserved for the cast and the voice actors to mingle.
A series of posts from their accounts was a good way to begin promoting the show.
Unfortunately for Averie, Asmodeus's voice actor was rather chatty—almost like an extreme zealot. He kept going on about Asmodeus, praising Averie relentlessly.
'What a nerd,' Averie thought, looking at the man a decade older than him.
In all honesty, he was tired of being worshipped and praised. He needed someone to spit in his face—not literally, of course.
Seeing his chance, Averie slipped away from the crowd, leaving Hyerin to entertain the Japanese gentleman.
He walked past a number of men in suits, who seemed to be company executives. After taking a few turns and climbing a few stairs, he found himself in a quiet place away from the crowd.
Just as he began thinking he could relax, the voice of the fanatic Japanese man reached his ear. The madman was looking for him.
Averie found the nearest door and effortlessly slinked in. It didn't matter to him whether he would be a nuisance to others. All he wanted to do was hide.
But what greeted him was a spectacular view.
Past the glass window separating the room in two was a woman with short silver hair. She was wearing headphones, and her eyes were closed.
All alone in that booth, she sang into the microphone.
Averie didn't understand a single word of what she was singing, but the single light shimmering down from above made her look angelic.
Her voice suited the theme. It was beautiful and fragile.
It felt as if she would shatter if Averie so much as whispered.
It was a recording session, and Averie wasn't supposed to be there. Yet no one noticed him. The girl's voice was simply so captivating.
It was a pop song, that much Averie could tell. It wasn't his favorite genre, yet he liked it. It was the first time he genuinely loved a pop song, and he wasn't ashamed to say it.
It was as if a lone angel was singing to him, and she was just as tantalizing as her voice.
'I've found my muse.'
It wasn't love, nor was it admiration. To him, she was art in human form. It was something to look at for an ethereal experience—like a pair of swans on a shimmering lake.
Satisfied, Averie quietly took his leave, not wanting to disturb her session.
When he returned, Hyerin looked somewhat relieved. The voice actors had exhausted her with their constant chattering.
Averie pulled her aside.
"Who's the girl?" he asked, his tone solemn.
Hyerin looked around, confused. "What girl?"
The unabashed man explained to her what he saw, which only served to confuse Hyerin more. She looked at him suspiciously before asking around.
When she returned, she had proper information.
"The only singer currently in the building is an up-and-coming musician who goes by the stage name of Celli. She is fairly known but not too popular."
She took out her phone and looked her up.
"Is this her?" she asked, showing Averie one of the pictures on the internet.
"Yes," the man nearly exclaimed.
For a while, he stared at the photo wordlessly.
Hesitant, Hyerin asked, "You—you have not fallen for her, have you?"
Averie shook his head.
"Why is she here?" he asked.
"From what I could gather, she is recording for a video game that will be released this year."
Now, Averie was truly curious. To him, stories told through video games were fascinating. Just like films, dramas, and theater, they had their own flavor of storytelling.
To Hyerin, he looked dangerously obsessive.
"Tell me more," he whispered.
His eyes were burning with passion that could be mistaken for obsession.
According to Hyerin, the project Celli was working on was a globally anticipated RPG. It was developed by some of the biggest names in the industry and required years of dedication.
"It is currently in the final phase of its development," she concluded.
Averie remained in thought, looking up the articles about Celli and the game.
"Get in contact with the developers once our show has aired for a week or two in Japan."
"Why?" Hyerin asked, wide-eyed.
"If this game is interesting enough," — Averie tossed her back her phone — "I would like to make a cameo appearance."
He spent the next few days doing promotional shoots and giving interviews. It was a rather professional affair. The Asian Union truly did contribute to the ease of the process.
And so, days passed.
***
It was 9:55 PM on a quiet Friday in Korea.
Ha-Yun Jung, the leader of NeRen, was sitting on the sofa alongside her whole group. They were all on their phones, checking their social media feed and whatnot.
Since an hour ago, material related to BSPH—from fresh memes to the latest news—was plastered all over the internet.
Memes of Asmodeus biting his lip while looking at the photo frame that had its picture replaced with anime characters, celebrities, delicious food, himself, or even mosquito repellent were very common.
"Will you be here every Friday and Saturday?" asked Ha-Yun Jung.
Su-Bin Kang looked up after liking a picture of Averie on Delfa.
"Only until the show ends," she answered.
She was a living example of how easy it is to be a shameless person.
The girls had been waiting in front of the TV for almost half an hour. Everything, from food to drinks, was prepared in advance. And their manager was warned not to disturb them after 10 PM.
"Shut up, you two. It's on."
At that moment, the exciting opening sequence—having become iconic in a single week—began playing. After a week of waiting, it was finally back—the show currently taking over the internet.
The third episode of Binsfeld's Seven Princes of Hell was being broadcast.