When Averie woke up, it was already noon.
He asked Hyerin—who was glued to her phone—if they should go out for lunch. But contrary to his expectations, wearing the expression of a shell-shocked veteran, she vehemently shook her head.
"I'll go; you stay here!" she kept yelling as she sneaked out the door.
Averie found it odd, but then again, he found everything about this new world odd. So, he simply shrugged it off.
When Hyerin returned, she had boxes of pizza and fried chicken in her arms.
"Thankfully, the craze hasn't hit the streets yet," she said after explaining the amazing reception of Binsfeld's Seven Princes of Hell to her lazy friend. "But that might change once today's episode airs."
And she wasn't wrong.
That evening, chatrooms and forums for the drama overflowed with great numbers. People on the internet couldn't stop talking about the show. They wanted more; they craved more.
It had become a popular topic of discussion in the drama and entertainment community. And seeing this, journalists kept churning out articles.
Averie hadn't seen anything like this, since the internet wasn't a thing in his previous world. People were going mad for the second episode, and since it was the weekend, they could fully enjoy it without worrying about their daily lives.
"This will attract more viewers, won't it?" Averie mused.
He wasn't particularly concerned with the commercial aspect, but it was always a pleasure to see cultured people appreciate his work.
On SilkTube, videos with titles like 'Graphic, atmospheric, and artistic—the brilliance of Binsfeld's Seven Princes of Hell' were starting to gain traction.
At that moment, Hyerin's phone rang.
"Hello, Mom?" The poor girl was sweating buckets "Did you see it? How—how did you like it? Uh-huh, yes… And Dad? Yeah? Oh, that's good."
She looked relieved as she put the phone down.
"I had warned them in advance, but I was still scared how they would react to the episode. Thankfully, they liked it even if it was a bit scandalous for their tastes. They asked me to congratulate you on their behalf."
Averie scrunched his nose. "You should have kept it from them. It's only going to get more scandalous from here."
She sighed. "They would have found out somehow anyway; I softened the blow at least. If I hadn't informed them, do you know how worried they would have been? They ask about you a lot, you know. Even now, they were concerned if you were being exploited."
'What am I, their son-in-law?' Averie chuckled. 'And who could possibly exploit me?'
Again, Hyerin's phone rang.
She glanced at it, and soon, her eyes widened. The day had been full of surprises, yet she could not get used to it.
"Su-Bin Kang," she muttered in an unsteady voice. "Actress Su-Bin…"
Averie took a deep breath to calm his rising temper.
'It's not worth it to yell at her, Gene,' he told himself before snatching her phone away.
As he had guessed, Su-Bin Kang had started following him.
It did not matter one bit to Averie, but in reality, she was a big actress and it was not normal for her to follow someone she had never met.
But alas, Averie was too cool to give a damn.
***
Soon, it was 9:55 PM.
And in the house where NeRen lived, a coordinated operation was taking place.
"Hee-Su, did you bring popcorn?" Ha-Yun asked, a list in her hand.
Her face was stern as ever.
"Yes, mam!" Hee-Su, the second youngest group member of NeRen, answered with a salute.
"Lenny, did you prepare coffee?"
"It's right here," Lenny answered, pointing at the table where a hot teapot was placed.
"Sunny—"
At that moment, the doorbell rang, and Hee-Su answered the door.
She was surprised to find a familiar figure there. "Su-Bin? Why are you here?"
"My, what a cold welcome."
Su-Bin tucked her hair behind her ear and entered the house without Hee-Su needing to invite her in.
"I was invited by your leader."
Ha-Yun gave a curt nod.
"Welcome, comrade," she said with a deep voice. "Take a seat."
"Why are you here?" Hee-Young asked, receiving the bottle of wine from the popular actress.
She gave her a seductive wink and gestured at the TV with her chin. "The same reason why you are all preparing so passionately."
"Oh, that's right," — Lenny clapped her hands — "you are the savior who guided us towards the great gift to humanity—BSPH."
"Sorry, what?" Su-Bin asked, bewildered.
"That is how true devotees of Binsfeld's Seven Princes of Hell refer to it," Ha-Yun answered.
Suddenly, Su-Bin was starting to get a funny feeling from the NeRen lot. She had become a big fan of the drama herself, but the way they talked about it made her question their sanity.
'They are a step away from creating a cult.' She shrugged her shoulders as if it was none of her business. 'Whatever, I should enjoy myself.'
"Okay, everyone, shut up!" Ha-Yun yelled.
It was exactly 10 PM.
The chilling sound of the violin filled the room as the familiar opening sequence began.
Excited, the NeRen members and Su-Bin took their seats. They had turned off the lights and had brought out blankets and sheets to cover themselves in.
'This is bliss,' Ha-Yun thought.
She had forgotten entirely about Hee-Young's mediocre drama.
Episode 2 began with a flashback from three years prior to the current events of the drama.
Dressed entirely in black, the seven brothers were gathered around a dying man.
The room was cold and silent. The doctor, having checked the decrepit man's pulse, whispered something to Lucifer before leaving the room.
"Not much longer now," Lucifer informed his brothers.
His voice was composed as always, and other than Belphegor, not a single one of them looked a tiny bit affected.
"Lucifer…" suddenly the man mumbled, raising his bony finger in the air.
"Yes, Father," Lucifer answered, taking a single step forward.
"Lucifer," — the man's eyes wandered aimlessly in the air — "you are—you're the head of the family now…"
"Yes, Father—"
"What?" Satan interrupted, frowning impulsively. "Explain to me, old man; what did you say?"
But their father did not answer. No matter how many times Satan asked, the dying man would not answer. It angered him. He tried to grab the decrepit man by his collar, but Beelzebub and Mammon held him back.
He screamed and yelled.
"It isn't right," he repeated.
He was the eldest of the seven—the firstborn. And yet, Lucifer was chosen to lead the Binsfeld family. To the impulsive Satan, it was an act of betrayal.
Watching the temperamental man struggle in the grasp of his two brothers, Lucifer spared him a glance full of disdain.
Asmodeus was no different. He too looked at his eldest brother with eyes that contained not a modicum of respect. Still, he found some amusement in the pathetic display.
As an uncontrollable Satan was dragged out of the room, ever-displeased Leviathan stared unhappily at his two brothers—Lucifer and Asmodeus—who looked unshaken.
A smiling Mammon looked forward to his inheritance. Beelzebub was so hungry he could eat his dead father.
Despite his tired face, Belphegor was the only one who allowed himself to be a little more emotional than usual. He was the youngest—and the most humane of the seven. And it showed once in a while even through his dispassionate behavior.
Without warning, the flashback faded.