Hell's Actor

The funeral proceeded smoothly.

"Would you like to join us for lunch?"

Ellie Arnold declined Peter Kang's polite offer. "Thank you, but I have an appointment in the evening."

She gave Averie a warm hug, who felt like he was being watched.

"How's filming going for Lady Ethereal?" she whispered in his ear.

"Wonderfully."

"Call me for the premiere."

Averie glared at Peter, who was hanging around nearby.

Once he had left, he lowered his voice so that only Ellie could hear. "Can you make some time at the end of the year?"

Ellie's eyes turned big like those of an owl. "It's releasing this year. That's early."

"Serenes Film Festival will be either in November or December. That's why."

They made their way towards the cars waiting for them beyond the fence.

"Oh, is that why we know so little about the film? Are you entering the Film Festival?" Ellie looked wowed. "That's surprising. Wait, are you inviting me?"

"Nope. I'm sure you can get an invitation yourself."

She shook her head. "Can't you be a little nicer to me?"

"You know, I—"

A chill passed up Averie's leg. Something was brushing against his ankles.

He looked down to find a black-furred creature navigating between his legs as if they were driving cones.

It meowed and rubbed against his pants.

Averie—true to his hellish nature—wanted to shoo it away.

But an 'aw' from Ellie stopped his actions.

"Look how cute she is." She kneeled to pet her. "What's your name, cutie? Where did you come from?"

Averie felt upset at the sight.

They were in a graveyard, and the kitten was black.

'I'm no racist, but a black kitten in a graveyard is a bad omen. Don't touch it, damn it.'

But Ellie continued, drawing the attention of the guests.

"Aw. Look, how she is sticking to his leg," someone said.

"She loves him."

"That's his spirit animal, I bet."

"Take her home."

"I have diarrhoea."

They kept saying stuff that Averie wanted to hear the least.

'Just ignore them.'

A flash attracted his attention.

Some smartass paparazzo had taken a picture of it.

'I'm fucked.'

Averie had two choices.

He could take the kitten home with him, allowing the media to paint it as a heartwarming incident.

'As impossible as it sounds, the internet will love me for it.'

Or he could shake off the little thing and go home peacefully.

'They will paint me as a heinous psychopath, who couldn't show love to even the cutest of animals.'

Averie rubbed his chin.

'Do I want to put up with a shitting machine? Or do I want to put up with the psycho cat lovers?'

The choice was simple.

'Anything but the cat lovers, thank you.'

He picked up the kitten by the nape and watched as it mellowed down as if being carried by its mother.

For a good long minute, Averie stared into its deep blue eyes.

"What's your name?"

"Meow…"

"What an unconventional name."

He studied the kitten from all sides.

It came to his notice that the little thing wasn't entirely black. It was a dark shade of gray, with lighter shades around its neck, ears, and ankles.

Its eyes had a peculiar glimmer in them.

"You look like an intelligent animal… Can you speak?"

"Meow."

"Yeah, I know your name is Meow. That's not what I was asking."

"Meow?"

"God, what a narcissist; he only utters his name. No, wait a moment, it's—" He checked between its hind legs "—her name."

'I know I am quite potent at attracting ladies, but this is simply outrageous.'

"You want to come home with me, Miss Meow?"

"Meow!"

"Alright, welcome to the family, little one."

He held the kitten in his arms, caressing her fur like the villain of a classic.

"Yes," he said, his tone nasal, which was quite unlike him. "Very nice, yes."

The sighs and gasps from the crowd weren't to his liking, but it was definitely better for his reputation.

'Yes, take the pictures. Look, everyone, the bad guy is doing a good deed. You gotta love that, yeah? Can I get away with deadly assault now?'

The jovial mood of his suddenly soured as a thought crossed his mind.

'Didn't they say something about a small shadow escaping the wreckage of the burning car? And why is a cat in a graveyard?'

Things seemed to be coming together.

'But how would a cat even survive something like that? Why would it even be there? Sophie wasn't known for her love for cats.'

Yet, the creepy smile on the face of the kitten was off.

'Why is its fur so thick? Why are its eyes so full of intelligence?'

His gaze shook.

'The collar!'

There was a collar around the kitten's neck, so thin that it was practically imperceptible. The material felt weirdly rough and strong.

'Seatbelt? Is that made out of a seatbelt?'

Yet the plate attached to the collar was even more shocking.

'Triple six.'

It was made of a note folded seven times, to flash the last three digits of the serial number.

'The missing eye, bones, hair, skin, lumps of flesh…'

He didn't want to think of it, but a clear image of the agony the poor driver must have gone through flashed before his eyes.

'This is a demon spawn!'

Now, it all made sense.

'Sacrifice of a soul tortured to its breaking point, that agony is what's required to create a small animal connected to Hell.'

Averie looked around; it was too late to put down the creature and walk away.

'Do I have to take an agent of Hell with me? The thing is made out of human flesh!'

He was devilish, but he hated the thought of a melting skin hanging around him in the form of a cat.

'Damn, Sophie and that driver were sacrificed to create this thing.'

After another minute of silence that everyone mistook for his admiration for the kitten, Averie continued towards the familiar ride Hyerin was leaning on.

'Yes, think about that beautiful 1968 Jaguar. Look at its sable color. It's like a real jaguar. There are majestic black jaguars, too. Yeah, large black cats—just like the one in my head, just not made of human flesh—'

He took a deep breath.

'Shit!'

He handed the kitten to Hyerin while bodyguards held back the paparazzi.

"A gift to my friend," he said, twirling a moustache that wasn't there. "Miss Meow is yours, my lovely."

Hyerin looked between the meowing mass of black fur in her arms and the friend who had placed it there.

The devilish actor grinned at her.

"Now, you have become its caretaker." He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Take it, or drown it."

Hyerin cuddled the kitten.

"Don't worry, kitty. I won't let him drown you."

"Meow."

Reflected in the cat's blue pupils was the image of a pair of amber eyes retreating in the car.

Instead of returning home, the jaguar joined a caravan of cars carrying the main cast of BSPH.

They stopped at a restaurant frequented by In-Su Kim.

"Their oysters are the best."

But Averie was less of an oyster guy and more of a lobster dude.

"So," Peter began. "What were you telling Ellie?"

"Something called none-of-your-business."

"Ah, yes," John Strom exclaimed. "I've heard about it. Peter receives it often."

After a burst of laughter that left Peter embarrassed, he continued, "But seriously, what's going on with you two. I noticed her being a little—"

"Clingy." Raymond Lee raised an eyebrow at the stares he was receiving. "What?"

Su-Jin James gazed into his reflection on the still surface of the wine. "That's not a nice word."

"Really? Sounds inoffensive to me."

"Women don't like it."

"Hey, hey, guys." Peter clapped his hands. "Let's not change the subject. It's about him, not us."

His fork was pointed towards Averie.

"So, tell us. What's up with you two? Anything special?"

Averie tapped his plate with his knife. "I… have an illegitimate son with her."

The silence in the room was heavy.

'He's messing with us, right?'

'I don't know. It's not something he wouldn't do.'

'He has always been honest.'

'I never noticed the baby bump, though.'

'Nah, there's no way. He has to be talking nonsense.'

Their aggressive eye signalling came to an end with Averie's voice.

"That was a joke."

"Of course, it was."

"It's nothing special really. She feels more comfortable around me ever since BSPH ended. The role hasn't been nice to her."

'Better me than drugs, right?'

"Is that healthy?"

Averie pursed his lips. "It hasn't reached that stage yet."

"Take care not to let it, then."

He had no idea how he was supposed to do that or if there was even any need for that.

'Let's just mess around and find out.'

It was the most hellish way of thinking, and he preferred it to needless worry.

"So, tell us," In-Su Kim said. "What is up with Lady Ethereal. It's not a commercial film, from what I hear. What are the plans exactly?"

Averie tapped his plate in thought. "Can you perhaps spare some time at the end of the year?"