Classical Music

For the next shot of the scene, Averie and Ellie were being touched up while the set was being prepared.

Averie glanced at his co-actor. She was listening to music. It seemed to help her get into character.

'Good,' Averie thought.

They had a lot of scenes together, and Averie was planning to make minor changes to the scene he performed while auditioning. He had warned her about it in advance, and she showed a willingness to go along.

They were called once the set was ready.

"Scene 14, Blend, Take 1."

"Rolling."

The slate was clapped.

"Action!"

Asmodeus turned the doorknob and opened the door. For a minuscule second, he stood still in the doorway.

His decadent gaze was firmly stuck to the antique record player by the glass window weathering the rain. He didn't once allow his gaze to wander. His preoccupied mind didn't once pay attention to anything else in the room—not even the guest staring at him with a myriad of emotions.

Despite his rough efforts at drying them, the long strands of his hair dripped water on the floor. His steps were measured and his posture was confident as he entered the room.

"Hello," Asmodeus's guest—being played by Ellie—exclaimed somewhat nervously. "I—we need to talk…"

Asmodeus didn't reply. He continued his leisurely walk towards the record player, undressing as he drew closer. He dropped his tie and shed his suit. On such a rainy day, he was in the mood for something melancholic. And no amount of rain could douse the desire in his eyes.

"We shouldn't meet again," the woman continued, her voice unsure. "It's not right."

But Asmodeus only paid attention to his record player. He caressed it gently, his eyes burning with a bright amber glow. Licking his bloody lip, he unbuttoned his white shirt and put on one of his favorite records.

The sad yet beautiful melody filled the room. It resonated with the sound of rain. And for a long moment, Asmodeus stood there, basking in its splendor. It seemed to curb the intensity of his gaze.

He leaned against the window, poured himself a glass of red wine, and took a swig. Despite their ordinary nature, every one of those actions seemed indecent.

"If my husband finds out…" the lady trailed off.

For the first time since he entered the room, Asmodeus turned his gaze towards her. She was a lady with wavy red hair tied in a ponytail. She was wearing a nice yellow sundress and was most definitely older than him. A platinum ring sat on her ring finger.

She was Sarah Raguel, the wife of the middle-aged man Asmodeus had killed only about an hour ago. She had aged compared to her picture in their home. But still, she was attractive.

Such a woman marrying that ugly gambler may have been beyond comprehension to most, but Asmodeus knew money made everything possible.

Unfortunately for them, her husband wasn't rich enough to save himself from Asmodeus Binsfeld. Otherwise, he would have paid off his massive debt years ago and wouldn't have lost his life in a wet alleyway.

Asmodeus put down his wine and slowly walked up to the woman. He stood close to her, stroking her cheek and staring deep into her eyes.

"He won't ever find out," he whispered.

His voice was barely recognizable over the sound of music and storm, but it had a bewitching timbre. It sounded like the call of sirens, sinister yet attractive.

Sarah could smell rain and wine on his breath as he leaned further towards her. She was here to break ties, but strangely, she felt even more attracted to him today. His wet hair, the exposed skin underneath his unbuttoned shirt, and his promiscuous mannerisms kept bothering her in a way that was beyond immoral.

She felt her breath turning hot. She wanted to jump on him and feel his skin. She wanted him badly.

"This—this isn't right…" she murmured, mesmerized by the debauchery of his presence.

His voice was exciting and his gaze arousing. Even in dreams, she knew she would like to see him. There was something so thrilling about him. He was more active than a prostitute, and he certainly wasn't a man of morality.

But still, he was so addictive. He was her escape from a pathetic reality that was turning more and more unbearable. Like a drug, he kept her coming back for more. And even now, she couldn't resist his temptation.

The rest of the world didn't matter and her degenerate husband didn't matter as the devil of a man supported the small of her back and led her in a subdued dance. She could feel the heat in his gaze as he coveted her bare flesh.

As the end of the song drew closer, Asmodeus lightly traced a path from her back to her nape with his finger. It made her shiver. He caressed her shoulders and ran his hand through her hair. He licked the side of her neck and pulled her head back by the roots of her hair.

Overflowing with lust, he nibbled her pale flesh. His eyes were burning with contagious indulgence and warped ecstasy as he ran his hand up her thigh.

All the while, Asmodeus was staring straight into the camera behind Sarah. He was tempting the audience, daring them to escape his corruption.

'A delicate performance again,' Director Lee thought. 'Those eyes are incredibly attractive.'

The massive crew was also watching the scene with similar thoughts. Most of them were bewitched.

'What an incredibly sensuous man,' the DP thought. 'He should model sometimes.'

"Damn," whispered Leviathan's actor while watching the scene.

Hyerin also felt a little hot and excited. Her heart was beating loudly.

'Calm down, idiot,' she kept telling herself.

No matter what, she kept feeling like Averie's gaze on the screen was directed at her. That much passion wasn't easy to overlook.

Everyone in the room felt the same. They all thought that he was looking at them. His gaze was simply that intense.

"Cut!" the director shouted.

He approached the two actors and patted them on the back.

"Both of you did well. That was a great scene."

But in reality, the director felt a little regretful. Nothing he had shot the whole day—including the latest shot—could compare to Averie's brilliant performance the day before.

After talking with the director for a brief moment, Averie turned to Ellie.

"You did well, Ms. Arnold."

He took out his handkerchief and wiped the saliva where he had bitten her.

"Thank you," she said.

Her face was flushed as she fanned herself.

"It's not easy," she mumbled to herself.

He was attractive—the character on set as well as the actor off it.

***

"We don't have shooting for the next two days, do we?" Hyerin asked.

She and Averie were having dinner at her apartment, which wasn't much different than Averie's—small and affordable. But this was the first time Averie had visited her.

Hyerin had cooked dinner for the both of them, which was surprising. By the number of times the two went out to eat, he had assumed she had no experience cooking. It was an entirely false presumption, granted fried rice wasn't the most difficult dish to make.

Still, it was delicious. It restored the faith in Korean food that Averie had lost after trying cup noodles for the first time. He could not understand how something could be so utterly tasteless. He hated the smell, and even the texture of the noodles was unlikable.

'Who thought it was a good idea to sell this? And who could be so depressed as to buy it?'

Thankfully, those days were behind him.

"Do you like the song?" Hyerin asked as a music performance played on TV.

'TV programs showing live performances is still a thing?' Averie wondered. 'How is it not obsolete when there are video-sharing sites like SilkTube?'

It was a girl group song. Just like any old man, Averie wasn't a great deal fascinated with girl groups and boy groups. Most of the time, he thought of them as nothing more than products created by the big corporations.

But he was an artistic actor. And for the better or worse, he knew how to separate the art from the artist. There were indeed some songs that he admitted he liked. He understood they were made specifically to appeal to the wider audience and to capitalize on the current trends, but a good song was a good song.

"It's fine," he replied.

"Are you still into nothing but rock music?" she asked.

'So, you liked rock too, eh, Averie?' he thought.

In his previous life, Gene Conti wasn't such a big fan of rock music. But the artists of the last four decades were too good for him to remain ignorant.

"Rock and Classical," Averie answered.

"Since when?"

Hyerin looked surprised. Her quirky friend was into two entirely opposite genres of music, and that was more terrifying to her than her recent infatuation with Asmodeus.

'That's your friend,' the poor girl kept telling herself to no effect.

It was a sad reality.