As Song Yujun read the last sentence of his favorite BL novel, tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to spill over.
He read along the lines, whispering to himself as his voice cracked. With a tear sliding down his cheek, he read out loud, "Skyle's heart, shattered with sorrow, finally gave in, and he peacefully succumbed to death while lying in his bed."
He turned his phone off and rolled onto his bed, lying face down on the sheets. Pressing his head into his pillow, he buried his face as he grieved over the death of his favorite character.
"Skyle, you poor thing!"Â
Song Yujun could not sub harder. He cried uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face and his nose running. He could not believe he was weeping this intensely over a character that was not even a real person.
"AghhâŠ" He groaned in frustration as he opened his phone once more. "Crying like this is kind of embarrassingâŠ"
As he read through the comments in the epilogue, he noticed that most readers were pleased that the villain had died. There were close to none, hardly anyone, who felt sorry for his demise.
But Song Yujun would not deny he understood the sense of justice crafted for the ending.
In the initial chapters of the book, he, as well, naturally favored the protagonists and held a dislike for Skyle. However, as the story progressed, Song Yujun found himself captivated by Skyle's character.
In the book, the main character's ex-fiancĂ©, Skyle, served as a knight under the 4th prince during a time of war. Skyle was compelled to leave his fiancĂ© and fight alongside the 4th prince in battle.Â
Together, they led their forces to victories, eventually conquering the neighboring land.
No one had imagined their soldiers would survive, let alone emerge victorious after six years of battle. So, it was a complete shock when they came back all victorious.
The king witnessed the 4th prince's successes, acknowledging his leadership. It did not take long before the king appointed the 4th prince as his official heir.
Upon completing his service to the prince, filled with eagerness to reunite with his beloved, Skyle hurried to his fiancé's mansion upon his return to the kingdom.
However, what awaited him there was a cruel twist of fate.
In Skyle's absence, the protagonist felt deeply lonely and uncertain. He ended up finding solace and comfort in the company of a new friend, whom he connected profoundly with in ways that helped fill the emptiness Skyle had left.
"The protagonist cheated... but why did Skyle have to endure the consequences?" Song Yujun sighed, shaking their head in disbelief. He could not help but feel a pang of sympathy for Skyle, the unsuspecting victim of their fiancé's affair.
"Tsk! What the hell! I've never cried this hard for a fictional character!" Song Yujun exclaimed, wiping away the tears from his cheeks.
Feeling embarrassed, he sat on the mattress of his bed. Taking a moment to reflect, he realized how deeply he was affected by losing yet another character from the novels he had read.
Yet, he could not compare the impact of Skyle's death against any other. His demise was unlike anything. Though the author had given a sense of justice to the story, Song Yujun could not help feeling it was not justified at all.
To him, Skyle was not just a villain but a victim driven by a heart filled with a desire for revenge and answers.
His heart had been shattered while the protagonist selfishly found someone new. This drove Skyle to obsession and harmful measures directed towards the protagonist, actions he could not control.
Thinking about it brought tears to his eyes. "Oh, come on," he murmured. "Why do you have to kill him, author? I was hoping Skyle would have a character development, like turning a new leaf or somethingâŠ"
Song Yujun cursed for his baby's death. "That's not fair. Why did the author have to make him suffer so much? Arghhh!"
Song Yujun punched his pillow and squeezed it tightly to release his frustration. He paused for a minute, his fist hanging in the air as a thought came into his mind.
He hastily grabbed his smartphone to post a comment. "I'm seriously going to write an entire essay about this! It's not like he killed anyone! Just you wait, author!"
Of course, all feared the power of a devoted fan when it came to the death of their beloved character. Sometimes, their passion could be a bit too... overwhelming for everyone to handle.
If it was not for the limit on the number of characters, Song Yujun would have gone on as he poured his heart out from his emotional attachment to the character without restraint.
"Curse you," he muttered before finally pressing the send button to submit his rant over his disappointment over Skyle's death.
And after his grief, Song Yujun felt the dryness in his throat. Hence, he got out of bed and decided to sooth it with some honey water.
"Wow, that really hit the spot," he said outwardly after finishing the entire drink. It lightened him a little, though it didn't completely erase the sadness he carried inside.
"I feel so much better after taking out my anger there," he sighed. "Alright, time to balance things out by writing a book review for the author," he decided, wanting to compensate for the negative comment he had posted just a minute ago.
Song Yujun returned to his bed and picked up his smartphone, which was buzzing intensively. He went through to check, scrolling through the notifications to see the responses he received from the other readers.
One user replied, "Well⊠he keeps plotting to kill Emilian and then take his own life, all so they can be reincarnated together in another life."
"Now, I, I can't argue with that," Song Yujun muttered.
While some agreed with Yujun, most supported the protagonist, saying it was not wrong to love someone as the protagonist was in a difficult situation.
Just like the comment said, "Skyle stopped sending letters while Emillian waited for him for years. And one m0rning, he received the handkerchief he gave to Skyle b4 he went off to war! Right on his doorstep! Imagine how it must have felt!"
Song Yujun nonchalantly scrolled down through the hate comments from other supporters of the protagonists before he found one that made his heart skip a beat.
It was from the author.
At first, Song Yujun hesitated to read it, fearing that his words could have offended the author. But it did not end with what he feared; it was the opposite.
"Thank you for your fondness for my baby Skyle, user02434. I have read your comments every time. You asked who could love the villain, right? I think you can if it's you," commented the author.
At that moment, his smartphone flashed with the brightest light, temporarily blinding his eyes. Song Yujun squinted in pain and grimaced with discomfort.