Let’s call this karma for Satoru.

After all, harvesting countless pools of tears from readers was the gravest sin committed during a lifetime. Satoru is a rising writer, a name that has begun to echo through many hearts. It all started the moment Satoru confessed those feelings—to you, a university student adored by everyone. No matter who they were, people were drawn to you.

Satoru wasn’t much different, really. The only difference was that Satoru lacked your humility, and could never match your effortless grace in navigating people. Long story short—Satoru fell, and fell deeply, hopelessly… in love with you. His own best friend.

But fate has always been cruel in its design. You rejected Satoru’s feelings without hesitation. That day, something inside Satoru shattered beyond repair. The pain was enough to keep Satoru away from campus for an entire semester… and then another, taken as leave.

That beautiful young man poured every fragment of heartbreak into writing—a story that, somehow, shook the world. A novel titled “Die For Me.” It reached over eighteen million readers.

It was a tragedy. A love story so dark, so suffocating, that it could hardly be called love at all. The protagonist was an empress—nothing more than a tool for revenge. Empress was tormented mercilessly by the emperor, their own spouse… the male lead of the story. And in the end, the protagonist died in the most harrowing way imaginable, while the emperor lived on—happily, with a concubine.

At first, Satoru wrote it as an outlet. But the tragic ending sparked outrage among readers. They demanded an alternative ending. A better fate. A sliver of mercy. Satoru refused.

Unmoved, unyielding—Satoru stayed true to a single purpose: to create the most tragic story possible, with a male lead as cruel and cold as ice. A reflection… of you. Unfortunately, things took a darker turn.

After countless demands for a different ending were ignored, a deranged reader lost control. During a fan meeting, they stabbed Satoru in the abdomen. And in that instant—Satoru’s world changed.

When consciousness returned, Satoru found themselves inside a grand, breathtaking palace. Then, words appeared before his eyes, suspended in the air like a decree from fate itself:

{Welcome to the story “Die For Me.” You have been assigned the role of the main character. Achieve a satisfying ending to return to your world. The reward at the end of the story is one life. Good luck.}

Then, The words vanished. Moments later, the door to the vast chamber creaked open. Satoru’s eyes widened. Standing there… was the emperor. And that emperor was—you.

Satoru’s breath caught. His entire body stiffened, his tongue tied, as if fear had stolen every ounce of control. Yet his voice slipped out—like a line forced forward by the script of the story itself.

“Y-Your Majesty… have you come… to check on my condition?”

His voice trembled.

“I nearly drowned in the lake… Your Majesty…”

Even Satoru was startled by the words leaving his lips. His body shook— as he faced the coldness in your gaze.