A girl stood in the rain in front of a grave. Her tears mingled with the falling water from the sky.

Joo-Young was a few feet under where she was standing.

No matter how much she cried, or how much she stayed at his resting place, there was no way he would come back.

-

A few months prior to the incident, Mina Lee, a renowned scholar student studying medics and toxin in one of the best schools in Korea, had the dream life.

 As someone who could have it all, in any corner, nook or cranny, she was good at almost everything, ranging from playing cello to cooking and coding. She was intelligent, as shown being accepted in an amazing university and proven by the grades in classes.

She was also quite beautiful, long, brown hair that twisted curly near the waist. Her face was proportional along with her body. Although being a bit short was the only flaw in appearance, she was known to be a gorgeous woman, in and off campus.

 She conducted many great achievements as a child. Her parents had decided to dedicate their entire basement to store their only child's trophies and such. By the time she reached high school, there was barely any room to fit more achievements and congratulations in there.

Throughout this busy life as a so-called 'do-it-all', it is lonely for a child to endure so many subjects at once, thus, leading to her having almost no time to make friends with other children. Her mother found this 'idea' to be irritating, while her father continued to try and persuade her that the little girl needed friends too.

 Finally, her mother gave in and phoned one of their close friends. The friend had a son; Joo-Young. He was a year older than Mina, but it didn't matter to her because he was her first, and only true friend she had.

 So her lonely days were solved. Whether she is busy or cramming in work for special classes, at least she now has someone she can look forward to meeting.

Of course, time flies. Joo-Young was a smart boy. He had skipped a few grades and played competitive instruments. He was similar to Mina, but off the scale more since he had less classes then her. Many happy memories were made. Often when Mina goes on break for classes, she would crawl through the dog door and escape to a nearby pond and hide under one of the willow trees with Joo-Young as he shared his writing and songs with her. 

On the other hand, he would sneak out of his house during the rainy seasons only wearing a frail jacket and visit Mina by climbing through her open window. She would always scold him for doing so, for he was prone to being sick.

That all came to an end though.

-

France, Paris.21:23 PM.

He died that night, in an alleyway. It was on a world trip to study cultural history for class. After touring France's many museums, the night Joo-Young headed home would be his last day alive.

He was pulled into the alley by an unknown person, who gave him the option of handing over everything he has, or killing him. He did so, but the man insisted that he wouldn't let him go, in fear of his actions being reported.

As for what happened after, a local store owner found him between two trash cans with a slit throat and a white shirt seeped with wounded holes from the stabbing and blood the next day before hurriedly calling the police.

They were never able to find who killed Joo-Young though. He was pronounced dead.

-

Mina didn't receive the news of his death until three days after. At first, she refused to believe such an absurd idea. But a while later when it hit her, she had broken down into an unstable state of mind. News of the funeral for Joo-Young reached her family and they decided to attend without her. Though her mother and father did their best to convince Mina to leave her room, she bluntly refused with a hoarse voice.

Her life then had only fallen downhill. She visited his grave when a week went by, in the rain, holding a handful of red roses and sobbing uncontrollably as she got on her knees and prayed. The reason for such colored roses she brought had two answers: one being those were his favorite type of flowers, and two, she had no way of telling him she truly loved him with all her heart all this time.

Her friendship with him was taken for granted, and her regretful self realized how much she should've treasured those moments.

All she ever did now was play piano in a slurred way, sleep, or drink. What was there to do? Mina halted her classes, never returning to them again, even though she was in her last year before graduating.

The only other thing keeping her alive was the book published by Joo-Young.

"Pry Into The Heart" was a tragic romance novel written by him.

 It was a popular book among middle schoolers and it was written under a pen name 'J/Y'. The story tells the tale of a beautiful heroine, Ersta, and a talented, handsome knight, Lensix. It first starts off with the backstory revolving around the problem: the fearful tyrant, Almeria. Almeria in her past was a princess of the Samarien Empire. Her father, Richsanson Ver Samarien, ruled over the vast lands. Richsanson found people that were weak and inferior, in any form or way, whether it was studies or strength, so after seeing his oldest daughter fail so miserably at everything, he decided it would be best to get rid of her quietly. 

 And so he did. Every night, the maids would bring her water. The water contained a toxin under a name, Ficinosis. It was a poison created by mixing certain flowers and herbs along with a single feather of a black crow. It is then mixed into a state where the toxin is difficult to tell between medicine and poison.

 Richsanson's daughter, Vahlarina Ver Samarien, or otherwise known as Lady V, was fed this every night. It was a slow death, and it gives off symptoms of a cold. Vahlarina eventually died in a span of two months after consuming the toxin. 

 Heartbroken, Almeria soon figured out that their father had murdered his firstborn by confronting a maid that served her sister many years later.

Vengeful, she massacred everyone at the Samarien palace. After doing so, she would proceed to take over as the ruler and a fearful tyrant. 

After a while of taking over mass kingdoms and lands, Almeria grew tired of doing her dirty work alone. On a fine day, where the son met the horizon, she set out to the empire of Enserbinix. The kingdom was known for their fine jewelry and their proficiency in clothing. Signing a peace treaty to end a pre-war, Enserbinix offered Almeria part of their land and many of their riches. Almeria agreed; although it was said she was given these in exchange for no wars, she was also promised a husband.

 Almeria never found interest in love. She never found falling in love necessary. Unlike her sister, Lady V, who fell in love with people quickly at first sight, she had broken into the state of mind that those feelings were inferior, and unusual. Almeria believed it was necessary to have a partner to fight alongside with and produce an heir for the broken continent. 

Here, the king of Enserbinix's sixth son, Lensix Ron Autirum, was promised to marry Almeria. Almeria happily agreed, since their empire was equally as strong, and combining them together would make her rise to an even stronger power that she herself can finally uphold. Almeria now was entranced in the allure of power, suddenly forgetting the reason why she had forced all those lives to vanish before her very eyes was because of her lovely sister.

Though it was never a happy marriage of course. The two of them never spoke after their ceremony, and went their separate ways. Almeria continued hunting down continents and annihilating them while Lensix quietly would sit at the office in the Samarien palace. 

Without Almeria's surveillance, Lensix was free to also do as he pleases. Unfortunately, freedom was also what caused this romantic tragedy. A lady he had fallen in love with at his crowning ceremony appeared again once before his eyes, and that lady was none other than Ersta, who had now become Almeria's advisor and assistant. 

After a few weeks of working with her, Lensix finally realized his feelings that he could no longer deny; he had in fact fallen in love with her so deeply it was a hole he couldn't crawl out of. Ersta's shining self was difficult to ignore, even at such a time where the world was in ruins, for she was the light to him.

As they became closer, Lensix had let his guard down, and on a night together, a guard betrayed Ersta and reported to Almeria about them. For an unknown feeling, Almeria was split in full rage, returning back to the castle and locking up Lensix in her dungeon and executing Ersta. 

Ersta never made it to her execution date. She had an unknown maid poison her, and her body was never found. 

However, before her death, Ersta made a quick, secret visit to her love, and offered to make him stronger, since she was going to die anyway. He refused, still gave him her powers anyways.

So receiving the news that Ersta had simply committed suicide because she didn't want to die by the hands of Almeria twisted him so badly he practically became the devil himself. Lensix broke out of the prison, with a following of a bloody room and a trail of crimson red liquid streaming from his ankles; the entire prison was turned into a bloody bath.

.

Carrying a broken sword to the throne room, he pointed it at her in fury, allowing all his anger to blame on her. The reason for the entire world's downfall was because of her. Almost everyone was dead, because of her. And his only means to live in this shitty world is gone, and it's of her. Almeria sat on her stained bloody throne from numerous killings and gave a silent hollow look. She then pulled out a beautifully carved dagger, held it to her face, and suddenly pierced her own two eyes. There would now be no way for anyone to see a tyrant cry so pitifully. There were no screams of agony that followed, because following her eyes was her heart. 

Her last words she managed to utter was, "I'm sorry sister."

That was the end to a merciless, blood-thirsty tyrant.

Lensix couldn't possibly do anything now, that the only person he was to kill is already dead. He believed that since there was no longer a ruler of these lands, he should take responsibility at least. 

Not before ordering the guards to search for Ersta's missing body. 

Lensix during this time somehow found a mysterious carbon copy of 'Ersta'. The lady that was supposedly 'Ersta' appeared out of nowhere, and Lensix started becoming mad because she reminded him of his former love. 

He kidnaps her and holds her hostage, obsessing over every little fact and inch of this poor woman. This psychotic man followed only his mind, seeing only what he sees. and doing what he believes he sees.

The pitiful woman couldn't take it anymore, because she first of all didn't know why this man was so in love with her, and two, he kept believing she was so called 'Ersta'. So she climbed on the roof of the castle in the early morning and jumped off.

That same day, the knights did find the real Ersta's dead body, buried in the ice mountains of his kingdom with glacial flowers resting below on a small gravestone with her name on it. 

Lensix had common sense of course, but his mind lacked sanity and he only saw that his lady was still alive. Lensix couldn't care less about the other lady that jumped off his roof, and he thought that the woman that killed herself was the same as Ersta, still alive. 

Lensix ordered Ersta's body to be dug up. He slept with her deceased body for months, bathed her, treated her as if she was alive, even had sexual intercourse with her. Lensix could only process the fact that she is not dead but alive.

He became angry of course when she didn't respond to his questions, of course because she's dead! Finally, Lensix carried her to the temple one night and prayed for the gods to bring her to life again. When nothing happened, he became hostile and burned the temple down. While he was outside watching the flames swallow the pure estate slowly, it hit him that Ersta's body was still inside, lying on top of a transparent jeweled coffin.

His horrified self rushed back inside, and lifting Ersta's lifeless corpse out, she held her in his arms as he died in that fire. 

-

That was how the web novel ended. Joo-Young never intended for it to be popular; he based it on people that influenced him in real life. When Mina asked him about who the main leads were based off of, he refused, smiling.

His novel ended by blowing up on the internet. It was a one of a kind tragedy novel that ended so bitterly that people were enraged at the anonymous author when the story came to an end on the website. Overall, it amassed over thirty-five million views, even more after it was fan translated. 

It would be difficult to produce it into a film, so art agencies offered to create the best work yet, renaming it as 'The Fallen Knights Only Love', a manhwa.

Joo-Young never got to see it fully produced. He died on the first day the production was released.