When Yuri finally opened her eyes, it felt like her soul had been ripped out and shoved back in. She was hit by a huge wave of dizziness, and the sudden, strong urge to throw up made her squeeze her eyes shut again. It took forever, more than a minute, before she finally felt totally awake. But something was off. She wasn't in her old room. The weird, extra memories in her head told her she'd somehow landed in a parallel world. It was mostly like her old world, but the art and writing stuff was totally different. She knew the difference because she used to want to be an artist. Of course, with her boring looks and just okay talent, that was always just a stupid dream.
"What the heck just happened to me?" she whispered, trying to figure things out.
She remembered her awful, draining call center job. She'd spent every late night trying to escape by reading books and watching K-pop videos. The crazy amount of caffeine kept her going but also made her shaky and exhausted all the time. No wonder she ended up dead at 28.
"Wait! I'm dead," she realized. The nausea hit again, and she couldn't stop it, she ended up vomiting right on the floor.
After rinsing her mouth at the sink, Yuri leaned on the kitchen table, pressing her stomach, hoping the cramps would stop. She sat down and started sorting through the memories of the body she was in: childhood, school, and her time as an idol trainee. But the biggest shock was her new heritage: this body was half-Korean and half-Filipina. She wasn't the pure Filipina she used to be. That felt heavy, like a cold cloud settling over her. In this weird, parallel world, Yuri had a new life, mixed with a culture she'd only ever dreamed about.
"Thank God our names are the same," she thought, grabbing the phone from the original body.
She wasn't in the Philippines anymore. She was now in the body of a top star. Curious, Yuri opened the girl's social media: @callme-YURI. The profile was insane: a super-famous singer with hits like "Path" and "My Love." She had 12.23 million followers and a ridiculous 1.7 billion likes. But she only followed 23 people. Her latest post was just a simple photo of the sunrise. The picture was basic, nothing special, actually kind of boring. But it already had 200,000 comments. Yuri smirked. When you're famous, people think even the most boring thing you do is magic.
The comments were totally flooding in:
(OMG, this sunrise can't match my queen's beauty!)
(My wife, why are you up already? Get back in bed; I'll bring breakfast!!)
(Baby's photography skills are actually awesome, almost like a pro!)
(Yo, why no selfie? I have this disease where I'll die if I don't see my queen, Yuri.)
Then, a bunch of selfies popped up back-to-back: Selfie, Selfie +1, Selfie +2, and so on. Each one showed the original Yuri's bright smile and sparkling eyes, earning her even more fan love.
Yuri had always stayed away from fandoms. In her old life, she saw how insane some fans got, especially the "sasaengs," who were way too obsessed. She always thought fan groups were toxic and childish. But seeing this girl's account changed everything. A single selfie could get hundreds of thousands of comments, all gushing: "My queen is the most beautiful," "Her skin is so good," and crazy stuff like, "I'd die to spend 30 minutes with Yuri." This fandom was intense and overwhelming.
And it wasn't just talk. When Yuri promoted something, products sold out instantly. Endorsements made millions overnight. Yuri realized something huge: fandoms weren't just about liking someone; they had serious power.
But all that amazing, rain-making glory was from six months ago. Now, the latest messages were terrible:
(Disgusting slut!!)
(Die, you psycho.)
(This trash can be a top star?? Seriously, what's wrong with K-ent?)
(Why did she get famous so fast? Isn't it because she just sleeps around for everything?)
(Hidden marriage and then divorce when she's popular? That's cold.)
(Come on, let's all cancel this kind of horrible person.)
The words were so gross, especially since the girl who owned this body was barely old enough to be an adult. The former top star had already had her "explosion of fame," and now she was about to be totally canceled. The fall of a huge celebrity is a major deal. Rumors were exploding online like crazy: she plagiarized songs, had a secret marriage, and was even being "sponsored" by powerful older men. Social media was drowning in nasty stories, and Yuri's name was always trending.
What the public didn't know was that Yuri was innocent. Looking through the original body's memories, she knew the truth: she'd been framed. It started at a business party where Yuri and her manager took a friendly picture with some sponsor. The next day, that photo was twisted and leaked from a different angle to make it look like something scandalous. Then, the so-called "husband" from her college days showed up to cause more trouble.
One bad story after another was thrown online, starting a chain reaction of accusations that felt impossible to stop. Out of all the noisy drama, only two things were actually true: the song plagiarism and the fact that she was acting like a total diva. The plagiarism wasn't an accident, it was the company's plan. They paid for popular songs from everywhere to make people think Yuri was a brilliant writer. And the diva behavior? That was all the original owner. She got lost in the fame, got super arrogant, and pushed people away.
Even for idols with only okay talent and good looks, like Yuri, there were always fans who would stick around. Some fans would totally ignore the drama, just enjoying the celebrity illusion, and stay loyal even if the idol did something dumb. But there was one line no star could cross: dating. Falling in love always meant a harsh truth: the fans who cheered you on would turn icy cold. It proved that whole "love begets hate" thing.
This was hardest on female artists. For them, a relationship wasn't just a choice; it was a career killer. Once their love life became public, it brought huge waves of criticism and jealousy that could destroy their fame.
But Yuri's scandal, hidden marriage and being sponsored, that was instant career death. That kind of news sinks a career immediately. The problem got worse because Juson Entertainment, the company in charge of Yuri, never bothered to clear up the rumors when they first started. If they had just been honest from the beginning, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad. Instead, the gossip spread and ruined Yuri's reputation and people's trust in her.
In the last few weeks, new, dark rumors were everywhere, threads, social media, and news sites were all exploding. Everywhere she looked, promotional accounts were flooding feeds, spreading damaging stories and mean criticism. They claimed they had insider news and twisted all the facts, totally dragging Yuri's name through the mud. Even though she was the company's biggest money maker, Yuri was left with zero defense.
The most messed-up part was Juson Entertainment's silence. No official statements came out. They even said legal actions were "paused" because they were low on cash. This just made everything worse. Everyone started wondering: if the company gave up on their top star, did that mean the accusations were true? Those questions hung in the air, unanswered and totally unsettling.