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.
"Thank God our names are the same," she thought, grabbing the phone of 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, showing how intense and overwhelming a fandom can be.
And it wasn't just talk. When the original Yuri promoted something, the results were an immediate, tangible demonstration of her influence. Products sold out instantly, whether it was a limited-edition lipstick or a sponsored piece of clothing, the supply chain simply couldn't keep up with the demand. Her endorsements could generate millions overnight, transforming small brands into major players.
But all that amazing, rain-making glory was from 2 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 disgusting, especially since the girl who owned this body was barely old enough to be an adult. The fall of a huge celebrity is a major deal. Rumors were exploding online like crazy about how 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'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.
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.
The fan loyalty enjoyed by idols, especially female artists, is highly fragile and typically ends the moment a star begins dating, which is often a career killer.
Yuri was facing a more devastating and pervasive wave of dark rumors that flooded all media channels. Critically, her agency, Juson Entertainment, offered zero defense, remaining silent and even "pausing" legal action due to alleged low funds.
This abandonment by her company was the most damaging blow, fueling public suspicion that the accusations against their top star were true.