January 5, 2029 – Kovilpalayam, Coimbatore

The wedding hall buzzed with pre-wedding chaos. Inside the old building near Kovilpalayam, jasmine garlands were being strung across the entrance pillars, the nadaswaram player was warming up his instrument, and the scent of sandalwood, agarbatti, and freshly fried vadai filled the air.

Upstairs, in the bride’s room, Priya sat quietly by the window. Her green silk blouse was half-buttoned, her bridal saree neatly folded on the chair beside her. The wooden window was open, letting in the cool Coimbatore breeze that carried distant honks and a rooster’s confused crow.

She wasn’t smiling. Not really.

Because even with all the noise, her heart was somewhere else.

June 8, 2023 – Evening – Annur

The rain had come down without warning that day. It was heavy, almost violent, drowning the small lanes near Annur with water and red mud. Priya was a 3rd-year student at SNS College of Technology then. Exams were over. She had gone out to pick up fabric for her cousin’s birthday blouse.

While waiting near the textile shop, her phone buzzed.

“Breaking: K-pop idol dies in Seoul crash.”

She read it again. And again.

She couldn’t process it.

Rain hit her face. She didn’t move. She just started walking blindly, stepping off the platform, out into the rain, tears falling freely. Her slippers slipped against the wet road. She barely noticed.

A loud horn screamed through the street.

A massive lorry was approaching, unable to stop in time.

Still, Priya stood there—crying, not moving—until someone shouted from the side.

“Priya!”

She sat up suddenly.

Back in 2029. Back in the bridal room.

The door creaked open.

“Oi, what happened? You were sleeping with your mouth open like a statue.” Devika stepped in, holding a half-eaten packet of chips.

“Still dreaming ah?” asked Dharshana, appearing behind her with a jasmine garland in one hand and Appy Fizz in the other. “We thought you were knocked out from all the mehendi fumes!”

Priya blinked slowly. “Just… remembered something. June 8th, 2023.”

The girls stopped teasing.

“You still think about it?” Devika asked gently.

Priya nodded. “It’s been more than five years, but it feels fresh sometimes. Like it happened just yesterday.”

Dharshana sat beside her. “I remember. That week, you were like a ghost. You didn’t talk to anyone.”

“I didn’t know how to explain it,” Priya whispered. “It wasn’t someone I knew in real life. But losing him... it felt like losing a part of myself.”

They didn’t press her. They never did.

“Anyway,” Devika said, brightening the mood, “how’s Korea? Seven months now, right?”

“Yeah,” Priya nodded. “I’m getting used to it. The food, the language, everything. Office is okay too.”

“And fiancé sir?” Dharshana teased. “Still giving surprise lunches or already acting like husband?”

Priya laughed softly. “Bit of both.”

“You got that full-time job offer?” Devika asked.

“They sent it on January 1st. I have to join in a week. So I’m flying back in four days.”

“Four days?” Dharshana blinked. “Aiyo, this is a true Tamil-style marriage. Tie the knot and fly immediately!”

Just then, voices echoed from outside the door.

“Bride room party ah? Let us in!”

The door opened, and in came a handful of familiar faces—old college mates from SNS, hostel roommates, even two shy mech boys clutching rose milk bottles. Someone started playing Ilaiyaraaja softly from a Bluetooth speaker.

“Still can’t believe Priya from IT is getting married,” one girl laughed.

“I still remember her mini-project breakdowns!” another teased.

Priya smiled genuinely now. These were her people. The ones who saw her before Korea, before adulthood, before everything changed.

“See?” Devika whispered. “You’re not alone, Priya. You never were.”

Priya looked around the room—full of noise, friendship, and unspoken understanding.

Tomorrow, she would become a wife.

But tonight, she was still just Priya—the girl who never forgot June 8th.

January 6, 2029 – Morning – Kovilpalayam, Coimbatore

The wedding hall buzzed with confusion. The nadaswaram faltered as whispers replaced music.

Priya was missing—just minutes before the thaali tying.

Inside the mandapam, the groom, Arjun Varadhan, fidgeted beside the priest. Behind the curtain, relatives whispered about omens. Then suddenly—Meghana, Priya’s cousin, stepped out in full bridal saree. The same one Priya had chosen months ago.

Devika’s eyes widened. “What’s going on?”

“They replaced Priya?” Dharshana whispered, stunned.

No one had answers.

Until a voice rang out from the entrance.

“Stop everything.”

Every head turned.

Priya stood at the threshold—her hair undone, her saree slightly damp from the Coimbatore morning mist. Her steps echoed on the marble floor as she walked toward the stage, a brown envelope clutched in her hand.

“I won’t let this happen in silence,” she said, voice calm.

She walked past shocked relatives and stopped directly in front of Arjun.

“Before you tie that thaali, the groom should explain this.”

She tossed the envelope at his feet.

“Proof of Arjun’s affair. With Meghana. In Korea. For seven months.”

Gasps filled the room.

She continued, “While I was attending my internship, they were having their own honeymoon behind my back.”

She lifted her phone and played a video. On screen—Arjun and Meghana kissing outside a Seoul café. Around Meghana’s neck was the exact scarf Priya had gifted Arjun last Diwali.

Arjun’s jaw tightened.

“And in case you think this is just family drama,” Priya added, “your company has already received these. I’ve been appointed as a QA Engineer in the same branch. I start this month.”

There was silence.

And then—

“YES! I CHEATED!” Arjun roared.

Everyone froze.

“I couldn’t take it anymore! You never let me in. Always distant, always hiding behind your so-called values. Crying over that Korean guy like he was your husband. You gave your heart to a dead idol, Priya!”

Devika stepped forward, furious. But Priya held up a hand.

“You think you deserve sympathy?” she asked.

Arjun spat out, “I planned that Korea trip just to be close to you, but you shut me out! Your cousin—she let me in. She let me be a man!”

The crowd murmured in disgust.

“I arranged this wedding because I thought you’d come around. But you were too proud. Your body was here, but your heart stayed in Seoul!”

Priya’s voice turned cold. “You never wanted love, Arjun. You wanted control.”

Suddenly, Arjun’s mother stood and yelled, “You owe us the jewels we gave! And the fridge your appa promised!”

Priya looked at her flatly. “I owe you nothing. Not your son. Not your dowry. Not even your borrowed shame.”

Arjun’s fists clenched. In one sudden motion, he grabbed a plastic chair and lunged at her.

“YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!”

Before it could hit, a strong arm pulled Priya back.

The chair crashed down, shattering into pieces.

Gasps filled the air.

A tall man in a beige suit stood in front of her, blocking Arjun. A white mask covered the lower half of his face. His blazer fluttered slightly as he turned.

He looked down at Priya, voice low and calm.

“Are you okay?”

Priya blinked. Her heart was thudding in her chest.

His voice, his accent—he wasn’t Indian.

He was Korean.

She nodded slowly, unable to speak.

He didn’t step away immediately. He stood firmly, shielding her from Arjun’s glare.

The hall was in chaos. Arjun groaned on the floor, held back by two men in white shirts. Gasps and murmurs rippled like crashing waves around the mandapam pillars.

But Priya?

She stood steady now.

Her hands no longer shook.

Because she knew who he was.

Her breath caught, but her eyes didn’t waver.

Because the man who had saved her…

was the best friend of the star she had loved and lost.

Priya S. Natarajan

Age: 20 (in 2023), 25 (in 2029)

Hometown: A village near Annur, Coimbatore

Education: B.E. Computer Science and IT, SNS College of Technology

Languages: Tamil (native), English (fluent), Korean (intermediate)

Profession (2029): QA Engineer at a Korean tech company (Coimbatore branch), relocating to Seoul

Traits: Quietly resilient, idealistic, deeply emotional

Background: Her life took a sharp turn on June 8, 2023, when the K-pop idol she admired, Yun Jae-won, passed away. The grief later intertwined with heartbreak during her broken engagement. Her journey now weaves healing, self-worth, and unexpected connection.

Close Friends

Devika Ramesh

Age: 25 (2029)

Profession: Business Analyst

Personality: Bold, outspoken, fiercely protective

Role: Priya’s best friend since 1st year of college; stood by her side when the wedding scandal broke

Dharshana Elango

Age: 25 (2029)

Profession: Architect

Personality: Calm, spiritual, observant

Role: Emotional anchor; the friend who encourages Priya to embrace her pain and grow

Arjun Varadhan

Age: 30 (2029)

Profession: HR Manager at a Korean MNC

Relation: Priya’s ex-fiancé

Traits: Charismatic, manipulative, emotionally entitled

Status: Exposed for cheating with Meghana; publicly humiliated during the wedding; attempted violence when

confronted

Meghana Bhuvanesh

Age: 26 (2029)

Profession: Freelance fashion stylist

Relation: Priya’s maternal cousin

Traits: Envious, emotionally shallow, image-obsessed

Status: Secretly involved with Arjun for seven months before the wedding

🎤 Korean Characters

Yun Jae-won (윤재원)

Age at death: 25

Profession: Idol (rapper, vocalist, lyricist) in a six-member K-pop group

Death: Died in a car accident in Seoul on June 8, 2023

Role: Priya’s fav idol ; his memory remains her inner compass

Woo Jaemin (우재민)

Age: 31 (in 2029)

Profession: Former idol, now actor and songwriter

Languages: Korean (fluent), English (conversational)

Role: Jae-won’s best friend; unexpectedly saves Priya during the wedding day chaos

Priya’s Family & Relatives

Karthik Natarajan

Born: 2005

Age in 2029: 23

Education: Final year B.Com student

Traits: Mischievous, fiercely loyal

Role: Priya’s younger brother; quietly supported her through the betrayal

Raghav Suresh

Born: 2003

Profession: Design Engineer in Chennai

Traits: Dependable, introverted, silently in love with Priya

Background: Her college best friend who never confessed his feelings

Kala Natarajan

Age: Late 40s

Profession: Homemaker

Traits: Traditional, emotionally reserved

Role: Priya’s mother, torn between society’s expectations and her daughter’s truth

Natarajan (Deceased)

Died: 2021

Profession: Ran a textile dyeing unit in Karumathampatti

Traits: Supportive, kind, encouraging

Legacy: His death left a deep emotional void in Priya

Bhuvaneshan

Age: Early 40s

Profession: Local businessman

Traits: Socially polite but self-serving

Role: Priya’s uncle who enabled Meghana and Arjun’s relationship for dowry advantage

Vijaya Bhuvanesh

Traits: Gossip-driven, emotionally distant from Priya

Role: Encouraged the wedding switch and protected Meghana’s actions

Ashwin & Aadhira Bhuvanesh

Age: 10 (in 2029)

Ashwin: Talkative and playful

Aadhira: Quiet and emotionally close to Priya, often texts her secretly

Sankaran Iyer & Lakshmi Sankaran

Residence: Pollachi

Sankaran: Stern, pride-focused grandfather

Lakshmi: Gentle grandmother, spiritually connected to Priya’s struggles