(A/N):
Drop a here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
Guys I hope you put more comnts and power stones... Which will encourage ...
....
Hearing Karuppu's words with a teasing smirk on his face.
Neetu burst out laughing again.
Honestly…
She had expected Karuppu to be arrogant when she first heard about him.
A young actor. Cricket fa.
Sudden stardom in a single movie.
Usually that combination created unbearable personalities.
Instead…
He carried a strange "bad boy" energy while sohow still remaining respectful.
Playful. Shaless. Confident.
But never truly disrespectful.
Which honestly made him dangerously charming.
And watching him casually joke with:
technicians, light boys, assistant directors, and junior artists
Without maintaining fake superiority only strengthened that impression.
At one point during shooting, he had even sat on the floor eating with the lighting crew because chairs ran out.
That kind of behavior spread quickly among film teams.
Neetu absentmindedly smiled thinking about it.
"...."
If this fellow continued landing the right films…
His female fanbase was going to beco terrifying in a few years.
Especially because he carried sothing many actors lacked naturally:
Presence.
Not just looks.
Screen presence which is very rare for a young one.
Even silence suited him sohow.
"...."
"...."
"...."
anwhile Karuppu continued eating peacefully unaware of the dangerous industry analysis happening beside him.
Eventually Neetu spoke again.
"I'm leaving for Mumbai next week."
Karuppu looked up slightly from his plate.
"New film?"
She nodded seeing he had guessed rightly.
-Nod!
"Bollywood schedule."
Then with mock seriousness:
"So before you beco too famous and stop recognizing people… rember your co-star."
Karuppu imdiately looked offended.
"Please. I'll beco internationally humble."
Neetu laughed helplessly again.
"-Haha!"
Then naturally the conversation shifted toward future projects.
Karuppu himself ntioned another film already lining up.
"The production is still setting things properly."
"But once it starts …shooting will begin quickly."
Neetu raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Another experintal film?"
Karuppu thought for a second.
"Emotionally dangerous film."
That answer sohow amused her even more.
"You choose scripts like unstable scientist."
Karuppu nodded proudly.
-Nod!
"Correct. Cinema laboratory. That's my ho ground."
Nearby, a few assistant directors secretly glanced toward them occasionally while whispering nonsense theories among themselves.
Unfortunately for them…
Karuppu noticed imdiately.
He pointed at them mid-conversation.
"Workless fellows."
The assistants instantly pretended to discuss lighting equipnt seriously.
Neetu nearly laughed herself breathless again.
"-Haha!!!"
Eventually, as the night grew later, the wrap-up party slowly started thinning out.
Crew mbers began leaving one by one.
Equipnt trucks were already being loaded downstairs.
The apartnt set itself looked strangely empty now that filming had ended.
Karuppu finally stood up after finishing dinner and stretched lightly.
Then he turned toward Neetu.
"Take care. And good luck for the shoot."
She smiled warmly.
"You too."
Then after a small pause she added teasingly.
"And eat properly before lying to your mother next ti."
Karuppu froze dramatically.
"You heard that call ah?"
Neetu simply smiled innocently.
"Entire balcony heard it."
From nearby, one assistant director shouted imdiately:
"Yes sir. We all know aunty almost sent tiffin carrier."
The whole remaining crew burst into laughter again while Karuppu pointed threateningly at everyone.
"Privacy died in this industry."
Finally after bidding farewell to:
Vikram Kumar, the producers, co-actors, and crew mbers,
Karuppu made his way downstairs toward the car.
Tonight he hadn't brought his bike.
Instead he had taken one of Karthi's cars earlier due to equipnt transport and costu luggage.
As he settled into the driver's seat and started the engine…
He looked once toward the apartnt building again.
Rembering the Dark corridors. Silent balconies.
The glowing television light still flickering faintly inside one window.
For a brief second…
Even he felt the eerie atmosphere again.
Then he chuckled softly to himself.
-Chuckle!
"Good."
"If even I feel uncomfortable…"
"…audience definitely getting nightmares."
And with that, the car slowly rolled out into the Chennai night…
Leaving behind the haunted world of 13B at last.
By the ti Karuppu finally returned ho, the night had already grown quiet.
The Sivakumar household lights were still on though.
Which honestly wasn't surprising.
Whenever one of the family mbers had an important release or event approaching, sleep inside the house practically beca illegal.
As Karuppu entered through the front door carrying his jacket over one shoulder, he imdiately saw Karthi sitting in the hall.
"...."
Or more accurately—Restlessly rotating car keys around his finger like a stressed engineering student waiting for exam results.
The television was running silently in the background while multiple newspapers and magazines lay scattered across the table.
Every single one carried so variation of the sa headline:
Paruthiveeran releasing tomorrow.
The atmosphere around the film had beco strangely tense over the past few weeks.
Not because of audience expectations alone.
But because of the production issues happening behind the scenes.
The conflict between:
Studio Green's K. E. Gnanavel Raja and director Aer Sultan had already beco quiet industry gossip.
Production costs. Creative disagreents.
Budget tensions. Financial argunts.
Everything had escalated badly enough that for a short period, people genuinely feared the movie itself might get delayed or damaged.
Though both sides had temporarily cald things down to ensure release…
The underlying friction still remained.
And naturally, for a debut hero like Karthi—That pressure hit differently.
Because no matter how good the film was… Production politics could still affect careers.
The mont Karthi saw Karuppu entering, his eyes imdiately narrowed.
"Why did you take my car without asking?"
The accusation ca instantly.
Karuppu casually tossed the keys toward him without even slowing down.
"I took it for test drive."
Karthi caught the keys automatically.
Then stared at him with complete dead-eyed disbelief.
"...."
"That's my car."
Karuppu shrugged while removing his shoes.
"And now you know it drives well."
Karthi genuinely looked ready to throw sothing at him.
But honestly…
He was too ntally exhausted tonight to properly fight.
The tension around tomorrow's release was already eating at him continuously.
Karuppu noticed it imdiately.
Even without words.
"...."
The restless finger movents.
The unfocused eyes.
The constant overthinking.
Classic pre-release nervousness.
So instead of joking further, Karuppu casually sat near him and spoke more seriously.
"Doing films with family and known people isn't the problem."
Karthi looked toward him quietly.
Karuppu continued calmly.
"Just don't get stuck working under the sa production continuously. That's when unnecessary problems start."
The advice landed heavily because everyone in the industry knew the danger already.
Too much dependency between: actor, producer, and director eventually blurred professionalism and personal relationships together.
Then when money problems entered…
Everything beca ssy.
Karthi slowly nodded.
-Nod!
He understood what Karuppu ant.
"...."
Especially after seeing firsthand how ugly production disputes could beco.
Before the conversation could continue further—Brindha Sivakumar walked into the hall carrying tea for Karuppu.
"You ca late,"
She complained casually while extending the cup toward him.
But suddenly—She froze midway.
Her eyes slowly widened.
"...."
The tea cup remained suspended in the air.
Karuppu blinked confusedly.
-Blink!
"Why are you staring like I returned from graveyard?"
Brindha didn't answer imdiately.
Instead…
She slowly raised one finger and pointed directly at his neck.
Karuppu frowned in confusion and touched his neck absentmindedly.
-Frown!
"What?"
Still speechless, Brindha continued pointing like she had discovered supernatural evidence.
Karthi finally looked properly at Karuppu now.
Then his own expression froze too.
"...."
Because right there… Very clearly visible against Karuppu's neck—Was a reddish hickey mark.
For three full seconds…
Absolute silence filled the hall.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Karuppu looked between both siblings blankly.
Then realization finally hit.
"Aiyo1."
Imdiately he grabbed his collar instinctively. Too late.
Brindha's jaw literally dropped.
"DEI?!"
Karthi anwhile stared at him with complete betrayal.
"You went for shooting ah …or wildlife docuntary?"
Karuppu instantly stood up defensively.
"Cinema professionalism!"
Neither sibling believed him for even one second.
Brindha looked emotionally devastated now.
"I respected you!"
Karuppu pointed at her dramatically.
"Don't behave like I committed international cri."
Karthi finally burst out laughing uncontrollably after staying tense the whole evening.
"-Hahaha!!!"
The stress surrounding Paruthiveeran montarily disappeared completely seeing his younger brother caught so badly.
anwhile Karuppu still desperately tried damage control.
"It's makeup!"
Brindha imdiately pointed again.
"On your neck?!"
Karuppu paused for a second.
"…experintal makeup."
Karthi nearly fell sideways laughing now.
And unfortunately for Karuppu…
At that exact mont—Lakshmi walked into the hall hearing the commotion.
The mont Lakshmi entered the hall, the entire atmosphere instantly beca suspiciously chaotic.
From upstairs, even Sivakumar had stepped partially out of his room after hearing the commotion downstairs.
anwhile, from the guest room corridor, Suriya and Jyothika also ca downstairs curiously.
The newly married couple had returned from Switzerland barely two days ago,
And ever since coming back,
Suriya had been patiently waiting for an opportunity to emotionally torture his younger brother in revenge for years of blackmail and trolling.
Tonight…
Destiny had finally delivered.
Lakshmi looked around the hall in confusion.
"What happened now? Why are all of you shouting at midnight?"
Imdiately Brindha transford into full betrayal mode.
With the energy of a witness about to expose national corruption, she marched dramatically toward Lakshmi and pointed straight at Karuppu.
"He got injured."
Karuppu instantly buttoned the top collar of his shirt at lightning speed.
Too suspicious.
Lakshmi's mother instincts activated imdiately.
"Injured ah?!"
She hurried toward him worriedly.
"Where?"
Before Karuppu could even open his mouth—Karthi completely abandoned brotherhood.
"Neck injury."
Direct betrayal from his brother.
No hesitation. No sha.
Karuppu slowly turned toward Karthi with absolute disbelief.
"You… I grew up with you."
Karthi looked emotionally peaceful for the first ti the whole evening.
"Worth it."
anwhile Lakshmi already reached Karuppu and tried pulling his collar aside worriedly.
"What happened?"
"Did you fall?"
"Bike accident ah?"
Karuppu imdiately stepped backward defensively protecting his neck like classified governnt docunt.
"Ama ma1 nothing serious."
"Minor. Very small."
Both Brindha and Karthi instantly burst into laughter because his panic itself confird everything.
Lakshmi narrowed her eyes suspiciously now.
"If it's small then why are you hiding?"
Karuppu's brain started searching for survival excuses at dangerous speed.
Before he could invent sothing—Suriya finally arrived fully into the hall.
And unfortunately for Karuppu…The mont he noticed everyone staring at his younger brother suspiciously—
His actor instincts activated imdiately.
"What happened?"
Brindha pointed again dramatically.
"Hickey."
Dead silence.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Even Jyothika nearly choked trying not to laugh imdiately.
Karuppu closed his eyes briefly like man accepting fate.
Suriya's face slowly transford.
First confusion. Then realization. Then pure evil satisfaction.
After YEARS of suffering under his younger brother's shaless teasing…
The universe had finally handed him revenge material personally.
"Aahhh… So THAT'S why mister ca ho late."
Karuppu pointed instantly seeing the sa tone he used directed at him.
"Don't start."
Too late.
Suriya already fully committed now.
"Appa!"1
He suddenly shouted upward toward the stairs.
"Your youngest son has entered romance departnt officially!"
From upstairs, Sivakumar imdiately frowned.
-Frown!
"What nonsense at this ti?"
anwhile Lakshmi still looked confused because Karuppu continued desperately protecting his neck like endangered wildlife.
Finally Jyothika, who had been trying to remain respectful and quiet this whole ti, softly asked while laughing helplessly.
"Can we at least see the injury first?"
Karuppu looked betrayed by society itself.
Even she joined.
Brindha anwhile had already lost all rcy.
"Amma1 he's hiding it because it's not injury."
"It's LOVE INJURY."
Karthi nearly collapsed laughing again.
Karuppu finally snapped dramatically.
"WHY IS THIS HOUSE RUNNING FORENSIC INVESTIGATION?! IT'S JUST MAKE UP I SWEAR..."
Unfortunately…
That shout itself only made everyone laugh harder.
Then ca the final boss.
Sivakumar slowly descended the stairs wearing reading glasses while looking deeply annoyed at the midnight chaos.
The entire hall quieted slightly.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Karuppu imdiately stood straighter.
Sivakumar looked around once.
Then at Lakshmi. Then at the laughing siblings.
Finally at Karuppu standing there holding his collar closed like cri suspect.
"What happened?"
The hall beca silent again.
For exactly two seconds.
Then Suriya answered with complete calmness.
"Romantic injury. My little bro has suffered a love bite."
Jyothika instantly turned away laughing into her hand.
Brindha sat on the sofa unable to breathe properly anymore.
Karthi was fully gone.
Even Lakshmi finally started understanding slowly.
And Karuppu…
Karuppu genuinely considered fleeing to California imdiately as he desperately argued it was a injury makeup for the climax fight scene.
*******************************
(Author note:)
I hope you guys give your opinion and idea's.
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Don't forget to review guys...
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