A strange heaviness weighed down on Ravi’s mind as his consciousness slowly floated back from the darkness.
The last thing he remembered was lying on his bed in Bangalore while a sharp pain tore through his chest.
After that, everything had become blurry.
The white space.
The endless light.
The strange feeling of drifting without direction.
And then…
Nothing.
Slowly, Ravi opened his eyes.
Bright white lights immediately entered his vision, forcing him to blink several times.
The unfamiliar ceiling above him made him frown.
This wasn’t his rented apartment.
The stained ceiling fan he stared at every night was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, smooth white panels and expensive lighting fixtures covered the ceiling above him.
A faint medicinal smell lingered in the air while machines beeped softly nearby.
“A hospital?”
His first thought was immediate.
The heart attack.
Someone must have found him.
Someone must have rushed him to a hospital.
Relief washed over him.
Then another thought struck him like lightning.
Hospital bills.
His face immediately became pale.
“Oh no.”
The relief vanished instantly.
A normal hospital would already be expensive, but this place looked luxurious.
The room itself looked larger than his rented apartment.
The equipment looked advanced, and even the curtains looked expensive.
Ravi almost wanted to cry.
His savings account barely survived Bangalore’s rent, and now he was probably going to spend the next ten years paying medical debt.
His mind immediately began calculating rent, electricity bills, bike maintenance, food expenses, and emergency savings.
The more he calculated, the dizzier he became.
Before he could continue his financial suffering, several voices interrupted his thoughts.
A group of doctors stood nearby discussing something.
At first Ravi paid little attention.
Then he frowned.
The language sounded familiar.
Very familiar.
Tamil.
The doctors were speaking fluent Tamil.
That wasn’t impossible.
Bangalore had many Tamil-speaking people.
However, as Ravi listened more carefully, another detail caught his attention.
The documents in their hands.
The labels.
The writing.
Everything was in Tamil.
His confusion deepened.
“Did someone transfer me to Chennai?”
That seemed unlikely.
Why would anyone take him hundreds of kilometers away after a heart attack?
The more he thought about it, the less sense it made.
One of the doctors suddenly walked closer.
Ravi instinctively looked down.
And froze.
His brain stopped working.
His breathing almost halted.
Because the hand he saw…
Wasn’t his.
It was tiny.
Extremely tiny.
A baby’s hand.
Small fingers.
Tiny palm.
Soft skin.
For several seconds, his mind completely blanked.
“No.”
His eyes widened.
“No no no no.”
He tried moving his arms.
The tiny hands moved.
He tried moving his legs.
Tiny legs responded.
Panic exploded inside him.
His heart almost jumped out of his chest as he desperately tried to sit up.
Failed.
He tried calling the doctors.
Failed.
He tried shouting.
“Help!”
What emerged instead was—
“WAAAAAHHH!”
A loud crying sound echoed throughout the room.
The atmosphere instantly became chaotic.
Several nurses hurried over.
One nurse gently lifted him while another carefully checked him.
A third tried soothing him, their movements calm and practiced.
Meanwhile, Ravi’s mind was collapsing.
“WAAAAAHHH!”
The crying continued.
Except he wasn’t trying to cry.
He was trying to speak.
Trying to ask questions.
Trying to understand what was happening.
Unfortunately, his body had other plans.
The only sound he could produce was the cry of a newborn baby.
One of the nurses smiled warmly.
“Looks like the little one has strong lungs.”
Ravi almost fainted.
Little one?
Strong lungs?
That wasn’t the problem here!
He was twenty-eight years old!
At least mentally.
Unfortunately, nobody understood his suffering.
The nurse gently rocked him while another softly patted his back.
Gradually, his panic began to fade.
The crying weakened, and his tiny body finally relaxed.
But inside, his thoughts remained completely chaotic.
Then—
The hospital room door suddenly opened.
Everyone immediately turned toward the entrance.
A tall man hurried inside, his expression filled with obvious anxiety.
The moment Ravi saw him…
His entire world froze.
The man looked to be in his early thirties, possessing broad shoulders, a strong physique, sharp facial features, and a thick mustache.
His expressive eyes were filled with concern.
Even while wearing simple clothes, he possessed an unmistakable charisma.
The kind that couldn’t be taught.
The kind people were born with.
Ravi knew that face.
He had seen it thousands of times.
On movie posters.
Television interviews.
Magazine covers.
Countless film scenes.
His brain almost stopped functioning.
Because standing there…
Was Chiranjeevi.
Not a look-alike.
Not someone similar.
The real Chiranjeevi.
Young.
Much younger than Ravi remembered from television.
The superstar looked visibly nervous as his eyes immediately searched the room.
Only after spotting the baby in the nurse’s arms did relief finally appear on his face.
Ravi stared blankly.
His mind refused to process reality.
“Why…”
“Why is Chiranjeevi here?”
The question repeated endlessly inside his head.
Then a terrifying possibility appeared.
A possibility so absurd that he immediately rejected it.
Unfortunately…
The more he observed the room…
The more that impossible possibility started making sense.
And for the first time since waking up…
Ravi felt genuine fear.
Ravi’s mind was completely blank.
He stared at the young man standing near the hospital bed as if he had seen a ghost.
No.
A ghost would have been easier to accept.
The man before him was someone he had admired since childhood.
Someone whose movies he had watched countless times.
Someone whose dialogues he could still remember even now.
Megastar Chiranjeevi.
Yet this wasn’t the Chiranjeevi from television interviews that Ravi knew.
This version was younger.
Much younger.
His face carried fewer signs of age, and his thick black hair was neatly combed.
His broad shoulders and athletic build gave him a commanding presence even while standing quietly.
Most importantly, there wasn’t any superstar aura in his eyes right now.
There was only worry.
Pure worry.
The worry of a husband waiting outside a delivery room.
The worry of a father seeing his newborn child for the first time.
The doctors quickly approached him.
“Sir, everything is fine.”
“The delivery was successful.”
“Both mother and child are healthy.”
Hearing those words, Chiranjeevi visibly relaxed.
The tension in his shoulders disappeared almost instantly.
He closed his eyes for a moment and released a long breath, looking as though he had finally put down a burden he had been carrying for hours.
“Thank God…”
His voice was soft.
Almost trembling.
Ravi stared in disbelief.
This scene felt incredibly real.
Too real.
No dream could recreate details like this.
No hallucination could feel this vivid.
His thoughts became even more chaotic.
Then something happened that made his brain freeze completely.
Chiranjeevi slowly walked toward him.
The superstar’s hands were slightly trembling.
Not from fear.
From excitement.
From nervousness.
From happiness.
He carefully reached out.
The nurse smiled and gently placed Ravi into his arms.
For a moment, Ravi forgot how to think.
He was being held by Chiranjeevi.
His favorite actor was literally holding him.
The situation was so absurd that his mind nearly crashed.
Yet what surprised him most was how careful Chiranjeevi was.
It was as though he was holding something incredibly precious.
Something fragile.
Something irreplaceable.
His movements were slow and gentle, almost as if he feared that even a little extra strength might somehow hurt the baby.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
His eyes became slightly red.
Small tears gathered in the corners.
He wasn’t crying loudly.
But the happiness on his face was impossible to hide.
Ravi had seen Chiranjeevi act in emotional scenes before.
This was completely different.
This wasn’t acting.
This was genuine.
The happiness of a father seeing his newborn son.
For reasons he couldn’t explain, Ravi felt strangely moved.
Before he could think further, Chiranjeevi carefully carried him toward the hospital bed.
Only then did Ravi finally notice the woman resting there.
The moment he saw her face, another shock struck him.
Surekha Konidela.
Although she looked exhausted after childbirth, her expression was gentle and peaceful.
A motherly warmth radiated from her eyes.
Despite her obvious fatigue, a smile appeared the moment she saw the baby.
The smile was soft.
Pure.
Filled with affection.
Something inside Ravi stirred.
He couldn’t explain it.
Perhaps it was because he had lost everything from his previous life.
Perhaps it was because he suddenly found himself surrounded by genuine family affection.
Whatever the reason was, the sight felt comforting.
Very comforting.
Chiranjeevi carefully sat beside the bed and gently placed Ravi next to Surekha.
The moment he was placed near her, a warm hand softly touched his head.
Surekha gently stroked his tiny hair.
The movement was slow and affectionate.
A simple gesture.
Yet it carried an incredible amount of love.
“My son…”
Her voice was weak from exhaustion.
But her smile never disappeared.
Ravi silently looked at her.
His thoughts were still in complete chaos.
Nearby, the doctors continued discussing medical reports.
After checking everything once again, one of them smiled.
“Congratulations, sir.”
“Your son is perfectly healthy.”
“No complications.”
“Everything looks excellent.”
Chiranjeevi visibly relaxed once more.
Another long sigh escaped his lips.
The relief on his face was obvious.
He thanked the doctors sincerely.
Not as a superstar.
Not as a celebrity.
Simply as a grateful father.
While Ravi was still trying to process everything, hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from outside.
A moment later, a little girl appeared at the doorway.
She looked around four or five years old.
Her large eyes sparkled with curiosity, her cheeks were slightly chubby, and her hair was tied into two adorable ponytails.
Wearing a colorful dress, she looked like a bundle of endless energy.
The moment Ravi saw her, recognition struck instantly.
Sushmita.
His elder sister.
Or rather…
Ram Charan’s elder sister.
The little girl practically ran into the room.
Her eyes immediately locked onto the newborn baby.
Curiosity practically radiated from her face.
She slowly approached the bed before looking up at Chiranjeevi.
“Nana!”
“Nana!”
Her voice was full of excitement.
“Can I hold him?”
“Please?”
The little girl’s eyes sparkled hopefully.
Chiranjeevi chuckled softly before gently patting her head.
“No, papa.”
“Your little brother was just born.”
“He’s tired.”
“You can hold him when he becomes a little stronger.”
“Okay?”
Sushmita puffed her cheeks slightly.
Clearly disappointed.
Still, she eventually nodded.
“Okay…”
She obediently accepted the explanation.
Then she climbed onto a chair beside the bed and leaned forward carefully, staring directly at Ravi.
Ravi stared back.
Brother and sister silently observed each other.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then Sushmita tilted her head.
Her expression became confused.
Very confused.
She looked toward her mother.
Then toward her father.
Then back toward Ravi.
Finally, she asked a question.
A question that instantly shattered the emotional atmosphere.
“Why is he so ugly?”
The room became silent.
For exactly one second.
Then—
Laughter exploded everywhere.
The doctors laughed.
The nurses laughed.
Even Chiranjeevi burst out laughing.
Surekha covered her mouth while trying not to laugh too hard.
Meanwhile, Ravi’s expression froze completely.
Ugly?
Ugly?!
Of all the first things she could have said after meeting her newborn brother…
That was her first impression?
Ravi immediately became furious.
At least mentally.
He tried protesting.
He tried defending himself.
He tried explaining that newborn babies naturally looked different.
Unfortunately, what came out was—
“Waah!”
Another baby sound.
The adults laughed even harder.
Ravi felt utterly wronged.
Surekha gently wiped away tears caused by laughter before explaining patiently.
“Your brother isn’t ugly.”
“All babies look like this at first.”
“He’ll become very handsome after a few days.”
Sushmita listened carefully.
Then nodded seriously.
As though she had just received important scientific knowledge.
“Oh.”
“I understand.”
Satisfied with the explanation, she returned her attention to Ravi.
This time her gaze became much softer.
Much friendlier.
Although she still looked curious.
Ravi wanted to argue.
Unfortunately, exhaustion finally caught up to him.
His mind had already suffered enough shocks for one day.
First death.
Then rebirth.
Then discovering he had become a baby.
Then discovering Chiranjeevi was his father.
At this point, his brain deserved compensation.
His eyelids slowly became heavier.
The sounds around him gradually started fading.
The doctors continued talking quietly.
The nurses organized equipment and moved around the room.
Sushmita remained near the bed, occasionally peeking at him with curious eyes.
Meanwhile, Chiranjeevi and Surekha simply watched their newborn son.
Their eyes carried unmistakable affection.
The kind of affection that couldn’t be faked.
The kind only parents possessed.
Before sleep completely claimed him, one final realization appeared in Ravi’s mind.
His old life was truly over.
The rented apartment.
The software job.
The endless traffic.
The struggles.
Everything had become part of the past.
Now…
He had become someone else.
Someone with an entirely different future.
As his consciousness slowly drifted away, Ravi accepted a truth he could no longer deny.
From this moment onward, he was no longer Ravi.
He was Ram.
And beneath the loving gazes of his new family, Ram peacefully fell asleep for the first time in his second life.
At the side of the bed, Sushmita quietly watched her sleeping little brother.
Although she still didn’t completely understand what having a younger sibling meant, a small smile appeared on her face.
Nearby, Chiranjeevi and Surekha exchanged a warm glance filled with happiness.
Their family had just become a little bigger.
Author’s Note:
Thank you for reading!
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