Arun and Senthil sat at the tea stall near the station — a place where half the office employees came to drown their depression in a ₹15 cup of overly sweet chai.
"Bro, did you hear?" Senthil asked between slurps. "Our team lead is planning to put you in that Mumbai client project."
Arun paused halfway through sipping his chai.
"Mumbai-aa?"
"Yeah bro. Opportunity! Exposure! New environment! Also rent very high."
Arun's expression didn't change, but inside:
Mumbai… new city… new people… bigger problems…
And then:
Maybe more chances to test power.
He shrugged casually. "We'll see."
Senthil looked at him, confused. "Bro, you're never excited."
"I'm saving energy."
"For what?"
Arun sipped chai. "For not murdering people."
Senthil laughed loudly. Arun didn't.
The usual office gossip surrounded them — who got promoted unfairly, who was cheating on whom, who secretly applied for jobs abroad, and who pretended to work but actually watched TikTok reels.
Arun enjoyed the background noise. It helped him think.
He'd tested his power successfully today.
He'd figured out selective unfreeze.
Now he wanted to test something else.
Social application.
He didn't want to manipulate people.
…okay, maybe a little.
But mostly, he wanted to see how much he could change small social moments.
Moments that normally embarrassed him, annoyed him, or made life uncomfortable.
As if on cue, destiny sent him the perfect target.
A group of three senior employees from their office walked up to the stall — the arrogant type who acted like they owned the company. One of them, Rajeev, was known for his habit of insulting juniors for fun.
Rajeev looked around lazily, spotted Arun, and smirked.
"Ay, Arun," he said loudly, "saw you in the meeting today. Why were you so silent da? Cat got your tongue or you forgot English?"
His friends laughed like villains in a cartoon.
Arun blinked.
Inside: dei, epdi pesura da nee…
Outside: "…I can hear you."
"Good, means your ears work!" Rajeev grinned.
Senthil whispered, "Just ignore bro."
Arun did ignore. Mostly because beating a senior in public was a one-way ticket to HR hell.
Rajeev continued:
"You should speak up more, da. Or else clients will think you're sleeping. Oh wait… maybe you WERE sleeping?"
Another round of laughter.
Arun stared at him blankly.
Typical Chennai corporate rascal.
Normally, Arun would let it slide.
Walk away.
Stay quiet.
Avoid trouble.
But today?
For the first time in his life, he held the ultimate cheat code.
Time.
Rajeev reached the counter to grab his tea.
Arun's eyes sharpened.
He thought: What if I freeze time right now?
He whispered:
"Stop."
And the world obeyed.
Silence slammed into his ears.
Rajeev froze mid-turn, his smirk half-formed.
Senthil froze with the spoon halfway to his mouth.
The tea master froze pouring chai into a tumbler, the stream suspended like a caramel ribbon.
Arun stood.
Walked around the still scene.
Hands in pockets.
"Okay, first social use case… let's be petty."
The corner of his lips twitched.
He looked at Rajeev.
"What do annoying seniors hate the most…?"
He studied the man. Crisp shirt. Expensive watch. Perfectly styled hair. The kind of guy whose ego was taller than LIC building.
Arun cracked his knuckles.
He reached up to Rajeev's hair…
…messed it up thoroughly.
Ran fingers through it like he was fluffing a chicken.
Left it sticking in all directions.
He stepped back.
Admired his work.
"Idhu correct."
Then he turned to the tea master, dipped a spoon in extra sugar, and tossed it into Rajeev's tea.
"Diabetes loading."
Then, just to be safe, he shifted Rajeev's wallet slightly so that it would slip halfway out of his pocket.
Then Arun returned to his original place, sat down, picked up his chai…
"Resume."
Time resumed with a snap.
Rajeev turned, about to sip his tea—
"Eh? What the—"
His hair fell into his eyes.
He touched his head, confused. Panicked.
"Who messed with my hair?!"
His friends blinked.
"Bro… why your head like Einstein?"
Arun sipped chai.
Rajeev glared in disbelief. "I JUST combed this! Who—?!"
He took a sip of tea.
"WHY SO SWEET?! TEA MASTER! DID YOU EMPTY THE WHOLE SUGAR CAN??"
The tea master frowned. "Sir, I didn't even finish pouring yet—"
And then— plop.
Rajeev's wallet slipped out and fell to the floor.
Everyone stared.
Arun calmly pointed. "Your wallet fell."
Rajeev picked it up, dazed.
Nothing big happened.
No public humiliation.
No dramatic confrontation.
Just tiny inconveniences.
Petty. Silly. Harmless.
But enough to annoy the hell out of a guy like Rajeev.
Arun sat back, sipping tea with the expression of a monk who had achieved enlightenment.
Senthil whispered softly, "Bro, karma works very fast nowadays."
Arun didn't react.
But inside his head:
Not karma da. Me.
His fingers tingled slightly. The thrill was undeniable.
For the first time, he realised how practically this power could shift social situations.
Not to hurt people.
Just to… adjust them.
Move the balance slightly in his favour.
The world felt lighter.
Not because time freeze made him powerful.
Because it gave him something he never had before:
Confidence.
He wasn't trapped in awkward moments anymore.
He wasn't forced to accept insults.
He wasn't powerless in uncomfortable situations.
Now?
He could take control anytime he wanted.
Not out of malice.
Just self-preservation.
Rajeev stormed off with his friends, complaining loudly about "faulty tea" and "wind messing his hair."
Senthil leaned in.
"Bro… honestly… I think you have some powers."
Arun froze.
Senthil grinned. "The power to look innocent after witnessing comedy."
Arun exhaled and nodded.
Close call.
But not too close.
He checked his phone.
A new message from HR.
HR: "Please meet us tomorrow morning regarding Mumbai client assignment."
Arun stared at the message.
Mumbai.
A new place. New challenges. New people.
Aditi would enter there.
Life-changing arcs would begin there.
But right now, all he thought was:
New city = more opportunities to test everything.
He finished his tea, stood up, and dusted his pants.
On the walk back to the station, he felt… taller. Not physically, but mentally.
A quiet confidence settled in his bones.
He didn't have to accept whatever life threw at him anymore.
Not with this power.
He wasn't planning to destroy anyone.
He wasn't planning to become some vigilante.
But the next time someone tried to push him?
Time would stop.
And he'd deal with them in his own way.
A very calm, very petty, very satisfying way.