Elena sat on the edge of her small bed, the dim light from her phone screen glowing softly on her face. It was almost midnight, and she knew she should be asleep—she had work in the morning—but she couldn't stop scrolling through TikTok. Editing videos had always been her escape.
And tonight, she had just finished her favorite one.
A short, clean, perfect edit of Ares Lee—international superstar, actor, model, singer, everything. It took her three days to finish, but it was worth it. She wasn't expecting anything from it; she just liked making things that made her happy. She posted it quietly, sighed, and dropped the phone beside her.
Ping!
Her phone vibrated.
She frowned.
Another notification?
She picked up the phone casually, expecting a comment from one of her usual online friends.
But her body froze.
The notification wasn't from TikTok.
It was from Instagram.
A new message request.
From a verified account.
Her heartbeat jumped.
"No… no way. It's not possible," she whispered.
Her thumb shook slightly as she tapped the message request. She blinked, checking twice to make sure her eyes weren't lying.
Ares_Lee_Official: "Did you make that edit?"
Elena's breath disappeared.
Her chest tightened.
Her hands turned cold.
She stared at the message again… and again… and again. She felt like her soul had left her body and was floating above her.
"THIS must be a prank," she muttered. "This can't be real."
She clicked the profile.
Blue tick.
Millions of followers.
Recent posts.
Stories.
Everything real.
Her mouth went dry.
Another message popped up.
Ares_Lee_Official: "I liked it. It was… surprisingly calming. You're talented."
Elena dropped her phone and covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming. She rolled on her bed, kicking her legs in the air, then stood up and paced around, then sat back down—her body didn't know how to behave.
"This is real. This is REAL!"
Her heart was beating so loud she could hear it.
Her phone vibrated again.
Ares_Lee_Official: "Can I ask you something?"
Elena stared at the message, confused, nervous, excited, scared—all at the same time.
What could someone like him possibly want from someone like her?
Her fingers shook on the keyboard.
She typed slowly:
"Yes… you can ask."
She hit send.
And
just like that…
Her normal life ended.
Everything changed with one message.