Laura's morning started like any other, the soft hum of her laptop filling the room as she sipped a cup of lukewarm coffee. The rain from last night had left the streets glistening, tiny puddles reflecting the grey light of dawn. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and opened the notification tab on her feed, not expecting much.
And yet, there it was.
lee.evan_official liked your post.
A like. From Evan.
She looked, and looked again to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Her heart jumped, as though it had been waiting all night for this single flicker of attention. She stared at it, unable to breathe properly for a few seconds, her fingers trembling as she hovered over the comment section. Why did a simple click feel like a message meant only for her? Why did it feel so special when it wasn't supposed to?
There was no message. No comment. No follow-back. Just a like.
But that small act, so ordinary, so insignificant to anyone else felt like a quiet whisper from across the world. A ripple in the still waters of her life. And in the silence of her room, that ripple became a wave.
That one like from him meant the world to her. She felt foolish but was helpless.
She stared at the screen, rereading the caption of her own post. "Maybe someday."
Did he read it?
Did he understand?
Did he like the picture or the words?
Or was it just… random?
Her rational side reminded her to be realistic. He probably scrolled quickly, tapped a few posts out of habit, moved on. Maybe he didn't even realize who she was. Maybe he didn't remember the message she had sent him weeks ago.
But another part of her, a smaller, softer part wanted to believe he had noticed.
That maybe he had lingered for a second longer.
That maybe she was more than just a username now.
"I can only dream of that", she whispered to herself, eyes tired, numb like they were longing for so much.
"Whoa", Aiden said from the doorway, startling her. He leaned casually against the frame, one hand resting in his pocket.
"Do I even want to know what has you staring like a zombie on your screen?"
Laura shook her head, laughing nervously. "It's… nothing." Her voice betrayed her; she could feel it.
She bit the inside of her cheek, her heart still racing. "Just… a like. That's all."
Aiden's eyebrows shot up. "A like?" He stepped closer, peering at the screen.
"From… who?"
She hesitated, a blush creeping over her cheeks.
"Someone famous. A… celebrity." Her words felt inadequate, hollow even, for the way her chest had been jumping moments ago.
Aiden nodded slowly, the teasing glint in his eyes softening into something else, something warm and protective.
"Right. Famous. Got it."
He didn't say more, but she knew he understood. He always did. Even when she tried to hide the parts of herself that were fragile, irrational, or hopelessly infatuated.
Laura leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes for a moment.
"I know it's silly. I know it means nothing, but… it felt like… like a tiny piece of him reached me. Just for a second."
Aiden smiled gently, brushing a stray lock of hair from her forehead again.
"It's not silly", he said softly.
"Even if it's small, it's enough to make your heart skip. But don't forget to keep your feet on the ground, okay?"
"I won't", Laura murmured, though a small part of her secretly hoped her heart would float a little longer.
Aiden sat down across from her, pulling out his phone, showing her a video of his dance practice.
Laura laughed, the tension easing slightly. But, even as she focused on the video in front of her, her thoughts kept drifting back to Evan. That like lingered in her mind, a quiet, flickering reminder that somewhere far away, he existed and maybe, somehow, noticed her.
Outside, the sky began to clear, streaks of sunlight breaking through the clouds. Laura didn't notice it. She didn't need to. Because in the glow of her laptop, in the warmth of Aiden's presence, and in the memory of a single, fleeting like, her world felt both impossibly small and infinitely vast at the same time.
That night, she dreamed of him.
She didn't mean to. It just happened.
In her dream, she was in a quiet bookstore — the kind with high wooden shelves and a faint vanilla smell of old pages. She ran her fingers across worn book spines, searching for something unnamed.
And then she saw him.
Lee Evan.
He stood near the back, sunlight pouring through the dusty windows behind him. He looked up from a book, his eyes finding hers like he'd been waiting.
Laura froze. She wanted to run. She wanted to speak. But all she could do was stare.
He smiled.
Not like a celebrity, not for the cameras. But gently, knowingly. As if he recognized her.
"You made it", he said, voice as soft as a gentle breeze.
Then the dream faded.
She woke up gasping. Heart full. Hands trembling. Eyes damp.
***
The next morning felt heavier.
She walked through campus like she was drifting, her body present but her thoughts far away. It was hard to focus in class. Every time she opened her phone, her thumb hovered over Evan's profile, hoping for something more. A story, a post, another like.
Nothing.
Instead, life reminded her it kept moving— with or without him.
That night, Laura opened her laptop and stared at her study planner.
She had never been one of those dream chasers.
But now, the idea of moving to Seoul, of studying abroad, of building a life where he was didn't feel as impossible anymore. She was already head over heels for him. Not in a cheesy way.
She just wanted to be a part of his world, of his symphony. A part of her was anxious. She just didn't want to end up as a secret admirer.
She wanted to be noticed by him. She wanted to be loved by him. Only him.
She researched universities, Language programs, Scholarships. And slowly, she began building her escape plan, not just for him… but for herself.
Because maybe this was more than a crush.
Maybe this was the purpose.
Maybe this was the push she needed to become someone new.
She glanced at her phone. No new notifications. No reply.
But still, she whispered to herself with a heavy sigh,
"Maybe someday"