I had been writing in The Crush Diary on an app called Echoes for seven years.

Then one day, a glitch on Echoes exposed every user's real name.

And just like that, I, a D-list actress, was a Trending topic for days.

The internet exploded with theories about who the male subject was, with guesses ranging from Top Idols to famous rappers.

That is, until the famously private Film Emperor came forward and claimed to be the man in question.

This made the Top Idol—who had been the most popular guess but had dismissed it with utter disdain—absolutely lose it. He cornered me backstage, demanding, "You were obviously writing about me. Why won't you admit it?"

The Film Emperor and I, standing side-by-side, exchanged a speechless glance. "Dude, where are you getting this confidence?"

1

As a D-list actress, I made it to the Trending list.

I only found out because my best friend called me.

I'd been writing The Crush Diary on a blog, always keeping my real name private. But then the app glitched and exposed everyone's real names.

In other words, my secret diary was now being publicly humiliated for the entire internet to see.

When I heard the news, my mind went blank. After fumbling around for a bit, I finally managed to log into the blog I hadn't used in ages.

The screen was filled with sappy confessions, rosy-tinted daydreams, and cringey, lovesick prose. It was horrifying to look at.

Finally, unable to stand it any longer, I opened Pulse.

I searched for the keywords.

The top result was a video of an interview with the Top Idol, Leo Lyons.

The reporter asked him, "Everyone's speculating that you're the man from the viral Crush Diary. After all, the times and places mentioned in it match your schedule perfectly."

He looked completely disdainful.

"Sienna Sterling, the girl who wrote The Crush Diary? She's probably just a fan. As for what's in the diary, I have no idea. It's probably all just her imagination."

Watching the interview, my heart turned to ash.

This whole thing felt like a nightmare. I never imagined that the crush I had so carefully hidden away would one day be dragged out into the open for public humiliation.

'Curse those app administrators...!'

'SOB... How could they be so irresponsible with their users' privacy?!'

: Schoolmates

2

Actually, Leo Lyons and I went to the same film academy back in the day.

It was understandable, really, that he would mistake me for one of his fans.

Back when we were in school, he was the acknowledged Campus Prince, while I was just another face in the crowd.

Leo Lyons was incredibly talented and already gave outstanding performances back in school.

I remember one day after class, I happened to be passing by a practice room and was captivated by his performance, so I stopped to watch for a while.

I was completely engrossed, and then he caught me red-handed.

I was so embarrassed I wanted to find a hole to crawl into right then and there.

As I looked down, trying to find the right words to explain, he warned me coldly.

"I get that you're obsessed with your idol, but you still need to keep your distance. Don't spy on me like some Crazy Fan!"

I was completely innocent and opened my mouth to explain.

But he had already slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked away, leaving only his tall figure behind.

And Leo Lyons's path was as predictable as ever. He debuted right after graduation and shot straight to the top, where he remains today.

We used to be schoolmates. Now, we're worlds apart.

3

I clicked on the Trending topics. The number one spot was still #TheCrushDiary.

Next to it was a dark red "Viral" tag!

The public outcry was getting more and more intense.

A large portion of netizens were ready to ship the sweet CP and find out the truth behind the romantic story.

Meanwhile, another group of netizens started to attack me, accusing me of shamelessly chasing clout and saying I wasn't worthy of Leo Lyons.

Reading the netizens' comments, I was filled with a sense of helplessness.

'The netizens have it all wrong. The guy from The Crush Diary did go to the same school as me back then, but it really wasn't Leo Lyons…'

This whole situation seemed to be spiraling further and further out of control. I didn't know how to handle it; my mind was a complete mess.

'It's one thing for The Crush Diary to be dug up and publicly shamed, but for it to drag a top-tier celebrity into the mix…'

Even though I was a nobody, I knew how damaging the fallout from this could be.

I felt genuinely sorry for the trouble I was causing Leo Lyons.

Netizens had even started a poll about it.

Who is the male lead in the crush story?

And in the poll, Leo Lyons was officially in first place by a long shot.

'He has nothing to do with me, yet he's being forcibly linked to me. Leo Lyons must be absolutely fuming right now.'

It seemed like I had no better way to solve this, so my only option was to post a clarification on Pulse first.

"The crush story was just something I wrote for fun. It has nothing to do with anyone else and is purely fictional. I hope everyone can approach this rationally and not cause trouble for others. Thank you all."

I thought my clarification would at least have some effect, but after I posted it on Pulse, it disappeared without a trace.

Some netizens even commented directly under my post.

"This is such a classic case of protesting too much. Do you really think we'd believe you?"

"Just who is the male lead in your story? We're so curious."

"Can't you give us a little hint?"

"You were so specific about the location. Everything seems so real, how could it possibly be fictional?"

...