: A Cruel Joke

The childhood friend I'd secretly loved for years fell for my arch-nemesis,

and he even secretly swapped my milk with paint just to make her laugh.

I was rushed to the hospital to have my stomach pumped, but not only did he refuse to admit he was wrong, he thought I couldn't take a joke.

Later, to pave the way for his crush, he stole the data for my paper to qualify for Chief Physician.

I lost my chance at the promotion, while his crush got the opportunity instead.

Not long after, his mother fell gravely ill. When he learned I was the only one who could perform the necessary surgery, he begged me to save her.

I just smiled at him.

"It's true, I can do it."

"But this surgery can only be performed by a doctor at or above the level of Chief Physician."

"And as for why I didn't get that promotion... do I need to remind you?"

...

Lying in the hospital bed, having just had my stomach pumped, I still couldn't quite grasp how things had come to this.

A few hours ago, I had just finished my rounds and returned to my office. I simply drank a glass of milk that Nathan Nolan, a fellow doctor, handed me, and now here I was.

The intense discomfort in my body was a constant reminder of what had just happened.

There were a few knocks on the door of my hospital room.

Nathan Nolan, wearing a white coat and a face mask, saw that I was awake and walked over.

"You're awake."

I didn't say anything, just looked at him.

"Jeez, how could you actually drink that? You're so dense."

Nathan Nolan took off his face mask and plopped down on the sofa in the room, his tone full of complaint.

"Yuna Crestworth was nearly scared to death because of you. Seriously, you just make things worse."

There wasn't a hint of remorse or apology in Nathan's voice, not even a shred of concern for me. It was as if I hadn't just been saved after having my stomach pumped, but was just some clueless little girl with a stomachache from eating a popsicle.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Nathan, don't you have anything you want to explain to me?"

'I started making excuses for him in my head. Maybe he didn't know what was in the cup. Maybe someone else had asked him to give it to me.'

Nathan Nolan scratched his head, a flicker of embarrassment finally showing in his eyes.

"Hey, it was an accident, okay? An accident! Who knew you'd actually drink it? I thought you'd smell something was off and stop. It's your own fault for not being more careful."

"I was just trying to pull a prank on you to make Yuna Crestworth laugh, but who knew it would scare her half to death instead? So this is your fault too, making me look bad in front of her again."

"You have to help me next time! We've been friends for so many years, whether I can win over Yuna Crestworth is all up to you!"

Nathan Nolan dodged the question, trying to use a joking tone to cover up the disaster he'd caused.

I stared at him, my voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Nathan, that was paint in the cup. Did you ever stop to think what would happen to me if I actually drank it? And you poured it into a sealed beverage cup, how was I supposed to smell it?"

"We've known each other since we were born, and now you're trying to kill me just to make Yuna Crestworth happy?"

Hearing me say this, Nathan Nolan felt not a shred of guilt. Instead, his eyes filled with irritation and impatience, and his words became sharp and biting.

"Hey, it was just a joke. Do you really have to blow it out of proportion?"

"Besides, you're fine now, aren't you? Why dwell on what-ifs?"

"Alright, just get some rest. I won't bother you anymore. I'll cover your night shift tonight, happy now? I'm leaving."

Watching Nathan Nolan walk away without a moment's hesitation, my heart died completely.

From the moment he entered my hospital room to the moment he left, he never asked how I felt after the procedure, never asked if I was still in pain, and never even said, "I'm sorry."

If we were just colleagues, I might only be angry and furious.

But the man who tricked me into drinking paint was the childhood friend I'd secretly loved for seven years.

My grandparents and Nathan Nolan's grandparents used to work at the same factory, so we've known each other since we were kids.

When we were young, both Nathan Nolan and I were raised by our grandparents, and being so close in age, we always played together.

Elementary school, middle school, high school, and even university—we were always at the same school.

Nathan Nolan was always very good to me. He played with me when we were little, walked me to and from school as we got older, and when it came time to choose a major for the college entrance exams, he was the one who encouraged me not to just do what my parents said, but to pick something I was truly passionate about.

So, naturally, I gradually fell for him during university.

I knew he could sense my feelings, but he never reciprocated, so I never openly expressed them.

: The Last Straw

But that all changed when we started working at the same hospital—in the very same department. Nathan Nolan fell for Yuna Crestworth, another doctor there, and began to pursue her relentlessly.

And this Yuna Crestworth? She was my arch-rival throughout my five years of university.

Yuna Crestworth's family owned a medical device company, so she was something of a princess. She was arrogant and always sharp-tongued.

We'd had a dispute back in university over the publication of an undergraduate thesis, and we'd held a grudge ever since.

But I never imagined that Nathan Nolan, the man I had secretly loved for seven years, would fall for her within the first month of knowing her.

At first, Nathan Nolan only knew we had been classmates, so he kept urging me to help him pursue Yuna Crestworth.

I was just a secret admirer, too timid to even confess my feelings. So no matter how much it stung every time Nathan mentioned Yuna in front of me, all I could do was force a smile.

Later, when Nathan realized that Yuna and I didn't get along, he changed his strategy.

He started telling Yuna embarrassing stories about me, trying to win her smile by making fun of me. But Yuna never paid him any attention.

I knew there was nothing wrong with Nathan liking another girl instead of me. But sometimes I really wanted to ask him why, when he clearly knew how I felt about him, he would choose to hurt me in this way.

My continued tolerance only made him push the boundaries further and further.

But I never would have dreamed that he would actually hand me a cup of paint, trick me by saying it was milk, and coax me into drinking it.

The bright, cheerful Nathan Nolan who grew up alongside me suddenly seemed like a complete stranger.

Tears streamed from the corners of my eyes. Lying in the hospital bed, all I felt was a profound sense of helplessness.

Then came another knock at the door, and someone tiptoed in.

I hastily wiped away my tears, pretending nothing had happened.

It was Nurse Judy, a young nurse from my department.

Nurse Judy moved quietly, afraid of waking me, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw I was awake.

"Dr. Sterling, you're awake! How are you feeling now? Still feeling unwell?"

Concerned, Nurse Judy rushed to my bedside.

Her words brought a little warmth to the heart that Nathan had chilled to the bone.

I smiled and shook my head, indicating that I was feeling much better.

Seeing that I was okay, Nurse Judy let out a sigh of relief, but her expression quickly turned to one of anger and resentment.

"Dr. Sterling, what Dr. Nolan did was just too much! You can't just keep putting up with it like you always do!

"Dr. Allen, the one who just pumped your stomach, was covered in sweat when he came out. He said it was a good thing you didn't drink much, or there could have been serious consequences!"

Nurse Judy's words made my heart sink all over again, as if I was right back to a few hours ago, helpless and despairing.

Nurse Judy placed the papers and the phone she had been holding onto my bed.

"Dr. Sterling, these are your recent test results, and I went to the Security Department to get the security footage. This all proves Nathan Nolan did it on purpose. You can press charges!"

I looked at the glaring medical records, then at the footage of Nathan unhesitatingly pouring the paint into the cup and carefully securing the lid. I looked up and smiled at Nurse Judy.

"Could you please send all of this to my email?"

Nathan's confidence had always stemmed from my affection for him. It made him feel untouchable, allowing him to test my limits again and again. But now, he had nearly gotten me killed.

I'm no saint; I can't just tolerate this again and again. And it seems he's forgotten that feelings, too, can be completely used up.

After two days in the hospital, I finally went home at The Director's repeated urging.

Since I hadn't reported it to the police or said anything, the hospital didn't take any disciplinary action, other than making Nathan Nolan cover all my shifts for the time being.

After returning home, I had the faint, unsettling feeling that someone had been moving my things.

But none of my bank cards, jewelry, or other valuables were missing, so I just chalked it up to being paranoid after my days in the hospital.

But on my second day back, after a good night's sleep left me feeling refreshed, I went to my study. I planned to pull out an unfinished paper to do some revisions, and that's when I finally realized what was wrong.

I'm not a very meticulous person, so I usually just leave the books I'm using and the files I've sorted spread carelessly across my desk.

But now, the stack of documents that had been tucked inside a book was perfectly neat, with even the corners of the pages aligned.

: Casually Thrown Away

I remember it clearly. After I finished reading those documents, I just stuffed the whole pile into a book without organizing them.

I immediately pulled the documents out and started checking them, page by page.

Sure enough, while there still seemed to be a lot of pages, the most important ones were missing.

I had specially requested this data from the old professor. The surgical statistics inside were one-of-a-kind. If it hadn't been as a favor to my father, the old professor would have never parted with them for my paper.

I told myself I might have accidentally put them somewhere else, but after tearing my study apart, I still couldn't find the pages that had vanished into thin air.

Only three people have a key to my place.

My father, my mother, and Nathan Nolan.

I tend to be scatterbrained, so after I rented this apartment, I deliberately gave a spare key to Nathan Nolan. After all, we've known each other for over twenty years, and he's the person I trust most in this unfamiliar city.

My parents haven't visited recently, and there's no way they would come over just to deliberately take my things.

I immediately called Nathan Nolan, but he didn't pick up.

I also gave Nurse Judy a call and learned that because I'd taken sick leave, The Director had to take Nathan Nolan to a medical conference that I was originally supposed to attend.

That meant Nathan Nolan was probably on a plane.

I started desperately sending Nathan Nolan messages on WhatsApp and texts, but I never received a reply.

By evening, my calls were still going unanswered. With no other choice, I had to call The Director.

"Jeez, what are you doing? Why are you bothering The Director!"

Nathan Nolan had no choice but to take my call, but when I questioned him, he was completely unapologetic.

"What data? Oh, you mean that stuff in your book? Yeah, I took it. So what?"

"Yuna Crestworth said she wanted to see your data, so I gave it to her. But I didn't expect that after she read it, she'd say it was useless and didn't want it. Since she said it was useless, I just tossed it. It was no good for anything, anyway."

"Where'd I toss it? How should I remember? Anyway, you're definitely not getting it back."

"Ugh, just stop talking. The Director and I are at a forum. Don't call again. I'm hanging up."

Even though I kept pleading with him on the phone, all I got in return was Nathan Nolan hanging up without a moment's hesitation.

The most critical data was lost, and the paper was due in three days.

As expected, even though I tried to find new data to improve my paper, it was ultimately rejected.

This paper determined who would be promoted to Chief Physician. Because of Nathan Nolan, I lost that chance, and the opportunity went to Yuna Crestworth.

Although I'm not fond of Yuna Crestworth, I had to admit her paper was well-argued and solidly supported. Compared to my own data-less article, hers was practically impeccable.

So when Yuna Crestworth came to taunt me in the locker room, I didn't bicker with her like I usually would. I just let her mock me.

But unexpectedly, my silence only seemed to make Yuna Crestworth angrier.

She slammed my locker shut and glared at me, frowning in annoyance.

"Sasha Sterling, I'm talking to you! Can you stop playing deaf?"

"Are you trying to humiliate me on purpose? Did you deliberately hand this position over to me? What was that garbage you wrote for your paper? That wasn't your usual standard at all!"

Yuna Crestworth's words were like a knife to the heart, and I couldn't stop myself from yelling back at her.

"Don't you dare play innocent after getting what you wanted! If you hadn't told Nathan Nolan to steal my data and then lose it, I would have finished my paper! It wouldn't have been rejected for insufficient data!"

"Yuna Crestworth, how do you have the nerve to come here looking for a fight?!"

After my outburst, I stood there panting, waiting for Yuna Crestworth to curse me out.

But contrary to my expectations, Yuna Crestworth—who normally had a bad temper and would always blow up on the spot—just stood there dumbfounded in the face of my accusations, her eyes filled with utter confusion.

"What data? What stealing? What are you talking about?"

Yuna Crestworth's expression didn't look like an act, which left me a bit stunned, too. 'But that's exactly what Nathan Nolan had told me.'

"No, wait. So you're saying... Nathan stole that data from you?"

Yuna Crestworth's eyes went wide, disbelief written all over her face.