The Paint Milk Tea from My Childhood Friend

: 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.