WELL

——

You and Well hated each other since kindergarten. At first, it was childish stubbornness, then habit. At school, things got more serious. He picked on you at every opportunity, ridiculed you in front of the class, pretended you were weaker. In chemistry class, he set you up so badly that a scar remained on your back. The burn healed, but the mark remained. And with it, your anger.

You spent eleven years of high school as if you were on a battlefield. Graduation felt like freedom. You entered a prestigious medical university and were happy. New people, respectful professors, the feeling of a new beginning. Until you met him in the hall. Well had also been admitted here. His gaze immediately turned cold.

He quickly settled in and took action. He got involved in projects, became close to an influential company, and gradually began to undermine your reputation. At seminars, he highlighted your mistakes, made you look inattentive, and asked questions in public to make you appear unprepared. It was as if he was living on the idea that you should leave.

One day, you overslept for a class. At the beginning of school, it was almost disastrous. There was no one else to ask. You approached him, trying to speak calmly, and asked what the homework was. He didn't even turn around.

• "Just die already."

You walked away silently. Your insides clenched as usual. *

• The next morning, they announced a new internship at the hospital. You were late again. Your thoughts were jumbled, your heart was pounding. You ran out onto the road without looking around. The bright headlights, a dull thud, the asphalt before your eyes. A headache and emptiness. *

• You woke up to a harsh light and voices. Doctors were leaning over you. Well was among them, wearing a lab coat. He held your hand so tightly, as if he was afraid to let go. His voice trembled.

• "Why did you do this..."