THE HYPOCRISY | | vk

25

Lisa constantly tapped her foot on the marble floor as she sat on the metal chair, holding a file in her left hand while she bit on her right hand. She kept staring into nothing, watching people walk past her in the corridors.

A few aided people were driven in wheelchairs by the male attendants. They looked so brittle and fragile. She could see how they'd lost their charm because of the overdose of the medicines. 

Different kinds of thoughts were ringing in her head but the only constant thing that was running through her veins was the smell of the chemicals from the corridor. She visibly scrunched her face whenever the whiff of chemical-filled air itched her nose. 

" Miss Lisa, it's your turn now" 

She was snapped out of her trance when she was called out loud. She immediately rose up on her feet before she fixed herself. 

"Yeah, Thank you" She thanked before she walked to the cabin she intended to go in the first place. She knocked on the door to let the other person inside know her presence before she twisted the knob and walked inside the room. 

Lisa hesitated as she entered Dr. Jisoo's office, her heart heavy with the burden of secrets she carried. Each step felt like a weight upon her shoulders,  Dr Jisoo, her oncologist-turned-friend, sat behind her desk, her expression warm yet tinged with concern as she observed Lisa's demeanour.

Their bond had transcended the typical patient-doctor relationship, evolving into a friendship built on trust and mutual understanding. Over time, Lisa had confided in Dr Jisoo about her tumultuous relationship and the hidden truths she dared not share with anyone else. The weight of her secrets had grown heavier with each passing day, and now, she found herself on the brink of revealing the most guarded aspect of her life.

"Good afternoon, sweetheart" The woman in her long white coat with a stethoscope around her neck greeted her with a small genuine smile as soon as she realised the presence of someone special standing before her.  But her eyes screamed something else. 

"Morning, ji soo" Lisa replied wearily as she took her seat on the other side of the table in front of the woman. 

"How are things going on?" Jisoo quirked an eyebrow as she fixed her files aside on the desk before she averted all her attention towards the younger. 

"Bad"

"How are you?"

"Bad"

"How's Jeongguk?" 

"Bad"

"How are things going on between you and him?" 

"nasty"

Jisoo sighed as she looked after hearing deadpanned responses from the other. That was expected. 

"Lisa, if you don't talk things out, it's not going to work" Jisoo spoke as she frowned in concern as she looked at the state of her friend. 

"This is not a therapy session, Soo. Cut the crap. I need to go to practice. So, now hurry up" Lisa urged trying to dismiss the previous topic, not in the state of mind to discuss them. It'll just plummet her mood further.  

"you have to give up on your passion Lisa. This is gonna go heavy on you otherwise. Try to understand. I've repeated this a billion times already." Jisoo bummed shaking her head with her eyes frowning with concern. 

"That's the only thing that is keeping me alive, jisoo. I can't give up on this." Lisa whispered, wearily looking at her doctor cum friend with those tired eyes. Beads of sweat adorned her forehead, making her bangs stick to it. Her face looked pale along with her chapped lips. Her eyes held pain, screaming to understand her silently. 

Lisa's heart weighed heavy with the burden of her secret, a heavy anchor dragging her down into the depths of despair. The knowledge of her diagnosis gnawed at her insides, a constant reminder of the fragile facade she had built to shield Jeongguk from her pain. Every ache and every twinge of discomfort served as a cruel testament to the toll her illness was taking on her body and soul.