Swapped by fate

Chapter 23

Stacy’s POV

Waking up after a night like *that*? Nah, it was straight-up brutal. I rolled over in bed, clutching my head like it was about to explode. Hangovers were no joke. I swear, if I ever drink like that again, somebody better slap some sense into me.

I dragged myself out of bed and shuffled into the kitchen. The whole crew was scattered around the living room, looking as dead as I felt. Jisung was sprawled on the couch, drooling like a baby, and Lee Know was curled up in a chair like a freaking cat. Felix was the only one trying to function, attempting to cook but clearly struggling.

“Morning, y’all,” I croaked, rubbing my eyes. “Where’s Nami?”

Felix looked up, barely keeping his eyes open. “She’s still in your room, I think. Didn’t wanna come out.”

I paused. Nami, hiding out in my room? That wasn’t like her. “Why? Is she still hungover?”

Felix sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. “She wasn’t feelin’ too hot last night. Kinda went off the rails with the drinking after that walk with Hyunjin.”

I blinked, trying to process that. “Nami? Drinking?” She was the last person I expected to get wasted. Alcohol wasn’t her thing; she’d always said it messed her up.

“Yeah,” Felix mumbled, poking at the scrambled eggs. “She went hard, like straight from the bottle. Hyunjin tried to stop her, but... yeah, that didn’t work.”

Now I was really confused. “But she *hates* alcohol. Why the hell would she just start drinking like that?”

Felix shrugged, clearly as confused as I was. “I dunno, man. She didn’t talk much after that, just went straight to bed.”

I frowned, that uneasy feeling growing in my chest. This was off—way off. “I’m gonna check on her.”

I headed back to my room, my stomach twisting. Something was seriously wrong with Nami. I didn’t know what it was, but it wasn’t just about the drinking. Pushing the door open, I found her lying on my bed, curled up under the blankets, facing the wall.

“Nami?” I called softly, stepping into the room.

She didn’t answer.

“Nami, come on. Talk to me,” I said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “What’s going on with you?”

“I’m fine,” she muttered, her voice hoarse.

I rolled my eyes. “Girl, please. You’re not fine. You got wasted last night, and you *never* drink. What’s happening?”

She sighed, shifting under the blankets but still not turning to face me. “Just drop it, Stacy. I’m tired.”

“Yeah, well, tough luck. I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s up,” I shot back. “You’ve been weird for days, and last night was some next-level shit. Spill it.”

She finally turned around, sitting up in bed. Her face was pale, like all the color had drained out of her, and her eyes... there was something dark behind them, something she was hiding. “It’s nothing. I told you.”

“Nami, I’m not stupid,” I said, crossing my arms. “There’s *obviously* something going on. Why won’t you tell me?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she whispered, her voice shaky.

Before I could argue back, I noticed something. Her nose. There was a thin trickle of blood starting to drip down her upper lip. “Oh my God, Nami, your nose is bleeding!”

She wiped at it with the back of her hand like it was no big deal, but I was freaking out. “It’s fine,” she said, like it was totally normal.

“No, it’s not fine!” I grabbed some tissues from the nightstand and handed them to her. “You don’t just start bleeding randomly. This isn’t normal.”

She pressed the tissues to her nose, her expression tight and distant. “It happens sometimes.”

“Happens? Nami, this is serious. What’s going on? You need to see a doctor or something.”

“I’ve already seen doctors, okay?!” she snapped, her voice sharp, but it cracked at the end. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “I’ve already seen the doctors.”

I froze. Something in the way she said that... it wasn’t just about being sick. This was deeper. “What... what do you mean?”

She hesitated, looking away again. For a moment, I thought she was gonna shut down like before. But then, finally, she spoke. “I have... cancer, Stacy. Blood cancer. Leukemia.”

The words hung in the air like a bomb had just gone off. I just sat there, staring at her, my brain trying to catch up with what she’d said. “You—what?”

“I’ve known for a while now,” she said quietly, still not looking at me. “That’s why I don’t drink. That’s why... everything. I’m sick.”

I felt like the ground had dropped out from under me. “Nami, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to tell *anyone*,” she admitted, wiping more blood from her nose. “It’s not something I wanted to talk about. I’m dealing with it, okay? I’m fine.”

“You’re not *fine*, Nami!” I practically yelled, my heart pounding. “You’re literally bleeding from your nose, and you’ve been keeping this from me for how long? Months? Years?”

“I didn’t want anyone to treat me differently,” she muttered, looking down at her hands. “I didn’t want to be the sick girl.”

I sat back, feeling like I’d just been hit by a truck. Blood cancer. She’d been carrying this around the whole time, acting like everything was normal. No wonder she flipped out last night. “Nami... I don’t even know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” she whispered. “Just... don’t treat me like I’m fragile, okay? I hate that.”

I stared at her for a long moment, my chest tight. This was so much bigger than I’d ever thought. Nami wasn’t just going through some emotional thing—she was literally fighting for her life. And she’d been doing it alone.

“Fine,” I said finally, my voice softer. “But you don’t have to do this by yourself, okay? We’re all here for you, whether you like it or not.”

She nodded, but I could tell she wasn’t convinced. She was too used to dealing with stuff on her own. But not anymore. No way was I letting her keep this to herself.

A little plot twist:)