Pitbabe S2, Chapter 10 pg2

 Pitbabe S2, Chapter 10 pg2

   “No way,” I shot back.

   “Told you,” Liu, who was washing lab equipment nearby, chimed in. Her calm demeanor made it seem like she wasn’t paying attention, but her ears were always listening, and her mouth was always ready to work. “Charlie loves playing hero.”

   “I don’t want to be a hero.”

   “Then what do you want to be, a lab rat?” Dr. Chris says dryly, his voice calm as he gently inserts the needle into my arm. Compared to the needles I’ve had before, he’s got a remarkably light touch. I barely feel the tiny needle in my arm until he starts pushing the medicine in.

   “Oh…”

   “Does it hurt?”

   “It’s like the medicine’s rushing down to my fingertips,” I try to describe the strange sensation as vividly as possible for Phii Touch, who’s standing by, jotting notes in his report. “It’s not the needle that hurts, but the medicine… it’s like a dull ache.”

   “But it’s bearable, right?”

   “As long as it doesn’t get any worse, I can handle it.”

   “Let’s hope so,” the doctor shrugs, as if to say, “If you’re lucky, it won’t hurt more than this.” I don’t know if doctors elsewhere are like this, but every doctor in this lab is terrible at boosting morale. Or maybe they’re capable of it but just choose not to. “Go rest. It’ll take a couple of hours for the effects to kick in.”

   “While I’m resting, should we have a meeting?” I suggest, putting my shirt back on properly before someone in here sneaks a photo and sends it to Babe. I’ve got a lot on my plate today and am not ready for a major disaster.

   “What do you think ‘rest’ means, kid?” Phii Touch puts his hands on his hips, looking at me with exasperation. “Can’t you ever stop?”

   “I’m fine, aren’t I? I’m not going for a run or anything. Just sitting and talking,” I reply. “I don’t want to waste time. This way, everyone can go home early today.”

   “Got a date with Babe?” Chris asks, having finished cleaning up the injection equipment.

   “I’ve got one every day.”

   “Still sulking, is he?”

   “He’s always sulking.”

   My answer gets a laugh from everyone, though I didn’t mean to crack a joke. Babe sulks at me every day, over one thing or another. I just have to try not to give him more reasons to sulk, for everyone’s peace—not just mine, but literally everyone’s.

   “What do you want to talk about?” Liu joins the group after finishing with the lab equipment, waving the others to come form a circle. “Let’s make this quick so you can rest.”

   “Right here?” I glance left and right, a bit confused. Sitting on a chair with five or six people standing around me doesn’t exactly feel like a meeting. If anything, it feels more like I’m being ganged up on.

   “Right here,” Liu says flatly. “This way, we’ll keep it short. If we sit down for a proper meeting, you’ll never let it end.”

   “Well, alright…”

   I wanted to argue back, but I knew I’d lose anyway. Plus, no one else spoke up to disagree, making it clear how much everyone wanted me to just stay put. Even though I’m perfectly fine, maybe it’s because I’m the youngest. They all seem to think they need to take extra care of me, forgetting that I’m just a few months away from hitting my mid-twenties.

   “Alright, if everyone says so, I’ll make this quick,” I said, scratching my head while mentally sorting out where to start and how to wrap it up fast. “I know everyone’s working hard on the drug right now. From the reports, I think we’re on the right track. There are still a few issues, as we all know, but I believe we’ll succeed soon.”

   Everyone nodded, their serious faces only showing up during meetings like this. Otherwise, there’s always something weird going on—especially during the drug trials.

   “So, I think it’s time we start the promotion phase. Like we discussed early on, even if we get an effective drug, the project isn’t a success until people understand its purpose. A great drug won’t help if no one gets it. We need a campaign alongside it to educate people about the issue, make them see why a dissolving drug is beneficial, and show it’s a solid option.”

   “Got it, but one question,” Chris raised his hand. “We agree on promoting, but the drug isn’t done yet. Won’t it be risky to promote it now? Not trying to discourage anyone, but what if it doesn’t work out in the end?”

   “I’m not planning for it to fail,” I replied without hesitation. The room fell silent, and I knew it was because I sounded arrogant, like some ruthless dictator who refuses to acknowledge mistakes. But that’s what I truly believe. “I’m not saying this to pressure anyone. I know everyone wants this to succeed, and you’re all working hard. But I didn’t start this project thinking, ‘It’d be nice if it works.’ I started it because I know it’ll work, one way or another.”

   I’m a terrible leader. I’m narrow-minded and refuse to accept that the world has things like failure. I only care about satisfactory results, and that probably makes everyone feel uneasy working with someone as inflexible as me.

   “Mm, okay,” Ms. Liu broke the silence, looking at me steadily before giving a slight nod. “The drug’s gonna succeed anyway. Starting the promotion now is the right call.”

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