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Chapter Text

Donald is in his fourth year of elementary school when his adoptive mother, Ms. Park, receives a call from the hospital. She has Donald sit down at the table while she explains.

“Your mother is in the hospital.” Ms. Park says. “She has a terminal illness and doesn’t have much long left to live. Would you like to visit her?”

Donald does not immediately reject the idea. As much as he hates to admit it, he still loves her. Even after all these years, he still loves her. Even after she so easily gave him up, he still loves her.

“You don’t have to visit her if you do not want to.” Ms. Park tells him.

“But should I visit her?” Donald asks. 

Ms. Park places a gentle hand on her son’s shoulder. “In my opinion, I think it would be better to at least visit her once. You can let all your emotions and thoughts be known. I won’t force you to visit her if you truly do not want to, but I think visiting at least once would prevent you from regretting never visiting at all.”

Donald takes a deep breath. “I think you’re right, Mom. I think I’ll visit her before I regret not doing so while she’s still alive.”

Ms. Park drives Donald to the hospital. They arrive at Donald’s mother’s hospital room and Ms. Park waits outside in the hallway. Donald’s hand shakes as he reaches for the door knob. He inhales deeply and then exhales, repeating the action a few times until he has calmed himself enough. Donald enters the room.

“Donald.” His mother is lying in the hospital bed, paler than he had ever seen her before. She has oxygen tubes connected to her nostrils. His mother’s eyes are tired yet much livelier than when they had been living with Donald’s abusive father.

Donald’s legs want to collapse beneath him and send him crashing to the floor. He tightly grips the doorknob and keeps himself standing. Once he is sure he will not immediately fall, he lets go and closes the door. He walks over to her bedside.

“You’ve grown so much, Donald.” His mother smiles and gently raises a hand to place against Donald’s face. “You’ve put on weight. That’s good.”

“Why did you want to see me?” Donald asks. “You didn’t want to see me at all for these past years. You gave me up so easily .”

“I’m sorry.” She apologizes to her son. “I wanted to see you one last time before I die. I know it’s a selfish desire, but thank you for agreeing to fulfill this selfish desire of mine.”

“Did you no longer love me?” Donald asks her. “Is that why you didn’t fight to keep custody of me?”

She begins to cry. “I never stopped loving you.”

“Then why”

“I couldn’t be the mother you needed .” She confesses. “I couldn’t protect”

“Yeah, you couldn’t protect me.” Donald interrupted her. “You’ve stopped trying to protect me after giving up. Whenever he beated me, you’d look the other way and just be glad that it’s not you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Apologies won’t change anything.”

“I know.” She nods. “I know apologizing won’t make up for the fact that I failed you but apologizing is the only thing I can do.”

“You know” Donald realizes he is also crying. “I still love you, Mom. No matter how much time had passed, no matter how much time I spent with my family, no matter how angry I am at you, I still love you. I tried to forget you but I couldn’t.”

“I wanted to hate you for not protecting me like a parent should’ve. I wanted to hate you for not providing me the basic necessities like food and clothing like a parent should’ve. I wanted to hate you for not leaving that man. But I still love you because I know that you were also a victim. You were also suffering. After you relinquished custody of me over to Ms. Park, I thought you hated me.”

“I never hated you.” She tells him. “I knew I couldn’t provide for you. I had no money, no food, no job, no home. Ms. Park is able to provide you with everything. She is a better parent than me.”

“I still remember the happy times we had together.” Donald says. “I remember how you used to sing me lullabies to sleep. I remember the bedtime stories you’d tell me. I remember when we’d go to the park together. I remember you attending my kindergarten Parent Day. I remember you hanging up the drawings I made no matter how much they sucked. I remember it all.”

“I don’t hate you either, Mom.” Donald tells her. “I still love you.”

Donald hugs his mother. They silently hold each other for a few minutes.

“How is your current life?” She inquires. “I’d like to hear all about it.”

Donald tells her everything. He tells her about his family. He tells her about his friends. He tells her about all the delicious foods he got to try. He tells her about all the toys and games he played with. He tells her about all of his birthday parties he celebrated with his new family.

Donald’s mother would be lying if she said she was not jealous. She envies Donald’s new family for being able to share so many happy moments with him. But she does not regret her decision to give him up. It pains her a lot but she knows she made the right choice.

Donald continues to visit his mother daily afterwards. He even introduces Ben, Alex, and Ms. Park to her. She thanks Ms. Park for taking good care of her son and giving him the family he deserves. 

When his mother finally passes away peacefully in her sleep, Donald bawls. It is the most he has ever cried ever since he got adopted. 

They attend her funeral. It is only the four of them. His mother had no friends or if she had any, they had drifted apart long ago.

Chapter Text

Donald Na, Ben Park, and Alex Go are in their final year of elementary school. Once the chart containing the list of the middle schools each student got into is released, Alex rushes over to his friends.

“Ben! Donald!” Alex holds up the list. “All three of us got into Eunjang Middle School!”

“Alright!” Ben high fives both his brother and his friend. 

Donald smiles. He knows he can get into a better school but he doesn't want to. He wants to stay with Ben and Alex. He knows that Eungang Middle School is considered the bottom of the barrel school along with its high school counterpart, but he is fine with that. If he desires more knowledge, he will search up information online or buy advanced textbooks.

They celebrate with Ttosikki Chicken. As they eat and Alex tries to stop Ben from devouring everything, Donald reminisces about his first meeting with Ben. 

It is because of Ben that Donald is alive right now.

It is because of Ben that Donald has a family and friends.

It is because of Ben that Donald is happy and safe.

Donald is forever grateful to his older brother. He does not know what would have happened if Ben had not reached out to him that day. He wonders but knows it is best to not dwell on the what-could-have-been, especially one of such a negative scenario.

When they finally receive their pre-ordered uniforms, Donald wears it proudly. Ms. Park takes photos of her sons wearing the Eunjang Middle School uniform for the first time to commemorate the moment.

As expected, Donald excels at his classes. The teachers are shocked to have such an intelligent student with an extreme thirst for knowledge in Eunjang. Donald is quick to become their favorite student. 

Ben becomes their second favorite student because he is always helping the teachers with tasks such as carrying a heavy pile of books.

Eunjang’s students are far from peaceful and starkly contrast the teachers. Eunjang Middle School is a dangerous jungle full of delinquents waiting for their next prey.

Donald tries to avoid fighting. He hates , he despises , fighting. He despises violence in general. It reminds him too much of the physical abuse he suffered when he lived with his father.

But Donald is not stupid. He knows that when challenged, a fight is inevitable. He refuses to lose any fights. He defeats all of his challengers. He is a winner. He is a survivor.

The news of Donald and Ben’s overwhelming strength and winning streaks spread like wildfire. They have even defeated the upperclassmen that have tried to harass them. Donald and Ben become the heads of Eunjang Middle School. It becomes peaceful.

Alex is a bit envious of his friends’ fame but he is also proud of them. His friends are the strongest guys in Yeongdeungpo. He proudly proclaims that fact to people in the streets who dare to challenge them.

One day, they are attacked by a high schooler. The high schooler attempts to bully and rob them on their way home from school. He is easily defeated by One Punch Ben. They continue their route as normal.

When they reach Ben and Donald’s house, Donald excitedly tells his mother that his teachers have suggested he enter the Olympiad. “They said it’d be the first time Eunjang has entered the competition.”

Ms. Park smiles and ruffles his hair. “I’m proud of you.”

Donald studies hard for the Olympiad. He stops hanging out with Ben and Alex after school and on the weekends. He chooses to, instead, bury himself in his textbooks, worksheets, and watch online academic videos.

Ben kidnaps his brother. He drags him out of his room against his will and forces him to go with him and Alex to the arcade. Ben reasons that since the Olympiad is a month away, he should not constantly study and he should allow himself time to relax or he will burn out. Donald can tell that his brother really misses hanging out with him and agrees.

When the day of the Olympiad arrives, Donald is the only Eunjang student. He noticed the students from the other attending schools recognizing his uniform and gossiping amongst themselves. Donald is no stranger to gossip and ignores them.

He spots a boy his age sitting alone at a table, reviewing his notes as he waits for the Olympiad to begin. Donald sits beside him because it is the only seat available not near the gossipers. The boy glances at him but does not say anything as he returns to reviewing.

The Olympiad gets delayed by an hour due to a box of test packets being accidentally destroyed. Donald and the boy, Gray Yeon, exchange a few words and use the extra time to review for the test together. They are both able to keep up with each other. Donald enjoys having a study partner.

When the Olympiad begins, Donald works hard. He does not let a single second go to waste. Even after he answers all of the questions, he constantly looks through each and every one of his answers to ensure their correctness.

Once the Olympiad is over, Donald and Gray bump into each other at the exit. They exchange contact information. Donald is surprised that he managed to make a new friend all on his own. Ben and Ms. Park are proud of him.

The results come out weeks later. Donald and Gray both end up in first place. Ben, Alex, and Ms. Park celebrate Donald’s achievement. They invite Gray to the party and he accepts. Gray is startled by how loud and energetic Donald’s friends are, but he enjoys the party. Gray is happy to have Donald as his friend.

Chapter Text

Donald Park, Ben Park, and Alex Go’s first year of middle school ends without any major incidents. The school year ends with Donald and Ben as the heads of Eunjang Middle School and with Donald (and, by extension, Ben and Alex) gaining a new friend from Gangnam’s Byuksan Middle School, Gray Yeon.

At the beginning of the next school year, the incoming first years are bold and attempt to usurp the throne. Donald and Ben never start the fights, but when confronted, violence is inevitable. Even as the number of challengers die down, people still talk about them being bluffs.

Alex is the only one who is seemingly frustrated. “Doesn’t it bother you guys?”

"Alex" Ben says. "Just ignore them. It's not like they're doing anything directly to us, like attacking."

Alex turns to Donald. “What about you? Doesn’t it make you mad?”

“Classmates spewing shit about me isn’t anything new.” Donald shrugs. “Back at Yeowon Elementary School, all of my classmates and even my teachers looked down on me for being poor. I didn’t want to cause any problems so I just ignored them. If the teachers reported to my parents that I got into a fight, my father would beat me even more.”

“But you’re stronger now.” Alex tells him. “And you no longer have to deal with your father.”

“Before Ben’s mother adopted me, my life was filled with nothing but violence.” Donald says. “Now that I’m able to live a relatively peaceful life, I’d prefer to avoid violence as much as possible. The gossiping is annoying, but it’s better to just ignore it.”

Alex is frustrated by their answers, but he doesn’t push the topic further.

Donald and Gray alternate taking buses to each other’s district each weekend. 

One weekend, Donald takes the bus to Gangnam to go to Gray's house and stay overnight. The two would hang out, just the two of them.

The next weekend, Gray would be the one traveling to Yeongdeungpo and stay the night at Donald and Ben’s house. The three of them, four during the times Alex tags along, would all hang out together.

When Donald is with Gray, they do quieter activities. They study together, both for school and for fun. Gray lends Donald the textbooks he uses for Byuksan. They also watch instructional videos. They play video games on Gray’s game console.

When Gray comes over to Yeongdeungpo, the group does louder activities. They play soccer together, sometimes bringing along their friends from school. They also go to the pool hall. Both Gray and Donald easily score the most points. They also go to the arcade to play video games.

“You don’t have to come all the way here.” Gray tells Donald one day. “I can just go to Yeongdeungpo every week.”

“I don’t mind the travel.” Donald smiles at him. “Besides, I like spending time with you. While I do love my brother and our friend, they can be a bit too energetic for me. And I also see them everyday, so it’s nice to take a break from them twice a month.”

“Gray, have you made any new friends at Byuksan yet?”

Gray shakes his head. “There’s no one that I click with like you, or Ben and Alex.”

“Maybe you’ll need to be the one to reach out first.” Donald suggests. “If Ben never reached out to me all those years ago, I wouldn’t have gained a brother and mother, or friends. I most likely wouldn’t have become your friend.”

“There’s no one that I want to reach out to.” Gray shakes his head again. “I don’t need any friends at school. School is for learning.”

“By the way” Donald brings up. “I heard that the son of the city representative goes to Byuksan.”

“Yeah.” Gray nods. “Oswald Yang, second son of Oscar Yang.”

“Has he been causing you any problems?” Donald asks.

“No.” Gray answers. “He’s in a different class than me. Even last year, he was in a different class. He does bully other kids, even kids from other classes during lunch, but so far I don’t think he even knows I exist.”

“If he causes problems, tell me.” Donald orders. “I’ll dig up any dirt on his family and expose them. I’ll make his father lose all his power and influence.”

“I’m fine, Donald. Like I said, he doesn’t even look my way.”

“The Olympiad is coming up soon.” Donald recalls. “I hope you’re still planning on entering it.”

“Of course I am.” Gray tells him. “Olympiad achievements will look good on my college application.”

“Maybe we’ll end up tying again for first place, just like last year.” Donald jokes.

When Donald returns home on Sunday night, he sees his mother pacing the living room with worry. “Mom, what’s wrong?”

“Your brother hasn’t come home yet” Ms. Park explains. “I’m used to him staying out late, but he’d usually leave me a message if he’s not going to be home by midnight. I’m really worried.” Her phone rings. “It’s from Alex!” She quickly answers it. “Alex?”

“Ms. Park, Ben’s in the hospital!”

For the first time since Donald left his abusive childhood home, he feels dread and fear. He stumbles back, but his mother steadies him.

“Donald, Alex told me that he brought Ben to Malkeun Hospital and he’s currently in the operating room.”

Donald forces himself to regain his composure. “Let’s go.” His brother needs him.