|Weak Hero| Dara Na [Old Version]

Chapter 17

Alex Go silently stared at the papers he had taken out of the orange envelope. He had been staring for the past couple minutes.

"So...I'm guessing that the test came back positive so that's why you're shocked?" Ben asked.

"This can't be real," Alex reread the results for the umpteenth time. "I mean...It just can't be real! I can't be related to Donald Na's brother! This results are wrong! They have to be!"

Mom Go had overheard their conversation from the kitchen, but remained silent. 'Whoever Alex had a DNA test with really is Alex's brother by blood, but Alex doesn't seem happy about it. I want to know more, but I don't want to upset Alex,' 

She smiled sadly. 'I'm just glad to know that Ace is still alive. After he was kidnapped, I had lost all hope and thought that he was murdered but his body just hadn't been found. But Ace is actually still alive and well,' She became angry when she recalled the memory of finding out that one of her sons had disappeared. 'But I do want to know who took my son away from me,'

XXX

"Alex, what are you gonna tell Dara?" Ben asked as they headed to school.

"I'll tell him that the results were negative," Alex said.

"But the results were positive?" Ben questioned. 

"Ben," Alex's tone was serious. "I don't consider Dara to be my brother, no matter what the test results say. He's Donald Na's brother, not mine,"

"I know it's not my place to interfere since it's between you and Dara, but remember that Dara isn't Donald Na," Ben said. "And Dara didn't choose to be adopted by Donald Na's parents,"

Alex stopped in the middle of the hallway. "My mother was always sad when he looked at the only photo she had of me and 'Ace' when she first adopted us. If Donald Na's parents were the ones who kidnapped 'Ace,' then the least I can do for my mother is get the people who kidnapped 'Ace' arrested,"

"They're already rotting in prison," Dara, who exited Gray's class and was leaving Eunjang to head to Daehyeon, told Alex as he passed by him. "Several counts of child abuse, neglect, drug abuse, and other shit I don't bother to keep track of. If you and your family wants nothing to do with me, I'm fine with that. Just pretend the whole blood test thing was negative and that our similar appearances are just a coincidence. But if you do want to know about our triplet...I have his contact info,"

Dara turned to face Ben for a moment. "I didn't choose to be adopted by Lukas and Amy Na and I may not be blood related to Donald Na, but blood doesn't define family. Donald is, and will always be, my older brother. If I ever have to choose between my blood family and my bonded family, I will always choose bonds over blood," He then left.

"He must be fucking with us," Alex said. "Donald Na's parents were arrested and charged with several counts of child abuse, neglect, and drug abuse? Am I supposed to believe that bullshit? He's probably trying to earn our sympathy or manipulate our emotions,"

"I don't know," Ben stared in the direction that Dara had gone. "But I noticed that Dara seemed a bit...sad and pained when he said those things. And if I was able to notice then it must be kinda serious,"

"He's probably just acting," Alex wouldn't believe that people like Donald Na and his brother had a tragic childhood.

"I think if we ask Gray, then we'd know for sure," Ben said. "Dara trusts Gray and has no reason to lie to him,"

XXX

"Hey Gray," Ben asked during break time. "What do you know about Dara's childhood?"

'I'm guessing that the test results were positive?' Gray thought. "What did Dara tell you? I won't tell anything that he doesn't want to be known,"

"He said his parents were arrested and charged with several counts of child abuse, neglect, and drug abuse," Alex scoffed. "If he had a bad childhood then Donald Na also had a bad childhood. I don't believe that at all,"

"Dara and Donald are still both humans," Gray reminded. "Not all parents are loving and caring like yours and Ben's. Abusive parents do exist, Alex. Dara and his brother suffered for years until they managed to run away,"

"Still..." Alex couldn't imagine someone as powerful as Donald Na suffering as a child.

XXX

"Mom," Alex reluctantly asked. "If you could meet Ace, would you want to?"

"Yes," Mom Go didn't hesitate to answer. "Alex, I love you. You're my son. Meeting Ace won't make me love you any less,"

"Even after all these years?" Alex questioned. "You still want to meet him?"

"Even if he doesn't consider me his family since I'm pretty much a stranger, I would want to see him at least once," Mom Go replied. "I just want to see that he's safe and happy with my own eyes. While it would be nice to get to know him, I don't want to make him uncomfortable if he doesn't want to be around me. Also..." Her expression became a bit angry. "I want to know who kidnapped him and see them brought to justice,"

"They're already in prison," Alex informed. "The ones who kidnapped Ace. They abused him and their own son,"

"They kidnapped Ace just to hurt him!?" Mom Go exclaimed. "Those monsters!" 

Alex sighed. "Mom...if you want, I can set up a meeting,"

"Alex, you didn't seem happy when you found out who Ace was," Mom Go told her son. "I don't have to meet him,"

"But you want to meet him," Alex said. "Mom, you've done so much for me already. You raised me and loved me. If you really want to meet him, I'm not against it. Just a heads up...Dara and I don't really get along,"

"Dara?"

"That's the name Ace goes by," Alex informed. "Dara Na,"

"Dara Na..." 

"He also apparently met our biological family," Alex added. "Should I meet them?"

"Only if you want to," Mom Go answered. "Alex, it's your choice. If you want to meet them, then you're free to do so. You will always be my son no matter what. You may or may not get along with them. But remember that blood doesn't define family. If you don't get along with them, you don't have to consider them your real family,"

"Since you want to meet Dara," Alex said. "I guess I can give meeting my biological family a shot,"

I wonder how a meeting between the families will go?