Donald Na: A Hero's Journey

Chapter 4: Desperation

Yeouinaru Office Building, Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, South Korea

"Kingsley," Jake asked with extreme concern as he entered the Yeouinaru office with a bag of takeout, "when was the last time you slept?"

Kingsley's normally tidy hair was now extremely unkempt. His clothing were ruffled and had stains from previous drinks and food he had consumed. He had dark bags under his eyes.

"I take short naps from time to time."

"When was the last time you ate?" Jake walked over to Kingsley and placed the food on the table.

"When was the last time you stopped by?" Kingsley's eyes never left the papers as he repeatedly reread everything. His free hand shifted through the bag until it found the fork and opened the takeout container. He shoved a forkful of noodles into his mouth.

"That was three days ago!"

"I don't have time to eat!" Kingsley snapped, "I need to find Donald! I'm going over every single one of his files to try to find if there's any indication of where he could possibly be!"

"You're wearing yourself thin." Jake pointed out, "Donald wouldn't want—"

"Don't act like you were close to him!" Kingsley shouted, "You may have been his favorite executive, but you were never close to him."

"Your right," Jake agreed, "I was never close to him, but I know that people would want their loved ones to take better care of themselves. I know how you feel—"

"You knew where Kenny was and how injured he was. I don't know anything about Donald and his current condition."

"It's been two week," Jake said, "and I think it's finally time we should get the police involved."

"We can't let them know about the Union."

"We won't have to mention the Union," Jake told him, "but we need to at least file a missing person's report. That way, his missing poster can be posted up throughout Seoul, at least. And it'll be posted on the news."

"The Union will be showing weakness by broadcasting its leader is missing."

"The police will at least be trying to search for him," Jake placed a hand on Kingsley's shoulder. "and they'll have access to more information than us, like CCTV footage of the streets."

Kingsley closed his eyes, and he took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's go to the police."

~Donald Na: A Hero's Journey~

Yeongdeungpo Station, Seoul, South Korea

Gray Yeon's heart felt much lighter than it ever had been before. After Jeremy Park had messaged him about seeing Stephen at Donghae Rest Stop, Gray had been nervous to see Stephen again. A part of him thought Stephen had never contacted him once he had woken up because he never wanted to see Gray again.

After another conference with Ben the Therapist, Gray came to the decision to visit Stephen. This time, he was sure it wouldn't be a wild goose chase; Jeremy Park had been the one other good student at Byuksan Middle School, so there was no way he would lie. Gray had also called Jeremy to confirm that it was really him who had sent the message, and not some asshole that had stolen Jeremy's phone.

Ben, like when they had gone to Busan, tagged along with Gray. The others also chose to go with Gray to also support him, and Gray decided to finally tell the others about Stephen. They were very sympathetic towards Gray.

At Donghae Rest Stop, Stephen was shocked to see Gray. Stephen was relieved to know that Trashwald, Lice, and the third guy didn't hurt Gray after he had been comatose. Gray learned that the reason Stephen never contacted him after all this time was because he blamed himself for getting Gray involved, and he thought Gray would be better off without him.

After talking and tears, Gray introduced Stephen to his friends from Eunjang. Stephen was happy that Gray was able to move on and make new friends.

Gray and his friends stayed for the weekend before returning to Seoul. He made a promise to visit Stephen again, and Stephen also said he'd visit them in Yeongdeungpo whenever he had time.

The light mood was disrupted when they saw the missing posters and the news. Donald Na had officially been reported missing to the police.

"We need to tell them what we saw," Gray said, "even if they won't believe us. The CCTV footage will support our statements."

Gray understood what Kingsley Kwan was feeling, because it is exactly what Gray felt after Stephen was hospitalized and transferred away from Gangnam. The difference was although Gray hadn't known where Stephen was transferred to, he at least knew Stephen was receiving medical treatment. Kingsley knew nothing about Donald's current condition or whereabouts.

~Donald Na: A Hero's Journey~

Yeongdeungpo Police Station, Seoul, South Korea

Kingsley was filled with both hope and fear when he received a phone call from the police department to come down to the station regarding Donald's case. Jake was with him at the time he had received the call, so he accompanied him to the station.

Both of them were confused when they saw Ben Park and his friends at the station.

"Why are you guys here?" Kingsley demanded with a rage-filled glare.

"These boys were the last ones to see Donald Na," a police officer informed, "and we verified their statements, as incredulous as they sound, with the CCTV footage."

The officer showed Kingsley the video of Donald being struck by the truck and suddenly vanishing as soon as he made contact with the pavement.

"That...that's a fake video!" Kingsley shouted, "There's no way he could just, just disappear like that!"

"We all witnessed it happen right in front of our eyes," Gray said.

Kingsley angrily grabbed Gray by the front of his shirt. "If what you're saying is true, then why would you wait two whole fucking weeks to report this to the police!"

Despite the harsh treatment, Gray remained calm because he understood Kingsley's anger. "We were lucky enough that the police didn't immediately kick us out after telling them what we saw. They actually heard us out and checked the street cameras."

"Kingsley, let go of him," Jake gently said. 

Kingsley unfurled his hand and let go of Gray's shirt. "If Donald really did just vanish into thin air like that...then where the hell is he?"

~Donald Na: A Hero's Journey~

Author's Note: Donald's disappearance is taking a terrible toll on his boyfriend's mental health.