|Weak Hero| Road to Donald

Chapter 2

Donald woke up and found himself in an alleyway. He looked down and saw that he was smaller, much younger, and covered in several injuries. 'Am I reliving my traumatic past?' Donald thought. 'Is this what people meant when they say their life is flashing before their eyes? I wouldn't call this flashing before my eyes since it doesn't seem to be flickering  between scenes quickly,'

The pain felt so real. He could feel each bruise and cut carved into his skin. He could feel the hunger tearing at his stomach. He could feel tears pricking at the corner of his eyes, but he refused to cry.

'Does this mean I'm dying?' Donald silently questioned. 'Did getting hit by that truck result in fatal injuries?'

'I can't even die in peace...' Donald curled up tightly, clutching at his starving stomach. 'Why couldn't I just die immediately!? Why am I being forced to relive these painful memories!?'

This scene was all too familiar in his nightmares. No one would help him. Everyone would just walk past him, ignoring the obviously injured boy who was in need of help. No one cared.

He was alone. He was always alone.

"Little boy, are you alright?" 

Donald tensed up, because he was terrified of his memories  since he knew all of them were horrible, yet also because he knew for a fact that no one approached him and asked him that. 'What going on? If I'm reliving my horrible past, why is something that never happened actually happening?'

It was an instinctive response to fear the unknown.

"Little boy," Footsteps become louder, indicating that the person had gone closer to him. 

Donald slowly looked up and saw a woman with long, wavy, light brown hair and blue eyes. 'Who is she? I've never seen her before and I'm certain that she has never approached me in the past,'

"Little boy, you need to go to a hospital," The woman said. "You're hurt,"

Donald's fear continued to increase. If he were in his older teenager body, a body that had worked hard to gain muscle mass a strength, a body that was able to finally receive the proper nutrition requirements to maintain a healthy body, he would have been able to easily go up against this woman in the case that she tried anything.

But right now, he wasn't Donald Na, leader of the Union and King of Yeongdeungpo. Right now, he was Donald Na, just a weak and abused child who can't even protect himself.

It felt as if he was a tiny, helpless prey in front of a powerful predator that could easily kill him in a single strike.

Even though this woman showed no signs of being hostile or having ill intentions, his body was screaming to flee. His danger senses registered everyone as a threat. He had always been alone, both in the past and the present, so there was no one he could trust.

He backed away, but that only caused him to push himself closer to the alley's brick wall. His eyes darted around for an escape route. He saw an opening and bolted, only to immediately fall down from his injuries.

"Are you alright!?" The woman crouched down and offered a helping hand to him.

'Since I'm dying due to my injuries in that truck accident,' Donald questioned. 'Is this my mind's way of giving me a chance...a chance to experience a life where I'm not alone? Where I have a family that loves me? Where someone actually reaches out to me?'

He slowly was about to accept the woman's help, but hesitated.

'Or is this my trauma wanting to mess me up even more? Did my mind create this opportunity only for me to accept and fall victim to more abuse? Does it want me to fall into even more despair before dying?'

The woman gave him a warm smile. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you,"

He wanted to slapped the hand away, but there was still a part of him that craved love and affection. There was still a part of him that desired the family life he was never able to attain.

'I'm dying either way,' Donald accepted the help. 'I should make the most of whatever scenarios are playing out in my mind. If it ends up with me suffering, it'll be nothing new. I know it'll be false happiness since it's all in my mind, but I'll indulge myself just this once,'

The woman helped Donald up. "My name's Gayoon Choi. Can you tell me your name?"

"D..." It was strange hearing his voice be a higher pitch than his teenage one. "Donald Na..."

"Alright Donald," The woman gently held his hand. "Let's go to the hospital together, okay?"

Donald silently nodded. 'This woman radiates warmth. It's...nice,'

Right now, Donald thinks this entire situation was created all in his mind. He hasn't realized that he's been isekai'd yet.