Letter 2 U

Part 35 - The Guilt

In the evening of that day, JB left a message on the group chat saying that he and Mark were at a hotel and as soon as he convinced the elder of going back to the lodging, they would join them. The leader didn't reveal where they were nor if they'd be returning that night. The members asked dozens of questions when they got that brief information on their cellphones, but the leader never answered any of them. As soon as Jaebeom posted the message, he immediately went offline.

"The hotel they are staying must have a pretty bad Wi-Fi signal. But, at least now we know they're alive." Yugyeom commented tiredly after shoving his phone in his pocket. He was relieved to hear from the leader, but he didn't know what to expect when the oldest members of the group returned. After Got5 had lunch at the BBQ restaurant Jackson mentioned earlier, all of them went to a bar, and then a pub and then every single place in the island where they could order drinks. They only returned to the lodging in the evening, after watching the sundown on the shores of a beach. Drunk as they were, the animosities had lessened a bit and the group didn't antagonize the Chinese so much. However, none of them cracked jokes or chatted excitedly about anything. That gathering wasn't like the ones they had in the old days. Alcohol was just a way to distract themselves from the crisis they were facing.

"I really need a shower! What if JB shows up and sees me plastered like this? I've gotta get rid of this stench of alcohol." Youngjae announced as he yawned and disappeared into the room he shared with Jinyoung.

"JB cannot blame us for getting shitfaced. It's not every day we see Mark hyung flipping out like that." A tipsy Bambam commented sprawled out on the couch.

"We hold the intervention meeting and we get him help. He'll understand that we worry about him and that we care about his health. We'll convince Mark that he needs professional help and that all we want is for him to get better." Jinyoung said firmly. Earlier, while they drank at a certain bar, Got5 started researching on their phones about several PTSD programs and the best mental institutions were Mark could be properly treated. Bambam suggested an intervention when Yugyeom mentioned that the elder would probably feel offended if they contacted any medical center without his knowledge. Jackson was against the idea, but no one cared about his opinion. Youngjae only claimed that they should hear what JB had to say about it first before they acted.

"Remind me again why we are not contacting his family for this upcoming event." Jackson blurted out sarcastically. He was the only one who thought that Mark's parents should be involved in that so-called intervention. He did not think Mark would be easily convinced by his friends to seek help. In his viewpoint, none of them were prepared to handle a situation like that.

"Because he'll feel like we betrayed him. If we bring the Tuans here, their presence will put too much pressure on him. We gotta get him to trust us first and make him realize that he has a problem. His destructive behavior is not only a danger to himself. Look at Jinyoung hyung's face! What if he had really killed him?" Yugyeom had a concerned expression on his face. He wanted to believe that the GOT7 family's efforts would be enough to save the American.

"We corner him like that and he won't have a reason to trust us ever again." The Chinese declared.

"We don't know how Mark will react to this intervention. Actually, you are the reason why we gotta keep this thing between ourselves. Who knows, you might be the reason he is in need of an intervention! We have to do this whole shit secretly just to fucking protect you, Wang. Imagine if his parents, brother and sisters show up here and suddenly the word 'rape' comes out of his mouth! You'd be in trouble, and though I'd love to see you in prison, we shouldn't forget about Lee's rules. No police involved." Jinyoung retorted while leaning against the wall of the living room. The rapper huffed awkwardly when the singer crossed his arms and shot him a dirty look.