Letter 2 U

Part 50 - The Other

"I don't understand." His lips quivered, his heart beat faster. His hands were sweating and he was already practicing his breathing exercises in order to keep himself from hyperventilating.

"You never do. That's why I have to be rough with you sometimes. Like that day in Macao. Jackson was losing his shit the whole time. You were supposed to leave us after that. But you don't have a clue, do you? I didn't want you anywhere around him back then, I don't you befriending him now. I wish you would disappear forever from his sight at once. What happened in that brothel room had to happen in order to tear the two of you apart. You see, the guilt he would feel towards what he did to you would always remember him to never get too close. After all, he wouldn't want to lose control again. He had to be punished for his naivety too, so I made him watch everything. Since he didn't know how to make you understand, I had to." Jia Er shrugged as he waited for the American to digest his words.

"You hurt me deeply that day. All I understood was pain." Mark managed to whisper, still trying to figure out what was really taking place inside that apartment.

"That's all he knows since he was very young, Yi-en. Don't play the victim here, you two have a lot in common. If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't be able to handle life all by himself." The younger's tone was definitely unusual as well as his demeanor. The man before him was having a hard time speaking in Korean, but as soon as he shifted to Cantonese, he had no trouble in expressing himself.

"Who? Jackson? What happened to him?" Mark eyed him worriedly, not sure if he was able to understand the younger well. Jia Er gave him a frustrated glance and shifted to Chinese in order to make himself better understood by the elder.

"It's none of your business really. All you have to know is that my job is to keep Seunie safe. I usually stay hidden for the sake of his functionality. I want him to have a normal life, I don't want him to be seen as a disabled man. But you keep pushing. So I think it's time I introduce myself." He spoke clearly and slowly, without taking his eyes away from the American. The latter was completely shook.

"You're sick! You need help." Mark shifted around on the couch and before he could think about getting up, the younger held his wrist and gave him a stern look.

"Dr. Lee called it DID. She's an awesome doctor indeed. No counselor before her was able to proper explain his occasional memory gaps or his erratic mood swings. He does need help indeed Yi-en, and you can help him by leaving. Leave Korea, that's all you have to do." The younger took Mark's trembling hands in his. The elder couldn't tell if that gesture was meant to calm him down or freak him out. He didn't know that man. It was Jackson's fingers touching his, but at the same time it wasn't.

"You're still seeing doctor Lee?" Mark's eyes were big as saucers and quickly took his hands away from the other's grasp. He suddenly gathered enough courage to check on his unconscious husband on the floor.

"It's necessary. She's working on making him whole again. Well, good luck for both of them." The other answered shortly, observing how the elder carefully cradled Jinyoung's head on his lap.

"Jackson, I swear to God, if this is some kind of sick joke, I will-"

"Shut up, Yi-en! Just look me in the eye and tell me if I'm really acting here! I'm not Kim Kwon, okay?! And I'm not your ex-boyfriend either. I'm not even gay." The other rolled his eyes at the elder and crawled to the carpet where the married couple now was. His movements were slow, he didn't look as threatening as before, yet, he didn't seem friendly either.

"What do you want from us?" A suspicious Mark asked as he eyed the man squatting in front of him.

"Are you deaf? Grab your husband and go back to the U.S., I don't wanna see Jack drinking himself to death anymore." His tone was steady, but cold.