Secret for Vinhelm #2

by L. Marcelo

  He fell for her but he had accepted that they would just be friends and nothing else. Right now, all he wanted was to enjoy his last moments with her and make sure that she’d leave Seoul with a smile on her face and a happy heart.

  “Do you have any other place you want to go? I’m all yours today so I’ll take you wherever you want to go.” He flashed a grin and it made her laugh.

  “I don’t have any particular place I want to go. You’re the local one so take me where you know I would enjoy.” She said happily. She didn’t have any other place in mind. All she wanted to do was to see her mom and dad.

  “Those words came from you so there’s no taking it back! But before that, let’s grab some dinner first.” He said.

  “I was actually about to say that. All those crying made me hungry!” They both laugh at her words.

  The two left the sanctuary and headed to an eat all you can Korean BBQ restaurant.

  They took their time eating as they talked just about everything they could talk about. From CORS’s music, to Meahri’s works and to their own little companions. They just found out that both of them had a dog and it just so happen that they have the same breed of dog with them.

  Haru, Jin’s golden retriever, is just 3 months old and the moment he showed Meahri a photo of him, she couldn’t help but giggle. The little fella was so damn cute. Who would think that puppies aren’t cute? No one. Maybe except people who hated them.

  She suddenly remembered when Snoopy was still that young, that small. Those were the times she missed her cuddly little fella, which is now a not so little fella anymore. He was now a grown-up who takes good care of her. She couldn’t imagine her life without Snoopy.

  While they were talking about their dogs, Jin can’t help but point out. “You do know that Snoopy is a beagle and not a golden retriever, right?” He was serious but deep inside him he was laughing.

  “I don’t.” She said sarcastically.

  He burst out in laughter when he saw the look on her face. She was aware of it and yet she still called her retriever, Snoopy.

  “I’ve always been a fan of Snoopy since I was a kid but thing is, I’m not very into beagles. I always loved retrievers so that’s why I got myself one instead of a beagle.” She paused when she saw the look on the man’s face. He looked amused.

  “I don’t even understand why I’m explaining this to you.” She made a face.

  “You didn’t have to but then I know I would ask. Eventually.” He smiled at her and this time, it was her who burst into laughter.

  While they were having fun talking about how Snoopy became a golden retriever, an idea hit Jin.

  “Hey do you want to come to my house and meet Haru?” He asked.

  “Really? Can I?” She sounded excited but she was trying her best to hide it. She obviouisly failed though especially when it was all over her face.

  “Of course. I’m sure he would love to meet you.”

  Haru was such a sweetheart and he knew the two would click immediately. Not to mention, Meahri have Snoopy so Jin was confident there won’t be any problem. He had a feeling she was good with dogs too.

  “If you don’t have any other places that you want to go to, we can go straight to my house.” He said trying not to sound too happy.

  “Nope. I don’t have any other places that I want to go to...”

  “Besides, you already took me to the one place that I wanted to visit all my life.” She confessed. She smiled at him and he found himself smiling back. Her smile was enough to tell him how happy and grateful she was.

  ********

  It was 10 minutes before 9 in the evening when they arrived at Jin’s place. As soon as she entered the door, Haru came rushing to greet her.

  “Oh my god, he’s soooooooo cute!” She exclaimed as she pet him.

  “Can I hold him?” She asked not wanting to do anything that the little fella wouldn’t like.

  “Sure.” He smiled as he closed the door behind them.

  When they were in the living room, he stop midway. He didn’t approach the two who looked like they truly enjoy each other’s company. It was so hard not to adore the sight in front of him.

  He never had the perfect life. He had his own share of mistakes but he was happy and contented with what he have now. He was worse in the past. He knew other people have bigger problems than him. He learned how to be thankful that he was earning more than enough for him and his family, that he has a place to stay, and that he could eat three meals a day.

  Ever since he got Haru, everything in his life seemed to have gotten better as time passed by. It seemed like Haru was his lucky charm. He was very happy that he made the right decision to take him home.

  Everything was good in his life but it would have been better if he can get the approval of his parents about him being a singer. It may not be now but he had faith that it will happen in the near future.

  Just when he thought it was all that he could ask for, he was mistaken.

  Seeing Haru in Meahri’s arms and Meahri in his house. His house never felt like home until today. Seeing the two enjoy theirselves, he came to realize that it was the life that he wanted. A life with Haru, his bestfriend and Meahri, his love.

  If only, Meahri was his. If only.

  He was deep in his thoughts when she called out to him. He snapped back to reality and went to the sofa and sat beside her who was still playing with Haru.

  “Are you living on your own?” Just when he thought she was too busy and too focused on Haru, her question caught him by surprise.

  “Yeah…” He sounded like he wanted to say more but he stopped. He wanted to tell her why he was living alone. He wanted to tell her more about himself but something inside him was telling him it wasn’t right to do so. That she didn’t need to know about how a mess his life was.

  Haru jumped out of Meahri’s hold and went to Jin.

  While he was playing with Haru, that was the only time Meahri had the chance to look around Jin’s place. It was smaller than she thought especially for someone as successful as him. She remembered that he was living alone so he thought maybe he preferred something small but comfortable and for all she knew, he could be giving his salary to his parents.

  She knew him for the past 3 weeks and she didn’t doubt that he would do that. He was a nice kid.

  The two spent the night playing with Haru. Meahri realized the little fella didn’t seem to get tired at all. He was so hyper that there was a point where she found herself getting exhausted. If Jin wasn’t there to help her, she would probably be worn out.

  It was almost midnight when Jin took Meahri back to the hotel.

  When they were in front of her room, they bid their goodbye to each other. She waited for him to leave but he didn’t. Instead, he just stood there and had a serious look on his face.

  “Noona… Sorry but I won’t be able to send you to the airport tomorrow.” His voice was a mixture of sadness and seriousness.

  “No that’s fine. I know you’re busy. Besides, I’m leaving with Therry and Anna.” She replied.

  There was silence between them. She didn’t know why but she had a feeling that he was trying to say something so she should just keep quiet and let him talk.

  “…No, it’s not because I’m busy… It’s because I can’t afford to send you back.” He confessed. His eyes was fixed on hers. What he wanted to tell her was that even if his schedule was packed, he wouldn’t think twice to leave those just to spend more time with her.

  It took her a while before the words sinked in. Did she understood him right? Or was she thinking too much about it?

  He knew it was wrong but he couldn’t stop himself anymore. He pulled her into a hug. She didn’t move. Not a single bit. He felt like he was hugging a stone.

  “I’ve only known you for weeks but I found myself falling in love with you more than I expected… I was happy that I got the chance to work with you. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t get the chance to mee
t you... I thought 3 weeks were a long time but now that you’re leaving, I couldn’t make myself believe it.” He hugged her tighter.

  Slowly, she understood. She was right. Jin liked her. When realization hit her, she gently tried to pull away but he didn’t let her.

  “I know you can never be mine. I saw the look on your face and I know your heart already belonged to someone else… I just wish he knew how lucky he is. I wish he deserves to have you.” He sounded in pain.

  Oh god, Jin. If you only knew how much I messed up, you wouldn’t say all these. I was the lucky one but I didn’t deserve him. He deserve someone better… someone who wouldn’t lie to him.

  “I may not know what happened between you and him but if, only if, it doesn’t work with him, I’ll take you from him. Believe me, I will… I’m only letting you go because I know he has your heart… and because I know he’s your happiness.” She expected a bitterness in his voice but there wasn’t. Not even a hint of it. He was sincere. He truly wish for her to be happy with the man she chose.

  Too bad, she couldn’t be with him anymore.

  She didn’t know tears were falling from her eyes until Jin let go and touched her cheeks to wipe the tears away. She didn’t make an effort to stop the tears. She knew if she did, it wouldn’t work. They wouldn’t listen to her. They were as stubborn as their owner.

  Ever since she arrived in Seoul, she never shed a single tear for Vhynce. She didn’t have time to think about him. She was too busy with work that she felt that the 3 weeks just passed by.

  “How many more tears are you planning to shed today?” He smiled when he saw her choked a laughter.

  “Hyung would probably kill me…” He whispered. He was talking to himself but unexpectedly, she heard it. She wasn’t sure if she heard it correctly so she asked, “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  He continued to wipe her tears that looked like it won’t stop any second from now. He pulled her towards him. Her forehead on his chest. They stayed like that for a while.

  After eternity passed by, Meahri has calm down. She pulled her head back and stood straight to look at Jin.

  “I’m sorry that you had to see me like this.”

  “Don’t be. I’m actually thankful that you’re opening up to me more, at least even as a friend and a brother.” He smiled. It was painful for him but he knew this was a fight he could never win. It was a fight that he already lost even before it started.

  “I’m thankful to hear your true feelings…” She stopped.

  She was probably the most heartless person in the world to reject someone who just did so much for her but she didn’t care what other people would say. She still loved Vhynce and she wasn’t someone who would use someone else just to feel better. She’d rather be in pain her whole life than hurt someone just to comfort herself.

  “But Jin, trust me, you don’t deserve me. You deserve someone better. Someone who can give you your real happiness and I know she would be the most blessed girl in the world to have you as his girl.” She smiled. It was a sincere smile that he felt more pain than happiness. How can he fight something like this?

  “Thanks?” He said sarcasticly and laughed.

  “In time… I know you’ll be thanking me for letting you go. She’s still out there waiting for you.” She assured.

  He couldn’t go on any longer. He wanted to leave. He couldn’t afford to stay and listen to her say those words. He knew she could never be his but did she have to keep on rubbing it on his aching heart?

  He decided. Just this one last time. He pulled her back into his arms.

  “Thanks for giving me such wonderful memories… It was short but you truly made me happy. Until we meet again, Meahri Lyfheld.” He hugged her tighter for a long moment before he pulled away.

  “’Til we meet again.” She smiled and patted his head like a little sister would do to her little brother.

  Jin turned around and was on his way to leave but he hesitated for a moment. He knew he shouldn’t look back. It was taking every bit of control in his body to not look back because he knew if he did, he would never leave. He would never let her go.

  With an aching heart, he left without looking back.

  ********

  While Meahri was sorting out everything in Seoul, little did she knew Vhynce also had his own set of ‘sorting’ to do.

  Back at his place, what Therry told him over the phone kept replaying in his head. Then he remembered the letter. He took his phone and keys with him and left for RMM.

  When he arrived at RMM, he went straight to his office and went through his stuff hoping to find the letter Meahri wanted to give him.

  He went over every single thing, every place that he could think of with the hope of finding both letters but he knew inside him that there was no way he would find both. Specially not when he fucking remembered how he threw away the first letter as soon as Therry handed it to him. It had been weeks.

  Did he expect to find it in the trash can? Even if he go to the disposal site, there was no way he could find it.

  Finding a needle in a haystack might even be more possible than finding that letter he threw away heartlessly.

  When he decided to give up and accept the fact that he was such an asshole, he opened the other letter that Therry placed under all his stuff. The moment he saw Meahri's handwriting, everything that happened between them came rushing back to him.

  There were a few pages and it made him smile. It was so like Meahri. The girl who had always been so sweet... The girl who always seemed to know what the right words to say... The one girl who knew everything about him.

  As he read the first sentence, he didn't know what to feel. He hurt her so badly and here she was with her first words, ‘Now that you're reading this, it's already more than enough for me... Vhynce, thank you.’ That first sentence was enough for him to stop reading. It was like time stopped with him too.

  He knew what pain was. He had his own share of pain and he could never imagine himself thanking the people who caused him pain.

  Up until now, he was still not in good terms with his dad and he would never thought of himself thanking him for what he did. Neither the fan who opened his eyes to all those lies. They hurt him so why the hell would he thank them? It didn’t make any sense.

  So why does Meahri, the girl he hurt so badly, the same girl he threw away from his life like she was just a piece of trash, was thanking him? He couldn't understand how such person can exist.

  He didn't know if she was a martyr or that was just how much she loved him?

  As he continued reading the letter, he found himself smiling at some parts and hurt at the others. She told him everything. How it all started, how she fell in love with him and how she couldn't imagine living a life without him after experiencing a life with him.

  ‘... You know I always thank God for every moment I spent with you. Knowing that I wasn't fully honest with you about who I was, I knew any second from now, you will find out everything and everything would end. It was really hard but every bit of it was worth it. When I experienced how amazing life was with you, I couldn't imagine how to live again without you. I knew it would never last and yet I went straight ahead with all my heart because for me, no amount of pain can be compared to how happy you made me...’

  How can I not see how much you loved me? How can I hurt you so much when all you ever did was love me unconditionally? You never even asked from me anything in return.

  His emotions were so strong that he unconsciously crumpled the paper in his hands. He didn't meant to. He was too angry at himself for being so stupid, for being blinded by the pain of his past that he had forgotten to treasure the girl who loved him for 5 years.

  As he continued reading the letter, he couldn't imagine how she had done everything. How she had survived. How and where did she got the guts to keep on going when there was nothing to keep her moving forward.

  The girl literally loved him from afar.

 
; He always thought he knew love but did he really? He didn't. Not until Meahri.

  A realization hit him. A rockstar like him could actually change someone's life. It wasn't all about the screaming, the drooling over how hot and gorgeous a rockstar was. He never expected to change someone's life. He thought they were just making those up to impress him.

  Meahri made it very clear in her letter that she didn't just saw him as a rockstar. She saw him as a man and that was what inspired her the most. ‘It was the real Vhyncent Vinhelm who changed my life rockstar Vhyncent Vinhelm.’

  He realized that he really did change her life without him knowing. And now, it was the other way around. He was never aware of it. That or he was just in-denial. Now that he acknowledged it, he knew she was the girl for her, his only girl.

  Meahri was the one meant for him.

  As he finished reading the letter, a huge smile formed on his face. The girl knew how to touch his heart through and through.

  ‘Always loving you from afar since 02.14.15,

  Meahri Lyfheld’

  Thank you for reading Secret for Vinhelm - Book 2.

  I hope you enjoyed it.

  The final part, Secret for Vinhelm - Book Three will be released on November 16th.

  Pre-Order it Today

  About the Author

  L once enjoyed living in the city but is now living in a far far away land where she's living the life. You can often find her in the garden, with coffee in her hand, and either her laptop or a book in front of her. If she's not in the book world, you can find her with her camera while taking a stroll and taking photos of just about anything. That... or she's in another world she could never ever leave - the fan world.

  Like most people who enjoyed reading for the sake of escaping the sad reality of life and the drama of it all, she decided that reading and writing were two of the best things she could ever do. She especially loves sweet romance and feel-good stories that have never failed to put a smile on her face.