fMC x Vanderwood: A new beginning
Preparations were ready, the party was a huge success. This was her third event and each time it gets easier to organize. The music was playing, the food was exquisite, and all the guest seemed to be enjoying themselves.
She took a little break of the boisterous event and went to the main balcony. The starry night and the fresh air were so comforting that MC forgot where she was for a moment.
Suddenly, a familiar voice appeared out of nowhere. “I’ve been waiting for this moment.”
“Pardon me?”, She was confused. The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn’t recognize him.
“Congratulations, MC.” A silhouette she never thought she’d see again appeared from the shadows. There was no mistake, it was HIM. His mint hair was a little longer than what he used to have, but she recognized that big smile on his face and those beautiful mint eyes that used to hypnotize her.
“What a nice surprise. How have you been?”
She hugged him but not as he expected. There was something different about her greeting. “It’s nice to see you well… actually I was a little nervous. I didn’t know how you would react after seeing me again.”
“Hahaha, don’t be silly. Everything is great. I’m glad you’re back.” If this had happened some time ago, her emotion would’ve been unmeasurable. It didn’t mean she was not happy to see him again, she just felt differently.
“Sorry for leaving you, but I’m back. We can continue where we left. I missed you.”
“I’m sorry, I must go back to the event, but you need to tell me all about your trip.” She left without saying anything else.
“Was it my imagination or did she seem distant?”, he sighed, “I guess she’s still mad because I abandoned her for so long.”
“Hyun? How are you? Glad to see you.”
“You don’t seem so happy to see me.”
“It’s not that, you know…. You left for so long, man.”
“I know, and I’m sorry about that. I needed time to think about my life, about Rika, about what happened. I had to be totally equilibrated and balanced for my new life plans.”
“Good to hear that. By the way, have you seen MC?”
“Indeed, she’s even more beautiful than what I remember.”
“Yes, she’s amazing. Look, we need to talk.”
“Thanks for taking care of her. She looks happy to be part of the RFA team.”
“I suppose it was difficult for her when I left but thanks to all of you, she seemed to handle it fairly well.”
“Yes, it was hard for her, but…”
“Thanks a lot Hyun, now I’m ready to tell her how I feel.”
V left without listening to anything Zen tried to tell him. His excitement was such that he ignored all of Zen’s well intended explanations.
“Tsk, This guy. He didn’t even let me talk. I guess he’ll find out anyway.”
Zen was at the bar drinking by himself, trying to figure out a plan which could avoid any trouble, but nothing came to his mind.
“Zen? Are you ok? You seem annoyed.”
“Yoosung!!!!. I’m glad you’re here. I tried to talk to V but he didn’t give me a chance to say anything about MC.” You could feel the frustration in his voice.
“Ahhh…. About that…. Well….. don’t look at me. I’m NOT talking to him…. Let Jumin handle the situation.”
“You’re right. Let’s help Jaehee with the guests then.”
They left wishing for the best resolution.
Jumin was talking to some guests until he spotted a face, he didn’t expect to see that night.
“Jumin. Long time no see.”
“Long time indeed. You didn’t even call once.” Jumin was content to see his childhood friend but a little resentful since he never contacted him.
“S-Sorry about that. I needed some time by myself.”
“Well. More than two years is definitely a lot of time by yourself. So, what brings you back? Did you finally get bored and decided to pay a visit?”, his tone was sarcastic but condescending.
“Hahaha, sort of…”, he scratched the back of his head. V was a little embarrassed. He was aware his departure might have complicated many things in his friends’ lives. However, he planned to make it up for his absence.
“Good. Have you talked to MC?”
“Yes, a little. She was busy with the party, so we couldn’t chitchat appropriately.”
“Well, you MUST talk to her.”
“Oh, sure. I plan on doing so. Maybe I’ll ask her out and take her to a nice restaurant tomorrow.”
“Not a good idea if you care about your life.”
The last remark made V wonder if he was joking or not. He looked at Jumin waiting for a smile or a sarcastic sign, but no, he was dead serious.
*cough cough* Jumin pretended as if nothing had happened, “It’s elementary that you talk to her today. I’ll ask Assistant Kang to cover up her work so you two can talk.”
“I didn’t know you cared so much about us. Thank you Jumin.”
“I care about your life and ours. Basically, I’m doing this to avoid a bigger and more dangerous situation. Now, if you excuse me. Wait here while I handle everything.”
V was startled by what Jumin said. “That was odd… Why would things be dangerous?” He kept thinking and thinking about it but couldn’t figure out the reason.
After several minutes of expectation, V saw the silhouette of the only person he’s been waiting eagerly to see.
“V.? Jumin told me you were waiting for me here.”
“Yes, I need to talk to you. I have a lot to explain and apologize for.” He took her hands. They were soft and warm as always. His heart was beating fast. This was the moment he’s been waiting for. “I know I left without saying anything and I know I told you to wait for me. I was confused and I needed to clear up my mind and put everything in order, so I could show you the best version of myself. And after all this time, I finally got to the conclusion that you are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met and that I…”
“V, stop there., please.” She interrupted him midsentence while removing from his grasp. Her eyes were filled with sorrow and melancholy. She moved a step back, trying to have more space between them. “V, I have to tell you something first.” She sighed. She wasn’t sure how to tell him all what she had been bottling up, but this was the time. “Look, when you disappeared without any word, I felt terrible. You left me behind with no reason at all. You never communicated with me, not even a message or a call.”, her voice was shaky, she tried hard not to cry, “I know I’d told you I’d wait. At first, I thought it’d be just a couple of weeks or maybe a month or two. Then time passed by very quickly, and that’s when I realized you were not coming back.”
“Let me finish, please. I really need to express this. To tell you the truth, I cried. I cried a lot. I cried until falling asleep. You made me feel it was MY fault. I even thought I wasn’t good enough for you and that’s why you dumped me.” She couldn’t hold her tears longer. All the emotions she had been working on, bloomed in that moment. V tried to comfort her, but she pushed him away. “My mind kept spinning with the idea of being worthless every night. It was unbearable…” She took a deep breath, and a shy smile came from her face, “Everyone in the RFA tried to lift my spirit. I’m so thankful to have met them. They are wonderful people.”
“Then, one day Luciel asked me to help him with something. I went to his place. Quite an interesting home he has. I ended staying at his place for two weeks and… you know what? That changed my life.”
V didn’t understand what she meant by that, but he saw how her gloomy expression changed to shinny and bright. He waited for her to continue talking.
“Well…. Actually… SOMEONE changed my life.”
There it was, the bright in her eyes, the smile that shares love and compassion. Her trembling was replaced by a calming sensation. She was in love.
“So… you’re saying that Luciel and you…?” He hesitated to ask what he wanted to know.
“Hahaha, no. Don’t be silly. He’s like a brother to me.”
V sighed in relief. But now, he was even more curious.
She saw the expression on his face, he was eager to know who she was talking about. And with the biggest smile she continued, “In fact, it was someone totally unexpected. He sure looks like a scary dude, but he’s so considerate and protective. He taught me that nobody deserves my tears and that I couldn’t be clinging on to someone who’s not next to me. And for some reason, his words resonated deeply within me. I ended asking him to help me be emotionally stronger. I thought a stone-hearted person like him would do the trick.”, she giggled, “Funny thing, I discovered he was not so stone-hearted, and I was indeed strong enough to forget about you.”
V felt as if a needle pinned his heart. He was not prepared for that.
“At the end, I got rid of that idolatry towards you and rediscovered myself. And during the journey, I found the most appealing, kind, and courageous soul, full of integrity and trustworthiness. And…… without any notice, we fell in love.”
His heart was broken. He never thought that would be possible. He believed that when he was ready, MC would be waiting for him. It was selfish and reckless of him to think that. But he wanted to make sure what he heard, “So… what you’re saying is that….?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t love you anymore.”
V was surprised, she was so straightforward. He never confessed to her and now she has the strength and confidence to reject him without any doubt.
“Actually, I would like to thank you for abandoning me.”
“Thank me?”, he was more than confused, “I thought you would hate me.”
“I don’t hate you, I’m not even mad at you anymore. I’m profoundly grateful. Thanks to that, I’ve met him.”
V was confused. He couldn’t comprehend how it was even possible that she was thanking him after all the pain he had caused her. He was also intrigued to know who that person was. “But, if you said it’s not Luciel, then who?”
“That’ll be me.” A hoarse voice came from behind them, and an unfamiliar male figure approached. “Vanderwood. Nice meeting you.” He shook V’s hand. “Now, if you excuse us, I came for this lady.” He took MC from the waist. “Oh, Sorry dude, I guess you’re feeling quite stupid now. In fact, you were very stupid for dumping this precious girl. But just like she said, Thanks pal.” Vanderwood patted V on the shoulder. “Shall we go my love?”
She nodded and held on his arm tightly, before leaving, she turned to V with a smile “It’s good to see you’re fine.” It felt like a farewell for him. It felt like a closure for her.
V stayed there speechless. He was still processing what had happened. All his plans, all his dreams were now gone. He didn’t cry, he couldn’t be mad, he didn’t blame her. It was his fault. His cowardness made him lose precious time with her, and now he doesn’t have a chance. The only positive side was that she looked happy.
Jumin saw everything from afar. He knew his friend would be devastated and waited for him to settle things up in his head.
“Huh? Jumin….. I… I can’t believe it.”
“Yeah, I know it must be hard to see her with someone else, but you need to understand that you left for more than two years without saying anything.”
V didn’t want to hear any complaints, but his friend was right. He left her.
“But I thought that MC and I….”
“V… you are my friend. And I’ve always supported your ideas and behavior, but in this case, you must accept that you were a total jerk.”
V was surprised to hear him say that. Jumin is not the kind of man that curses or badmouths.
“You abandoned her with an empty promise of coming back. No texting, no letters, no phone calls. She thought you were dead, she thought you despised her. She suffered a lot.” Jumin stopped, he hesitated to continue the conversation. He took a sip of his wine, “To be honest, if it weren’t because you two had a thing, I would have courted her. But I would never cross that line.”
In V’s mind, he would have preferred that was the case. At least he’d be sure, she was in good hands. But the fact that this new guy worked with Seven, worried him. “And how did all happen? When did it happen? Why didn’t you interfere? I mean, he’s a secret agent, a spy, a murderer, a CRIMINAL!!!!”
“I knew you would overreact, but I guess now you’re just being overdramatic. Listen, he’s in the same shadowy work as Luciel, but I’ve investigated him. Clean background, great abilities, top skills, high IQ, clean medical records, no diseases, no addictions, a few minor surgeries.”
“He’s a hacker!!!! He could have invented all that stuff.”
“Maybe, but I set the best hacker I know to check the information, and… I trust him.”
V couldn’t believe how calm Jumin was. “But…”
“V, stop. You must accept the fact that she’s with another man. Look at her, she seems happy.” Jumin pointed to the couple dancing in the middle of the salon.
V sighed in resignation, “So, do all the RFA members agree with this?”
“Yes. After watching her cry every day, I was worried. We were all worried. Then, suddenly she began to return to her true self, being positive and joyful. So, we agreed it was good for her.”
“Maybe you’re right. I shall get over this. Thanks friend. I guess I need to rest and process all this.” V decided to go home earlier. He felt defeated and disappointed. The outcome was completely the opposite of what he had in mind.
“See you soon.” Jumin smiled and waved goodbye to his heartbroken friend.
The moment V left, Jaehee appeared. “Mr. Han, I saw you were talking to V. May I ask if he is ok?”
“He will be…. I hope so…”
The party was a total success. Nobody heard anything about V for a couple of days. He has been in contact with Jumin, but he felt a little uncomfortable to talk to the others.
“Luciel, I’m sorry for bothering you. But I need to talk to you. Can we meet somewhere quiet?............... No, I don’t really want to go to your place……………….. No, it’s not that, it’s just…………… Ok……… Thanks for understanding……. Yes…… I’ll see you there……..Goodbye.”
“I need to know more about this man and only Luciel can help me.”
Saeyoung arrived and began looking around. Then he saw the distinctive mint color he was looking for. “V, sorry. Have you been waiting for long?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve just arrived.”
“Really?”, he crossed his arms and leaned back, “Seems you’ve got two cups of coffee already.”
“Hahaha, let me guess. You’re worried about MC dating Vandie?”
“You saw right through it, didn’t you?”
“I’m God 7, I know everything….. hahaha…. So….. whatchu wanna know my dear grasshopper?” He pretended to fidget his beard.
“This is silly, I know. But I want to make sure she’s safe with him.”
“Jealous?” Seven asked in a mocking tone.
“A little”, he felt embarrassed by accepting that.
Saeyoung burst into laughter, “Haha, it seems to me like you’re on the verge of creating a secret cult in order to make her return with you.”
“Do I seem that desperate?... Ok… don’t answer that. You are right. It’s been two weeks since I came back, and I can’t still understand the situation. I had the illusion…..”
“Yes, yes, we know. We all know you’ve got dreams; you’ve got illusions, you’ve got plans, but all that vanished when you fled away.”
Those words hurt. “I didn’t flee, I left to think.”
“Well, you should’ve set that clearer to MC. She thought you escaped, or you were hiding or dead. I don’t want to be the one telling you this again, but she was a total wreck. And like in any love story, at the end, the grumpy and sexy secret agent got the heart of the princess. I’d have preferred if she’d chosen the sexy and smart one, but who knows…….”
It was hard to hear that again. He sighed, “So…. Is she really happy?”
“Is he really taking good care of her?”
“Does…..he truly love her?”
“Good question…. You know, I can’t answer that, but I know someone who can.” Saeyoung stood up and waved to someone at the entrance of the place. “Vandie!!!, Over here!!!”, Take a seat. I gotta go to the restroom. You can chitchat all you want…. And Vandie, don’t kill him,” he whispered, “There are many witnesses…. Hahaha…..”
Vanderwood was not very happy with the situation, he realized he has been framed once again by Seven. “What the heck?.... Stupid bastard”, he looked at V and with a defiant look. “Hey, you!!, this was a trap. I didn’t know you were here. Seven told me we were on a mission.”
“I….”, V was definitely scared.
“Arghhh…… what are you looking at?”
“No-nothing, do you want to have a seat?”, V was so nervous by his presence that he even stuttered.
They spent an awkward time looking at each other intensely.
Vanderwood was sick with the situation and decide to break the ice. “So, what do you want? And make it quick, I DO work, not like you.”
“I work as well, I’m a photographer and a painter.”
“Pffff, what a whimsy job of yours.”
V was getting angry, not only he stole MC, but he was also making fun of his passion.
“So….. whatchu wanna know?”
“Yes, you are right. I would like to get to know you better.”
“Know me? Hahahaha, don’t be ridiculous. We’re never becoming friends if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“What? No, not friends. I just want to make sure MC has the right person beside her. Someone who genuinely loves her and can be able to protect her.”
For some reason, every word V mentioned pissed him off. “Protect her?..... Of what? … You bluehead”
“Protect her of any danger or harm,”
“So, to summarize you think she needs to be loved and protected 24/7?”
“Yes, she’s the most precious person I know.”
Vanderwood realized that V’s intentions were noble, he was just worried. And he appreciated the gesture. He stamped the table with his hand, making V jumped back. “If I tell you the truth, are you leaving us alone?”
“Yes, I give you my word.”
“Listen up bluehead,” he lowered his voice, “I’m not saying it twice. Love her, you say? I do. Totally. I’m stupidly in love. Precious, you said? She’s not only precious, she’s the most beautiful, intelligent and kindest person I’ve ever met. Protect her, you say? No.”
“I knew it!!! You are not trustworthy.”
“You know what your problem is? You think she NEEDS protection. You visualize her as a delicate flower in need of a guardian. Guess what? She doesn’t need it. She’s a strong woman. She’s the strongest woman I’ve ever met. She’s not a flower, she’s the whole Sakura tree. Strong and beautiful. She never needed your protection. She needed to grow, to receive the sun. She was a little young sprout stomped by a selfish creature, but after that she received water and sun every day. She was taken care by someone who knew she had a lot of potential. He let her grow by herself. He encouraged her strength. And now, she’s a strong, beautiful, tall tree bringing joy and beauty to everybody around her. And that’s the woman MC is. That’s the woman I love and that’s the woman you would stop stalking and let her be happy.”
V was startled by what he had heard. Vanderwood was not a bad person, in fact, he was even better than himself. He was definitely the best suitor for MC. V felt embarrassed of suspecting Vanderwood. But he was content and relieved to know the truth.
“Bravo!!!! Well said Vandie!!!!”, Saeyoung approached him and hugged him as a proud father, “Look at you… Who would have imagined inside that grumpy face is a poet full of romance and determination.”
“Shut up, and don’t you dare say anything to MC”, he took Seven from the collar of the jacket.
“Hahaha, relax. I don’t need to do that”, his eyes turned to the left.
“Wow Mr. Vanderwood. That was so cool. I want to be like you when I grow up”, Yoosung eyes were shining as if he had found a new hero.
“Impressive tiger. And I thought I was the sensitive and romantic of the group,” Zen looked a little jealous.
“I must say. That cleared all our doubts. You have my total approval.” Jumin confirmed with a nod.
“I must agree with Mr. Han and I apologize we had our doubts about you Mr. Vanderwood. But now I feel relieved after hearing that.”, Jaehee sighed and smiled.
Vanderwood was shocked. “Why’s everybody here? Forget what I said. I was just acting.” His face was all red when he saw the smile that brightens his days. He swallowed and cleared his throat. “Did…. Did you listen what I said?”
“…… Just forget about it ok?”
MC got closer and took his hands. “Thank you for helping me grow strong and beautiful. Thank you for showing me I’m a capable woman. Thank you for loving me and being there for me. I love you.”
Everybody was cheering and clapping while they saw them kissing.
“V, are you sure you wanna keep investigating him?”
“No, Luciel. It won’t be necessary.”
The couple realized everyone was staring at them. “You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I love you and… I can’t wait anymore….” Vanderwood was very nervous all of the sudden.
“Go Vandie, you are the man.” Saeyoung yelled from the back.
“Tsk… shut up. This is way more difficult than I thought,” he took a deep breath, his face was red as a tomato, and with his hands shaking he took something out of his pocket, “MC, Will you marry me?”
“Of course, I will”, tears began to roll down her cheeks. Vanderwood taught her not to cry, he repeatedly told her tears were too precious to be wasted, but this time was different. She had never expected this to happen, neither in front of so many people. “I love you.”
Jumin approached his friend who was still on the table, “So… a little unexpected all this.”
“No, I knew it from the beginning,” Saeyoung proudly interrupted, “He was too nervous to propose that I had to set the mood.”
V couldn’t believe what he just said, “So, you’re saying this was your plan since the very beginning?”
“Hahaha, of course it was…. I’m God Seven, Master of Romance”
Everybody was cheering for them. “Hey, bluehead!” Vanderwood yelled while approaching to the table, “Are we fine now?”
V smiled and nodded, “Yes, we are. And congratulations”, they shook hands understanding that no more words were needed between the two.
“Congratulations guys, we must celebrate. Let’s go to a fancy restaurant.”
“But Seven, I don’t have enough money for that.”
“Don’t worry Yoosung boy, our friend V is gonna pay as an apology to our happy couple.”
“Hey, Vandie!!! I’ll be your best man, won’t I?”
“Aw, c’mon. I know you want. And I’m your only friend… so it’s obvious.”
Jumin and V stayed in the back of the boisterous group. “They sure seem happy. How do you feel now?”
V hesitated to respond; a hurricane of emotions was whirling inside of his mind. “A little sad, but after what just happened and witnessed, I have no more regrets. Let’s celebrate!”
