Love or Rainbows (Twenty-five Twenty-one Fanfic)

A Vibrant, Flourishing Green

2 years later.....

Baek Yijin watched as she walked away, an invisible necktie easing around his neck. Ahn Ye Bin was not the kind of woman who took no for an answer. After the fateful blind date two years ago (which could not have been more exhausting for him), she had insisted that she liked him and wanted to be his girlfriend.

Jung Hyuk Sunbae had encouraged him to try and see if he could move on. Yijin had refused, because he knew all married people are eager to get their friends married. Sunbae was now a Team Manager for Business News department and happily married with two young kids.

For the next two years, Ahn Ye Bin all but forced her way into his life; she showed whenever she could for dates, she introduced herself to his family without his consent and she all but announced loudly that she was his girlfriend. Yijin personally wondered how she had all this time because she was an architect in a top firm but well.....

On their first date, he had been clear that he was not interested in a relationship and that he liked someone else. She had been annoyed and left early, only to call him a few days later that she didn't care about it since she liked him. As long as he didn't have a girlfriend, she had a fair chance. After that time, she was like a high speed train, everywhere at once. Annoyingly, his mum liked her; the both of them had similar personalities.

Six months ago, when she had gotten a building contract, she had disappeared for some time and he had been happy. His therapist was concerned that he allowed her to run around him so much. Yijin said he needed the distraction; she was like a young sister to him, saying no to her was difficult.

However, on her return, Ahn Ye Bin was suddenly more serious and composed. She had invited him to dinner at her apartment and for the first time since they started dating, she actually listened to his opinion about their relationship; how he intentionally emotionally and physically distanced himself from her. He had spoken to her about Na Heedo and how he still cared for her. They had argued about how she was married and Ye Bin said he should move on with his life. He had laughed at himself and replied: "it can only be her".

After that dinner, it was like Ahn Ye Bin was even more stubborn; she leaked the news of her relationship with him to the press; of course, the press loved it: a top architect and the youngest anchor in UBS history. Moon Ji Woong had reached out to him and they had hung out, drinking all night.

"Hyung, are you really going to marry her? Or are you wasting her time?" Ji Woong had asked this question three soju bottles in. Yijin had replied after a long time, tapping his chest, "Ji Woong ah, there's no space in here for her."

After that outing (and the mother of all hangovers), Yijin had called Director Ahn and invited the older gentleman to dinner and explained things to him, prepared for any backlash. The older man had questioned him heavily and was clearly disappointed in him. Yijin expected everything else except what Director Ahn eventually said.

"Son, you are not wrong to be in love. Love is never a crime, the criminals are those who refused to respect it. My daughter, I'm embarrassed to say, is one of those criminals. She grew up watching her mother and I in love, she wants that for herself too, as I want the same for her. But young man, you should be more decisive about about your relationships. I'm older now, so I know that life cannot be spent wasting time in the greys of life while longing for greener pastures. That's cruel to one's self, and we should all be kind to ourselves. It's better to cut off relationships you see no future in early. Be cruel once and for all."

Yijin had seen the old man off and remained seated in a daze for another hour, pondering on his words. After that, he had told his parents that he was breaking up with Ahn Ye Bin and she was not welcome in their home.

Sunbae had scolded him for it but understood his stance. The day he had told him, Sunbae was supervising an interview for his friend from the sports department. Yijin had gone to see him and discovered Kim Jun Ho there, who was giving an interview. Having met the young man only once during a fencing press conference in the past, Yijin didn't think it was necessary to greet him.

Yijin and Jung Hyun Sunbae were deep in conversation when Yijin had heard the question of the interviewer. The interviewer had congratulated Kim Jun Ho on the birth of his daughter and his marriage and asked him how living with a new baby was. The blood had drained from Yijin's face but years of training as a reporter saw him remain composed.

Jung Hyun Sunbae, noticing his sudden attentiveness, had called a nosy staff member and asked. The staff member was all too happy to provide the information that Kim Jun Ho had gotten a divorce almost two years ago and married a childhood friend of his, the news had been quieted by his family so only few people knew.

Yijin had made his excuses right after and called Seung Wan. She had apologized but admitted that she kept Heedo's secret. She also told him that Heedo was in Paris, doing a Master's in Furniture Design and had left for France after the divorce. Yijin, for the first time in his life, understood the meaning of schadenfreude. He felt bad for Heedo but was happy that she was unattached.

He had called Ahn Ye Bin and invited her to dinner some days later. She was pale and looked tired; her father had obviously spoken to her. On meeting her again, Yijin had felt weak towards her and couldn't bring himself to say anything. He genuinely saw her as a younger sister, the same way he treated Yurim. But he remembered her father's words and asked her to end whatever it was that she was doing. She had chuckled bitterly, pointing out his turn of phrase describing their relationship.

"I'm not surprised that you would say so, after all, I fell in love on my own and did everything on my own. And now, I will also honour your wishes and break up with the you I dated in my head. I really want to hate you but I can't because you were never cruel to me. I only have memories of myself running towards you and not the other way. Have a nice life, Baek Yijin, and be happy. I mean that."

As Yijin waited outside the restaurant for his designated driver, he thought about the last few weeks. He didn't dare to think that because Na Heedo had gotten a divorce meant he had a chance. He knew to respect her for her decisions both then and now. But, all of a sudden, the sky was bright and clear even though it was night and the autumn trees were suddenly greener. He also felt like looking for a payphone....

A/N: I was suddenly bursting with ideas after a conversation with a reader 🙈
Thanks a lot 😌
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As Always, Live and Love!! 🤸🤸🤸