The One He Tried To Forget | 18+ |

7

Author's Note: The above is the original MV for this song. It premiered in the UK when the song was first released in 1987. The more widely known black and white MV (said to be preferred by the singer) is an alternate version when the song was later released in the US. However, the UK version is my mum's favourite so I'm using it here.

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Jin finished towel-drying his hair and draped the soft cloth over the drying rack in his bathroom as he got ready for bed. Walking into his bedroom with only a bath towel around his waist, he passed the wall mirror beside his wardrobe and carefully avoided looking at his reflection. He hated looking at his naked body, hated seeing the reminders that caused him to be the person that he was today.

Jin had had so many dreams, so many goals to aim for, but one night in his final year of secondary school -- that one fateful night -- and everything had changed. He was no longer able to chase his ambition, could no longer afford to live the way he used to, and had to stop being a normal teenager on the brink of becoming a young adult.

He tossed the damp towel from around his waist onto a chair by the window and pulled a t-shirt with a pair of boxers out of his wardrobe and put them on in preparation for sleep. As he ran his hands down the front of his favourite t-shirt, he sighed contentedly at the softness he felt under his fingers.

The t-shirt was old, and had belonged to his secondary school boyfriend. It was the only thing he had kept from his past life. It had survived the terrible events of that night because Jin had washed it earlier that day, and hung it out to dry on the clothes line at the back of his house.

The house was gone now, as was his boyfriend, but the t-shirt remained. It had kept him warm in the dark days following that terrible night. And though his boyfriend ultimately left him, he would always be grateful for the t-shirt that helped him hold things together when all else was lost.

Earlier tonight, Jin had watched as Yoon Gi disappeared into the hotel lobby where other attendees were milling about. He couldn't help but think that if his life hadn't gone pear-shaped ten years ago, perhaps he would be among those finely dressed men and women, holding hands and sharing private jokes with the one he loved.

If things hadn't turned to ashes and soot, would he be happily married now? To him? The one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Would they live in the suburbs that they had talked about all those years ago? His boyfriend had even taken Jin to visit the neighbourhood of their choice one beautiful summer afternoon on a Saturday. They had imagined what their home would look like, and which view they wanted from their bedroom window.

Would they have the two boys and one girl that they hoped for? While Jin had wanted their first child to be a girl so their boys would have a noona to protect them the way he'd longed for someone to protect him, his boyfriend had convinced him that their precious daughter should have two older brothers to fight cheeky no-good boys who tried to date her.

Would they have the dogs that they wanted? A Doberman which would suit his love's competitive and protective streak, and a Jindo for himself because of their extremely faithful personality. Jin's life before his boyfriend had been peppered with individuals who were unreliable and easily tempted by others so he craved loyalty.

And last but not least, would they find a stray tabby one day to round off their household? Jin had heard of something called a Universal Cat Distribution System and thought it was a delightful way to gain a feline family member. He fancied one that was ginger because it was rumoured that all orange cats shared a single brain cell that they took turns using. The idea tickled him so much that he wanted to verify it for himself.