✓BunBun Mine // taekook

Chapter 36

When the flame of love flickers, a smoldering fire burns within the heart. The yearning heart waits, like a parched bird longing for the soothing touch of cool air. Driven by the desire for that calming breeze, the human mind becomes desperate, enduring rebellion, pain, and suffering as it races ahead. Soobin, too, was running—recklessly.

Soobin couldn't express sorrow, he had never learned how. How could he? Before stepping into this bustling city of Seoul, no heartbreak had ever touched him, no sleepless nights had ever left him sobbing. This city, with its cruel, masked people, had stolen the seven vibrant colors of his rainbow and gifted him a colorless, monochrome life in return. His entire being—body, mind, and soul—revolted against the idea of love, yet they couldn’t grasp it. Defeated, he had been repeatedly crushed by reality. The flickering lamp of his affection had been carelessly extinguished forever, never to burn again.

Today, he felt empty, hollow.

Soobin knew he would lose the love that came seeking him. Still, why did it hurt so much? The strong armor he had built through struggle and pain refused to let anyone see his softer side. Soobin realized that love, with all its colors and charms, wasn’t meant for him—he only knew how to lose. No one would ever know that after losing his first love, Soobin had once again dared to dive into the sea of romance, only to drown this time, never to resurface.

Spotting the round-faced omega girl approaching, Soobin quickly took a deep breath and steeled himself. He would let no one sense the destruction raging in his heart. This was only his second meeting with Y/N. Scooting slightly to the side to make space, Soobin spoke in a breezy tone, his face adorned with a beautiful smile. “Have a seat, noona. Are your classes over?”

“Nope. Look at me—I skipped my class, and I made you skip yours too.” Y/N replied with a tinge of regret as she sat down. She added,

“Did Yeonjun oppa meet with you?”

Hearing the question, Soobin's aching heart cried out silently. Tears threatened to escape his beautiful eyes, but he wouldn’t let them fall. Weakness didn’t suit him. In this harsh world, being as strong as a stone was the only way to survive. Softly, he replied,

“No.”

Y/N frowned, narrowing her eyes as she asked, “How long has it been since you last saw him?”

Two months ago, while entering the university, Soobin had a brief encounter with Yeonjun near the gate. The man glanced at him once and then quickly looked away, walking off without a second glance. Soobin kept turning his head back to look at him, but he didn’t turn around even once. His friends were stunned, their mouths agape in disbelief. Bewildered, they asked him,

“Soobin, wasn’t that Yeonjun oppa? Did he just ignore you? We can’t believe it! The guy who used to follow you around through storms, nights, and humiliation doesn’t even acknowledge you now! What happened? Did you say something rude again?”

Shaking his head vigorously, Soobin replied, “No, I didn’t. I haven’t even seen him in days. I don’t know what’s going on!”

That day, Soobin was left utterly baffled. How could someone’s behavior change so drastically? Then it struck him, in this uncertain world, nothing is certain, especially not human behavior. People, like nature, are masters of transformation. In a calm, straightforward voice, he told Y/N,

“Didn’t he come to see you the night before your wedding? I saw him once at the university a day before that, though the meeting was purely accidental.”

Y/N was dumbfounded. Could Yeonjun really have changed? Does love lose its color? Isn’t love meant to endure eternally? How, then, did it change? A wave of resentment toward Yeonjun solidified further in her heart. The thought of a man obsessing over an omega, trying to touch him, proposing marriage, all seemed inappropriate to Y/N now.