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A happy ending isn't always unrealistic. A sad ending isn't always realistic.
Context matters. The fact that we are all reeling and are unable to accept the ending isn't because we are fools. We weren't given enough time to see the cracks in their relationship. We saw missed dates and cancelled plans but then we also saw them showing up at eachother's door and making new ones. If they had to show the disappointment and unmet needs in the relationship, they should've given it more time than one and a half episode. Even if they tell us a lot of time and they weren't able to cope with Yijin being depressed and away and Heedo feeling lonely, I wish they had shown us that instead of just telling us.
The ending feels forced because we weren't given enough time to simmer and soak the 'decided end' and were just pushed into it. I can understand that the relationship is their own, and so is deciding the end. But how is it that they could not even remain friends? How is it that they do not wish to know about eachother? How is it that they gave up on being present in each other's life anymore?
The ending isn't realistic. It is forced, cruel and unconvincing. If they had shown Heedo happier and more content in her life, I could've accepted it. But she goes on about past regrets that she had forgotten, looking for closure even after so many years and having a husband who seems out of the picture. Her workspace is covered in rainbows but her life doesn't seem all that colourful. Maybe I am mad about Baekdo but then it is the writer's job to convince me that it was for their own good. The writers not only failed baekdo to serve an edgy ending, they also failed us.