↳ ❝🍓 [epilogue] ¡! ❞🚬

YOONGI AWAKES WITH with a started gasp. It's cold and crisp. He can tell he's outside immediately, but how did he get here?

The first thing he sees is his hand and arms. They're smooth, covered in his tattoos, unfaded, unstretched. He also notices that he can breathe properly and that his vision is better.

He's young again, 25.

What in the hell?

"It took you a while." A voice captures Yoongi's attention. It's so familiar and even after so many years, he recognizes the deepness of it, the teasing tone.

Immediately, Yoongi sits up. His hands come to feel the hard shingles of their childhood home under his skin. It takes a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness but the moment he does, he sees him.

Yeonsoo.

The man leans back on his hands, looking out at the dazzling night sky with admiration for that that is far and beyond. Within sight but so far out of reach.

He's just the same as all those years ago. Still young, still handsome, still has that wonderous look in his eyes as he looks out at the stars. His lips are pulled into a little smile.

Yoongi's still confused and dazed. He remembers only his hospital bed and going to sleep. Now he was on a rooftop, young again. He blinks and runs his fingers through his hair. "What?" Is all he can manage to say.

Finally, Yeonsoo turns to look at his little brother. A single brow raises. "I said, it took you a long ass time to finally get here, you slowpoke." He chuckles deeply at how confused Yoongi is.

"You're dead, Yoongi. Done, no longer existing in the real world. I thought you said you were ready for this."

Yoongi finally remembers what really happened. He had died in his sleep.

He was in...whatever afterlife this was.

"Soo-" he begins only for his older brother to interrupt him. "Yeah yeah, I know you've missed me. I missed you too, Yoon." Yeonsoo grins, patting the spot to his right. "Come watch the stars with me, baby brother."

Yoongi hesitates at first, still in this surrealist world where his brother was with them and they were gaze at stars. Some of his happiest memories happened just like this. He moves to sit beside his brother, pulling his legs up to his chest.

He thinks of all he's ever wanted to say to Yeonsoo. To tell him about his life and how it had gone. The love he had and then lost. He wants to tell Yeonsoo everything. But first, he wants to apologize.

"I'm sorry, Soo," Yoongi murmurs apologetically. "You always said that if I joined a gang, you'd kill me." He was much like a sheepish, 10 year old again. He always felt so much younger than his brother, even in this scenario, his body was physically older than Yeonsoo's.

Suddenly, Yeonsoo bursts out in a burst of joyous laughter, taking Yoongi by surprise. The younger brother stares at the older with innocent confusion. "What?"

"Well, it's not like I can exactly kill you now, can I?" Yeonsoo reasons as his laughter slowly begins to die down. "Plus, there's no reason to be sorry. Quite frankly, I'm very proud of you, Yoon. You made something of yourself. Plus, you got a beautiful girl, more than I ever did."

He knew about Eva? Where was Eva?

"How do you know about Eva?" Yoongi asked him. There were so many questions that popped into his head. So many questions he wanted to be answered.

Yeonsoo shrugs and looks at Yoongi again. "You always spoke to me about her at my grave. What? You think I wasn't listening?" He questions.

"I met her too after she came here." He says plain and simple. "We spoke for a while about you. She said that she's incredibly proud of you for moving on. I am too." He pays Yoongi with a hardy pat on the back.

"She's a good woman, Yoongi. You are an incredibly lucky man."

Yoongi felt like a lucky man. He was so fortunate to be able to have someone like Eva who even in death was waiting for him. He couldn't wait to see her again, but he also wanted to relish in the time with his brother.

"You're better than I ever was Yoongi." Yeonsoo continues talking. "You are my greatest legacy. I wish I was there to watch you grow up, baby brother. To teach you the right from the wrong." His voice begins to falter and his eyes gloss over, turning shiny white in the reflection of the moonlight. "But you did alright without me.

You did alright."

It's the first time Yoongi's ever seen his brother cry. He's always thought his brother to be this strong, emotionless, badass of a person, but he's human. He has emotions. He just doesn't show them.

Yeonsoo quickly wipes away the stay tears that roll across his cheeks, chuckling with embarrassment. "God, I hate crying. Why are you making me cry?" He reached out and punched Yoongi in the shoulder.

The younger Min stifled a laugh, turning away to look back at the wonderful maze of stars with his big brother just like the old days.

"Which star did we agree was ours again? It's been so long." Yeonsoo asked. Without hesitation, Yoongi reached up and pointed. "Polaris. The Guiding Star."

Yeonsoo gave a quick chuckle, a fond smile played on his lips as he recalled his last day alive. "Yeah, if we ever get lost, we'd just have to follow Polaris and we'd find each other again."

Yoongi smiled as well. So this was what peace was. Yoongi felt no pain, no sorrow, no depression. He could be happy.

"She's waiting for you." Yeonsoo turns around and nods towards the open window into the house behind them. "Go be with her."

Yoongi turns around as well. He grows nervous at the thought of seeing Eva again. He hasn't seen her in so long. Was she just as beautiful as he remembered her?

"What are you waiting for? Go, she's been really excited." Yeonsoo shooed him off.

Yoongi finally stood up. He swallowed anxiously, slowly making his way towards the window.

He climbed through it carefully and in a moment, in the blink of an eye, he was walking out from behind a tree.

Yoongi was confused, he turned around, looking for the window only to see that it was gone, only grass and trees.

Where was he now?

Yoongi examined his surroundings. He was in this meadow or field. There were wildflowers all over, trees decorating the open field. The sun beamed down, full and bright in the cloudless blue sky. It was a perfect day.

Finally, his eyes landed on a house. It was a cottage-type house, decently sized but still on the smaller side.

Yoongi makes his way closer. It was just of how he dreamed his heaven would be. A beautiful house secluded from the outside world where it could be just him and-

The door suddenly pulled open and out stepped a beautiful woman with curly hair pinned back out of her face and a beautiful yellow sundress. Matching yellow flowers decorated her hair.

Eva.

She had a plate of cookies and a pitcher of tea in her hand which she put down on a little table between two chairs. Eva smoothened out her dress and finally turned to look at Yoongi with her familiar warm smile.

"I've been waiting for this moment for so long." She finally speaks to him. Her gentle yet mature voice like music to his ears, settling over him like a warm blanket. To hear her voice again almost made Yoongi cry right then and there. It's been so long.

Yoongi was frozen in his spot. He couldn't bring himself to move. It was like she wasn't even real, like this was a dream. She looked just like her namesake, an angel.

Eva gave him a curious look. "What are you waiting for? Come here. I've been waiting 40 years for a kiss and I can't wait a second longer." She opens her arms to him, beckoning him forward.

His feet begin to move even though his mind hasn't caught up with what was going on. He makes his way up the wooden stairs and into the from the porch where he's finally able to take her into his arms. Their souls coming to reunite once again.

This feels real. She feels real. She still smells like strawberries and her hair still smells like lavender. Yoongi hugs her tight, almost squeezing the life out of her...metaphorically.

They pull out of the hug and Yoongi cups her face with a smile. Finally, he bends down and kisses her hard. Her lips are the taste of the sweetest strawberries and he feels himself falling in love all over again.

Eva kisses him back, a sense of happiness coming back to her that she hadn't felt in a lengthy time. She spent all these years watching over Yoongi in life, making sure he was doing okay without her.

"I'm so happy you didn't come here so soon. I would've kicked your ass." Eva murmurs against his lips in a soft, airy chuckle. Yoongi returns it, pressing his forehead to hers with their noses brushing. "I'm sorry, angel. That I didn't tell you sooner. But I love you. I love you a thousand times over. You are, were, and will forever be my everything."

"I love you too, Yoongi. Words can't describe how much." Eva tells him. It feels like she's been waiting to say that forever. Her hands caress his face, wiping away the stray tear with a smile.

"You did well without me, Yoongi." She commends him. "I wished you got a family, you know? Had someone else to love." Eva always watched over him, walking beside him as the years went by but knowing he couldn't touch her, feel her there with him.

She knew of all the times he cried, wanting to hold him and tell him it's okay. She knew of all the times he had a chance to find new love, a new meaning in life, but passed it up for her. It made her upset, she felt like she was holding him back.

Yoongi shook his head. "I couldn't do that. It wouldn't be fair to them. I wouldn't have been able to love them the way I loved you. I wouldn't have been able to give them my all." He pressed his forehead against hers. "The wait was worth it."

It was definitely worth it.

She pulls away and takes Yoongi's hand, pulling him I've to the chairs. "Now, we have all of eternity together so that means an eternity of eating sweets. I hope you won't get tired of me because we're stuck here."

To Yoongi, eternity with her sounded like heaven.

With a smile, Yoongi shakes his head.

"Never."

*.✧ Kᴀʏs Eɴᴅɪɴɢ Nᴏᴛᴇs

And that concludes Strawberries & Cigarettes. It isn't as happy as it would be if they both lived and had a family, but I think an eternity with the one you love is good enough.

You guys can now decide if this is a sad ending or not. I don't think there's a wrong answer.

If you guys are wondering, Hoseok's still alive btw, but he'll eventually join them as well.

I really did love this book a lot. It's probably my favorite and I'll be reading it over later on. I loved the characters and the comments, everything.

But it's time to move on to other works and other projects until I tire myself out.

I hope you guys enjoyed this journey just as much as I did.

사랑해

~ Kay ♡