Ashes | Epilogue

Jinagan

'Jinagan Street.... Jinagan Street... Jinagan Street...'

Yoongi kept his head down low as he trudged through a small, deserted town. He clenched his fists in his coat pockets, heavy snow blowing in his face. Gritting his teeth at the cold, he repeated an address over and over again in his mind, as if it would help him keep his sanity.

"Jinagan street... Jinagan street..."

Jinagan street was where the little envelope he had received so long ago told him to go. Now, he was lost. He readjusted the backpack on his shoulders as he continued walking, turning right and left, hoping to find the desired location.

       Five months had passed since the day he ran out of the hospital, since he received the letter from Jimin. Yoongi was determined to find his best friend, even if it took him a thousand years.

No one else cared about him.

And he didn't care about anyone else.

       But he didn't have directions. No map, no GPS, no phone. He had no clue where he was going, which only made him take longer. He let out a frustrated sigh, but kept walking.

He was hopeless, but determined.

And then, something strange happened.

-

"S-S-Sir? Do y-you know where J-Jinagan S-Street is...?" Yoongi shivered, asking an old man who was sitting on a concrete staircase outside of a worn-down apartment building.

This was probably the hundredth person he'd asked.

      The man was frail looking; a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and a tattered shirt upon his wrinkled skin. His jeans had holes in them, and he only had clumps of hair left. Yet, he still wore a bright smile on his thin lips.

"Jinagan street? Never heard of such a thing. And hell, I know this city like the back of my hands," The old man gave a raspy laugh, holding up his crooked fingers.

"R-Really?" Yoongi sighed, eyebrows furrowed.

"Yep. This street is called Bulgil. Jinagan is quite a strange name for a street, if you ask me," the man chuckled. "Though, this place isn't the brightest. Jinagan would be a pretty fitting name for it!"

      Yoongi looked around and realized the man was right. The road seemed to be ripped up in some areas, and the buildings were crumbling. The street signs were faded, and there wasn't a single light on in any of the buildings.

"What happened here?" Yoongi asked.

"Oh... It's just an old town. Been through quite a lot. A long time ago, it used to be a happy place," the old man's eyes seemed to shine when he said that. "But then other cities started flourishing and this place became abandoned on the inside and out. Bulgil Street is only one of the many fading streets in this town."

      Yoongi didn't say anything. All he could think of was why in the world Jimin would chose this broken place to go to.

"Well... Have you seen a boy with red hair around here? He's about my age," Yoongi asked.

"Hmm.... I might've. There's barely any people here so I should remember. I think I saw a boy walk into a warehouse about a week or two ago. But he had a hood on. I don't recall red hair," The man muttered.

"Okay... T-Thanks," Yoongi said, staring at the ground.

"What happened to your face, boy?" The man asked suddenly.

Yoongi let out a long sigh.

"It's a long story," he mumbled.

"I've got time. Everyone around here's got time," the man persisted, gesturing around at the empty streets.

"Well, I barely have any time. So I better get going. But thanks for telling me what you know," Yoongi said, rushing off before the man could say anything else.

Though, before he turned the corner completely, he looked back behind him.

The old man was nowhere to be seen.

-

Yoongi ran building to building, searching for Jimin. All the shops seemed to be empty, not a single item on any of the shelves. He trudged through the snow for about two hours, checking every corner and crevice for his best friend.

And finally, he stopped at a warehouse off in a field, about half a mile away from the road.

The warehouse was made of black wooden planks, the glass windows almost completely shattered. The doors were made of steel and the building was surrounded by barrels of hay. It would've been dark inside, but the setting sun shone through some of the cracks and holes in the walls.

On the side of the building, there was a rusted sign that read,

Masks For Sale!
$10.00 each!

Now Yoongi understood why Jimin chose this place.

Yoongi took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut as he stood next to the closed steel door. This was the last building on the street, and technically it wasn't even on the street. The snow seemed to have stopped falling just for this moment, and Yoongi took of his jacket. Now he stood vulnerable to the cold in a t-shirt and ripped jeans. He took one last breath before opening the heavy door.