Aftertaste | J.JK

His Favorite Scent

His features turn soft at my question, the look in his eyes warm and lighting my heart on fire. "I'll bring you some next time. It's my favorite."

Then the repetitive sound of ringing doorbells fill the house, making me jump. When I peek towards the direction of the door, I see a man- a stranger.

And he looks angry.

I instinctively hide behind Jungkook, my eyes wide and desperate to conceal myself from the man's piercing gaze.

"Don't worry," Jungkook quickly says. "That's one of the six hyungs. You know, the one who gets mad if I leave the window open and who's currently mad at me right now because I'm in your house."

"Jeon Jungkook!" I hear the man screech outside, and Jungkook asks me if he can open the door to let him in.

I trust Jungkook.

I just don't know if I trust myself.

When I nod, the series of doors slide open, and the man comes in huffing.

"Hyung, you're scaring her." Jungkook whispers, making me peek at the man defiantly.

I wasn't scared. I was just intimidated. There was a huge difference.

"Jungkook, it has been one day since we moved here. And you're already in a girl's house." The man rubs his eyes tiredly, his angry demeanor suddenly gone. "At least tell me you asked for permission."

With every second, I find myself trusting this man as well.

Jungkook nods happily, his eyes flickering to me whenever he can find a chance to.

"Doesn't she smell like gardenia, Jin hyung? Like the really nice ones- the ones in full bloom."

The person now I know as Jin raises an eyebrow at Jungkook, which I guess has got to have something to do with his weird obsession over my scent.

But it didn't mean it wasn't pleasant to hear someone compliment you.

"I think rose, actually."

While Jin's expression remains teasing, Jungkook's suddenly turn stormy. His eyes narrow, and I see something flash between his lips, so fast that I can't tell what it is.

"No."

"I'm just kidding, Jungkook." He jokes, and turns to me.

"I'm sorry, miss. It's just that he really likes gardenia, and consequently the ones that smell like the flower. You're his first."

Was that supposed to explain anything?

Then I nearly shriek in shock as I see a crowd of men all outside my door, each of them fighting to get a good look at us. They all fall into a pile when my eyes meet with theirs, as if that was going to change the fact that I'd seen them.

"Um," Jungkook says, noticing the men as well. "I'm really sorry. Those are the rest of my hyungs- let me just go take care of them, okay?"

Hyungs?

All of them were Jungkook's hyungs?

"Wait," I call, my interests suddenly piqued. "No, it's fine. I'd like to meet them."

And then the population of my house breaks its record number.

I count a total of five, amazingly good-looking men as they practically rush through the three-door system, one of them lunging at Jungkook and using him to give him a piggyback ride.

"V hyung!" Jungkook groans, and the man on him gives me a curious look.

"You." He says, and his voice is surprisingly a rich baritone. "Girl. Explain."

Another man pops into the edge of my view, his hair a striking mint color.

"And I'm safe to assume that she's a gardenia?"

My brows furrow in confusion. How come my scent was so important? And why gardenia, specifically?

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" A man yells, his voice light and breathy. His hair is colored a shade of ash gray, and now that I look at them, Jungkook is the only one with the normal ebony locks.

"I'm confused." I say, puzzled about this gardenia scent and the same time why someone was thanking me like I'd just saved their lives. "Why are you thanking me? I just met you."

"I'm Jimin," The man quickly says, his eyes crinkled and happy. "And do you mind if I go roll in your artificial grass for a while?"

What?

"I'm taking that as a yes." The man remarks, and skips off in the direction of the natural environment my mother made.

"I'm sorry," Another one says. This one looks the most serious, his smile apologetic with dimples dotting the corners of his cheeks. "Jungkook likes gardenia. Jimin likes the magnolias in your grass."

He frowns at my expression, which I assume has gotten even more bewildered.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm Namjoon, and this is Taehyung." He waves at the golden-haired man trying to back hug Jungkook, his slanted eyes fixed on me in an intense stare.

"That's Yoongi- the one with the mint hair, and Hoseok." He slaps a palm at his face, a deep sigh escaping his lips when he sees what Hoseok was currently doing.

I didn't think that people who had just gotten to know each other used their couches as a trampoline, but who knew? Maybe I was wrong.

"I'm really sorry about all this." He apologizes again, and looks stunned when I double over in laughter.

"Sorry," I gasp when I can't stop giggling. "This is just so exciting. You guys are just like-"

"Crackheads?" Yoongi suggests, and my eyes go wide.

"What's that?"

Yoongi goes off towards the bookshelves on the right side of the house, grumbling something about kids being too innocent these days.

When he returns with a dictionary, Jin immediately slaps the thick book from his grip. He shoots a warning glare into Yoongi's direction.

Then the sound of a car pulling in the driveway makes me freeze, and I rush to the window, hoping that I hadn't just heard what I'd thought I'd heard.

Blue Sonata.

My mom was here.

The men look at me in confusion as I wave my arms frantically, yelling for them to get out.

"Sonata," I hurriedly breathe, and I'm thankful that Jungkook understands me faster than anyone else. "Car—my mom—"

"It's okay, Elle." He assures me as he looks at my panicking state.

Did he not understand? Any moment my mom could come in, and if she found me with seven complete strangers that were boys, she would end my existence then and there.

My mother's car door slams shut.

"Elle," Jungkook says hurriedly, rubbing his hands together in anxiety. "I want you to know that I will explain whatever we're going to do, and that you will not freak out."

"What?"

Then as my mom unlocks the series of doors, the seven men all disappear into thin air.