The scent of love

Drabblepuffs

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Do Kyungsoo puts the last of the bottles of perfume on top of the glass tables in uniform order. The newest collection of his perfume brand is gonna get released in a couple of hours and he's nervous, so nervous that he might pass out any minute now.

For this year, his collection focuses on the aroma of the most powerful thing in the world; love.

Although he's not quite sure what scent it is. That's probably why it became a collection, because he was trying to figure out what the exact scent is by experimenting and mixing stuff together, creating one unique concoction.

People have always loved Kyungsoo's perfumes. They say it gives off a feeling of bliss, and it incorporates well with a person, and it felt like Kyungsoo knows every person's designated scent.

His perfume scents range from ecstatic to melancholic, depending on how people view life. In a way, it's kinda like a life story on a bottle.

As the clock strikes 10, he instructs his staff to open the doors of his shop and within minutes, it's packed with customers, all willing to smell the new blends Kyungsoo has made.

Among them were these regular customers Kyungsoo always comes across. They're the first ones to enter and the last ones to leave. It's like they take their perfume seriously, and it scared Kyungsoo a bit.

Which is why he was inspired to create a scent based on some of them and added it to this year's collection.

He walks over to one of them, the one who always looks pristine and sophisticated, like he owns all the money in the world and it's evident by the branded stuff he always wears (or flaunts, Kyungsoo thinks).

"Hello, Mr. Junmyeon!" he greets the other cheerfully, bowing in front of him with a polite stance. Junmyeon looks at him and smiles, but never bows. Truly an intimidating rich fellow.

"I've been anticipating a lot for your next collection. You know I've always had a fascination with your perfumes, and right now it's the hottest trend in the korean entertainment industry." Junmyeon replies, eyeing the bottles on the glass shelves carefully.

Junmyeon is the son of famous korean actor who has been making waves not just in Korea but also in America. That is probably why he always looks so fresh, like he never sweats and gets his hands dirty. Even if he sweats though, he sweats gold that could cost thousands of dollars.

"I can't wait for you to try them as well," Kyungsoo ushers him towards a specific bottle placed on the shelf, "because this year, my collection focuses on 10 different types of fragrances; one for each man that have plucked my interest. And you're one of those people."

Junmyeon beams, but only for a few seconds, because when you're a son of a rich man you don't do things like that. You always have to look serious, like you're Goo Jun Pyo's mother.

"Ah, really?" he replies nonchalantly. "Well then let me see it."

Kyungsoo carefully takes the bottle in front of them, and Junmyeon marvels at how beautiful the packaging is. It looked so elegant, like you wouldn't know it came from a cheap brand.

Junmyeon admits Kyungsoo's perfume doesn't level to big names like Bvlgari or Christian Dior or his favorite Hugo Boss, but the first time he tried one of Kyungsoo's scents, its scent brought him back to his childhood. It's like Kyungsoo sprays fairy mist all over his creations, and it gives you feelings of nostalgia and pure bliss and that is something no expensive perfume could give Junmyeon.

Kyungsoo carefully hands over the bottle to Junmyeon, the elegant dark violet bottle transfering to the pale man's hands. It had silver colored vines decorating the oval shaped body, and the cap of the perfume is in the shape of a Betta fish, it's colors violet and light blue mixing together.

As Junmyeon tests out the scent, Kyungsoo wonders if this was what love smelled like. Does it smell ozonic, with a hint of citrus and something that smells like expensive leather, just like the J perfume, as what Kyungsoo has dubbed this masterpiece.

"It's........" Junmyeon trails off, his face morphing into something like addiction as he closes his eyes. "It's wonderful. It smells so.... me. And I don't even know what I smell like but this...... Kyungsoo, you're a genius." And for the first time ever, Junmyeon smiles a genuine smile at Kyungsoo, surprising the other male.

After what seemed like forever, he breaks off their stare and smiles back at him. But he didn't feel anything. No love, no tenderness, nothing.

He sighs after Junmyeon pays for it and leaves, that stupid grin still on his face. That's probably not what love smells like.

His next target was a tall man, wearing all black and standing at a corner of the store, away from humanity. He just stares as people come in and leave, and when he sees someone getting interested on something, he walks over to where that was after the person leaves.

Kyungsoo always sees him. Like everyday. He always comes, always stands on the same stupid corner and always observes. He never buys anything, he just goes in the store and observes.

Today was the first time he and Kyungsoo will ever be speaking, so Kyungsoo's a little tense as he starts to walk towards an oblivious man in black.

"Hello." he says softly, surprising the male. He looks at Kyungsoo with wide eyes and after a while he sighs, holding on to his chest.

Kyungsoo takes note of the many piercings on his ears and the many accessories he has on his wrist and fingers.

"You scared me." the man replies, and he has the thickest accent on his korean. Kyungsoo almost laughs, because it's cute, but he keeps it in.

"Would you mind telling me why you always come here?" Kyungsoo finally asks.

The man looks at him hesistantly, before replying. "My mother...... she...... your perfume...... good......" he tries to create a proper sentence with his limited korean skills, resulting to a slur of words.

"Ah." Kyungsoo tries to understand. "What's your name?"

"Tao. Huang Zitao. But call me Tao." and he smiles, and Kyungsoo doesn't feel scared of him anymore, because albeit piercing gaze and heavy eyeliner, he's cute when he smiles.

Huang Zitao has been living in Korea for 8 months. His mother had been living longer, and when she decided she wanted to let Tao study in Korea, he accepts without skepticism. He misses his mother so much because he spent half of his childhood without her, and now is the chance to make up for all those years she was M.I.A.

The first thing he ever comes across as he enters her mother's humble abode was the sweet, floral scent lingering in the air. He doesn't know why, but the scent just drives him to complete euphoria, like he wants to dive in a pile of cherry blossoms.

"That's my favorite perfume." his mother says as she grabs the petite pink bottle on her dresser. "It's from Do Kyungsoo Fragrances, and believe me when I say this, but his perfumes are so...... magical. Like he puts something into it that makes people wanna smell more of it."

And that is how Tao ended up visiting the store almost everyday, because he's looking for that one scent that's perfect for him.

"You..... my mother said....... your perfume...... great..... me..... mine...... perfume......." Tao tries to speak again, combined with hand gestures so Kyungsoo could get the point.

And Kyungsoo did get the point, because a smile comes across his face as he said that.

"Actually, I made you a perfume and it's included on this year's collection. It's called the T perfume."

Tao doesn't get it the first time, so Kyungsoo explains it again, and Tao squeals in delight (unmaly too) after understanding everything.

Kyungsoo guides him towards the glass shelves where he was with Junmyeon earlier and points at a black bottle, its shape round and stout, and its cap is in a shape of chinese chimes, the red tassels accentuating perfectly with the black round bottle.

"I kinda figured you're not korean even before you talked to me so..... here." he lets Tao hold the bottle. And as he opens it, the smell travels inside his nose.

The smell was woody, cedarwood with a mix of oriental essence, like Labdanum and Tonka beans. The scent also travels through Kyungsoo's nose, and he looks at Tao, expecting to feel anything.

Nothing. He felt nothing, and he feels disappointed for some reason, because Tao seems like a cute guy. Tao buys the bottle of perfume, speaking in chinese excitedly as if Kyungsoo would understand him. He continued speaking in ecstatic chinese until he steps out of the store, looking happier than usual.

Kyungsoo smiles. Two customers are satisfied, and he's happy of the overwhelming reactions, but still...... he hasn't found what he was looking for.

One customer asks for his help and he gladly obliges, and after a while he feels a tap on his shoulder.

Ah, it's from the third person who caught his interest. He excuses himself from the customer he was aiding and asks one of the staffs for help before diverting his full attention at the adorable male who looks like he came straight out of a manga with his silver hair.

"Hello, Lihan." he cheerfully greets the man, and the man looks offended for a few second before a toothy grin stretches across his face.

"It's Luhan, you idiot." he says and slings an arm around Kyungsoo's shoulders.

"Ah, yes, you only come here occasionally so I can't seem to get your name right."

"I heard what that guy was saying earlier."

"Huh? Which guy?"

"The one in all black who looks like an assassin! He says he's excited to let his mom smell his own perfume and that he's so glad he finally found his scent!"

Kyungsoo momentarily forgets that Luhan is actually chinese, because he's been in Korea since he was 13, attending school here because according to him, Korea was awesome. He's been living here for so long that his chinese accent was long gone, and he looks more and more like a korean by the day.

Luhan went once to his perfume shop, but he made such an impact because of his fluent korean and his witty jokes that Kyungsoo just wants to befriend him. And he did, although they rarely meet because Luhan's busy with his studies (and according to him, Luhan's been trying out to audition for agencies).

"Anyways, what's new, Kyungsoo?" he asks, changing the subject, his arms around Kyungsoo's shoulder getting tighter. Kyungsoo winces at Luhan's hostility and guides him towards the glass shelves.

"I actually made you a perfume." he says. Luhan removes his hold on Kyungsoo and looks at him wide eyed.

"Really? Ah Kyungsoo! I love you!" he says and he hugs Kyungsoo tightly. It was too early to feel something, but Kyungsoo felt a blush creeping across his cheek when Luhan said that.

He straightens himself out after Luhan lets go and grabs a bottle from the farthest left. The bottle was shaped like a diamond, its color light blue. The cap was in the shape of a silver crown.

Luhan opens the L perfume and sprays some on him, and immediately he feels excitement, because it smelled like adventure, with a hint of gourmand, like cakes and desserts and Luhan's happy because this is so him, as much as he doesn't want to admit he smells cute, if that could even be a scent.

Luhan wrapped his arms around Kyungsoo again, jumping a little from excitement (too much excitement to be honest), and Kyungsoo braces himself for the feeling of love.

But just like what happened with the other two, the feeling of love never came. Kyungsoo was on the verge of giving up.

He was sulky by the time Luhan left. He doesn't want to continue this anymore, and he just wants to close the shop early. 

Then two tall men entering the store caught his attention. His 4th and 5th victims, he thinks to himself.

"Woah dude, the last time we went here, you confessed that you loved me. Now, here we are again." the one who looks dumber than the other said with his deep, baritone voice.

The other one tries to shush him, looking embarrassed, but when the other man offers his hand, he takes it without hesitation and intertwines their hands together.

This brought a smile back to Kyungsoo's face. The reason why the two caught his attention, besides their towering height (that always makes Kyungsoo jealous), was that they found love inside Kyungsoo's store 2 years ago. He never forgot them ever since, even when they never went back.

And boy, was he glad that they're back. He straightens himself up and approaches them.

"Hello, Mr......." he trails off, hinting for their names. The boy with large eyes speaks first, overexcitedly that his saliva rains outside his mouth.

"Oh oh! I'm Chanyeol, and this is my boyfriend, Kris."

"Chanyeol, stop announcing it." the other guy said as he nudges Chanyeol, and surprisingly his voice was as deep as Chanyeol.

Kyungsoo glances at Kris and Kris looks at him, albeit red cheeks and bows his head. It made Kyungsoo giggle a bit.

"Actually, I remember you guys. From two years ago?" he says. Chanyeol gasps dramatically.

"Really? OMG, this is so embarassing, like oh my god Kris he saw you confessing to me!"

Kris makes a sound of irritation and facepalms at his shameless boyfriend.

"The both of you caught my interest, so I made a perfume for both of you, and it's part of this year's collection."

Chanyeol gasps again and recites a mantra of oh my gods before Kyungsoo guides them towards the glass shelves.

Both of the bottles were identical, and they were tall, just like the both of them. The bottle was colored gold at the bottom and it turned white towards the top, like an ombre. The bottle cap was in the shape of a dragon breathing out fire, its color gold as well.

Chanyeol opens the C perfume and smells. He gasps as he smells the scent of nature, like green grass, mixed with a strong scent of lavender. It was so like him.

Kris does the same with the K perfume, and was in awe as well, because his smell like mossy wood, along with a strong musk, something that screamed manly, and Kris liked it.

"How....... how did you do that?" Kris asks Kyungsoo after a while. "How can you know which scent suits people just by looking at them?"

And Kyungsoo chuckles, because that has always been his personal talent.

As they leave the shop, Kyungsoo takes note of their intertwined hands. He feels the love radiating within them, but he doesn't feel that love taking over his system. He feels disappointed again.

A cute, chubby faced boy emerges from the large crowd at the corner of the store and Kyungsoo beams in delight. He never noticed his 6th victim walking in his store, and he sure is glad he's finally here.

He feels that out of everyone, making this guy's scent was his favorite. He hopes this man would give him the scent of love he was looking for.

"Hello, Xiumin." he says as he pulls the chubby guy out of the crowd. Xiumin bows happily in return.

"I came here as soon as I heard you have a new collection! But then, my work....... so I was a little late. Sorry!"

Xiumin was making it seem like he committed a crime, and Kyungsoo finds it adorable. Xiumin was a huge fan of Do Kyungsoo Fragrances and he preactically has every bottle of perfume Kyungsoo has ever made. Every bottle.

Still he insists that he couldn't find the scent perfect for him, so Kyungsoo makes a promise to make one especially for him.

And lucky for him, today was that day.

"Hey, you remember my promise? It's here." he says as he pokes on Xiumin's cheek. He smiles as he sees the excitement pooling in Xiumin's eyes and they walk towards the glass shelves.

He grabs a bottle that's clear glass, with a very unusual shape. Xiumin's eyes widened as well, as the bottle lands on his hands. It was the shape of a snowflake, a very well made snowflake if he could comment.

He opens the bottle and smells it, and his eyes widened even more, if that was even possible. It was like the scent of fresh, crisp air of winter, and the scent tickled on Xiumin's nose like a cold breeze, with a minty kind of essense, along with a very tiny scent of cherries.

"I LOVE IT!" Xiumin blurts out loud, dancing without shame beside a surprised Kyungsoo. The people in the shop stared at him, then at the perfume bottle he's holding before rushing towards the sample section and smelling the fragrance.

"Thank you Kyungsoo! Thank you! You always know what to do!" he says as he runs off with his own special X perfume, along with 3 other bottles of perfume.

It was only when Xiumin left that Kyungsoo forgot he was supposed to find the scent of love in him. Kyungsoo clicks his tongue and stomps angrily outside to get some lunch.

As he waits for his order to arrive, he spots a group of friends entering the restaurant he's currently at and feels a smile creeping up his face.

It was the trio group composed of Sehun, Chen and Baekhyun. He met the three at a baseball game, and the three were noisy as hell, he figured he had to get close to them.

When they knew Kyungsoo was the owner of Do Kyungsoo Fragrances, they about how gay owning a perfume shop is. And that's how Kyungsoo never forgot them. It was probably his lucky day, because he runs into them again so he calls them over.

"Oh hey it's perfume man!" Sehun says as he sits on the chair in front of Kyungsoo.

"Yah, I'm your hyung,  you little ."

"Who's the real little here, exactly." Baekhyun chides, earning a smack on the head from Kyungsoo.

Despite them being ultimate pranksters, Kyungsoo likes hanging out with them because they bring out the hidden monster within Kyungsoo. He was never one to explode or speak much, but when he's with them he feels at ease.

He invites them on his shop after lunch, and the three marvel at how beautiful and expensive looking his store was.

"I never thought it would look this....... elegant." Baekhyun says as he looks at every glass shelf around the store. They were surprised too, seeing the huge amount of people inside.

"It's the launch of a new perfume line I made for this year's collection. The theme is romance, and actually, three of the scents I based on the three of you."

The three dropped their jaws at Kyungsoo words.

"Wow, for some reason I feel flattered." Jongdae says as he hold onto his chest dramatically.

"We've been an to you, yet you still did that. You're nice...... sometimes." Baekhyun says.

"We love you hyung!" Sehun says hyung for the first time, surprising Kyungsoo, as well as the other two.

"How come he gets a hyung and we don't?" Baekhyun starts to sass as he puts his hands around his waist.

"Complain when you made me a perfume." Sehun says seriously and walks over to Kyungsoo to intertwine their arms.

Baekhyun makes a motion of aiming a punch at Sehun, but Kyungsoo stops him halfway and leads him towards where their perfumes were displayed.

B, S, and C perfume were placed neatly next to each other on the shelf, and Kyungsoo picks the first bottle.

It was the shape of the sun, and it's bright orange color could easily catch attention, just like its owner.

"Baekhyun, this is the B perfume." and he hands it over to Baekhyun. He opens the cap and gasps as he smells the scent of summer, of peaches, and of honey.

The next bottle that Kyungsoo grabbed was in the shape of a diamond, with a silver cap in the shape of a thunderbolt. He hands it to Jongdae.

The scent was mesmerizing, like if it was a girl, it would be a beautiful girl. It had a citrus scent to it mixed with a strong musk.

"This smells so manly." Jongdae comments.

"Yeah, something you never were." Sehun says as he chuckles. Jongdae glares at him and he raises both of his hands in surrender and waits for Kyungsoo to hand him his perfume.

When he did though, Baekhyun and Jongdae started laughing like crazy. Sehun looks at Kyungsoo with a glint in his eyes.

"Why a butterfly?!" he screeches at Kyungsoo. He chuckled in reply.

"Who's manlier now?" Jongdae says as he pats Sehun's shoulder. Sehun shrugs his hands off and stares at the pink bottle in his hand, the silver cap in the shape of a buttefly. He's definitely never gonna show this to his partner in the future.

He opens the bottle and smells it, and his perspective of the perfume changed. The packaging must have looked ridiculous, but the scent, oh the scent. It brought him back to the days when he was little and him and his friends played at the woods.

It was the scent of pines, nutmeg and a hint of cinnamon and Sehun likes it, heck he loves it because it seemed like it brought out his appeal.

"We stand corrected, Kyungsoo." Baekhyun says as they begin to walk out of the store. "You are a perfume genius. It's not as manly as we think, but it's the perfect job for you. You know your customers well, and you're amazing at mixing stuff up."

"You sure you don't do drugs?" Jongdae chides in and chuckles when he sees Kyungsoo's adorable wide grin.

Kyungsoo was so sure he'd find the scent of love in either one of them, but even after they left, Kyungsoo's heart did not beat faster.

As he was preparing to go back inside, a familiar face catches his attention, and it seems to be going the exact way to where Kyungsoo was standing.

"Hey! Yixing!" he says as he calls the man, who seems too engrossed on being sad to notice his presence.

Yixing looks up, the same droopy eyes he has and smiles a little as he meets Kyungsoo's gaze.

"Hi, Kyungsoo. I was on my way to your shop......."

Kyungsoo invites him in and lets him sit on one of the small sofas inside the store. By now, it was around 7pm, and the once crowded store was now almost empty.

"Why are you so sad again, Yixing?" he asks as he carresses his back. Yixing looks up, and Kyungsoo's eyes widened as he sees tears almost threatening to fall down Yixing's eyes.

"We broke up again." he croaked out. Kyungsoo's gaze softened. He doesn't understand why Yixing continues to be with that of a boyfriend of his, there's a lot of nice guys out there, why does he continue to stick to that person.

That's probably why Yixing caught Kyungsoo's interest. Yixing always comes here every anniversary of him and his boyfriend to buy him a present, because according to his boyfriend, he loves Kyungsoo's perfumes.

But Yixing also always comes here whenever he breaks up with his boyfriend, which is sadly most of the time. Over time, Kyungsoo has been there for Yixing, comforting him with soothing words and sometimes a cup of coffee.

"I've got something that may or may not cheer you up." Kyungsoo says and pulls Yixing towards the shelves full of perfumes. The top shelf is almost empty now, because the 9 others were already bought by their respective owners, and now all that's left is one.

It's in the shape of a hexagon, the ombre of gray to white lacing the cover. The cap of the bottle is gold and silver, and it's in the shape of a unicorn horn, with vines designed around it.

"What's this?" Yixing asks as Kyungsoo hands him the bottle.

"I made you a perfume. It's called the L perfume."

Yixing's tears stop momentarily, feeling a little nice because someone gave him a present, because nobody really ever gave him a present, not even his boyfriend.

The scent was a mixture of melancholy and happiness. Just like Yixing. A lot like Yixing. It smells gingery, with a cacao flare to it along with lavender. That sounds weird when mixed together, but surprisingly good.

"Kyungsoo, I love it. It's so perfect. You're always the best at this." he says and he gently hugs Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo pities him because he just wants to have Yixing because he can make him happy, but the feeling of romance isn't coming, and he figures Yixing does not contain the scent of love he was looking for.

As Yixing leaves, Kyungsoo figured he did not achieve anything. Sure, he gave people the scent that was meant to be for them, but what about him? What about his goal?

He sighs and closes up the shop. Till the next collection, I guess......

"Um, excuse me? Is the store closed already?" someone behind him speaks, and Kyungsoo was in awe of how fluid his voice reverberated in his ears.

He turns around to say yes and holy ing , just as his eyes met the other person's gaze, his world seemed to have stopped. He was looking at the most gorgeous man he has ever seen in his lifetime, much more gorgeous than Chanyeol's boyfriend Kris or even the Tao guy earlier.

He inhales deeply and as the guy's scent travels through his nose, his heart rate started accelerating, like he was gonna have a heart attack any moment now.

He smelled unusual, not like anything Kyungsoo had ever smelled before. Not woody, not floral, not ozonic, not fruity, not gourmand, not citrusy.

It was like a combination of perspiration and natural human scent, and it sounds disgusting, but he smelled like a sweet bingsu that Kyungsoo loves eating the most.

Kyungsoo hesitates for a moment, before speaking.

"Do you wanna have dinner with me?"

The guy looks at him, surprised, because he didn't answer to his question. But after a while, he smirks, and Kyungsoo's face heats up because holy , he's so gorgeous I'm gonna combust into flames.

"Sure."

"What's your scent?"

"I'm sorry what?"

"I meant your perfume."

"Ah....... It's natural. I don't like using perfume because it causes me allergies."

Kyungsoo nods in understanding. So that's why he couldn't find the scent of love. Because technically, it doesn't exist. He smiles and feels accomplished for today.

"I'm Jongin, by the way."


a/n: yay first drabble! (is this a drabble it went up to 4,000+ words lol) inspired by ksoo's recent photoshoot with The Celebrity :)

ps: I don't know a thing about perfumes so forgive me if I mix weird together here I just do it according to what I think would suit each member.

gifs from kyng-soos.tumblr.com ^____^ enjoy reading! 

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