𓇢𓆸 @hyunjuart - Tumblr Blog

sense of smell

pairings ━ cho hyun-ju x fem!reader

synopsis ━ your girlfriend has hundreds of perfumes, because of her hyper fixation with perfumes.

warnings ━ fluff, non-squid game AU, hints of overconsumption

hyun-ju has a hyperfixation with perfumes and scents. she can describe the smallest notes in each perfume. most people cannot which describes this endless obsession of hers that has every corner of your shared apartment turned into a fragrant gallery of glass and golden liquid.

she collects them the way some people collect memories with each bottle representing a mood, a season, or a feeling that she wants to wear forever.

for example, hyun-ju still has a full bottle of the marshmallow vanilla perfume she wore on your first date. that was two years ago. the next time she will wear it is on your wedding day, she says.

however, gourmand scents are her favorite. she loves warm vanilla bean, dripping caramel, toasted hazelnut, brown sugar crusted pastries, and anything that smells like dessert fresh from the oven on a slow sunday morning.

when she closes her eyes and inhales, her whole face softens like she's coming home.

when you first moved into her home, she threw open the doors to her overflowing shelves without a second thought.

“they're ours to share now!” she said, voice bubbling with excitement like a little kid with ice cream, like she was sharing the best secret she'd ever kept, "you can use any of them whenever, i love when you smell like me.”

you remember the first time you reached for her most-loved bottle. at first, you thought she'd be reluctant, but you saw the way that she watched you with her eyes sparkling, as if you'd just chosen her all over again.

however, hyun-ju's collection never stops growing. your woman gets packages arriving on the porch almost weekly with sleek black boxes with satin ribbons, pale pink tissue paper crinkling, and little thank-you cards tucked inside.

hyunju gives the most detail reviews on websites about the perfumes, and those online reviews get thousands of likes. therefore, companies send her a 'thank you' for being so detailed with needed critique.

all of her perfumes pile up, and taking the time to develop some organization has never been her thing. bottles crowd every surface of the vanity room with tall flacons tipping against squat travel sizes, discontinued treasures buried behind body mists, and sample vials rolling loose in drawers like forgotten marbles.

inside of the bathroom, the counter looks like a perfume market stall after a windstorm. once, you once found a dusty bottle of an old bottle wedged behind a tower of hand creams, waiting years to be remembered.

you live for order with sorting and grouping. it's soothing, like smoothing wrinkled sheets or folding laundry still warm from the dryer. so when hyunju kissed you goodbye that morning with her lips still sweet from her pistachio gourmand and left for work, you knew today was the start to fix her small problem.

first, you started by clearing every shelf, every drawer, and every windowsill. hundreds of bottles were moved to the bed in careful, fragrant rows. you breathed them in as you worked, letting the families introduce themselves with rich vanillas first, then nutty pralines, coconut suns, bright fruits, and soft powdery florals.

all of the difficult grouping came next.

you were nervous, since hyunju had the olfactory nerves to pair perfumes in groups. however, the vanilla gourmands claimed the center of the main shelf anyways.

you arranged them in a gentle gradient with pale whipped-cream shades on the left, deepening to boozy bourbon and dark amber on the right. one of hyunju's favorites sat the middle like it belonged there, surrounded by its closest cousins.

nutty gourmands got their own warm corner with pistachio, hazelnut, and almond croissants captured in glass. you placed them near the vanillas but gave them room to breathe, like little pastries cooling on a wire rack.

florals climbed higher, where the light stays gentle. every single one of the clean white flowers were together, then powdery roses, then the lush white florals which contained jasmine, tuberose, gardenia (according to the bottle, you couldn't put those into words by smelling it yourself like hyun-ju could.) that hyunju reaches for when she wants to feel impossibly romantic.

the tropical coconut scents lined the sunny window ledge since sunlight poured through the colorful bottles, turning the liquid inside to liquid gold. honestly, you smiled while seeing them through the window, and took your own aesthetic picture since they all looked like bottled beach days glowing in the light.

next, the fruity summer ones took the colorful spot near the mirror with all of the bright pinks, corals, sunny yellows. you sorted first by bottle hue, then by note with grapefruit on one end, mango and passionfruit on the other, like a little fruit stand caught in crystal.

you'd ordered a few quiet surprises for your love.

for example, a sleek black acrylic stand arrived days earlier which was minimalist, elegant, five tiered shelves. you filled it with the bottles she reaches for most often, the ones she never has to hunt for because they're already in her hand.

they sat there like treasures on display, catching the light from the blinds just right.

also, you got a woven basket. you added cardboard dividers wrapped in pretty paper with one section for gourmand minis, one for freshies, one for evening scents. suddenly all those tiny travel sized bottles had dignity instead of chaos.

by late afternoon everything was done.

all of the shelves were dusted, bottles were wiped clean, and labels were facing forward. the perfume corner looked like it belonged in a boutique and it looked so loved.

the front door opened at 1400.

“baby? i'm home—”

at first, you didn't say anything as you stood in the vanity room. footsteps filled the kitchen, then the foyer, and back into the hallway towards the bedrooms before the vanity room door opened.

there, her bag dropped with a soft thud onto the carpet. you smiled brightly, standing in the middle of the room while hyunju froze as her eyes went wide, with her lips parting.

she blinked once, then twice, since the room had basically rewritten itself while she was gone.

“what… happened here?”

you rubbed the back of your neck, suddenly shy under her gaze.

“i organized them. i know you love your collection but it was kind of… everywhere.... and i like organizing.... honestly, i thought it'd be nice if you could actually see everything.”

she walked forward slowly, like she was afraid to disturb the bottles. the woman's fingertips brushed the edge of the acrylic stand.

“you got this,” she whispered, “for my everyday ones.”

“they're the ones you always reach for,” you said quietly, “I've figured that they deserved to be easy to find.”

she looked up at you and her eyes were already glassy. it wasn't the materials that got to her, but it was your love that you poured into this organization project, “you noticed.”

“of course I did, love.”

she turned in a slow circle around the room and took it all in. the coconuts glowing golden in the window. the fruity rainbow by the mirror along with the neat little basket of minis.

“you grouped the gourmands… and the vanillas are all together and the coconuts... ugh they look so pretty with the sun hitting them.” her voice cracked softly, “it's perfect.”

she spun back to you with her cheeks flushed, and her brown eyes are shining bright.

“this is the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me.”

you barely had time to smile before she closed the distance, with her strong arms wrapping tight around your waist. she buried her face in your neck, breathing deep while probably catching whatever scent you'd tested earlier while you worked.

“thank you,” she murmured against your skin, over and over like a prayer, “thank you, thank you, thank you.”

you hugged her back, smiling brightly as your hands slide gently up and down her spine, “i had fun. it was like… a really expensive, really good-smelling puzzle.”

she laughed, soft and a little teary, then pulled back just enough to cup your face in both hands. she leaned in and pressed a slow, lingering kiss to your forehead, staying there like she was sealing something important.

“you're incredible,” she whispered, “i don't know what i did to deserve you.”

“you exist,” you said simply, “that's more than enough for me.”

hyunju glanced around again, still dazed, then back at you with that mischievous little smile you love.

“can i show you how much i love it?”

you raised an eyebrow, already knowing what idea she might've had in mind, “does it involve picking a scent and forgetting about dinner?”

she grinned, already reaching for one of the bottles on the stand.

“exactly that.”

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