Aftertaste | J.JK

Just Seconds

"Jungkook!"

He turns around at my call, jacket clutched loosely in one fisted hand as he raises an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Yes?"

"Where are you going?"

"Jin hyung doesn't have enough cleaning supplies already, so he wants me to go buy a ton more," He mumbles, and Jin flashes us a bright smile.

I quickly loosen my dark sweatshirt from the hanger and pull it over my head.

"I'm coming with you."

_________________________

"What kind of supplies does he need?" I ask as I pick through a pile of Windex and mops. "Are you sure he didn't just send you out to annoy you?"

"I'm the maknae. I wouldn't doubt it if he did this to annoy me." He replies as he randomly throws a bottle of blue liquid into the cart.

"But I'm younger than you? They should tell me to do this kind of things."

"It's alright," He says as he leads me toward the cashier, because I always get lost. "Shouldn't you know your way around here now?"

"I don't know— it's just too big," I say as I swing a plastic bag on my fingertips. "I'm bad with directions, okay? I still can't tell apart left and right without using my fingers."

"That's okay, my little vampire."

When we walk out of the store, I feel something warm land over the top of my head.

It's his jacket.

He'd pulled the hood over my head, so my face is nearly obscured over the oversized jacket. When I look at him in question, all he does is shrug.

"I have a sweatshirt, you know."

"You looked cold."

Then I hear it, and my lips tighten as I realize why he'd given me his jacket even though I already had a heavy sweatshirt on.

"He's a vampire."

"Disgusting— just look at his skin. What kind of monster sparkles like that?"

When I turn to hiss at them, a firm hand snakes around my shoulders and pulls me back forward. Jungkook shoots me a glance, and my lips curve downwards.

Don't.

"Is the girl next to him his hostage? Do you think he's going to drink her blood?"

"Oh my gosh— should we call the vampire police? What if he's going to kill her?"

I want to rip their heads off their shoulders, but Jungkook's grip is so firm that I can barely turn my head. All I can do is keep walking, a defeated expression on my face.

Jungkook's face is stone as it sparkles like the ocean at sunlight.

The whispers follow me even though we're long away from them, and frustrated tears streak my cheeks as I walk silently.

Finally he notices.

"Elle?" He exclaims shockingly as he lifts my face, eyes wide as he sees my tearstained cheeks. "Why are you crying?"

"Why are you acting like everything's fine?" I mutter angrily as I cover my face with his jacket. "This isn't fine, Jungkook. It isn't, okay?"