There was this one girl that everyone in their department was curious about. She wasn’t really much, but what people say about her made everyone wonder. They say she came from a mountain or a jungle of some sort because she never mentioned where she came from. Others say that she gets high grades because she gave their professors some type of potion which she made from her witchcraft skills. The list goes on and the rumors get crazier, but one thing that everyone wondered about was why she only wore long sleeve shirts.

“She’s probably hiding something. Wounds? Scars?” A petite girl named Wendy asked.

“Probably.” Another girl, Joy, replied. “But isn’t it crazy if she does have wounds or scars all over her arms? If you look at her face, she doesn’t seem like the type to do so.”

“Usually the ones who you least expect to do it are the ones doing it.” Wendy stated and it left their table silent as they started to ponder on what she just said. She then faced her friend sitting next to her who has been quiet since the start of their lunch break and asked, “What do you think, Irene?”

Irene looked at Wendy then looked down again on her empty plate. She didn’t mind it when her friends talk about the rumors and gossips in their department, but whenever they talked about this girl, she always felt uncomfortable. She doesn’t exactly know why she felt like this. She was curious about the girl too, but talking about her like this never felt right to her.

“Maybe she just really likes long sleeve shirts?” Irene was unsure of her reply. It was one thing to consider about, but even she herself found her argument a little funny.

“Maybe. But wearing them even when it is super hot?” Joy asked. “Something feels off.”

Irene thought of that too, but she didn’t really know what to think about it.

*

Slumped down at the side of the field, Irene drank what was remaining in her water bottle as she watched her classmates run around and chase after a ball. She never really was an athletic person and she wondered how some people have the energy and the stamina to keep playing in this heat. She also wondered how this girl can even keep up when she’s wearing a long sleeve shirt under their required gym shirt. She looked around and she knew that their class was done and their gym teacher was gone too. Irene decided to go freshen herself up leaving her active classmates behind.

She knew her classmates would take their time playing, but it surprised her that none of them were in the locker room after she stepped out from the shower. As she walked to her locker, she heard some shuffling noises at some part of the room and after a little while, she heard one of the showers go on.

She wondered who it was, but she shrugged it off and started to dry her hair. The quiet air with the sound of the shower in the background gave Irene a weird feeling and she decided to play some music to ease her down. As she was about to play some music, the person inside the shower started to whistle a tune.

It was her first time to hear someone whistle in their locker room. The tune wasn’t something a normal teen would like. It was upbeat and it had weird syncopations. It felt like a cheer of some sort. The whistling ended as the shower was turned off.

Irene was done fixing herself up by then and was about to leave the locker room, but she heard the whistling again. She knew that she shouldn’t really spy on anyone, especially in the locker room because she might be misunderstood, but she was just too curious to know who this person was, whistling such an odd tune.

She walked slowly to where the whistle was coming from. She made sure she wouldn’t make that much noise because if she would, then the person might stop whistling and it would give Irene a harder time to find this person. She started to hear the tune louder and clearer until she was sure that the unknown girl was standing at the next aisle of lockers.

Irene rested her back on the lockers thinking if it was really right for her to spy on someone like this. For her, it felt really wrong doing this. She could just ask someone about it and call it a day but with her current position, she felt like there’s no reason to back out anymore since she already reached this far and was just one step closer to finding out who it was.

Carefully, she peeked at the aisle where the girl was and she sighed in relief that the girl’s back was facing her. But the moment she saw the girl’s arms, she was surprised.

It was her, the girl who always wore long sleeve shirts, and she was just wearing a tank top right now.

The sight surprised Irene. What she was seeing wasn’t like the rumors she heard. No wounds, no scars, but there were ink covered arms. They were like a tribal tattoo design that went from her shoulder blades until a spot right above her wrists.

Irene knew it was rude to stare, most especially when the person is unaware, but she couldn’t take her eyes off those arms. She isn’t really fond of tattoos herself, but the girl’s tattoos was something so different and oddly appealing.

“Wow.” Irene softly said. As soon as she realized what she did, her eyes grew wide and her hands covered .

She should’ve moved. She should’ve hid somewhere or quickly walked away but she just stood there frozen when the girl turned around to face her. It was evident that she was surprised too and she quickly took something to cover her arms.

“It’s not what you think! I didn’t mean to- I’m sorry I was just- Your arms-” Irene was so flustered and it didn’t really help that the girl turned her back on her as she wore a long sleeved shirt. “I mean, I got to go.” And Irene quickly walked out of the locker room, forgetting her bag and hopefully that awkward and embarrassing encounter.

*

With a couple of books open and a lot of papers scattered on the table, Irene writes down important details on her trusty index card. Purple ink for the terms and black ink for their definition. Their midterms was coming up and she needed to put all the information in her head before her tests. Her study momentum was on its peak not until someone tapped on her table to get her attention.

She looked up to see who it was and she wished that she didn’t look up at all. It has been weeks since their last encounter, but it she still felt embarrassed whenever she thought about it. Even if Irene felt like this, she didn’t want to be rude. She just nodded and the girl sat at the chair opposite of hers.

Irene gathered her books closer to herself to give space of the other girl. She had a bunch of books as well and like any other day, she was still wearing a long sleeve shirt.

They minded their own business. It kind of bothered Irene that the girl was sitting in front of her. She looked around the library and saw that there were a lot of vacant seats but she chose to sit with Irene. No new information was getting inside her head because she kept thinking what the other girl could be possibly thinking. Their last encounter wasn’t really good and she knew there would come a day when the girl would approach her and maybe talk about it.

“Hey, do you know what this is?” The girl asked while showing her notebook to Irene. The latter explained what she knew and was glad that she didn’t shake while answering the question. “Oh so that’s what it is. Thanks.” She started to write down what Irene told her and while she was doing so she said, “I’m Seulgi by the way.”

Seulgi. After hearing her introduction, Irene just realized that she never really knew her name. Irene looked up to the girl and saw that she was looking at her. She cleared before saying “Irene.”

“Irene.” Seulgi said while nodding her head. She continued writing down notes on her paper and Irene wasn’t sure if she felt okay about this. A part of her wanted to continue studying but she knows that her efforts would be wasted because she kept thinking of something else.

“Seulgi,” she said as she placed down her pen. “I’m sorry.”

Seulgi looked up at her and titled her head. “For what?”

“The last time…” Irene felt her cheeks heat up as she recalled what she saw back in the locker room. “I didn’t really mean to do it. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

“Oh that.” Seulgi laughed. “It’s fine. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it. It’s not like I can take back what you saw…”

“I’m sorry.” Irene said as she covered her face. Seulgi reached out to Irene’s hands and pulled them away.

“It’s fine, really.” Seulgi said reassuringly as she kept her hold on one of Irene’s hand. “I really wanted to tell you about it since you already saw them.”

A blush crept up on Irene’s cheek as she looked at their joined hands. She doesn’t really like it when someone gets touchy to her, especially on the first meeting. She covered the lower part of her face with her free hand and nodded. She wasn’t exactly sure why she nodded, but she felt Seulgi’s grip on her hand get tighter when she did.

“I’ve heard some of the rumors going around and they are partly true. I did come from the mountains, but witchcraft? No.” Seulgi laughed and Irene couldn’t help but laugh too. Seulgi then removed her hold from Irene’s hand and started to fiddle the cuffs of her long sleeve shirt.

She then started talking about where she came from and how she grew up in an indigenous tribe. She mentioned that they didn’t want her to go to the city since they were capable of teaching her, but she insisted to go. Eventually, the people agreed to her plead because they knew Seulgi had higher dreams and she was capable of doing what she wanted because she was able to get a scholarship in their university. Irene couldn’t really believe what she was hearing at first, thinking that maybe Seulgi was just playing with her, but Seulgi seemed serious especially when she started to talk about her tattoos.

“I have no choice but to wear long sleeve shirts. The ones who granted my scholarship knew about the tattoos. They advised that I should cover them up since this university is quite conservative when it comes to things like this.”

Irene nodded, but there was still something that she was wondering about. She asked, “Why do you have these tattoos?”

“This may sound silly, and I’m not sure if you’re going to take me seriously after I tell you this.” Seulgi nervously laughed while holding the back of her neck. “I have these because my tribe believes that if a woman is beautiful, she deserves tattoos.”

“But does the woman have a choice if she wants to get them?” Irene shudders at the thought of having a needle against her skin. “I mean, I know it hurts.”

“A woman can opt to not have them, but when they do have them then they are not only beautiful. They’re also brave and strong for they’re not afraid to get hurt.” Seulgi then rubbed her arms. “And it’s a bit embarrassing if you’d turn down the offer. The most beautiful woman in the tribe doesn’t just approach anybody. She does the tattoos, so she knows who are truly worthy of them.”

“The most beautiful woman? She must have tattoos all over her body then?” Irene joked, but to her surprise Seulgi nodded.

“If you were part of our tribe, I bet she would approach you too.” Seulgi said as she leaned on the table with her chin resting on her palm. Seulgi then reached out for her pen and started drawing something on a sheet of paper. “Like seriously, I’d give you one if I had the authority.”

Irene blushed. She was thinking of what to say, but nothing. She watched Seulgi sketch on the piece of paper and it was a small tribal print.

“You do tattoos?” Irene asked.

“They taught me how to.” Seulgi nodded and continued to sketch. “They say only the beautiful ones can work on others. Some of them are getting old, especially the most beautiful woman, and they need to pass it on so that the tradition won’t die.”

Irene was amazed. She, or anyone at that, would have never thought that Seulgi had this kind of story. She then started to understand why Seulgi didn’t really share much about herself to others. They might think she’s weird or they would discriminate her since she’s from an indigenous tribe. No one would actually really think she came from one, not with that face.

Irene then thought that Seulgi was indeed beautiful and worthy of those tattoos.

*

With their midterms over and their brains partly missing, Irene and her friends went out for a drink to celebrate how they barely made through the week. If it was another day, Irene wouldn’t go. She wasn’t really into going out and drinking, but she needed to let loose every once in a while. They sat together in one area and Joy started a toast.

“To our grades, for they may be higher than Wendy’s actual height.”

Wendy hit Joy at the side before they all drank their drinks in one go. The alcohol burned through Irene’s throat. It’s been a really long time since she last drank and she didn’t expect her friends to drink something so strong. They started to talk among themselves and whenever their glasses are almost empty, Wendy ordered more drinks for them.

“It’s my first time seeing you here!” Someone greeted from the back.

Irene turned around to see who it was and her eyes grew wide. “Seulgi!”

“Hey, Irene.” Seulgi greeted as she leaned over one chair and gave her a cheeky grin. “And hello, Irene’s friends.”

“Hi. These are my friends, Wendy and Joy.” Irene looked over to Wendy and Joy and she saw them giving her a questioning look. She hasn’t really mentioned anything about Seulgi to them.

“Nice to meet you!” Seulgi cheerfully said as she shook hands with them. “I’ll go to the bar now. It was really nice seeing you again.”

Before Seulgi walked away, she winked at Irene and a smile never left Irene’s face. This didn’t get unnoticed by her two friends. With Irene sitting in the middle, the two of them sat closer to her and started asking her questions. Irene shrugged them off, trying her best not to say anything about them and most especially Seulgi’s story because she’s sure that they would spread it around their department.

The two of them got closer with each other after their conversation in the library. They would usually meet up on the same table for study sessions, but they would mostly spend their time together at Seulgi’s dorm. It just became a thing for them to hang out there when they had nothing to do. Irene personally liked it when they’re there because it was nice to see Seulgi comfortable. She was not forced to hide her tattoos and she was able to show them proudly. Irene really wished that people knew her story, but she also understood why Seulgi had to keep it.

After everything that has been happening between them, Irene knew there was something mutual. They never really spoke about it, but their actions were enough to confirm whatever they were feeling.

Irene got up from her seat and left her two friends to sit beside Seulgi.

“One beer please.” Seulgi said to the bartender as she tapped a tune over the bar.

“Make it two.” Irene added as she sat beside her. “You go here often?”

“Not really, but I like drinking.” Seulgi then leaned closer to whisper, “My tribe drinks a lot.”

Irene blushed from the contact and she playfully pushed Seulgi’s face away from hers. Their drinks arrived and drank quietly together. The atmosphere around them wasn’t heavy or anything. It was the atmosphere that Irene always felt and liked whenever she was with Seulgi. It was calm but there are times when she felt a bit restless.

“Anything bothering you, Irene?” Seulgi asked while she patted Irene’s thigh, hoping that it would comfort her.

Irene held her beer mug with both hands, thinking if she should tell Seulgi what she was thinking about. It was something she wanted to bring up for a while now, but she wasn’t exactly sure how she would do it.  

“I think I want to do it.” Irene carefully said as she looked at her beer mug. “I’ve been considering it for a while now.”

Seulgi was confused. “Do what?”

Irene pressed her lips together before looking Seulgi straight in the eyes. “Getting a tattoo from you.”

“Seriously?” Seulgi was surprised. She never really thought Irene would say such a thing. “It must be the alcohol talking.”

“No, I’m serious.” Irene said as she leaned closer to Seulgi. “You told me you’d give me one, if you had the authority. I’m giving you the authority to give me one. And I totally got what you meant when you said that.”

Now Seulgi was blushing and it didn’t really help that Irene was getting really close to her. She held Irene by her shoulders to stop her from getting any closer. “I don’t want to talk about this now. I’d like it more if we were both sober.”

*

Irene woke up at a familiar place, but it wasn’t exactly a place she would expect herself to wake up in.  She looked around to see if the owner was around and she saw Seulgi looking for something in her desk. Irene got up from the bed and walked behind Seulgi to give her a back hug.

“What are you looking for?” Irene asked as she leaned her chin on top of Seulgi’s shoulder.

“A sketch.” Seulgi replied as she continued to rummage around her stuff. “Do you, by any chance, remember what you said last night?”

Irene nodded and hugged Seulgi closer. “I want to get a tattoo from you.”

“I’m not really comfortable with the idea of doing it.” Seulgi confessed. “I’m scared that I’ll hurt you.”

“It would really hurt, right?” Irene giggled and made Seulgi turn around to face her. “But if a woman wants it, she would endure the pain. And it would be embarrassing to turn down the offer.”

Seulgi laughed. Irene used her own words to answer her. “Are you really sure about this? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I trust you.” Irene kissed Seulgi on the cheek. “Pain will only make us stronger.”

Seulgi nodded and handed the piece of paper that she was looking for to Irene. It was the sketch that she drew when they were in the library. “If you really want a tattoo, I want you to have this one. I thought of it when I said I’d give you one if I had the authority.”

“I remember.” Irene smiled and looked longer at the sketch. “I actually wanted this to be my tattoo, but I thought you already threw it away.”

Seulgi started to brief Irene on what she was going to do and how the entire process would go. Irene listened carefully and watched Seulgi take out her tattoo kit. She grew more nervous as she watched Seulgi clean her tools, but with the other girl’s soothing and reassuring touches, she felt safe and secure.

Irene decided to have the tattoo placed on her back, near her right shoulder blade. She shyly removed her shirt and Seulgi nervously pulled down Irene’s right bra strap since it was in the way. They both became so red after the contact.

Everything was going well when Seulgi was drawing the design with a pen. Irene was able to feel how big the tattoo would be and she felt alright with it.

Seulgi then started to ink the tattoo and she could hear Irene hiss in pain. She apologized every time she felt like she hurt her more than she should and she knew that it wasn’t enough. She tried soothing her by touching her softly with her other hand. She thought of something. She wasn’t exactly sure if it would be alright to do but it was worth the shot.

She kissed Irene’s left shoulder.

Instead of hearing a hiss, she heard Irene groan and this made her blush.

“Was that too intimate?” Seulgi asked as she stopped inking Irene.

“I like it.” Irene then turned around to face Seulgi and pull her into a kiss. It was their first. “But I think that would calm me more.” And most definitely not their last.