Right from the very first knock on the door, Taeyeon’s sixth sense had told her that something was wrong. Uniformed officers, male and female, entered and looked around her shop with a sweeping glance before landing their gaze on her.

“Are you the owner of this shop, Miss?” asked the male officer.

Taeyeon blinked as her heart rate doubled, knowing that trouble was coming. “Yes, I am.”

The female officer nodded. “What business are you doing in this shop?”

“Art and design.”

“What kind of art and design?” The female officer probed further.

“Water colours, mainly.”

The male officer stopped by her desk and pointed at the bottles of pastel coloured ink standing on it. “These are the water colours?”

“Yes,” Taeyeon replied.

“We received a report saying your shop is used for an illegal tattooing service. Is it true?”

An outright denial got stuck in Taeyeon’s throat. She could just lie and tell the officers that she only did temporary tattoos. Nothing illegal. She could tell him she designed graphics. She could tell him any number of plausible lies and they would walk out of her shop empty-handed. She would get a warning and that would be it. But lying about it would be denying her existence. Lying about it would mean she was ashamed of the art she was doing.

“Yes. It’s true.”

The officers looked at each other, surprised to get something other than a denial so quickly. It was the female officer who recovered first and spoke again. “Do you know that it is illegal to do tattoos without a medical license?”

Again, a stubborn streak flared up within her. A blatant lie like ‘no’ seemed ridiculous after admitting what she did. “I know it’s illegal. But it’s a ridiculous law. No one is gonna get a doctor’s license just to be a tattooist. And a doctor’s license is totally unnecessary for something that only pierces skin-deep. Same goes for piercings.”

The male officer shrugged. “Sorry, Miss. It’s the law. If you’re admitting that you are doing tattoos without a medical license, we will require you to come to the station with us.”

“Right now?”

The officers nodded. “Yes, immediately.”

Taeyeon sighed. “Okay, just please, let me send my girlfriend a message first.”

The officers looked at each other again, brows raised as though questioning if they had heard her right.

“Yeah, I have a girlfriend. Is that a problem?”

The female officer cleared . “Er, it’s none of our business. Go ahead. We’ll wait.”

There was no other way to vent her frustration so Taeyeon dragged her fingers through her hair like they were in the way of something and grabbed her phone from the shelf above her work desk. She tapped the message furiously, thumbs going at it as though they were in a race.

Got reported. I have to follow the police to the

“Which station are you bringing me to?”

The male officer replied, “The nearest one on the other side of Hongdae.”

Taeyeon nodded, knowing which station it was. “Thanks.” She sent the message with information about where she was going to be and stood. “Should I bring my bag? You’re gonna need some ID or something?”

The officers stared as her as though she were an alien. She was definitely not their ‘typical criminal’.

T

Taeyeon was in the middle of filling out her details when her girlfriend stormed into the police station with a towering lady in tow.

“Taeyeon. Stop.”

Shocked by the entrance Tiffany made, Taeyeon froze and her pen was snatched out of her hand by her livid girlfriend. Then she stared at the taller woman as she introduced herself.

“Good evening, officers. I am Kang Seohyun, Ms Kim Taeyeon’s lawyer.”

Taeyeon stared blankly as Lawyer Kang spoke rapidly in a language that was obviously familiar to law enforcement officers and lawyers and before she knew it, the officers were growing increasingly fidgety. Behind her was Tiffany with hands on her shoulders, giving her physical and mental support. What was this whirlwind of an entrance?

“Miss Kim Taeyeon has admitted to operating it as a tattoo shop. She has also admitted to doing tattoos illegally,” said the female officer.

Lawyer Kang turned to Taeyeon, eyes flashing sparks and asked, “Is that true? Did you say those precise words?”

Taeyeon nodded as mixed feelings rose in her chest. With a lawyer by her side, it suddenly felt silly to admit to something she could have lied about. But she had her pride and she had her reasons.

Lawyer Kang turned back to the officers and rattled a bunch of legal jargon and by the end of her lecture, they looked chastised.

The female officer inhaled deeply. “Miss Kim will have to pay a fine.”

“She is a first-time offender and she admitted to her offence. She is remorseful.”

Taeyeon tried to put on a remorseful expression upon hearing Lawyer Kang’s words. If she couldn’t lie, the least she could do was pretend.

“The fine will be tagged to the lowest tier.”

“As it should be.” Lawyer Kang was firm and assertive.

Taeyeon was intimidated too. Fortunately for her, Lawyer Kang was on her side. Thanks to Tiffany. At that thought, she patted the hand on her shoulder to show her appreciation. The hand squeezed her shoulder and Taeyeon smiled.

“The fine will be two million won.”

Taeyeon’s smile faded. Two million won? That would almost bankrupt her. “Can I pay it in instalments?”

The officers looked at her like she was an alien, yet again. The female officer spoke, “Are you the sole breadwinner in your family?”

Taeyeon shook her head. Definitely not.

“Are you on any long term medical treatment or have a family member who requires it?”

Taeyeon shook her head again. Thank God no.

“Neither are you disabled. So you do not qualify to pay the fine on instalment basis.”

Lawyer Kang turned to Taeyeon with a smile designed to assure her. “You will have a grace period to pay the fine. Not to worry.”

But Taeyeon worried. She worried as she signed the necessary documents and she worried as Tiffany led her out of the police station to the car.

“Thanks, Seohyun. I owe you a huge favour,” Tiffany was saying.

“Nothing a cup of tea can’t pay for.”

“No way! You really helped us a lot. And it’s so last minute too. I feel so sorry and so thankful at the same time.”

Lawyer Kang laughed and gave Tiffany a big hug. “Don’t worry about it.” And to Taeyeon, she smiled and said, “Everything’s gonna be alright. Go back and have a good rest, Taeyeon.”

Taeyeon blinked. Lawyer Kang had morphed into girl-next-door Seohyun, acting like they knew each other for years. “Thanks, Seohyun. I owe both you and Tiff a big one.”

Girl-next-door Seohyun smiled beautifully and waved. “See ya again soon,” she said as she got into her car. A Mercedes. Well suited for a lawyer like her.

“C’mon,” said Tiffany.

Taeyeon followed her into the car and to her apartment they drove. Tiffany was eerily silent the entire time and Taeyeon didn’t think it was a good time to say something. Besides, she didn’t know what there was to say. So in silence they drove home and in silence they entered her apartment. But once the door closed, the silence ended.

T