Yerin nervously stepped into Mysterious Tattoos, her vibrant pink dress contrasting sharply with the shop's black decor. Cursing under her breath at Sowon for putting her in this situation, Yerin approached the front desk.

Behind the counter stood a woman around her age, adorned in a leather jacket and intense makeup. The cold facial expression only heightened Yerin's anxiety.

"Can I help you?" The woman's tone lacked warmth, and Yerin struggled to respond. She resisted the urge to school the woman on customer service, given her fear of the unknown.

"I... um... I'm here to... get a tattoo?" Yerin stammered, her cheeks flushing as the woman's demeanor shifted, and a playful smile emerged.

"Yea, that's why people come here, but what do you want?" The abrupt change in tone left Yerin feeling exposed, and she fumbled through her words.

"Just... something small... somewhere you can't see it," she mumbled.

"So you have no idea what you want or where you want it," The woman's statement highlighted the oddity of Yerin's request. Seeing Yerin's discomfort, the woman, SinB, sighed.

"Listen, I'll help you out. I'm SinB, a tattoo artist here. We'll start by picking a design. Follow me," SinB led Yerin to a room in the back, explaining the process along the way.

Once settled in the chair, Yerin admired the room's decor. She couldn't help but ask about the photographs on the walls.

"Hm, yea. Photography is my hobby," SinB replied, her attention on a sketchbook. Yerin, contemplating her likes, suggested a duck.

"Of all the things you could choose, you choose a DUCK?" SinB burst into laughter, swiftly sketching a minimalistic duck design.

"Okay Ms. Duck, your sketch is done," SinB showed Yerin the design.

"First of all, my name is Yerin. Second of all... it's so cute!" Yerin's delayed second statement created a momentary awkwardness, but SinB's relief was evident. With the design finalized, SinB inquired about the tattoo's placement.

"Where... where would you suggest?" Yerin hadn't considered the location, and SinB recommended the shoulder for its concealability and lower pain sensitivity.

"Okay... let's do that," Yerin agreed, though her smile seemed forced. As preparations began, SinB engaged Yerin in conversation throughout the procedure to ease her nerves.

"Okay, I'm going to clean your shoulder with some rubbing alcohol now," SinB's explanations provided Yerin with a sense of comfort.

"I'm going to apply the stencil now,"

"I'm going to get the tattoo machine ready now," The buzz of the machine heightened Yerin's anxiety. SinB noticed her tension and reminded her to breathe.

"You need to breathe while I'm doing this. You don't want to be tense," SinB's soft words guided Yerin, who tried to stabilize her breathing. As the procedure started, Yerin released occasional whimpers, but SinB's steady conversation helped her relax.

"All done!" SinB announced, excitedly putting down the machine. Curious, Yerin asked to see the tattoo. SinB took her phone, snapped a few shots, and handed it back.

"It's... perfect," Yerin muttered, admiring her new tattoo. SinB, channeling a different persona, struck a superhero pose, amusing Yerin.

"Of course it is, I'm the great SinB!" Yerin chuckled at the sudden change in SinB's demeanor. After bandaging the tattoo, SinB provided aftercare instructions and bid Yerin farewell.

"Thank you, I know this was really weird," Yerin expressed gratitude, scratching her head nervously. SinB, still intrigued by Yerin, offered a warm handshake.

"This was certainly one of my most interesting jobs, but you're welcome," SinB returned to her room, leaving Yerin smiling as she exited Mysterious Tattoos.

As Yerin checked her phone, she discovered a message from an unknown number.

"Maybe losing that bet with Sowon was not so bad after all."

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(XXX) XXX-XXXX

call me sometime ~SinB