"Come on!!" said Minzy grabbing my hand and dragging me towards the tattoo shop.

 

"Just, wait. Let me gather enough courage." I said resisting as best as I could.

 

It was useless, Minzy was stronger than me, she was practically all muscle.

 

"Don't be such a coward! Come on! We've been standing out here for over 10 minutes. You shoud have enough courage by now." she complained.

 

She was right though, we had been standing outside the tattoo shop for quite a while now. I don't know why I let her drag me into this.

 

"Okay, okay" I said giving up. Sooner or later, I had to do this.

 

She grabbed my hand and dragged me inside the tatoo shop. A bell rang above us signaling someone had entered the shop. The smell of ink and stale cigarrettes welcomed us.  I looked around, the crimson walls were decorated with strange art pieces. I was about to turn around and leave when someone greeted us.

 

"Hi!" he said "Welcome."

 

"Hi" Minzy replied as she continued to drag me further into the shop and towards the front desk.

 

"Do you girls have an appointment?" he asked.

 

"No. My friend here wants to get her ears pierced"

 

"How old are you?" he asked eyeing me from head to toe.

 

"...seventeen" I said almost inaudible. 

 

"She's seventeen" said Minzy "She'll be eighteen in a couple of weeks."

 

"Alright, fill this out" he simply said and gave us a clipboard with a form to fill out. 

 

I grabbed the clipboard and we took a seat in the waiting area, which was just a couple of chairs by the front door. I filled out the form in not time. It asked basic information, name, address, phone number, etc.

 

I walked back to the front desk and handed him the form. He scanned it with his eyes before nodding, everything seemed to be in order.

 

I looked around the shop wondering who would be the one to pierce my ears. There was no one else there, he seemed to be the only employee here.

 

"Will you be the one piercing my ears?" I asked curious.

 

"Oh no. I don't do piercings." He turned his head around and shouted "Dee!!"

 

Moments later a slender petite girl appeared from behind the employees only door. She smiled as she approached us. 

 

"Yes"

 

"You got a customer."

 

"Hi!" she reached out her hand. "I'm Dara."

 

I froze in my spot. This girl was beautiful. Her half shaven head, her purple hair, her clothing which revealed the tattoos which covered most of her arms and torso - she was truly gorgeous.

 

"Chaerin" I simply said while I shook her hand. It was warm and soft, velvety.

 

She let go of my hand and shook Minzy's hand.

 

"So, what are you getting done today?" 

 

"Piercing. My ears. I'm..." I stuttered, tripping over my own words. I had just met this girl and she was making me nervous beyond control. 

 

She laughed at my stupid babbling.

 

"She's getting her ears pierced." Minzy answered as she nudged me.

 

"Okay, right this way" said Dara and turned around.

 

I followed her as she led me to her work station while Minzy waited in the waiting area. 

 

I couldn't help but look around as we walked towards her station in the back. Despite the dark-themed décor, the place was very well kept.

 

"Just sit here" she said as we arrived at her work station, patting the black leather chair.

 

I did as told. I sat there with both my hands neatly resting on my knees.

 

She started talking me through the procedure and what she was going to do. I wasn't really listening as my nerves had taken over my senses. My hands were beginning to sweat, my throat was dry, and my right foot couldn't stop tapping the floor beneath it.

 

I heard Dara chuckle.

 

"I've never seen someone so nervous over something so small. Just relax. Take a deep breath" she said as she aproached me, her rolling tray table with all her equipment next to her.

 

I took a deep breath.

 

"I'm just going to mark the spot where your piercings will be" she said and marked both of my ears. 

 

"How's that?" she asked while handling me a mirror to check the marks on my ears.

 

"Good" I said nodding in agreement.

 

She smiled and put her gloves on.

 

"Now I'm going to apply a cleansing agent to desinfect your earlobe, basic procedure." she said and applied the lotion to the first earlobe. She began to rub my ear, causing goosebumps to travel down my spine. I closed my eyes and refrained myself from losing control under this girl's touch.

 

"You have really cute ears" she said before placing the cold metal gun near my ear. "Just relax" 

 

I took a deep breath and CLANK. The piercing gun went off and I felt a sharp pain hit my ear immediately afterwards.

 

"One down, one to go" she said as she put a temporary earring in my new pierced lobe. She walked over to my other ear and began the procedure to pierce it.

 

I opened my eyes and stared at her from the corner of my eyes and as she worked, she was extremely focused. She smiled and turned to face me.

 

"Ready?" she asked after she had rubbed my second ear with the cleansing agent.

 

"No"

 

She chuckled.

 

I closed my eyes preparing myself for the pain.

 

A loud clank went off and a sharp pain hit my ear immedately, again.

 

"There, all done." she said as she put her gun down on the tray.

 

She put a matching earring on my second piercing. She then grabbed a small amount of lotion and rubbed my ears once again. It made the pain go away instantly. I'm not sure if it was the lotion, or just her magic touch.

 

"See? It wasn't that bad."

 

I smiled and nodded in agreement. She was right. Aside from the initial pain, it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would.

 

She handed me the mirror, I looked at my new piercings.

 

"You look gorgeous." she said and started to clean her work station.

 

"Thank you" I said.

 

I walked over to the front desk to take care of the bill. I looked back at Dara's work station as I paid the bill, and Minzy went on about how much better I looked with pierced ears, but she was gone. 

 

I walked out of the shop and got into my car parked a few meters away. I turned it on and drove off.

 

"I'll be back" I told myself as I drove further and further away from the shop.