Next to the underground parking lot, there was a small space that seemed to embody a landlord’s desperate attempt to squeeze in one more rental shop for extra income.
That small space was occupied by the little shop I had planned to visit today:
A special tattoo shop.
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story
[Moonlight Tattoo Shop]
: A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records>
: Daydream Inc. identification code – N/A
The only official record from Daydream Inc. about this location is a one-off entry titled ‘It Is Empty (Qterw-C-818)’.
For more details, Document #818-15623 (Civilian Interview Record) can be accessed, though its credibility is not guaranteed.
========================
Does the note about ‘credibility not guaranteed’ mean it’s dangerous?
No.
The foundational story of ‘It Is Empty’ is a satire of humanity’s tendency to twist benevolence into something sinister by looking for hidden negative reasons.
Contextually, this place has to be a ‘good’ location that aligns with civilian interview accounts.
– Are you going in?
Yup.
I pressed the button next to the frosted glass door.
Srrrk—
The door slid open, revealing the interior of the tattoo shop.
At a glance, it looked like an ordinary, modest shop. The facilities were slightly shabby but clean and well-maintained. A notice on the counter stated that they only performed one-on-one procedures.
However, light streamed down onto the central tattoo chair.
It was moonlight.
Curiously, the ceiling above the chair featured a transparent LED panel that allowed the moon to be visible, creating artificial moonlight that poured down in a focused beam.
‘Just as described.’
“Is anyone here?”
When I called out, the shop owner emerged from behind the counter.
It was a woman with dense Korean-script tattoos on her neck, wearing a sleeveless shirt. Her tied-back curly hair and confident demeanor immediately evoked the impression of a skilled technician or artist.
“I’d like to have a tattoo consultation. Is that possible?”
Nod.
“Could you let me know the price range?”
I had no idea.
In any case, after organizing the box with incredible speed behind the counter, the tattooist politely gestured for me to proceed to the central chair, bathed in moonlight.
“Thank you.”
The tattooist soon brought over a large lemon drink and a thick booklet.
So far, everything was as described in the accounts.
They brought me a lemon drink and a booklet, which seemed like a collection of tattoo designs. One was labeled ‘Basic Design #3’.
I chose a tiny dolphin silhouette the size of a fingernail and got it done. During the process, they told me to close my eyes, and strangely, I felt no pain.
I glanced at the cover of the booklet.
If the person who gave a mother-of-pearl keychain received ‘Basic Design #3’, what could I expect after offering pearls worth millions of won?
Granted, this might be an overly materialistic way of thinking.
‘This is a small tattoo shop in a ghost story. A mystical shop owner might not respond to material offerings...’
[Royal Special Premium #1 (Customizable)]
Well, that worked.
“Thank you.”
Money wins, once again.
Anyway, the designs here seemed to reflect what my offering could earn me.
‘Hmm.’
I turned the pages of the booklet.
Designs included constellations drawn with water droplets, a fusion of polar bear claws and Inuit patterns, and a wistful pastel-toned seascape at sunset.
The collection was stunning.
If I’d come here for the express purpose of getting a meaningful tattoo, I’d be poring over these designs with awe.
But that wasn’t my primary concern.
The tattoo disappears the next day anyway.
To be more precise...
It would feel like you had dreamed it. You clearly got a tattoo, but it would be completely gone the next morning.
But do you know what’s stranger?
The tattoo received here is ‘absorbed’ into the person.
I suddenly became great at swimming in the ocean.
Just like the dolphin I had tattooed.
In other words, these tattoos grant special abilities based on the design!