This Grey city among thousands of snowflakes I wish I could find someone, at least to be lonely together. -Avocation, Tattooist-

TB

Korea's first snowfall passed without Hongjoong knowing. It wasn't like he was that excited about this kind of thing. It's just the cycle of nature that must happen when the time comes. But he did not wait for its arrival. At that time, he was asleep in a room on the third floor of this apartment. When he opened his eyes, white mist was already floating in the air outside the window.

There was nothing left to do so he continued to sleep. But as the eyelids slowly closed until they were almost completely closed. His brain flashed back the image of someone he had seen from the beginning of last week. A man clad all in black was circling the stairs leading down to the basement where Hongjoong worked. He circled around three or four times before disappearing.

Then it appeared two days later and one day after that. But today, Hongjoong noticed that he had only walked around twice when Hongjoong made eye contact with someone whose eyes flashed with fright and he quickly walked away. Hongjoong pretended to clean the shop's sign on the sidewalk, waiting to see if the man would come back again.

And when he didn't return, Hongjoong realized how stupid he was pretending to be. He walked down the stairs with half the sign still uncleaned.

Winter always gives us a certain feeling. If you are a lonely person like Hongjoong then When this season comes it will multiply to the point where sometimes I am not sure how to get through these times. But because he himself has been through it every year So this year just do the same. Take time to get through the sad and painful days like this.

After the clock rang for the third time The person on the bed then pushed himself up and searched for a black wool shirt that had been left at the foot of the bed and put it on over a t-shirt. It was because Hongjoong went to bed at 3:00 a.m. last night that he didn't see the need to shower again after only 5 hours, which were spent sleeping in a room that wasn't dirty. The cold weather outside made his reasoning sound as well.

The young man walked slowly on the long balcony with his hands tucked into his dark coat. He tried not to look down at the sidewalk in front of the stairs that led to the basement to see if anyone was waiting. But when the place was empty, he walked quickly as his doubts slowly began to build.

The long ramp in the basement was dim with only a few white neon lights. A glass door was revealed along the side of the road. The basement room is mostly used as a studio whether for art, song writing, or the tattoo parlor that Hongjoong owns. With only a few rooms, the area is relatively free of people and quiet.

The door opened and he hung his coat on the rack. Even though the first queue that the customer made an appointment for was in the late morning. But he came early in case some customers stopped by to ask for details. This decision he made was beneficial to someone else.

On the stairs, Seonghwa let out a huge sigh of relief, causing white steam to spread across his face. Their palms rubbed together, not sure if it was the weather or nervousness. He had been checking the website and walking around for a while. The work of this tattoo artist is considered to be quite good. That's why Seonghwa decided to come here.

But why when it actually arrives? He felt unprepared and strange. Or it could be a general feeling when we can finally do what we want. Seonghwa finally let out a final sigh and walked down the stairs.

The door opened again. Hongjoong looked up from the piece of paper on his desk and saw the face he remembered from the night before he fell asleep.

Finally met each other.

He wanted to say these words but could only bow and say normal words instead.

“Hello, welcome. Please sit down first.” Hongjoong gestured towards the soft, dark-colored sofa. Seonghwa followed the other party's invitation after hanging his coat by the door.

“I am Kim Hongjoong.”

“Seonghwa,” the other party answered in a curt but light voice.

“Is there anything I can help with? We also accept tattoo designs here.”

“Well, I already have an idea for the design I want to tattoo. I just want to come and give additional advice on whether I should do it or not.”

"Did you do well? It's a question that if you come here you probably won't get an answer."

“It's not that I don't want to help. But that kind of question is best answered by yourself. So, why don't you just show me your idea first? In case it helps you be more confident and make decisions more easily.”

Seonghwa took out paper and a tablet from his leather bag so frantically that Hongjoong wanted to reach out and help. What was seen in front of him was a long horizontal line of black ink and a slight gap before there was a black spot at the very back.

“I drew it myself,” Seonghwa said, pursed lips to hide his uncertainty from the person in front of him. Hongjoong picked up the picture and looked at it.

“It should take over an hour for a picture like this.”

“Not too long, that's good.”

“But if you want to get a tattoo now, I probably won't be able to do it. I happened to have a long queue until 9:00 p.m.”

"dress"

Seonghwa had a disappointed expression on his face. Then put the paper and laptop back in your bag. His attitude was that of a considerate person who was afraid of annoying others. The sadness that caused Hongjoong to sympathize, combined with the lingering feelings from last night, made him say things that he normally wouldn't have thought of doing.

“But if it's convenient for you after 9 p.m., I can stay overtime for you.”

“Really?” Seonghwa said with such joy that Hongjoong couldn't help but be happy as well. “Then I'll come see you soon.”

Hongjoong nodded and walked Seonghwa to the door and picked up his coat. Seonghwa walks away, leaving Hongjoong restless once again at the thought of meeting him in just a few hours.

After the last customer walked out of the store Hongjoong thought about the offer he had given the other party. He is usually a person who is dedicated to his work, but when his time is over he doesn't even look back. At the age of 25, he has experienced many things in his life and has learned how to live a happy life. But this morning, he felt that he could not help but break his own rules because of the customer's constant fear and cold expression.

All the equipment was neatly arranged by the time Seonghwa opened the door. His face looked sad and happy. Hongjoong wanted to know what the life of the person in front of him had gone through to shape him into such a miserable person.

Seonghwa sat down on the chair. Then roll up your sleeves. The inside of your forearm, above the crease of your elbow, is where the black ink line will be forever imprinted. Hongjoong began sketching the outline and took his time to meticulously tattoo it.

There's still half way to go. But the person in front of him was tense and nervous. Muscles that are too tense can make tattooing difficult and painful.

“Wouldn't you like to tell me what's the story behind this tattoo?” Hongjoong asked, hoping to ease his growing anxiety.

“It's a tattoo that doesn't have a very good background. Are you sure you want to listen?”

“I have opened this shop for many years. Believe me, I have heard far worse things than yours.”

“The long lines refer to things that have been going on in life from birth until now. And I leave a space before followed by a period. This means that everything that happens must end. I want everything to end so I can start over.”

“It's not as bad as I thought.”

“The long line represents a life that didn't go the way you wanted it to, and even worse, there was one person who I thought would make everything better, but in the end, that person ruined everything. Go further than before.”

Hongjoong stayed silent, giving Seonghwa a chance to continue when he noticed that the more Seonghwa spoke what was on his mind, the more he tensed up.

“I met that person a year ago. Time passed so quickly that he suddenly gradually changed. Until finally, he became a person I didn't recognize completely. The feeling that the only thing you could rely on was gone was terrible. Do you think so?”

“You seem more comfortable if I say yes, then yes.”

The hot steam from the heater spreads throughout the room. Seonghwa's clear cheeks turned a faint shade of red. Is it because the weather was warmer or was it because the other party's answer was trying to please him? Which one exactly? Seonghwa couldn't answer either.

Finally the final step has arrived. Hongjoong wrapped Seonghwa's arm in a white cloth and explained how to care for the tattoo to prevent infection. Seonghwa moved himself to sit on the sofa. Hongjoong poured brown tea into a glass and handed it to Seonghwa. You could notice that he felt much more relaxed.

“I thought that if I could take what I had in my head and turn it into something tangible. I will believe it even more. For example, right now I believe that my life can start again and it must be very good.”

“Many people say this. Everyone leaves me feeling better than before. If one came here because of love, he would feel it doubled after leaving. If anyone comes here because they are sad, I would ask them to leave their sadness here and live a happy life.”

“Do other people always tell you stories?”

“Almost everyone, both known and unknown. I've found that they, including you, trust me more than the people you've been with your entire life. Maybe it's because we're just people who might only meet once in their lives before they go on to tell other stories of their encounters with other tattoo artists.”

Seonghwa thought about the words of the person in front of him. It's as he said. Seonghwa dared to tell him everything without doubting whether he would share it with others or not. and thought back to what he had said before. Seonghwa came here with a long-gnawing sadness. He would follow this stranger's words for once. I'm going to leave all my sorrows here and really start over.

“I've been wasting your time long enough. Thank you for everything.”

“Always pleased”

Hongjoong walked ahead and picked up his own coat and another one, handing it to Seonghwa before pressing the switch to turn off the lights. Waiting for the person inside to come out, he locked the door and walked up the stairs, with the person behind him following with his shoulders wrapped close to his body. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, his heart ached at the thought of having to say goodbye to the person in front of him.

“Thank you again, Mr. Kim Hongjoong.”

“Yes, then you don't have to think about that person anymore. At least he's the guy who gave you the courage to add a spot to the back of a long-running line. It's good for everything to end."

Seonghwa nodded in acceptance with all his heart. He turned around and left all his feelings here. The time is over for the same old life. He smiled with happiness. The smile that once happened But when that was, he couldn't remember. The person behind looked at the figure in black walking away. If he remembered correctly, he could see his shoulders loosening. His head was slightly raised and he walked as if floating among snowflakes blowing in the wind.

After that day, everything went by almost as normal. Only some things were still hanging in the air. Wherever Hongjoong goes, he will follow as well. At first, he couldn't figure out what it was. After a while he figured it out but gave himself time to accept it. In the end, he had to tell himself that it was the sadness that Seonghwa had left behind. To be precise, it was his sadness at not being able to meet Seonghwa.

However, things didn't get any better and he began to sink into this feeling. Until in the end, I become a person who does something only because a customer schedule tells me to do it or my stomach rumbles so loudly that I have to go out and find something to eat. lifeless Anyway, Seonghwa didn't show up anyway.

Until the beginning of February, when the weather started to warm up, black coats were still common. And a black coat loosely covered Seonghwa's body on the first step of the stairs before going down to the basement. Hongjoong quickly came down from the third floor, not afraid that Seonghwa would know his happiness at seeing him.

“Finally met,” Hongjoong greeted without pausing to think if his words would sound like he was waiting too long for Seonghwa. Now he doesn't care about anything.

“It's nice to see you too.” A wall of awkwardness built up. But the two of them laughed so cheerfully that the wall crumbled. The two of them were no longer strangers like they had been in the beginning, so there was nothing to hold back.

“Are you coming to consult with me today?”

“I think so.”

Seonghwa was so excited to talk about his new tattoo idea that he quickly picked up his tablet while standing on the wet steps.

“The next tattoo will be a word. I drew it myself again.

Tranquil”

Seonghwa paused for the other person to ask a question.

“If you don't mind, may I ask what the story behind the tattoo is about?”

“After we met last time, I felt something. It took me a long time to find an explanation until I finally came to a stop with this word. It means peace that comes without any stimulation. It's estimated that you can be calm every weekday. I think it's a very beautiful word. Most importantly, I want to keep this feeling.”

“Very interesting.”

“Although it may seem like an exaggeration to say that I can be happy without other things, when in reality it is you who makes me feel this way.”

In normal times, Hongjoong would be so shy and strange that he would try to deny or speak evasively. But with a longing that had been gnawing at him for a long time, he smiled and accepted it wholeheartedly. When Seonghwa saw the other's reaction like that. He took it as permission to speak on deeper matters, and that was a good thing.

"This time I think I'm going to tattoo it on my chest. It would be pretty."

“Anywhere is good. By the way, I also have an idea for my first tattoo.”

Seonghwa's eyes widened in surprise before he burst out laughing loudly. It was a bright laugh that contrasted with the gray atmosphere around him.

“What, are you a tattoo artist without tattoos?”

“I am just waiting for the right time and this time is the best time.”

"Do you want to tell me what's the story behind that tattoo?"

"Sure. I know a good ramen shop just 5 minutes away. I'll tell you about it as I walk there."

“So you don't open a shop?”

Hongjoong looked bored at that question. “Just one day. In a winter like this, they probably understand that my life has withered to the point where I can't work.”

Seonghwa smiled at the word withered. The current situation was nothing close to Hongjoong's words. As their feet walked away, Hongjoong began to tell the story of his life. Starting with loneliness The pain turned into nothingness. Until finally meeting someone in this gloomy winter. The words blend together to become the story behind the tattoo he will mark on his body.

If you look from the sidewalk in front of the stairs leading down to the basement, you can see a gray sky. The neon lights are still on even though it's already 7:00 a.m. And the snowflakes that floated gently were not as much as at the end of last year. In front of them, two men walked close to each other. Their backs were so relaxed and carefree that you could tell they were both smiling and happy as the winter season was about to end.