feel me | yeonbin

003

5 years ago

There's a sharp hiss of pain over the buzz of a tattoo gun, flowers blossoming in pink ink right before Choi Soobin's eyes as he watches Kim Ahyeon, his mentor and the owner of Alloy & Ink, finish a third petal on a young woman's sleeve, working over the elbow now. His gaze follows the ink's path along her arm, fixated on the way Ahyeon creates movement in the piece with all the right curves and lines on the flowers, tempting the eye here and there to appreciate the full image.

Soobin uses the back of his hand to scratch an itch beside the piercing in his right brow, then idly reaches out and tucks a strand of Ahyeon's hair back. The rest is tied up in a messy bun atop her head, bleached blonde streaks trailing through otherwise dark hair. She gives him a murmured "thanks" as she works, not even blinking at the gesture.

He really lucked out when she took a chance on him, hiring him on to her shop when he had no experience and nothing but a wide-eyed dream. Soobin was just some kid with an oversized portfolio and an unbridled zest for art, but she saw something in him anyway.

Ahyeon clears her throat, pausing long enough to flick her eyes toward Soobin. A reminder to do what he came here to do as an apprentice in the first place. He has a habit of getting distracted by the art and forgetting to talk with customers, though he has gotten better in recent months.

Soobin snaps to it, pulling his eyes away from the tattoo to the girl's flushed face. He smiles at her and lightly taps his hand on the tattoo bed. "Don't forget to breathe. You're doing really well. The elbow will be the worst part and then it'll be a breeze."

The girl takes a deep breath, her eyes darting to meet his for a moment. Her face reddens further, but Soobin doesn't have time to dwell on it when the front door of the shop swings open, the bell dinging. He hops up before Ahyeon even has to tell him to, shedding his gloves and discarding the towel he had used to wipe up excess ink.

Soobin stretches his back as he heads for the front desk, a smile plastered on his face. It quickly drops from his lips when he sees the man in front of him- fluffy blonde hair with sunglasses nestled in it, completely barefaced, cheeks a little rosy from the sun, and an oversized t-shirt tucked into his pants to show off the curve of his waist.

"Good afternoon, sir," Soobin says with a bow. He instinctively reaches for the iPad on the counter, adjusting the stand to turn the screen toward himself, though his eyes stay locked on the blonde in front of him and the gentle yet stunningly sharp features of his face.

The young man looks amused at the formality, head tilting before he smiles.

It makes him even more beautiful.

"Please, you don't have to-I'm just Yeonjun," he says, and Soobin nearly melts at the sound of his voice. Soft, melodic, angelic.

"Ah, sorry, Yeonjun," Soobin says as he composes himself, lips pulled to one side in a half-grin. He can't help but notice the way Yeonjun's eyes scan over his face, something changing in his expression, and interest sparking behind his gaze. "Did you have an appointment today?"

"No, actually, uh... this is a bit of an impromptu decision," Yeonjun says, a nervous laugh escaping him. He glances down and scuffs his shoe on the floor. "I was wondering if you had any room for a walk-in."

"Oh." Soobin glances over at Ahyeon, who seems too focused on her work to hear what they're talking about. He leans on the counter and smiles at Yeonjun again. "It depends on what you're looking to get. If it's a small piece, we can handle that today."

Yeonjun nods, shoulders rising with a deep breath, like he's building himself up to asking. He fishes around in his pockets and retrieves a folded-up piece of paper, then slides it across the counter.