𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙮. 𝙨𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙝𝙬𝙖 𝙭 𝙨𝙖𝙣.

Chapter One: Lost

Buzzing.

Specifically, the buzzing of tattoo needles hard at work on whatever blank canvas had walked into the parlour.

Park Seonghwa was an artist in Roses & Thorns, a local tattoo shop on the outskirts of Seoul. It was never particularly busy, but it wasn't exactly struggling either. There was always a customer willing to get inked, and it was rare to see a day with no new faces. Of course, being just outside of a city had its ups and downs. There was always someone better just a few miles in, with just a few more five-star ratings and a few less drunk people. Although, anyone who went to Roses & Thorns could tell you that it had one of the best artists around, and there was no one better for miles. And although he was reluctant to admit it, even Park Seonghwa himself knew that he was a damn good worker. Fairly well known, but not enough. Could have been more, but he refused to join any form of social media, maintaining his reasons. Never one to be good in the spotlight. Maybe.

A pleasant bell sounded, bringing Seonghwa back to reality, where his newest client had just walked through the door. Putting his sketch on pause, he shut his notepad and greeted the customer with a smile and a few words, before guiding him to a desk where he would discuss the tattoo. Usual routine. The guy was nothing special, asking for a short quote on his rib. When asked what it was from, the man just smiled and said he knows people. So, maybe a little quirky, but he was far from the worst. At least he didn't squirm about during the process, and once the tattoo was done he paid fully and thanked the employees. It was quite a smooth process actually, and Seonghwa was glad, because the few tattoos he did after that were bumpy rides. Despite this, when he finally got a break all he did was continue sketching. And that's all he did for the rest of the day. And when he got home, he ate a good, filling meal in front of the TV. Then continued sketching until he got tired. The man was a work machine, a perfectionist when it came to his art. It was one of the reasons he could never post on social media; he was constantly revisiting past pieces and improving them. Adding small details whenever he had the time. 

The next day didn't seem too promising either. A few regulars, some roadies getting the same boring tattoos, and a divorced guy getting a cover-up of a tattoo he regretted. Nothing special, nothing interesting. So he went through a repeat of the day before. Continuously working.

And that was how the next day went.

And the next.

And it went on like this for a while. Uneventful, repeated days, with nothing to do but sketch. 

Park Seonghwa was the best tattoo artist for miles around, and yet despite this, his life was surprisingly uneventful. Ordinary. But could one day change his life for the foreseeable future?

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Thanks for reading this first chapter! I don't particularly have a set plan for this story, but I have guidelines, so it's okay. I'm sorry this chapter is so short, I just wanted to put something out before school started again. I'll try my best to continue this story to the best of my abilities, but progress may slow down slightly because I'm starting GCSE content right now, and I have to focus on which GCSEs I want to pick. I hope you stick with me and this story though!