𝐋𝐚𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 (𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐙)

9

Track 6. Red Velvet: Psycho
(Desire by Ateez is a great substitute;)

Red Velvet. "Psycho." Youtube. Youtube, Dec 23rd. 2019. Web. 20th May. 2020

℗ SM Entertainment

Holy shit I laughed out of embarrassment from writing this entire chapter.

***

Soon the last victim is hoarded on the stretcher, his pale veiny hands dangling like a corpse while droplets of blood speckled the floor. A shadow descends from my viewpoint and my peripheral vision finds Yeosang holding a cigar that is loosely hanging from his lips. His fingers traveled to the burning stick and balanced it between his middle and ring finger as a cloud of smoke wafted from his  pink lips. Shifting his pupils towards my face, his right eyebrow raises.

"Hello Hongjoong, I have a request. Enter classroom 108 after dinner so you can get a tattoo."

I couldn't hide my astonishment and tilted my head, "Tattoo?"

He wraps his arm around my shoulder and winks, "Yeah, my treat. It's almost tradition for every criminal to get at least one tattoo."

 Hearing him so easily label me a criminal left a sour taste in my mouth. I still thought of myself as a pure man but my hands couldn't efface the bloodstains of crime. As I inhaled the rusty cloud of second handed smoke, my mind raced about the pros and cons of a tattoo. The thought of illustrating my body with permanent ink gave slight tingles in my stomach. 

After our meal he dragged me to the classroom with no consent as goosebumps bubbled up against my flesh. There was no permanent desired image of my first design on a random place on my body. However Yeosang's genuine laughter echoed across the halls with a grin stretching his cheeks made me feel a tiny bit better.

However Yeosang laughing while doing something for me meant he has a benefit too. Perhaps something related with the past?

When we enter the classroom, a boy lounges on one of the desks. The desk next to him displays a tray holding a tattoo needle, sterilizer including autoclave, and a machine with extended wires connecting to the electrical orifice. My eyes sink at the sight of the tiny silver blades belonging to a razor. 

"Uh we're you forced to do this Wooyoung?"

The holder of the razor nodded, "But part of me wanted to."

"But Yeosang,"

"Yes?"
The ethereal man adjusted his view to see me.

"You said that most criminals have at least one tattoo," My gaze momentarily switches to Wooyoung,  "but I see no ink embedded on neither of your bodies," 

Yeosang's expression radiated snarkiness. His gaze faced the grey ceiling while the corners of his mouth coiled into a coy smile. From his relaxed yet gangling posture he replied,
"We do."

Originally tucked in his pockets his fingers slowly crept step by step across the buttons aligned on the center of his cotton shirt.
Once the tips reached the highest button he unlaced the piece of cloth hugging the round piece of plastic.   One by one each button was relinquished from the opposite article of clothing and revealed bit by bit of his sun kissed golden flesh until...

Through the translucent glass the sky's hue graduated to darkness leaving the singular dimply lit lightbulb as the sole source of light. Its soft blush bloomed over the stripping boy.

Within time, limp fabric bent downwards to the floor, exposing his left breast where a tattoo was placed over his heart.

Trillions of black dots clustered together to form a majestic harp  speckled with brilliant red roses. The strings were a pale shade of yellow and green thornless vines budded from the crimson petals and adorned the red handle. A side profile of a dove flew underneath the instrument, leaving a trail of maple leaves.